These are my final cellphones from the pumpkin trail hike in Norco. Yes, I did also finish a roll of JCH Streetpan 400 (8 exposures) using an IR filter, and yes, I did also take four exposures with Kodak 400 color film. But those need developing, and I am not Azriel Knight, I cannot engage in photo marathons where I shoot everyday and go home and develop, scan and then post videos after each day. No, I am human, with many limitations.
I will take those rolls to the lab, or at least, the color roll when I finish it. I am tempted to take the black and white rolls too, but it is $5 to develop each one, and I have about 10 rolls, and I don't want to spend $50 to pay for something I can do at home, since I have all the equipment and the chemicals. But what I don't have is the inclination to do the work. I'll try to develop a few rolls tomorrow.
There is the big, iconic pumpkin rock, but many other boulders up here have been painted, and many have graphitti. So, I imagine it is a constant struggle to keep the place decent, because of course, the grafitti is coarse and vulgar and sexual, and if you are taking hordes of little kids up here, some of them can read and they will ask what the words mean, and others will just be scared by grafitti. But I kind of liked the touch of color.
I walked around trying to find compositions. It is a great vantage point, but no clear sight of the San Gabriel mountains, unless, of course, I would have followed a trail in the other direction and climbed some of the northern hills. That would involve making a beeline straight away from the pumpkin rock, and out there, there are some houses lined up around the hills, but I think I could have managed a clearer vantage point. The thing is, I did not want to walk that way (sorry, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith).
So, I took my photos where I could. The light was wrong, too. I need to see this in the afternoon, when the faces of the painted boulders are not in shadow. Then, it will make for dramatic photos, but to tell the truth, I feel no urge to return to this hike. I want to explore other hikes, and in particular, the mountains beckon. I want to drive up to Angeles Crest and look for spots and find a hiking spot up there. Maybe they will actually even open it up again. Also, I want to photograph fall color.
I am curious. Who did the metal horse sculptures? Was it Richard Braceda? I hope to find out.
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