On January 16th of 2018 my wife was approximately 5 days pregnant. I know this with such accuracy because of the obscene amounts of money and medical intervention required to eventually produce the child. We took a road trip through the desert, I can’t remember why. I think we just needed to focus on something else. We headed South down the 5 to Bakersfield picking up the 178 West to Ridgecrest, the third largest city in Kern county, which honestly, isn’t saying much…
No. #0584_12A - Ridgecrest, California. January of 2018.
No. #0583_30A / 32A - Panamint Valley, California. January of 2018.
We spent the night in what were billed as ‘eco-pods’ in the middle of the desert. It struck me immediately as the perfect venue to get astronomically high on hallucinogens or to dispose of an unwanted spouse, possibly both. A total of three pods, the two sleeping pods had glass roll up garage doors and a side wall that swung out ninety degrees. The stars were absolutely incredible. The bath / shower pod had a completely open layout, with four shower heads, multiple benches and a drain in the center. Essentially this was a shower sex pod. In the desert.
No. #0585_20 - Death Valley, California. January of 2018.
We drove into Death Valley the next day and crashed for the night in Stovepipe Wells, a way-station with a mildly depressing motel in the Northern part of the park. I had a terrible hamburger for dinner but got a decent nights sleep and we drove South through the park the following morning.
At the bottom end of Death Valley is a place called Shoshone, population 22. It is comprised of a post-office, a saloon and a small restaurant, at which I had one of the best reuben sandwiches I’ve ever eaten. We headed out, and were in Los Angeles by nightfall.
Excerpts from the series “Unwritten Notes” - Photographs Made Elsewhere.
Comprised of work spanning nearly 15 years, the series is largely autobiographical and draws entirely from images made on the road, away from home...
Prints available upon request.