I'm trying not to obsess about politics and criminality. I am trying not to obsess about Trump and his cadre of traitors to Democracy. I am trying not to think about the obstacles and foot-dragging of the Republican Party as they close rank to defend the rioters and urge the Democrats to "back off " in the interest of "unity". I am trying not to think about the threats posed by militias who are planning take-overs of state capitals this weekend. I am trying to hold out hope for democratic principles, although the mob mentality is strong, oh so strong, in the Trump electorate. I don't know what it will take to break through.
Here are a few photos I took at the Hidden Valley Nature Center, an open, expansive park between the cities of Norco and Riverside. I am happy to report that the giant flag praising Trump that would greet us as we exited the freeway to drive through the city center is no longer there. I did see another Trump flag, but it was down the way, and it was much smaller. Norco is a community that styles itself "Horsetown USA", but it could probably be called Trumpville. They are working-class white people, but the Hispanic community is large too. The Hispanic community doesn't enter into the imagination of Norco, though, they see themselves as the defenders of a lifestyle and of values that equate to that of the settlers. I drive through Norco but with a sense of unease, because beneath those benevolent white faces wearing cowboy hats, I can Trump lurking underneath.
The Hidden Valley Nature Center is a complex of roads with various parking lots that abut the Santa Ana River. It is a beautiful park, with wide-open views. If you look to the north, you see the majestic landscape of trees in what we can call a "riparian" (I can't get out of my mind the use of this word by the character in "Keeping up Appearances", a BBC show where Patricia Routledge plays Mrs. Bucket, a social climber) ecosystem. This was only my second time here, but this time, I ventured deeper, I drove all the way in and passed a few other parking lots until I arrived at the penultimate one. The colors in the trees were amazing. Yes, this is now winter, but fall colors are still in evidence in southern California, and the trees still have leaves on their branches.
There were very few people in the park. The notice which greets us doesn't look promising. It warns us not to leave valuables in the car because of the break-ins. What I will do, however, is just park next to the ranger station at the end. It is evident to me that the rangers are always there, I saw them today, and if they hear glass breaking, I am sure they will rush out. They must also have cameras on that building, too. And, of course, I will still try to leave my car as bare as possible.
The sights were muted by the clouds. If we had had some sunlight, the colors would have been glorious. We didn't, the clouds were there pretty much from 2 p.m. to 4, the two hour block in which I found myself at the park. But I still took slide photos with my CLA's Minolta Autocord. I used Provia 100, with an f8 aperture setting and 1/30th shutter speed. Let me see, would that be correct? For a cloudy day, add two to three stops of light. So, if it were sunny 16, I would use f16 at 1/100 for Provia 100. By using f8, that is two stops (f16 --> f11 --> f8). And, by using 1/30th, that is about two more stops (1/100 --> 1/50 --> 1/25). So, I actually gave it four stops to compensate for the cloudy light. Who knows, I might even have overexposed by one stop!
I will have to return, the vantage points are majestic and the colors are magnificent.
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