I have never considered myself a street photographer or a documentary photographer. My skills with a camera have never been quick or facile, and I work more comfortably with a tripod.

In the 1970’s Murray and I frequently drove from Indiana to California and back to visit friends and family. At that time we had a red 1968 Volkswagen Beetle. There had been a gas crisis in 1973, and the VW seemed like a good choice. These trips were in both the summer and winter, depending on university schedules. The particular drive I am thinking about was in the winter. We usually drove north from Bloomington to I-80 in Indianapolis, then followed the interstate highways west.

One morning we were driving west in the desert, maybe somewhere between Needles, Arizona and Barstow, California. Murray was driving. The VW didn’t have a great heater, somehow warmth was supposed to come from the engine in the rear into the cabin of the car, but it didn’t work too well. It was cold inside the car and colder outside. We were really in the “middle of nowhere” not on an Interstate, but on some two lane highway that might have looked like a short cut to us. There was no traffic and no signs of much of anything, but, on both sides of the highway there were these armies of small cactus (cactuses? cacti?). The terrain was slightly mountainous, and looking up the hillsides they looked like little soldiers standing at attention. Murray didn’t want to stop, but I finally persuaded him to pull over. I wanted to get out and take some photos. Then there was some issue about not turning off the car. I don’t remember whether we had had trouble starting it earlier in the morning, but Murray insisted the car should not be turned off.

My camera was handy, but my tripod was buried somewhere in our gear, so there was some discussion about whether I should look for my tripod to use or just take a couple of photos and leave. I opted for the later, but it was really a situation where thoughtful composition and a tripod would have helped. I think I took a few photos with views from each side of the road, but nothing carefully observed. I was feeling too rushed.

I may have these negatives somewhere, but I never enlarged and printed them. Often what you see, even if it is an amazing hillside of cactus soldiers standing erect, just doesn’t translate… but having more time to take the photos would have been nice.

August 24, 2021