Crater Lake

Crater Lake at water level.  Photo by Anders Tomlinson.  Klamath County Oregon.

A deep blue that will take your breath away
Crater Lake is 1,943 feet at it’s deepest point,the seventh deepest
lake in the world and the deepest in the United States. Lake levels
fluctuate slightly from year to year. Winter snows supply the lake
with water. Crater Lake, 42.95°N 122.10°W, is a 45 minute drive from
Harriman Springs Resort & Marina, a trip to a spectacular world unlike
any other. It is no wonder that Crater Lake is a National Park.

crater lake national park, klamath county, view from watchmen's tower. photo by anders tomlinson

400,000 years in the making and boom!
Crater Lake lies inside a caldera, or volcanic basin, created when
12,000 foot high Mount Mazama collapsed 7,700 years ago following a
large eruption. The lake averages more than five miles in diameter,
and is surrounded by steep walls that rise up to 2,300 feet above its
surface. Wizard Island rises 764 feet above the lake surface. Mt. Scott,
at 8,929 feet, is the park’s highest point.

crater lake national park, klamath county, looking down at water and shoreline. photo by anders tomlinson

More than a special place it is a special spirit
Upwards of 500,000 people visit Crater Lake. The park is open year
round with July and August being the busiest months. Lake temperature
varies between 32 and 66 degrees at the surface. More than 260 feet
below the surface, the water remains a constant 39 degrees year-round.

crater lake national park, klamath county, looking at cliff with orange outcropping. photo by anders tomlinson

Seeing a wind-blown sky within the water
On June 25, 1997 scientists recorded a record clarity reading of 142 feet
– 43.3 meters. Crater Lake is one of the clearest lakes in the world.
It usually has clarity readings of 80 to 115 feet.

crater lake national park, klamath county, looking down at water and tour boat at cleetwood cove.

Seeing the lake by tour boat is beyond an E-class ticket
Crater lake is an unique ecosystem. Scientists have identified 157 species
of phytoplankton and 12 species of zooplankton in the lake. Large colonies
of moss circle the lake at depths of up to 400 feet. At the bottom of the
lake, communities of bacteria gather around at least two areas of hydrothermal
activity. Rainbow trout and kokanee salmon thrive in the lake, the result
of stocking between 1888 and 1942. A 6.5 pound, 26 inch long rainbow trout
has been documented. Fishing is allowed at Cleetwood Cove and
on Wizard Island. No fishing license is required.

crater lake national park, on a boat tour of the lake, klamath county.  photo by anders tomlinson

Geology, natural and cultural history come alive
Imagine spending a couple of hours circumnavigating a volcano from
inside on a deep lake. To board the tour boats in Cleetwood Cove one must
descend a 1.1 mile trail which drops 700 feet from road to water level.
This is an experience in and of itself. Three are other tours that allows
people to spend as much as six hours on Wizard Island. One is far far
way from the modern world. The price of admission is well worth it.

crater lake national park,  tourist looking out at fumeroles.  photo by anders tomlinson

On the road up to the lake’s rim
There are 700 plant, 52 mammal, 8 amphibian, 4 reptile, 5 fish, and 151
bird species in Crater Lake National Park. The park is much more than
the legendary lake itself. There are canyons and creeks cutting down the
slopes. Here, two observers look up a canyon at fumeroles.

crater lake national park, the pinnacles. klamath county.  photo by anders tomlinson

Away from away are the Pinnacles.
Off of Rim Drive one can take Pinnacles Road which leads to Pinnacles
Valley and Pinnacles overlook. When Mt. Mazama literally blew its top
off 200 to 300 foot deposits of gas-charged hot ash and pumice surrounded
the volcano. Hot gas escaped through fumaroles formed by the hot gas bonding
ash and pumice into channels. The tall pinnacles are the result of eroding
loose ash and pumice leaving the cemented material.

crater lake national park, klamath county, looking down at phantom ship island. photo by anders tomlinson

Recognized as a national, and international, treasure
Phantom and Wizard are the two islands in the lake. The park comprises
183,224 acres, 90% is managed as wilderness area. Crater Lake was
established as the seventh national park on May 22, 1902. This photo
was taken on the year’s last day rim drive was open to the public.
That night a snow storm made the drive impassable. It might not be
reopened until June depending on that year’s conditions.

crater lake national park, snow being removed from rim drive, klamath county.  photo by anders tomlinson

Few places in the northwest received more snow than Crater Lake
Winter brings some of the heaviest snowfall in the country, averaging 533
inches per year. Although park facilities mostly close for the season, the
park’s south entrance is kept open for visitors. Snow can still be on the
ground in early summer.

crater lake national park, heavy snow and photgraphing the lake in winter, klamath county.  photos by anders tomlinson

A sunny winter day is a snowy wonderland to enjoy.
The air is crisp. The silence echoes off the caldera walls. A photograph
frames an image that will not rival the experience of being there. A person
takes off alone into the forest. times like this one cannot truly be alone
because they are with Crater Lake.

crater lake national park, four photos of winetre activities., klamath county. photos by anders tomlinson

Moving around in the winter is an aerobic and aromatic experience
Cross-country skiing and snowshoe hikes make Crater Lake a winter wonderland.
Crater Lake has 90 miles of maintained trails and 74 miles of paved road, including the
33 mile rim drive that circles the lake. What opportunities for winter explorations.

crater lake national park seen from the road crossing fort klamath, klamath county.  photo by anders tomlinson

It is a pleasure for one to say they visited Crater Lake
The bottom of Crater Lake is close to the elevation of these fences and barns.
This photo is taken from a road that takes one to Kimball Park another
majestic destination. Here, springs coming out the cliffs feed the Wood River
at the feet of Mt. Mazama, home of Crater Lake National Park.


Join Bob Ganey American Tourist at Crater lake


On the Way to Crater Lake from Harriman Springs

topo map of crater lake national park, u.s.g.s.

Like No Place Else On Earth
The following is from the Crater Lake National Park’s home page –
“Crater Lake has inspired people for thousands of years. No place
else on earth combines a deep, pure lake, so blue in color; sheer surrounding
cliffs, almost two thousand feet high; two picturesque islands; and a violent
volcanic past. It is a place of immeasurable beauty, and an outstanding outdoor
laboratory and classroom.”
The map is courtesy of the U.S.G.S. For more information visit Crater Lake National Park

©2013 Anders Tomlinson and Robert Ganey, all rights reserved.

Mare’s Eggs

Mare's Eggs Springs, Rocky Point, Klamath County, Oregon.  Photo by Anders Tomlinson,  1997

You are standing near one of the most unusual places in the natural world.
Ten miles, or so, north of Harriman Springs on Westside Road, just before
it makes a sharp right and becomes Seven Mile Road, is a nondescript turnoff
on the right hand side of the road for a couple of cars to park. This is
where Mare’s Eggs Spring is – N42.66041° W122.08891°. The land drops ten feet
quickly to the water’s edge. Coming out of the hill are cold water springs.
Welcome to Mare’s Eggs Springs Botanical Area.

Mare's Eggs Springs, Rocky Point, Klamath County, Oregon.  Photo by Anders Tomlinson,  1997

A display describes what we are seeing.
What looks like cobblestones at the bottom of this pool are actually
living colonies of algae called “Mare’s Eggs.” The blue green alga
(Nostoc pruniforme) forms colonies with a dark, leathery outer sack
and a watery, gel-like center. Although found worldwide, colonies
this large are rarely seen. Mare’s Eggs are also found at
Harriman Springs Resort & Marina.

Mare's Eggs Springs, Rocky Point, Klamath County, Oregon.  Photo by Anders Tomlinson,  1997

Summer, winter, fall or spring the water is always 40 degrees.
Blue-green algae are more closely related to bacteria than plants,
but can create their own food through photosynthesis. If you look
carefully into the pool, you may notice some of the Mare’s Eggs have
warty knobs. These are newly forming colonies that will eventually
separate and form their own Mare’s eggs.

Mare's Eggs Springs, Rocky Point, Klamath County, Oregon.  Photo by Anders Tomlinson,  1997

Westside Road is less traveled in the Winter.
Winter is a time for the hardy to be out and surviving. Bald eagles
are watching for mammals and birds in distress. It is cold. It is
a time to be prepared for trouble. It is quiet at Mare’s Eggs Springs,
not like the spring and summer when bird song is everywhere one turns.

Mare's Eggs Springs, Rocky Point, Klamath County, Oregon.  Photo by Anders Tomlinson,  1997

How old and big can a Mare’s Egg be?
The largest Mare’s Eggs are estimated to be 10-15 years old, growing
up to 9 inches in diameter and weighing over 5.5 pounds.

Mare's Eggs Springs, Rocky Point, Klamath County, Oregon.  Photo by Anders Tomlinson,  1997

Not much lives in this low nutrient environment
Please resist the temptation to take or even touch the Mare’s Eggs.
These colonies require years on constant conditions and little outside
disturbance to grow so large. The many springs here provide a
continual flow of 40 degree Fahrenheit water with a low nutrient
content. A species of snail that cleans off the surface of the
Mare’s Eggs may also be important. By staying out of the pool,
you will help this delicate balance intact.

©2014 Anders Tomlinson, all rights reserved.

Wood River Valley

crooked creek fish hatchery, wood river, kimball park, fort klamath.  photos by anders tomlinson.

It All Started Here, And Here Lives On
Wood River Valley is the old west surrounded by mountains and it can be
a stopping point halfway between Harriman Springs and Crater Lake. In
the valley there are wonderful places to visit: Kimball Park, Wood River
Day Use Area and the Klamath Hatchery on Crooked Creek.

four fort klamath scenes, klamath county.  photos by anders tomlinson

Fort Klamath
Fort Klamath is an unincorporated community of barely 200 people and
is one of the oldest settlements in Klamath County. Fort Klamath post
office was established January 6, 1879. In the summer, cattle are trucked
in and graze on rich pasture grass. The town is located about a mile
northwest of Fort Klamath, the Oregon Trail military outpost, which is
listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
GPs: 42°41′31″N, 121°58′20″W

fort klamath museum.  wood river valley, klamath county.  photo by anders tomlinson

Fort Klamath Museum
Located north of Klamath Falls on Hwy. 62.  Fort Klamath was a frontier
military post established in 1863 at a time when the country was engaged
in a Civil War. Recruits were rallied from volunteers for service for
Frontier Protection and an enrollment office was established in
Jacksonville in late 1861. The territory they patrolled was huge as it
covered the Southern Route of the Oregon Trail known as The Applegate
Trail. Most were young fellows from the farms of Oregon who came
in singing this ditty:  “I’m a raw recruit with a brand new suit.
One hundred dollars fourty, And I’ve just come down to Ashland town,
To fight for Jackson County.”

A replica of the Guard House exhibits artifacts found on the site,
photographs and is staffed by a knowledgeable docent who tells a
compelling story of events witnessed by those who lived there.
The famous prisoners taken during the Modoc Indian War were held
in the guard house during their trial and until the final days.
The site has the graves of the Modocs executed following the War.
Captain Jack, Black Jim, and Schonchin John.  The Fort Klamath Jail
and Post Office are on the site.  A worthwhile stop on your way
to Crater Lake. The grounds has a replica of the old fort Gazebo
if the weather is inclement and picnic tables. Check with the
Klamath County Museum for hours and days open…
The Fort Klamath Museum segment was written by Pat McMillian.

four scenes of kimball park, klamath county, oregon. photos by anders tomlinson

Kimball Park
J. F. Kimball State Park is a pristine site located at the headwaters
of the Wood River. A walking trail connects the campground to the
site where the clear spring bubbles from a rocky hillside. The park
is a secluded place where you can contemplate the moment while relaxing
in the whispering lodgepole pines. Wood River flows from the pine forest
into open meadow land laced with picturesque quaking aspen surrounded
by the southern Cascade Mountains. Wood River offers fine fishing that
can be accessed from the park by canoe. Kimball Park offers primitive
camping next to a spring-fed lagoon at the beginning of this waterway.
GPS: 42°44′18″ N, 121°58′48″ W

The park is operated and maintained by the Oregon Parks and Recreation
Department, and is located approximately 20 miles southeast of Crater Lake
National Park and 3 miles north of Fort Klamath on Oregon Road 232, off of
Highway 62. The park was established in 1955, and covers 19 acres.
including the headwaters of the Wood River.

There is a popular horse trail that begins at Collier Memorial State
Park that leads through the forest to Kimball State Recreation Site.
Riders must make a round trip from Collier State Park since there are
no horse corrals at Kimball Recreation Site.

For Kimball Park birding information visit Klamath Birding Trails

wood river day use park, wood river valley, klamath county, oregon. photo by anders tomlinson

Wood River Day Use Park
The Wood River Day Use Area, elevation 4200, is located along the
Wood River in the Upper Klamath Basin. The site offers a disabled
accessible trail system that winds through stands of aspens, extending
to meadow-shrub riparian areas and an overlook of the river.
A diversity of wildflowers blooms during the spring and summer.
In the fall, aspen, cottonwoods, and willow turn a brilliant yellow.
The Wood River Area offers three picnic sites, fully accessible trails,
fishing platforms and restrooms, but bring your own drinking water.
Picnicking, fishing and wildlife viewing are popular activities.
This is also one of the popular stops along the Klamath
Basin Birding trail.

There is no fee for use of the area and tables are available on
a first-come, first-served basis. The Wood River Day Use area is
located off Highway 62, Crater Lake Highway. approximately two miles
from Fort Klamath. GPS: 121° 58′ 54.12″ W, 42° 42′ 15.34″ N.

For Wood River Day Use birding information visit Klamath Birding Trails

crooked creek - klamath fish hatchery. wood river valley, klamath county , oregon. photo by anders tomlinson

Crooked Creek Fish Hatchery
Klamath Hatchery is located along Crooked Creek, a small meandering
stream with a well developed riparian area. This hatchery raises
rainbow, cutthroat, brook and brown trout. It provides legal-sized
trout to Klamath and Lake counties and fingerlings for lakes from
the southern Cascade Mountains east to the Idaho border. The current
production is approximately 1 million fish each year.
GPS: 42°36’30.5″ N
, 121°56’34.09″ W

Visitors can also purchase fish food for 25 cents per small handful
and feed the trout in either the fish ponds or in Crooked Creek.
There is also a viewing area along Crooked Creek with a wooden deck
to peer into the waters and feed the trout that often come up to the
surface in hopes of swallowing a food pellet or two.
Some of these fish are native to the Creek and others are hatchery
escapees. Crooked creek is also used for spawning by fish from
Klamath and Agency Lakes during the winter and spring months.

wood river valley during a 1996 new years flood.  photo by anders tomlinson

Looking south at Crooked Creek and a Flooded Wood River Valley.
Crooked Creek starts from a dozen hillside springs that also supply
water for Klamath Hatchery. The springs run a nearly constant volume
and stay in the middle 40s F year-round. Crooked Creek is also used for
spawning by fish from Klamath and Agency Lakes during the winter and
spring months. This section of creek is closed to fishing to protect
watchable fish for this viewing area. The creek is open for
fishing downstream of the pasture fence during the trout season.

Birds to Look For: Great Blue Heron, Osprey, Wood Duck, several
warbler species and Mountain Bluebird are commonly seen
around the hatchery.

wood river scenes, klamath county, oregon. photos by anders tomlinson.

Wood River
The Wood River meanders 18 miles through the Fremont-Winema National
Forests, Bureau of Land Management land, and private property in
southern Oregon before flowing into Agency Lake. Its watershed consists
of 220 square miles of conifer forest, rural pasture land, and marsh
with headwaters emanating from a large natural spring located in
Jackson F. Kimball State Recreation Site. The aquifer that feeds
the spring is believed to originate twenty miles to the northwest
in the east side drainage of Crater Lake National Park. The drainage
around its headwaters is forest county dominated by ponderosa pine
and lodgepole pine with some quaking aspen in meadow lands.

The Wood River’s largest tributary is Annie Creek which originates
inside the boundary of Crater Lake National Park, and is fed by
the park’s snowpack as well as groundwater from natural springs.
After leaving the park, Annie Creek passes through the Fremont-Winema
National Forests and then runs along the western border of Sun Pass
State Forest for about a mile. It then crosses private pastureland
and is joined by Sun Creek before joining the Wood River, about a
mile south of Kimball State Recreation Site. From there, the Wood
runs south through the Fremont-Winema National Forests and private
pasture land before Fort Creek joins the flow. Below Fort Creek,
the river flows through private pasture land and then opens into
a wide marsh. Much of the original marsh is now pasture land.
Water from the river is diverted into a system of canals to
irrigate grazing land in the surrounding valley. Finally,
Crooked Creek joins the Wood approximately one mile before it
empties into Agency Lake, which is connected to Upper Klamath Lake.

The Wood River habitat supports wild, self-sustaining populations
of brook, brown, Great Basin redband, and coastal rainbow trout.
These species are widely distributed throughout the river system
from the headwaters to Agency Lake. Bull trout are native to upper
Sun Creek inside Crater Lake National Park. Great Basin redband
trout and coastal rainbow trout are species, both rainbow trout
subspecies, native to the Klamath Basin.

For Wood River Valley birding information visit Klamath Birding Trails

wood restoration projects, wood river valley, klamath county, oregon.  photo by anders tomlinson

The Wood River Was Changed By Man And Changed Again.
In September 1992, U.S. Congress appropriated funds for the
Bureau of Land Management to purchase 3,200 acres of natural
wetland along the north end of Agency Lake at the mouth of the
Wood River. This wetland area was converted to pasture land in
the 1950s and 1960s. The land purchase was completed in 1994.
Since acquiring the Wood River property, the Bureau of Land
Management has successfully restored the wetland area and
adjacent Wood River channel to a more natural state. The channel
restoration project was completed in 2001. The new channel
meanders through the marsh, increasing the length of the
Wood River by over one half mile. Overall, this project has
improved water quality and created better habitat for fish,
birds and wildlife.

©2014 Anders Tomlinson, all rights reserved.

Harriman Springs Resort & Marina

harriman springs resort & marina, rocky point, klamath county, oregon. photo by anders tomlinson june 2, 2017. restaurant, harriman's, seen from the rental dock.

Welcome to a majestic natural setting – enjoyed by all who come
Harriman Springs Resort & Marina is 20-some miles northwest of Klamath
Falls on the shores of Upper Klamath Lake in Rocky Point, Oregon. At the
turn of the 20th Century the mountains surrounding Rocky Point were known
as the “Switzerland of the United States.” Early visitors from around the
world came through on their way to visit nearby Crater Lake. Harriman
Springs continues to offer an outdoor experience for the general public
as a vacation destination that has been shared by generations, for
generations. Harriman Springs is a special place to visit.

Outdoor dining on the terrace at Harriman Springs Resort & Marina, Rocky Point, Klamath County, Oregon. Photo by Anders Tomlinson, June 2, 2017.

The outdoor Terrace is a special place to share special moments
The restaurant and bar opens up to the Terrace that overlooks Harriman
Creek and 
nearby mountains including Mt. Harriman to the south. Boats
come and go as 
birds sing and waterfowl enjoy Harriman Springs and the
adjoining Upper Klamath 
National Wildlife Refuge. This is a place to
put away the smart phones and 
enjoy the people you are with and the
beautiful surroundings.

Harriman Spring's Resort & Marina's owner John Pratt's Brown Dog sits in the driver's seat of a company truck.. Rocky Point, Klamath County, Oregon. Photo By Anders Tomlinson, June 2, 2017.

Brown Dog, official greeter for Harriman Spring’s Resort and Marina
Brown Dog is one lucky dog. She lives at Harriman Springs. She is
living proof
 Harriman Springs is dog friendly as well as family friendly:
grandparent
 friendly, parent friendly, kid friendly, friend friendly
as well as bird friendly,
 fish friendly, wildflower friendly, tree
friendly and night sky star friendly.

double rainbow over harriman creek at harriman spring's resort & marina, rocky point, klamath county, oregon. photo by Anders Tomlinson, June 29, 2017.

Harriman Springs – a magical place, a magical afternoon
As the sun goes down the stars come out and the Milky Way will dance
across the sky until first light returns and many are ready to go
fishing. If you need a boat, Harriman Springs Resort and Marina has
you covered: 21′ pontoon boats, Craft 16′ fishing boats, Lowe’s 14′
fishing boats, 16′ row boats, and canoes. Well-maintained docks,
public boat launch, restaurant and bar all contribute to good
times at Harriman Springs Resort & Marina.

Old John Muir cabin at Harriman Springs Resort & Marina, Rocky Point, Klamath County, Oregon. Photo by Anders Tomlinson, June 29, 2017.

Here John Muir wrote as a guest of E. H. Harriman
This restored cabin is one of few remaining structures, along
with a couple of dock pilings, from the days when steamboats
pulled up to the docks. This may have been the cabin Muir
stayed in. The following is from a piece John Muir wrote
about his stay in Rocky Point…

“So I went to the famous Lodge, intending to stay a few days or
a week, but when I spoke of leaving, Mr. Harriman said I must
stay and work, and directed his private secretary to follow me
and put down everything I said. So I was fairly compelled to
make a beginning in dictating to a stenographer, which proved
rather awkward at first, but in a couple of months a sort of
foundation for more than one volume was laid.

Harriman Resort, Pelican Bay. Photo from Oregon Digital, University of Oregon.
Photo courtesy of Oregon Digital, University of Oregon.

The Lodge was beautifully located at the head of Pelican Bay
beside its famous crystal springs, the magnificent Klamath Lake
in front of it, bordered with meadows and bounded in the distance
by dark forested mountains and hills –a fine place for recreation
and rest–air, water, and scenery reviving.The weather was mostly
cool and bright, just right for soothing exercise, walks in the
woods, and boating on the lake, which most of the time was mirror-
like, reflecting the sky and the fringing meadows and
forest-clad mountain shores.

On our return from boat excursions a beautiful picture
was outspread before us about an hour before sundown, especially
toward autumn, when the colors were ripening–the shining lake
enlivened with leaping trout and flocks of waterfowl; the stream
from the great springs like a river with broad brown and yellow
meadows on either hand; and the dark forested mountains, changing
to blue in the background, rising higher and higher, with Mt. Pitt,
highest of all, pointing serenely heavenward through the midst
of the sunset purple and gold.”

Some things never change. To read more of what John Muir wrote about
the life and times of his dear friend visit Edward Henry Harriman.

Camp fire overlooking Harriman Creek at Harriman Springs Resort & Marina, Rocky Point, Klamath County, Oregon. Photo by Anders Tomlinson, July 2, 2017.

Sitting by the campfire sharing stories, food and drink
Camp fires are a long tradition on this land overlooking Harriman Springs
and Creek. The Gu’mbotkni, one of the Klamath Indian’s five branches,
had winter settlements on Pelican Bay and Rocky Point. Klamath or
ewkskini means” People of the Lakes.” The Klamath dug roots,
picked berries and gathered seeds of the area Water Lily, Wocus.
They trapped wildlife, hunted waterfowl, elk, deer, antelope and
bears and caught fish. Eight locations of Indian earth-lodges,
settlements and sweat lodges are scattered across Rocky Point.
Today, 8 campsites with fire rings can each accommodate two tents
and up to 8 campers. A great tradition of camp fires continues.

Harriman Springs Resort & Marina photos of RV spaces. Rocky Point, Klamath County, Oregon. Photos by Anders Tomlinson July 2, 2017

Harriman Springs has room for all
In days of old, folks arrived at Harriman Springs by boat, wagons and horses.
Today Harriman Springs Resort and Marina offers 8 RV spaces on
30 – 50 foot pads with water, sewer and 50 amp electrical hookups.
Harriman Springs water is the best.

Harriman Springs Resort & Marina canoes, Rocky Point, Klamath County, Oregon. Photos by Anders Tomlinson. July 2, 2017.

The creeks and bays of Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge await
Pelican Bay is a short canoe trip on Harriman Creek. Take a left at the bay and
the canoe trails of Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge are mere paddles
away.Become one with nature. All that you can see and hear is yours.

Near Harriman Springs Resort & Marina are Crater Lake National Park and Running Y's Arnold Palmer designed golf course. Ohotos by Anders Tomlinson.

World class destinations beckon from all directions
Other nearby attractions include Crater Lake National Park,
Running Y’s
Arnold Palmer designed golf course, and the only all
tree-based zipline canopy tour entirely on National Forest in the United
States. Crater Lake Zipline is also Oregon’s Longest zipline.

Harriman Restaurant & Bar at Harriman Springs Resort & Marina, Rocky Point, Klamath County, Oregon. Photos by Anders Tomlinson, July 2, 2017.

Harriman’s – a wonderful place for a leisurely meal and drink
There is also room to find a secluded table in the restaurant or outdoor
terrace and room for large events like weddings and corporate getaways.
Interior are tastefully decorated with local history and nature artwork.

Harriman Springs Resort & Marina bar scenes. Rocky Point, Klamath County, Oregon. Photos by Anders Tomlinson, July 2, 2017

A place, if you wanted, where everyone could know your name
The bar is part of the restaurant complex. It is the local watering hole
that welcomes Harriman Springs visitors. Here at Rocky Point everyone is
in it together. “Enjoy America Again – visit the outdoors” or as
Brown Dog says “visit Harriman Springs Resort & Marina.”

Harriman Springs Resort & Marina, Rocky Point, Klamath County, Oregon. Resturant at dawn with terrace lights on. Photo by Anders Tomlinson, July 2, 2017

After a great sleep, birds are singing and fish jumping

Sleeping at Harriman Springs is wonderful. There are three cabins
available: Cabin One is 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, full kitchen,
large common area and washer-dryer. It can sleep 10 with two
fold out sofa beds in the big room. Cabins 2 and 3 each have
king beds that sleep two in comfort. The day and night natural
sounds of trees, marsh and water are a big part of
the Harriman Springs experience.

“Herbert Fleishhacker, of the San Francisco’s Fleishhacker Zoo,
purchased the resort around 1918 and was responsible for building
four large cabins, a 10-car garage, a dining room, the Earl’s Court
(which was servant’s quarters). and a store to house his supply of
imported liquors. He also built a Dance Pavilion, which was located
near the Springs. Fleishhacker entertained many Wall Street
millionaires, including J.P. Morgan, who earlier had been stymied
by Harriman in the Union Pacific takeover. On a summer night the
walkway for the ladies in their long dresses from the dining room
to the Dance Pavilion was lit with Japanese lanterns.”

from Katherine Sloan’s presentation to the
Klamath Historical Society, June 1989.

Road leading to the boat launch and restaurant at Harriman Springs Resort & Marina, Rocky Point, Klamath County, Oregon. Photo by Anders Tomlinson, June 29, 2017.

Sunrise! A guest is out for a walk in the woods
There is plenty of room at Harriman Springs Resort and Marina
to find space, wonderful spaces, to be alone in your thoughts
or find yourself free of thoughts. Take a deep breath of mountain
air and relax. You are here, enjoy.

Harriman Springs Resort & Marina photos from 1996 - 1999. Rocky point, Klamath County, Oregon. Photos by Anders Tomlinson.

Harriman Springs Resort & Marina, Rocky Point, Klamath County, Oregon. View looking at Pelican Bay, Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, Rocky Point, Pelican Butte. Photo by Anders Tomlinson, February 1997.

Looking northwest at Harriman Springs from Coyote Point
The Volcanic legacy All-American Road, which runs through Rocky
Point, is a beautiful collection of scenic roads connecting
Lassen National Park with Crater Lake National Park. Crater Lake
is a beautiful 40-some miles drive from Harriman Springs Resort
and Marina. Pelican Butte raises up from the shores of Rocky Point
and Fremont – Winema National Forest. This is a majestic landscape
with four dramatic seasons of outdoor adventure.

Harriman Springs Resort & Marina , Rocky Point, Klamath County, Oregon. View from atop Pelican Butte looking southeast. Upper Klamath lake, Pelican Bay, Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Anders Tomlinson, Summer 1997.

Behold a majestic outdoor wonderland
This is the view of Rocky Point from the top of Pelican Butte, 8,400 feet
above water, marshes, fields and forest. Winter is a special time on
Pelican Butte for snowmobilers. During the summer and spring, mountain
trails are there for the exploring. Mountain experiences are at the
backdoor of Harriman Springs.

Boat, cabin and season scenes from Harriman Spring Resort & Marina, Rocky Point, Oregon. Photos by Anders Tomlinson, 1997 - 2000.

Views of the old restaurant between 1996 and 1998
Harriman Springs Resort & Marina was first named the Pelican Bay Lodge,
built in 1889 by G. Grant Geary, and renamed Harriman Lodge by Edward
Harriman, the wealthy railroad tycoon, who purchased it in 1906. The
original lodge burned in 1942 and was rebuilt in 1953. Among
Harriman’s many guests was his good friend, naturalist John Muir.
Harriman Springs was closed to the public in the late 1990s and
reopened in 2014 after a lengthy restoration by owner John Pratt,
a long time Rocky Point resident and fisherman.

Aerial view of Harriman Creek and Harriman Springs Resort & Marina, Rocky Point, Klamath County,

Spring fed Harriman Creek empties into Pelican Bay
Enjoy a day at the lake, hunting, fishing, bird watching, boating at
sunset or sipping wine on the deck… There’s something for everyone!

Harriman Springs is a fishing mecca from Indian days to now
Harriman Springs and Harriman Creek are part of a large interconnected
fishery that includes feeder streams and springs providing cool water
for Pelican Bay. Fish Bank near Pelican Bay’s mouth connects with the
nearly 25 mile long Upper Klamath Lake. The Wood River and Sevenmile
Creek feed into Agency Lake which connects to Upper Klamath Lake.
The Sprague River joins the Williamson River on its way to Upper
Klamath Lake. Nearby are Lake of the Woods and Fourmile Lake.

Good fishing begins in the spring and runs through the fall as the
fish move through the fishery seeking warmer and cooler waters.
In the various creeks, streams, rivers and lakes redband trout,
yellow perch, brown trout, rainbow trout, brook trout, lake trout,
and sockeye salmon are present depending on the season. It is safe
to say this is a legendary fishery. Fish on!

So much was Mr. Harriman pleased with the Klamath Country that
he purchased a mountain home in the Pelican Bay retreat, and
later purchased the Odessa Lodge adjoining his original tract,
comprising in all one of the most beautiful hunting and fishing
grounds on the continent, and he could, and did buy the best.”

from a brochure printed by the Klamath Development
Company and Sunset Publishing Company in the early 1900’s.

Harriman Springs Resort & Marina scenes, Rocky Point, Klamath County, Oregon. Photos by Anders Tomlinson, 1996 -1999

Here the Old West is alive and well
Harriman Springs Resort & Marina is surrounded by Upper Klamath
National Wildlife Refuge and working cattle ranches. Logging was once
a major part of the economy. Cowboys, hunting, fishing, firewood
gathering and mushrooming continue.

“Mrs. Fleishhacker used to come up here and spend her summers.
She would come down to our house on the creek. She smoked and of
course she couldn’t get cigarettes so Jim Straw, being an old cowboy
that he was and a cattleman, would roll those cigarettes with one hand.
He’d roll probably fifty or a hundred for her at a time.”

Bev Wampler, Volume 6: Klamath County Historical
Society’s Trumpeter, Spring 1991.

Boat and cabin scenes from Harriman Spring Resort & Marina, Rocky Point, Oregon. Photos by Anders Tomlinson, 1997 - 2000.

A place to create and preserve cherished postcard memories
The first post office in the area was named Pelican; it was
established in 1888 and ran until 1907. It was followed by other
names: Recreation, Pelican Bay, Rocky Point and from 1947 to 1954
it was known as Harriman, after railroad magnate E. H. Harriman,
who died September 9, 1909 at the age of 61 in his New York bed
surrounded by family. Mt. Harriman watches over Harriman Springs
and all that he loved in Rocky Point and beyond.

Early Lodge at what is now at Harriman Springs, image from photo at rthe Klamath County Museum, Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Image derived from Klamath County Museum photo.

A lodge is a lodge is a lodge
The resort itself, overlooking bubbling springs, has been known
by many names over the years: first it was Kendall/Cray Resort,
followed by Kendall’s Lodge, Pelican Bay Lodge, Harriman Lodge,
Pelican Bay Lodge #2, Harriman Lodge #2, Harriman Resort and
present day Harriman Springs Resort & Marina.

teamboat and dugout canoe at Harriman Springs,  image from photo at rhge Klamath County Museum, Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Image derived from Klamath County Museum photo.

Where different worlds have come together
One constant has been boating, be it dugout Indian canoes or
triple-decker steamboats complete with military brass bands.
Out on the water experiences are the same as days of old and
hopefully the future: springs, marshes, wildlife, birds,
forests, mountains and being one within the moment.
Take a boat, fish, look, listen and time travel.

Sitiing on Terrace at Harriman Springs Resort & Marina, Rocky Point, Klamath County, Oregon.  Photo by Anders Tomlinson, July 2, 2017.

Here are other locations near Harriman Springs Resort and Marina:
Behold the spectacular Crater Lake National Park
Visit the old west in Wood River Valley and Fort Klamath
Take a moment to relax at Mare’s Eggs Springs
Enjoy the sights and sounds of Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge
For nature enthusiasts see Bird Habitats of the Region
Take a video tour of the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges

“Meet us at Harriman’s Springs Resort & Marina”
Of course, Brown Dog the official spokes-lady for Harrimans would
have the last word. The video above includes scenes from Brown
Dog’s recently discovered audition reel to bolster an international
talent search hunting for Brown Dog’s voiceover artist. Boats
provided by Harriman Springs Resort & Marina’s owner John Pratt
and resort guest Frank Galusha. Video by Anders Tomlinson.
Music is from “Escapades” by the Dig Brothers’ Anders Tomlinson
and Denver Clay. The day was June 28, 2017 and it was a mighty
fine day to be in Rocky Point. Everyone had a good time.

©2017 Anders Tomlinson, all rights reserved.
All photos by Anders Tomlinson unless noted.

Anders would like to thank Frank Galusha, Sharon Waranius,
John Pratt, Brown Dog, staff at Harriman Springs Resort & Marina,
Bill and LoEtta Cadman and Denver Clay for their assistance
with this page. Everyday is history.

Anthropocene

On modern times, anthropocene and human nature…
Part Three of Three on an Eternal Debate.

family walking by airport on the outskirts of town, Alamos, Sonora, Mexico. Photo by Anders Tomlinson.

Old and new as a family walks past the airport towards the campo.

The recently revised U.N. population estimate for 2050 is 9.3 billion people A projection for the USA in 2100 is 478 million. Challenging times are ahead but this is nothing new, survival is challenging for individuals and societies of all species.
Driving across the Mexican Sonoran desert on a star-filled 1984 spring night listening to a Hermosillo rock station’s uninterrupted presentation of Jethro Tull’s Aqualung was the best of two worlds. Music is universal. Friends are universal. Traveling is universal. Being is universal.
In the USA there are 78 million baby boomers aged 45 to 64. This is a force of change. They will go where they can get maximize their resources for survival and comfort. How many will leave the USA for retirement is dependent on the USA’s ability to cope with growing pressures and increasing challenges.

Graffiti on a street corner, Alamos, Sonora, Mexico. Photo by Anders Tomlinson.

1984, directions and graffiti painted on a school wall along Calle Rosales.

Human impact is equal to the population times affluence times technology. Global affluence in 1900 was 2 trillion dollars, 5.3 trillion in 1950 and 55 trillion in 2011. These are all in 1990 dollars. The population in 1900 was 1 billion, 2.4 billion in 1950 and will reach 7 billion in 2011. As for technology, there were 141,000 patents in 1900, 412,000 patents in 1950 and 1.9 million patents in 2011. The growing human biomass is 100x greater than any large animal species that has walked and faced extinction on planet earth. Currently, 65,000 text messages are sent every second. This is the Age of Great Acceleration.

This three part series was prompted by an internet group created in late 2002 for North Americans interested in Alamos. This group, 613 members as of 5-7-11, communicates needs, haves, events, thoughts, desires, alerts, recognitions, questions and answers. Here, at the end of April, 2011 a discussion started about influences that are changing Alamos. It began with a post by a recently arrived American who had started a dance studio in Alamos. She was coordinating a community participation dance, as part of an international event, to Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Another group member responded that this was inappropriate and bad for Alamos. A digital conversation with several North American members began: who is doing what to whom? Why, what, when, where? How?

Watching a soccer game in Alamos, Sonora, Mexico. Photo by Anders Tomlinson.

T-shirts, wearable bumper stickers, make contemporary statements.

A tale of two T-shirts, one celebrates Selena, the Queen of Tejano, born and raised in Texas and a superstar in Spanish speaking countries. Shortly before the release of her first album featuring songs sung in her native language, English, she was murdered by her former manager. The other shirt promotes the American dream, everyone own their own home. Unrelated but related, today, the world’s largest military, and consumer of oil, is the United States. It spends nearly as much on its armies, navies and air power as the entire world collectively. Meanwhile, the Mexican army is engaged in a war with ruthless drug gangs fighting, with weaponry smuggled from the United States, over distribution routes to meet growing heroin, cocaine, meth and pot market demands in places like Fairfield, USA.

5% of the world population speaks English and 5% speaks Spanish. There are 50.5 million Hispanics in the United States, 14 million in California and 4.7 million in Los Angeles County. On Cinco de Mayo, 2011, a presidential commission declared a need for a museum devoted to Latino and American history. A Smithsonian study in 1994 stated that Hispanics were the only major contributor to American civilization not recognized in the museum.

Alamos, Sonora, Mexico seen from the north on a spring morning.  Photo by Anders Tomlinson.

Here is Alamos, east to west, on a spring morning from the north.

At one time, the 1770’s, there were two to three times the population as seen here in 1996 which is half the population of 2011. When I first visited Alamos there was talk of building a freeway from Navajoa through Alamos to El Fuerte and Sinaloan farm land. The United States was interested and engaged because food would arrive in Southern California hours faster. Since I last visited, roads from the west, Navajoa, and southwest, Masiaca, are new or rebuilt. Now it is easier and faster to drive to Alamos if one is headed north or south on the Navajoa-Las Mochis section of Highway 15. Roads are a major stimulus for change – expansion both at the destinations and en-route. Once there was Indian foot paths and then El Camino Real and now improved auto routes to, and through, Alamos. Pave it and they will come.
One can only wonder what the population of Alamos, Sonora, Mexico will be in 2050.

Anders Tomlinson on Plaza bench in Alamos, Sonora, Mexico.  Photo by Antonio Figueroa.

Anders reflects on the day’s work notes, photo by Antonio Figueroa.

Human impact on planet earth is equal to population times affluence times technology.
A climate change report commissioned by the Vatican, issued 5-5-11, indicates there are three things we need to do: “reduce worldwide carbon emissions by stopping deforestation and other initiatives: reducing the amount of warming air pollutants such as methane and soot by as much as 50 percent, and preparing for chronic and abrupt changes that cannot be avoided.” No mention of population. It is human nature to promote growing populations, this is a “healthy” economic condition. Cities with growing populations are doing well, cities that are losing people are in decline. New homes being built is good, ghosts towns are bad. This human nature was present yesterday when we lived in caves and present today in urban super-sprawl. And tomorrow?

In my mind, the big issues in the future are women’s role in society, abortion and sex-education. I know these are long standing ideological battles. It is human nature to reproduce to save-replace oneself and the species. We will be dealing with Anthropocene consequences because stopping population growth is the same as trying to stop a super volcano from erupting, or is it?

Human impact, and change, is equal to population times affluence times technology.

From the Alamos Journal.

©2013 Anders Tomlinson, all rights reserved.

Infinite Conversation

"Infinite Conversation" black and white ink drawing by Anders Tomlinson.

Whispers,echoes, mumbles, laughter, hums, tears, gasps, screams, whistles…

I enjoyed working on Infinite Conversation. This piece was a major step towards incorporating unknown languages into my artistic vocabulary/palette/universe. I also enjoyed Infinite Conversation’s movement rising above the representational fray for no creature or landscape exists of and by itself. Soon after I finished Infinite Conversation I received a call from Crow, a prominent Santa Cruz concert promoter and booking agent. He needed a large poster, quick, for a Jerry Garcia Band concert that was going to be at the Del Mar Theater on the downtown Pacific Garden Mall. I decided to use Infinite Conversation as the primary image. The poster was finished the next day. Crow, he was one of many who went by single names back in the post Haight-Ashbury days, came by, loved it and took off to the printer. A week later someone from the band’s management called me and asked if the image could be printed on stage crew t-shirts. I gave my permission.

Anders Tomlinson posters for the Jerry Garcia and Charles Llyod.  Santa Cruz, CA.

“Infinite Conversation” as a poster and the first poster for Crow – Charles Lloyd.

A couple of years earlier I had wanted to do music posters and asked Crow several times to consider me as a poster artist. Months later Crow called asking if a poster could be made and printed the next day. The end result was the Charles Lloyd poster for Town and Country Lodge in Ben Lomond, Santa Cruz County. This began a productive relationship between Crow, myself and the Rubberbandland collective of artists. This was the first step in the story of Infinite Conversation becoming a poster.

Be asked to pay for something you never asked for.

The Infinite Conversation poster would be distributed and posted across the Monterey Bay region from Santa Cruz to Carmel and over the mountains in San Jose. I thought it would be a good idea to have it framed and I walked down the street to Lenz Arts, who had been supportive of my art efforts, and asked them to frame it. I asked for something simple and inexpensive. I was told by the framer that he had an idea and to return in a week to pick up the framed illustration. Upon my return a very proud framer brought out a massive frame that featured 24 concentric mat rings of different colors. It was an incredible labor-resource intensive one-of-a-kind-over-the-top presentation. I was shocked even before I learned the price. There were several awkward moments before we began to settle the unexpected issue of who was going to pay how much for this custom frame? I am not sure what the final terms were but I know I walked out of the store with a heavy-hard-to-carry frame. I do think I asked what happened to all the cutout circles.

Infinite Conversation is kidnapped.

Infinite Conversation was hung above a small landing in the middle of a steep 21 step staircase that led from the Union Street entrance to Rubberbandland on the second floor. It made a powerful statement.

Anders Tomlinson and Jimmy Miklavcic outside 118 Union Street, Santa Cruz, CA.  Photo by Gary Ruble

Anders and Jimmy Miklavcic, it had been a long hard five days into nights.

A couple of months later several of us returned, tired, wind and sun burned, from a multi-day Gary Ruble PowerFlick photo shoot in Granite Canyon south of Carmel and north of Big Sur. The front door was unlocked and Infinite Conversation was missing. We soon discovered it was the only thing stolen.

Granite Canyon, Big Sur, Ca.  Time itself is infinite.

Anders overlooks the Granite Canyon work site, Big Sur, Ca. Time itself is infinite.

The mid 70’s in Santa Cruz California was a renaissance of sorts. Santa Cruz County was the third poorest county in America. Due to its relative isolation and lack of transportation infrastructure the Federal government invested in the Santa Cruz arts scene. PowerFlicks was one on many on-the-edge art projects underway in the region.

PowerFlick by Gary Ruble, from Granite Canyon, Big Sur, Ca.  circa 1975-76

Time and light and night = PowerFlick by Gary Ruble.

Two months later I received a strange phone call saying the “kidnapped” artwork was being held for ransom. Many of the artists that worked in, or visited, Rubberbandland wanted to help recover Infinite Conversation and teach the perpetrator(s) a lesson. Several phone calls followed and a drop off was negotiated, after much hesitation on the kidnapper’s part, to take place on a work day evening in Rubberbandland. Several Rubberband artists hid in different studios prepared to jumped the kidnapper(s) when the artwork was returned. There was only one kidnapper and he was surprised by the show of force and left unharmed and without a ransom payment. Infinite Conversation was returned to its place above
the carpeted stairwell.

For all the world to see but me.

A couple of weeks later someone brought me a page from the New York Times’ entertainment section with a half page add featuring Infinite Conversation. No one had asked my permission, let alone paid me, for the image’s usage. I realized that the artwork for the Santa Cruz’s stage crew’s t-shirts was probably used for this add and possibly many more promoting Jerry Garcia Band concerts in the end of 1976. And like it is sung, “It’s only Rock N’ Roll”…
and what can you do but like it?

Time to say goodbye to something that is long gone.

By 1980 I had moved to San Francisco, without a car, and entrusted Infinite Conversation with Tony who was helping us manage a black – latino – white bass player – funk – soul – rock – disco group Messiah, that had two outlandishly costumed black lead singers. Our main goal was to get them to Japan. Six months later, almost to the targeted goal date, Tony and I watched the band head down an airport tunnel to an awaiting Japan bound jet. Infinite Conversation was too heavy to travel with. Tony, and his mother’s house, was the safest harbor I knew in San Francisco. Tony, married but separated, I was never certain of his true marital status, was somewhat of a rogue. He felt it was his duty, as a “devout” Catholic to spread his seed across the landscape. He at times was employed by Bill Graham’s FM Productions as well as helping several stage crews including the Doobie Brothers and Pablo Cruz. We will get back to Infinite Conversation soon.

Navigating Life’s Divagations

Tony had invited me to attend 1980’s Mountain Aire Concert which was an unofficial kickoff concert for the Bay Area music industry at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds as summer tours prepared to go out on the road. Doobie Brothers, Toto, Ambrosia and the much anticipated debut of Huey Lewis and the News headlined this Mountain Aire. To get into the concert Tony told me to tell security at the gate that I was the Doobie Brothers stage crews’ softball manager. I took a bus from Santa Cruz to Stockton and then a stretched cab that stopped at every auto supply store on the way to the fairgrounds. I walked up a hill and found hundreds of slick talking management types, with tour decal covered briefcases and bimbos draped on their arms, trying to talk their way into the show. I waited my turn watching rejection after rejection. When it was my turn I told the young man my story which seemed to confuse him. Another man, probably a supervisor, came up to us and told the younger man that my story is the kind he needs to follow up on. He called Tony and I was let in. It was a wonderful experience to be behind the scenes: having breakfast with the Huey Lewis and the News in the dining hall on the morn of their debut with their soundcheck still in my head, sax solos echoing off the surrounding mountains in pre-dawn darkness. During the three day concert Tony was hitting on both a mother and daughter. His goal was to bang both. When I told Tony a couple of weeks later that I wanted to pick up Infinite Conversation he told me had given it to the daughter as a sign of his true love but she no longer would see or talk with him. Only now have I wondered where the colossal frame and Infinite Conversation ended up.

Disclosure – This Infinite Conversation image was scanned from a xerox copy of a photo copy of the artwork which was started in 1975 and finished in early 1976. The original art, 20” x 20” had a much greater tonal range. But this is what I have to share.

©2016 Anders Tomlinson, all rights reserved.

Otra Lado

The border between where, who, what and why …

Indian woman walks acoss Plaza on a quiet summer day, Alamos, Sonora, Mexico.  Photo by Anders Tomlinson.

Summer afternoon in the Plaza, two story Hotel Alamos is in the background.

This is a simple moment in a complex world. A woman of Indian blood crosses an empty Plaza as she returns home from her daily shopping trip to the Alameda. The lack of people goes hand in hand with siesta time on a summer afternoon. Stepping back, taking a satellite view, she is surrounded by Sonora, Sinaloa, Chihuahua, Sea of Cortez and not far to the the north, the US – Mexico border. She is in the middle of a violent and costly battle moving drugs across the border to feed growing addictions in the United States: an estimated 660,000 pounds of cocaine, 44,000 pounds of heroin and 220,000 pounds of methamphetamine were sold on America’s streets last year. The first question that comes to my mind is why is there a need by so many addicted people to escape their realities and cross a internal border that has no borders? Why? What would be the Indian woman’s answer to this question?

Looking north at the plaza from the church steps, Alamos, Sonora, Mexico.  Photo by Anders Tomlinson.

The Plaza from the Church looking north and beyond to the other side.

The US-Mexico border fortifications have grown over the years: 650 miles of prison grade fencing and sheer concrete walls, 17,600 Border Patrol Agents, 1,200 National Guard soldiers, 165 truck and train x-ray machines, thermal imaging devices that turn night into day, 467 remotely controlled surveillance cameras feeding control bunkers, 4 predator drones overhead – along with helicopters and light aircraft, 10,800 ground sensors and… The border separates families, towns, valleys, histories and futures. Last year 254,000 pounds of cocaine, 3.6 million pounds of marijuana and 4,200 pounds of heroin were captured trying to smuggled across the border. None the less, drug gangs are to have made $25 million dollars last year fulfilling some of America’s many addictions. This is Big Business: an industry of logistics and persuasion serving markets that demands networks and complicated systems to feed its escalating needs. At some level it becomes, “hey, it’s just business – nothing personal.”

There are other costs. On the US side it is estimated that the drug addictions’ health services, interruptions of economic and social progress, crimes and legal systems, jails, court rooms and prisons total $193 billion a year. This is RBB: Really Big Business. Guarding the border over the past decade has cost $90 billion alone, a train x-ray machine costs $1.75 million. Many unsuspecting peace-loving famalies, on both sides of the border, owe their livelihoods, directly or indirectly, to the drug lords, these titans of greed and their investments, corruption and violence. And what is the cost to Mexico? Again the question must be asked, why do so many Americans need drugs to answer their physiological and psychological addictions? Why?

Looking northeast at the Plaza from the Hotel Los Portales, Alamos, Sonora, Mexico.  Photo by Anders Tomlinson

The Plaza framed by a classical world: timeless, enduring, thankful.

The border is many things to many people: It is neighbors, economies, opportunities, sovereignty, entrance, exit, hope, pride, burdens, politics, law enforcement and… Most of the two dozen counties that are on the US side of the border have Hispanic majorities. On one side is San Diego, Yuma, Nogales, El Paso, Del Rio, Laredo… On the other side is Tijuana, Mexicali, Cuidad Juarez, Laredo, Matamoros… On a map it is is hard to tell by place names where the US or Mexico begins. When on the border, the poverty- lack-of-consumerism on the Mexico side is stunning compared to just across the border before, and after, the barriers went up.

Hispanics made up half the USA population growth in the past decade. New York, according to the 2010 census, has 2.3 million Hispanics, Los Angeles – 1.8 million, Houston – 920,000, San Antonio – 840,000, Chicago – 780,000, Phoenix – 590,000, El Paso – 523,000, San Jose – 313,000 and San Diego – 376,000. The USA is turning a little Hispanic. And the southwest, for so long the nation’s frontier and place to go when there was no more room or opportunity back East, was part of New Spain before the United States was the United States. Today, the border region, north to south, from San Francisco to Alamos is its own world, and Hispanic influence is spreading nationwide. Workers, from foreign countries have always made, and make, the USA rich compared to the world. There must be something in the Constitution that supports cheap labor.

Sierra de Alamos, Bishop Reyes Cathedral, Plaza de Las Armas garden and kiosk and Hotel Los Portales.  Alamos, Sonora, Mexico.  Photo by Anders Tomlinson.

A mountain, cathedral, bandstand, hotel and a heartbeat, priceless.

Ten years ago 1.6 million people, without documents, were caught at the border trying to cross into the United States. After 9-11-2001 the concept of secure borders began a national mandate as border fortifications, protection strategies and assets were developed. In 2010, 463,000 souls were apprehended attempting to cross to the “other side”, in many cases to join relatives. There are several causes for the decrease: controlling, with military precision, populated sectors along the 1960 mile border, growing dangers while passing though Mexico from the south, crime against “crossers” at the border, difficulties of crossing in remote mountains and deserts and… And there was the Great Recession that lingers on, the slow moving elephant blocking the way for paying jobs, especially in the construction industry.

The Great Migration across the US – Mexico border has been going on for decades and the economy took advantage of the resulting population increases: more workers, more consumers, more home owners, more citizens, more tax-payers, more possibilities and…

Migration for many species is the meaning of their lives, they are their migration. The history of the United States is one of migration, we are a nation of migrants: Asia, Europe, Africa, Central and South America, Middle East, East to West, South to North, rural to urban, city to suburb and… Migrations into, out-of, up-down and across will continue in search of water, food, resources, work, comfort, security, education, retirement… Migration is the human way. This is true for Vancouver, Chicago, Shanghai, London, Baghdad, Melbourne and Phoenix as well as Alamos, Sonora, Mexico.

A peaceful summer afternoon, sky darkened with moisture, young girls headed towards the Alameda.  Alamos, Sonora, Mexico.  Photo by Anders Tomlinson.

Any Politics' continuity most focus on child development to ensure its future

Let us look into the future by understanding today. 45% of children aged 5 to 17 in San Diego County are Hispanic. Baby Boomers, mostly white, in ten to twenty years, will need Hispanics to keep the economy going. And today, the Hispanics kids, who are the majority and in many schools almost all of the student population, need an excellent education to be in the position to function in a productive work force. There will be a huge population, they are already here aging, of Baby Boomers who will need this large trained work force to make their retirements comfortable. The Hispanic school kids need these Baby Boomers to vote, today, for better educational resources. In an era of I, Me and Mine it is nearing a time to consider You, We and Ours. What happens in Los Angeles is important to Alamos, Sonora, Mexico and what happens in Alamos, Sonora, Mexico is important to Los Angeles. It has always been so, and it will always be so, it is the human condition.

Three school girls, good friends – sisters in life, walk across the Plaza and into the future.

From the Alamos Journal.

©2013 Anders Tomlinson, all rights reserved.

1964

A work in progress…
The year started out well for me.  January 5th, 1964: I was in attendance with 27,000 fans, along with my dad, under famous San Diego winter blue skies, 57 degrees, 26% humidity and 10 mph winds out of the northwest in San Diego’s Balboa Stadium. I had bought us $5 tickets, at the last moment, and our seats were at the top of the northern end’s upper deck. We watched the San Diego Chargers demolish the Boston Patriots and win the AFL championship. The Chargers’ coach and general manager Sid Gillman challenged the NFL champion Chicago Bears to a game to decide the true World Champions. The Bears owner – general manager “Papa Bear” Halas declined. Any Charger fan took this as a forfeit and knew their Chargers were indeed World Champions. Life was good if you were me.

Gasoline was 30 cents a gallon.  A new house averaged $13,050, a new car averaged $3,500 and the average income was $6,000.  I could mail a letter for 5 cents and go to the movies for $1.25.  A loaf of bread cost 21 cents and rent averaged $125.

And now a bigger picture:
Human population reference:
San Diego City: 1960  573,224, 1970  696,769, 2012  1,322,553

San Diego County: 1960  1,033,011, 1970  1,357,854, 2012  3,095,313

California: 1960  15,717,204, 1970  19,971,069,  2012 37,253,956

USA: 1960  179,323,175, 1970  203,302,031, 2010  307,745,538

Earth: 1960  3,026,002,942, 1970  3,691,172,616, 2014  7,243,789,121

San Diego County voted for Goldwater in the 1964 presidential election with 50.3% vs 49.7% for Johnson. There were 33 votes cast for others. It was a donkey and elephant – GOP and DEM world.

Other 1964 notes from various sources.

Martin Luther King receives the Nobel Peave Prize

Boston Strangler is captured

The VCR home video recorder, buffalo wings, G.I. Joe action figures, computer mouse and bubble wrap are brought to market.

The best selling book was “The Spy Who Came In From The Cold”

Three civil rights workers are murdered in Mississippi during Freedom Summer

New York’s World Fair

The big Broadway shows were “Hello Dolly,” “Funny Girl” and ‘Fiddler On The Roof”

Riots included Elizabeth, Paterson and Jersey City, New Jersey. Harlem and Rochester, New York.  Chicago and Philadelphia – one could say they were “dancing in the streets”

 

This following is taken from the PBS website with information about the American Experience 1964.  It helps keep a sense of pacing for the year. This is to be used for reference only.

In January of 1964 Americans were still reeling from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as President of the United States, and, in his first year as president, he would enact a series of radical reforms that would fundamentally alter American life. Read more about the dramatic events of 1964 — in political legislation, civil rights and youth culture — that forever changed American society.

January 3  – Arizona’s two-term Republican senator Barry Goldwater announces his candidacy for president of the United States. Nicknamed “Mr. Conservative,” Goldwater and his campaign spark a conservative revolution within the Republican Party that will define the GOP and American politics for generations.

January 11 – U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry releases the first Report on Smoking and Health. After reviewing more than 7,000 scientific articles, his advisory committee concluded that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer as well as a host of other medical issues.

January 18 – The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey releases designs for the original World Trade Center buildings.

January 29 – Stanley Kubrick’s dark comedy, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb premieres. The film satirizes Cold War politics, playing upon American anxieties and changing attitudes towards nuclear warfare. The film has since been cited as the “best political satire of the century” by Roger Ebert.

February – Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique is released as a paperback, with its first printing selling 1.4 million copies. Friedan’s book ushers in a transformative feminist movement as housewives across America come to identify with the “problem that has no name” and acknowledge dissatisfaction with their domestic roles.

February 2 – G.I. Joe makes his debut as an “action figure” toy.

February 9 – The Beatles perform “Till There Was You” live on The Ed Sullivan Show to an audience full of screaming teenagers and a record-breaking 73 million television viewers. Though the group had been rapidly gaining popularity in America since the December 1963 release of “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” their Ed Sullivan appearance confirms that Beatlemania is sweeping the country.

February 25 – In a surprise upset, Olympic gold medalist Cassius Clay beats Sonny Liston in Miami Beach, Florida, and is crowned heavyweight champion of the world. Just one day later, he announces that he has joined the Nation of Islam and is changing his name. For the remainder of the decade, Muhammad Ali becomes known outside the boxing ring for his socio-political beliefs — specifically on racial equality and the Vietnam War.

March 4 – Union leader Jimmy Hoffa is convicted of jury tampering, fraud and bribery.

March 14 – In the United States’ first-ever televised trial verdict, Jack Ruby is found guilty of murder and sentenced to death for fatally shooting Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin of President John F. Kennedy.

March 16 – President Johnson submits a plan for his “War on Poverty” initiatives to Congress. The proposal helps establish federal programs still in use today, including food stamps, Head Start, Medicare and Medicaid.

Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara tells LBJ that 40% of South Vietnam is under Viet Cong control.

March 27 – The largest earthquake in U.S. history hits Alaska, registering a magnitude of 9.2.

March 30 – Jeopardy! premieres on NBC.

April 13 – At the 36th Annual Academy Awards ceremony, Sidney Poitier becomes the first black man to win a Best Actor Oscar for his role in “Lilies of the Field.”

April 16 – The Rolling Stones’ self-titled album “The Rolling Stones” debuts in the U.K., selling more than 12 million copies. A slightly altered version of the album, England’s Newest Hit Makers, is released in the United States a month later in late May. The band helps fuel 1960s counterculture and propel the “British Invasion.”

April 17 – The Ford Motor Company unveils the Mustang at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. That day, Ford takes 22,000 orders for the new car, and the company will make a record-setting 418,812 sales that year.

May 12 – In one of the first publicized instances of this kind of protest, 12 students burn their Vietnam draft cards and declare, “We won’t go!” This will become a common act of defiance against the war.

May 22 – President Johnson delivers his “Great Society” speech at the University of Michigan commencement ceremony. His speech calls for an end to racial injustice and poverty in the United States, and outlines his presidential agenda for the next four years.

June 2 – The Rolling Stones perform their first U.S. concert at a high school in Lynn, MA.

June 12 – Nelson Mandela is convicted of sabotage and sentenced to life in prison and sent to Robben Island in South Africa.

June 14 – The first group of Freedom Summer volunteers gather for training in Oxford, Ohio. Of the nearly 1,000 participants working to educate and register African Americans to vote in Mississippi and across the South, the majority are white college students from the North.

June 21 – A day after the first group of Freedom Summer volunteers arrives in Mississippi, three civil rights workers, Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney set out to investigate a church bombing near Philadelphia, Mississippi. The three activists are arrested for a traffic violation and held for several hours. When they are released at 10:30pm, it is the last time they are seen alive.

July 2 – President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law. The act prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin in employment, ends segregation in public places, and outlaws segregation practices common amongst many southern businesses for decades.

July 4 – The Beach Boys’ “I Get Around” begins a two-week stint at the top of the charts.

July 16 – At the Republican National Convention in San Francisco, CA, Senator Barry Goldwater is nominated as the next presidential candidate. In his acceptance speech he declares, “I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue,” placing his conservative agenda in direct opposition to more moderate Republicans.

Black teenager James Powell is shot and killed by a white off-duty police officer in Harlem, NY. Two days later, peaceful demonstrations erupt into violence. For six days, more than 8,000 people take to the streets, smashing windows, setting fires, and looting local businesses. They cause over $1 million worth of damage.

August 2 – Three North Vietnamese torpedo boats allegedly attack the U.S. destroyer U.S.S. Maddox in the international waters of the Gulf of Tonkin. Two days later, reports come in that the North Vietnamese have launched another attack.

August 4 – After a six-week search, the FBI finds the bodies of the three Freedom Summer volunteers, Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney, buried in a Mississippi earthen dam. Local officials refuse to prosecute the case, so federal investigators step in.

August 7 – Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, allowing President Johnson to launch full-scale war against North Vietnam without securing a formal declaration of war from Congress.

September 27 – The Warren Commission announces that Lee Harvey Oswald was the sole gunman in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Despite its findings, the Commission does not answer the question of “why” Oswald did it.

September 27 – Bewitched premiers on ABC. The popular sitcom about a witch and her mortal husband subtly reflects changes to traditional domestic roles, as the leading woman, Samantha, has significantly more power than her non-magical husband, Darrin.

October 1 –  Student activists at the University of California at Berkeley distribute information on racial discrimination at a row of tables set up at the corner of Bancroft and Telegraph Streets, a location which had traditionally been a place to share information about a variety of campus activities and events. Berkeley administrators tell the students they must keep all political activities off campus. Students see this as a violation of their First Amendment rights, and begin a protest that lasts for two days, involves thousands of students, and results in eight suspensions. One activist, Jack Weinberg, is held in police custody. Student demonstrations at Berkeley continue throughout the fall semester.

October 12 – The Soviet Union launches Voskhod 1, the first spacecraft to carry a multi-person crew in orbit around the Earth. While in space, the cosmonauts conduct physical and technical experiments, and perform extensive medical-biological tests. The mission is a success and places the Soviet Union ahead of the United States in the space race.

October 14 – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent civil rights activism. At 35 years old, King is the youngest person ever to receive the prize.

October 16 – The People’s Republic of China successfully tests a nuclear bomb, making it the fifth nation in the world with nuclear bomb capabilities.

October 22 – The popular children’s book Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming is published posthumously. The author, well known for his James Bond series, died August 12.

October 27 – Actor Ronald Reagan launches his political career when his “A Time for Choosing” speech broadcasts on NBC. In it, Reagan stresses his belief in small government. The speech raises $1 million for Barry Goldwater’s presidential campaign.

November – Police apprehend the Boston Strangler when they arrest Albert DeSalvo for his role in the “Green Man” rapes. DeSalvo confesses to sexually assaulting and murdering 11 Boston-area women between 1962 and 1964.

November 3 – Sitting President Johnson wins a landslide victory over Republican challenger Barry Goldwater in the 1964 presidential election. Johnson takes over 60 percent of the popular vote, which breathes new life into his “Great Society” ambitions.

November 28 – NASA launches the Mariner 4 space probe to take the first pictures of the surface of Mars. The Soviet Union’s first Mars probe failed in May; they will launch a second on November 30 which will also lose communication.

December 2-3 – After the University of California Berkeley’s chancellor refuses to drop charges against suspended free speech protesters, over 1,000 students stage an overnight sit-in at Sproul Hall. Over the next 12 hours, 814 students are arrested. The Berkeley Free Speech Movement inspires similar protests across the country and helps define modern American student activism.

December 4 – The U.S. Justice Department charges 21 Mississippi men with conspiring to deprive Freedom Summer workers James Earl Chaney, Michael Schwerner, and Andrew Goodman of their civil rights, since murder is not a federal crime. In December 1967, seven of the conspirators are found guilty, though none of the will serve more than six years in jail.

A work in progress…

1965 and Anders

I had a job at Stoney’s Rock N’ Roll Market. I worked most afternoons after school and on the weekends.  My junior year in high school was going well. I was president of the campus history club, on the honor roll and a track and field team member.  I had an intelligent group of friends who were interested in the world and could express their feelings and concerns about the here-and-now and the unknown future. We had all experience the cold war Cuban missile crisis and we knew the world was unstable with the ever-present threat of Nuclear War. Our conversations would run from what role should the USA play in world affairs, what roles would we play in USA affairs and which was more important – girls’ breasts, butts, legs, faces or personality?

I drove a 1962 Chevy Biscayne two door, which I painted gold with a black roof. I removed the back seat and added a bed that extended from the back of the front bench seat to the end of the trunk. It performed multi-functions including moving my drum set. I couldn’t understand why a car would not have a bed.  In a couple of years I would trade this car for a walk-in Ford delivery truck that slept six and had a record player. Times they would be a changing.

But we all knew there were storm clouds over our middle-class suburban existence: Viet Nam, political extremism around the corner and the lingering shock of President Kennedy’s assassination. I saw an acoustic Bob Dylan at San Diego State, well what I really saw was his back because he chose not to face the audience. When he made small talk it was with a group at the back of the stage.  I wasn’t impressed.  Later that year I would see the last concert of the Beach Boy’s first national tour.   My high school would win the track and field championship and I would serve as the bicycle court judge for the City of El Cajon.  Every Saturday morning I would go into the Judge’s chamber of the new courthouse.  I would put on a black robe and wait for the bailiff to come and get me.  We would walk into a court room filled with put-upon parents and their squirmy kids.  The bailiff would announce my name, the court room was seated and another session was underway.

The following list came from jotting down phrases from the PBS American Experience episode 1964. These phrases are bones for a 1964 tone poem.
Do something about it

Stand up to the man

Eliminate injustice

What does freedom mean?

A moment to decide

I don’t have to be what you want me to be

One more moment of brutality

No better time to go from the past into the future

Can we change the course of history?

Occupation of the administration

Collective jailbreaks and bikinis

LSD road trips

Nobody knows and the media doesn’t care

Filibusters, civil rights and Ringo for President

Fire hoses and police dogs

Cigarette lung cancer warnings

Mustangs are a individual statement – not a way of getting from here to there

Brain washed by television shows and magazines

Cassius Clay rappin’ and turning Muslim

There are problems with no names

Grow as a human being

Youth matter economically

Finding black bodies, a summer in Mississippi

Singing songs together but not sensing danger

A year of choice but not moving fast enough

Fighting over the same word – freedom

No boots on the ground – end this thing before it begins

Gulf of Tonkin has the smell of trouble

“I Want to Hold Your Hand” and not get a haircut

“Dancing in the Streets” and Harlem riots

“Times They Are a Changing” and conspiracies

“A Change is Going to Come” and conservative political realignment revolution

LBJ, Goldwater and Reagan

Nonviolent occupation, arrested demonstrators and radicalizing experiences

Environmental protection, Medicare, civil rights, war on poverty and a great society

A year that was something different

Bewitched and rebellion everywhere

Individual liberty and freedom schools

Vices and virtues, popular culture and advertising

JFK’s new frontier and LBJ’s great society

Unarmed black kid shot to death by white policeman

A more just world and evasive commitments

Echoes of war overseas  and alienated segregationists at home

Warren Report and the lone gunman theory

“Feminine Mystique” and “The Spy Who Came Out of the Cold”

Andy Griffith, Gomer Pyle, Dick Van Dyke and the Adams Family

Free speech movement and committees create to setup rules

 

©2014 Anders Tomlinson, all rights reserved

Anthropocene

On Modern Times, Anthropocene and Human Nature…
Part Three of Three on an Eternal Debate.

family walking by airport on the outskirts of town, Alamos, Sonora, Mexico. Photo by Anders Tomlinson.

Old and new as a family walks past the airport towards the campo.

The recently revised U.N. population estimate for 2050 is 9.3 billion people A projection for the USA in 2100 is 478 million. Challenging times are ahead but this is nothing new, survival is challenging for individuals and societies of all species.

Driving across the Mexican Sonoran desert on a star-filled 1984 spring night listening to a Hermosillo rock station’s uninterrupted presentation of Jethro Tull’s Aqualung was the best of two worlds. Music is universal. Friends are universal. Traveling is universal. Being is universal.

In the USA there are 78 million baby boomers aged 45 to 64. This is a force of change. They will go where they can get maximize their resources for survival and comfort. How many will leave the USA for retirement is dependent on the USA’s ability to cope with growing pressures and increasing challenges.

Graffiti on a street corner, Alamos, Sonora, Mexico.  Photo by Anders Tomlinson.

1984, directions and graffiti painted on a school wall along Calle Rosales.

September 1775, De Anza is leaving with a Spanish expedition to create a fort in San Francisco to head off the Russians coming down the west coast. George Washington and his Continental Army have besieged the British in Boston as Colonel Ethan Allen is captured at the Battle of Montreal by the British. Much has happened in the following 236 years leading up to 2011. Some say this is part of a new epoch, the Anthropocene, as human events, consequences of collective actions, alter-change the planet.

Human impact is equal to the population times affluence times technology. Global affluence in 1900 was 2 trillion dollars, 5.3 trillion in 1950 and 55 trillion in 2011. These are all in 1990 dollars. The population in 1900 was 1 billion, 2.4 billion in 1950 and will reach 7 billion in 2011. As for technology, there were 141,000 patents in 1900, 412,000 patents in 1950 and 1.9 million patents in 2011. The growing human biomass is 100x greater than any large animal species that has walked and faced extinction on planet earth. Currently, 65,000 text messages are sent every second. This is the Age of Great Acceleration.

This three part series was prompted by an internet group created in late 2002 for North Americans interested in Álamos. This group, 613 members as of 5-7-11, communicates needs, haves, events, thoughts, desires, alerts, recognitions, questions and answers. Here, at the end of April, 2011 a discussion started about influences that are changing Álamos. It began with a post by a recently arrived American who had started a dance studio in Álamos. She was coordinating a community participation dance, as part of an international event, to Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Another group member responded that this was inappropriate and bad for Álamos. A digital conversation with several North American members began: who is doing what to whom? Why, what, when, where? How?

Watching a soccer game in Alamos, Sonora, Mexico.  Photo by Anders Tomlinson.

T-shirts, wearable bumper stickers, make contemporary statements.

A tale of two T-shirts, one celebrates Selena, the Queen of Tejano, born and raised in Texas and a superstar in Spanish speaking countries. Shortly before the release of her first album featuring songs sung in her native language, English, she was murdered by her former manager. The other shirt promotes the American dream, everyone own their own home. Unrelated but related, today, the world’s largest military, and consumer of oil, is the United States. It spends nearly as much on its armies, navies and air power as the entire world collectively. Meanwhile, the Mexican army is engaged in a war with ruthless drug gangs fighting, with weaponry smuggled from the United States, over distribution routes to meet growing heroin, cocaine, meth and pot market demands in places like Fairfield, California, USA.

5% of the world population speaks English and 5% speaks Spanish. There are 50.5 million Hispanics in the United States, 14 million in California and 4.7 million in Los Angeles County. On Cinco de Mayo, 2011, a presidential commission declared a need for a museum devoted to Latino and American history. A Smithsonian study in 1994 stated that Hispanics were the only major contributor to American civilization not recognized in the museum.

Alamos, Sonora, Mexico seen from the north on a spring morning.  Photo by Anders Tomlinson.

Here is Alamos, east to west, on a spring morning from the north.

At one time, the 1770’s, there were two to three times the population as seen here in 1996 which is half the population of 2011. When I first visited Álamos there was talk of building a freeway from Navajoa through Álamos to El Fuerte and Sinaloan farm land. The United States was interested and engaged because food would arrive in Southern California hours faster. Since I last visited, roads from the west, Navajoa, and southwest, Masiaca, are new or rebuilt. Now it is easier and faster to drive to Álamos if one is headed north or south on the Navajoa-Las Mochis section of Highway 15. Roads are a major stimulus for change – expansion both at the destinations and en-route. Once there was Indian foot paths and then El Camino Real and now improved auto routes to, and through, Álamos. Pave it and they will come.
One can only wonder what the population of Álamos, Sonora, Mexico will be in 2050.

Anders Tomlinson on Plaza bench in Alamos, Sonora, Mexico.  Photo by Antonio Figueroa.

Anders reflects on the day's work notes, photo by Antonio Figueroa.

Human impact on planet earth is equal to population times affluence times technology.
A climate change report commissioned by the Vatican, issued 5-5-11, indicates there are three things we need to do: “reduce worldwide carbon emissions by stopping deforestation and other initiatives: reducing the amount of warming air pollutants such as methane and soot by as much as 50 percent, and preparing for chronic and abrupt changes that cannot be avoided.” No mention of population. It is human nature to promote growing populations, this is a “healthy” economic condition. Cities that grow are doing well, cities that are lose people are doing poorly. New homes being built is good, ghosts towns are sad. This human nature was present yesterday when we lived in caves and present today in urban super-sprawl. And tomorrow?

In my mind, the big issues in the future are women’s role in society, abortion and sex-education. I know these are long standing ideological battles. It is human nature to reproduce to save-replace oneself and the species. We will be dealing with Anthropocene consequences because stopping population growth is the same as trying to stop a super volcano from erupting, or is it?

Human impact, and change, is equal to population times affluence times technology.

From the Alamos Journal.

©2013 Anders Tomlinson, all rights reserved.

Water Headlines

allied gardens cactus and succulents, smart water garden, a mult-media project by anders tomlinson and denver clay, film by anders tomlinson, garden by denver clay, music by sonicatomics, sonic succulents, allied gardens, sand diego, ca. photos by anders tomlinson. 2015

water headlines, san diego UT, april 2015.
Water Conservation Becomes the Cause of the Day-
Headlines, sewer relining and a rock may seem to be odd storyfellows but here they are. April, 2016: bold water headlines made it, for the first time in years, above the front-page fold of the San Diego UT daily newspaper. The UT’, owned by a large developer, has a masthead that boasts “The World’s Greatest Country and America’s Finest City”. During the past several years water news might make it to the front page below the fold with non-bold headlines. This April there were at least seven front page bold water headlines.
Governor Brown had caught, or forced, medias’ attention. California water concerns
are now seen and heard everywhere.

water headlines, san diego UT, april 2015.
Population, Economics and Technology Equals Us Here Today-
Groups such as the Scripps Institute have been warning us for years of our impacts on climate and that the last hundred years had been unusually wet across the southwest. Newspapers like the San Diego UT were reluctant to give theses voices bold headlines. In fact, it was standard operating procedure to print a second article to rebut voices like Scripps Institute. The “status quo” was being challenged and the “status quo” resists change. Now, we rarely hear voices that say climate change is unfounded. Many politicians still talk about the adverse impacts of attempting to deal with climate change would have on our consumer based economy. And they are right, but they don’t acknowledge that this economy model is what created anthropocene and our related “climate change”. Anthropocene proposes human global impact is equal to the population times affluence times technology. But this isn’t about who said what, who blamed whom, who is right and who is wrong be it Religious Deities, Kings, Icons, Money Handlers, Politicians, Energy Producers, Role Models, Gangsters, Industrial – Military Complexes, Entertainers, Media, Speculators, Educators, Natural Selection or all of the above – Human Nature. This is about an affordable water smart garden being developed by using what is available.

sewer maintenance

relining sewer lines in serra mesa, san diego, californian. april 2015. photo by anders tomlinson.
Forty A Day With 1,6000 To Go-
First, “no street parking” signs were posted on the sidewalk. A couple of days later the first of several crews arrived to start the sewer re-lining project. The concrete sidewalk was cut and the slab lifted up and then serious digging began. A new connection was hooked up to the residence’s lateral and a camera investigated the line to the main sewer. This crew averages 40 re-linings a day with 1,600 throughout San Diego remaining on their contract.

relining sewer lines in serra mesa, san diego, californian. april 2015. photo by anders tomlinson.
Re-lining is All about A Sleeve and Pressure-
A sleeve was insert into the lateral and pushed against the old pipe’s lining using air pressure. With the re-lining complete, trucked in gravel was dumped in the hole followed by the original dirt. Much of San Diego is red clay as seen here and looking into the hole was like looking back in time if one knew what they were looking at in geologic time.

relining sewer lines in serra mesa, san diego, californian. april 2015. photo by anders tomlinson.
Concrete and Finishing-
The fifth crew on site was the concrete team. They were followed by one man who did the finishing work. A couple of days later the “no street parking” signs were removed. The next time a crew comes through they may do more than simply re-lining.
Who knows what new technologies and infrastructure design may be applied to these residential neighborhoods in the future? (Anders is currently working on a video documenting the entire re-lining process – “you were there.”)

relining sewer lines in serra mesa, san diego, californian. april 2015. photo by anders tomlinson.
A Water Source For the Future-
One reason the sewer re-lining project is part of the water story is that sewers moves water and waste. Sewers are part of the water distribution system. Currently this water goes through an expensive treatment plant and is then piped out into the ocean. The Federal Government has found that San Diego is not treating the waste water satisfactorily and is threatening huge fines. Meanwhile, 200 miles above us astronauts recycle their urine into drinking water and less than 100 miles up the freeway Orange County is recycling sewer water into drinking water. Water is water and need is need. Speaking of astronauts, when they look out their windows at earth they see a very thin band, 62 miles, of blue above the ground. This is our fragile atmosphere and it is not endless or even large, it is merely 62 miles deep and the biosphere, living zone, is around 12 miles including ocean and atmosphere. This is a small, delicately balanced world. Speaking of geologic time, March, 2015 was the first month that the entire world broke the 400 parts-per-million (ppm) for carbon dioxide, the highest levels in two million years. Under this sun we know the clock is always ticking.

The tiny headline and three sentences devoted to rising CO2 levels were at the bottom of page 3 in the UT’s first section. In geologic-time-logic it would have been the big front-page headline printed in bold war-font-size. The reason it didn’t make the front page is it challenges the basic driver of our beings: the burning of fossil fuels and without fossil fuels how would we be who we are today? Is there an economic system that is not directly dependent on fossil fuels and requires an ever increasing population – consumer base which has an ability to buy now and pay later? One may ask what does this have to do with our village of young cactus/succulents village, old rock and bare earth that comprise Allied Gardens? Everything.

rocks

reling serra lines in serra mesa, san diego, californian.  april 2015.  photo by anders tomlinson.
Sitting In Piles Along The Length of the Street-
Now we finally get to what sewer re-lining has to do with the Allied Gardens project. Anders noticed rocks that were sitting in the dirt piles on the street. The workers looked at Anders with surprise when he asked if he could take some of the rocks. “Of course you can” they answered.

rocks, allied gardens cactus and succulentssmart water garden, a mult-media project by anders tomlinson and denver clay, film by anders tomlinson, garden by denver clay, mucis by sonicatomics, sonic succulents, allied gardens, sand diego, ca. photos by anders tomlinson. 2015
Wire Brushing With Water Works Wonders-
The reclaimed sewer project rocks arrived at Allied Gardens where Denver and Anders removed the dirt from the rocks and then placed them along the lower terrace.
They had an immediate visual impact.

rocks, allied gardens cactus and succulentssmart water garden, a mult-media project by anders tomlinson and denver clay, film by anders tomlinson, garden by denver clay, music by sonicatomics, sonic succulents, allied gardens, sand diego, ca. photos by anders tomlinson. 2015
These Rocks Need No Water-
Rocks, humble like these or exotic, add elements to any landscaping plan. On the most basic level there is no need to water rocks or the ground underneath. On an artistic level rocks add points of interest that attract the eye and enhance dimension and scale. no need to water rocks or the ground how much they like these rocks being added to the growing garden. Little did they know where they came from.

rocks, allied gardens cactus and succulentssmart water garden, a mult-media project by anders tomlinson and denver clay, film by anders tomlinson, garden by denver clay, mucis by sonicatomics, sonic succulents, allied gardens, sand diego, ca. photos by anders tomlinson. 2015
Discarded Rocks Stand Out on The Lower Level-
The recycled rocks do what they do in the daytime and at night reflect neighborhood ambient light and passing car headlights. They attract passing eyes to this peaceful village of cactus/succulents. The additions of these rocks had no impact on Allied Gardens’ bottomline which remains at $80. Neighbors and friends have donated several new succulents to the project. At this point, May 7, 2015, there are 39 different cactus/succulents on the three terraces. If there is a need for more space rocks can be rearranged to make room for new plants. One of the project’s primary goals is cuttings from Allied Gardens are planted in other gardens.

rocks, allied gardens cactus and succulents, smart water garden, a mult-media project by anders tomlinson and denver clay, film by anders tomlinson, garden by denver clay, music by sonicatomics, sonic succulents, allied gardens, sand diego, ca. photos by anders tomlinson. 2015
Spread Out Like Notes On A Music Staff-
May 7, 2015 – there is the possibility of rain with low, fast-moving dark grey clouds overhead. Winds gusts are moving tree branches. One can only hope. And if it does rain, it would be to everyone’s benefit that as much as possible is captured before it runs off into streets. Not long ago most homes in San Diego had cisterns. Today, every new residence, be it single family or a residential tower, should have rain water capture infrastructure. One can only hope. At 3:15 PM, it began to drizzle in Anders’ yard for 15 minutes. Five miles away Allied Gardens, spread out like notes on a music staff, is open and receptive to the elements. Hope springs eternal.

allied gardens cactus and succulentssmart water garden, a mult-media project by anders tomlinson and denver clay, film by anders tomlinson, garden by denver clay, music by sonicatomics, sonic succulents, allied gardens, sand diego, ca. photos by anders tomlinson. 2015

2001: A Year In The Life of The Klamath Reclamation Project
2001 was a difficult year for the large farming community working lands, and supporting agriculture, on the Klamath Reclamation Project’s Oregon and California fields. National, international and regional media came to cover the story of fish versus potatoes, farmers against Indians, rural America standing up to the Federal Government. Few words were spoken, or written about a much larger directly-related picture: there was less snowpack, the nights were getting warmer, flora and fauna were migrating away from the equator, water temperatures had become lethal for fish throughout the Klamath River Watershed, carbon dioxide levels were rising et. al. A Los Angeles Times reporter told farmers, concerned with media’s narrow focus, that news was entertainment and there was no need to let facts and background get in the way of a good story. The following is from this website’s section on the infamous 2001 water shutoff…

NBC Evening News sent west coast correspondent George Lewis to report the story and I attended three interviews with them. George was joined by his ace crew of cameraman, soundman and producer. They flew in, rented a car and went to work.NBC Evening News with George Lewis interviews Ty Kliewer in Klamath Falls, 2001.  Photo by Anders Tomlinson. The first interview was with Ty Kliewer, a young Klamath Falls college student – farmer. Ty tried repeatedly to engage NBC with the concept that the problem concerned the overall Klamath River Watershed and not the Klamath Reclamation Project. He was ignored. Interviews about something as large and complex as the 12,000,000 acre watershed across two states, seven large counties with eight rivers and 7,454 waterway miles do not translate neatly into sound-bites peppering a three minute news report. Years later, after an exhaustive study, the National Academy of Science agreed with the Ty, the problem was not about the localized Klamath Reclamation Project it was about the overall Klamath River Watershed. In the bigger picture, like a canary in a coal mine, the Klamath River Watershed was just another wake-up call for billions of humans trying to survive on little planet Earth.”
More Klamath Shutoff Media

allied gardens cactus and succulentssmart water garden, a mult-media project by anders tomlinson and denver clay, film by anders tomlinson, garden by denver clay, music by sonicatomics, sonic succulents, allied gardens, sand diego, ca. photos by anders tomlinson. 2015

The First Year From Ground Zero to Substance and Shape –
It all started on March 13, 2014 when Denver Clay, SonicAtomics’ music director, asked Anders Tomlinson, SonicAtomics’ creative director, if Denver’s yard could become water smart. Anders brought over cuttings from his urban “drought” tolerant garden. A year later, after 36 hours of labor between the two and $75 in materials, Allied Gardens posed for a formal portrait. This is more than a story about the creation of a Southern California compatible garden starting with a lawn that was no longer watered: this is also a film and soundtrack project. Welcome to Allied Gardens.

allied gardens cactus and succulentssmart water garden, a mult-media project by anders tomlinson and denver clay, film by anders tomlinson, garden by denver clay, music by sonicatomics, sonic succulents, allied gardens, sand diego, ca. photos by anders tomlinson. 2015

May 8, 2015, 3:45 AM – Anders was woken up by the sounds of rain outside. At 5:30 there was a downpour’s sweet roar that lasted for several minutes. Resourceful cactus and succulents will brighten and plump-up with this watering and thrive well into summer. Off and on showers with occasional brief downpours continued through mid-morning. Mockingbirds were singing again by 10AM. San Diego UT’s headline for the day was “$85M DEAL COMBINES U-T AND L.A. TIMES”.

allied gardens smart water garden, a mult-media project by anders tomlinson and denver clay, film by anders tomlinson, garden by denver clay, music by sonicatomics, sonic succulents, allied gardens, san diego, ca. photos by anders tomlinson. 2015 icon

Previous Allied Gardens chapter Future Water Use

Listen to Sonic Succulents from this film project

©2015 Anders Tomlinson, all rights reserved.