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Two Guns + The Apache Death Cave

by Kaylah Stroup September 19, 2016

I originally found Two Guns on Roadside America back in 2014. It was right on the way to where we were heading except we were majorly crunched for time. We had reservations and had to check into our wigwam before the front office closed for the night. But Two Guns!!!! It looked amazing. We had to stop, there was no two ways about it. Jeff and I agreed we’d only spend ten minutes there so we both got out of the car and literally ran from building to building snapping photos like crazy. The ten minutes was up in no time at all. We got back to the car gasping for breath and full of adrenaline. My pictures weren’t that great but it’s honestly one of my favorite memories from that whole trip.

To this day, we still talk about that visit all the time. I’ve even exclaimed that I want to get married there someday. They’re just some silly abandoned buildings but they became something special because our brief visit was so fun.

Each trip out west Jeff and I try to take a different route so that we aren’t just doing the exact same thing over and over. So far, other than the airport we fly into, we’ve done a pretty great job at this. A few days before we left for this year’s trip Jeff text me to say he had just realized we’d be near Two Guns. Swinging by this year would only add seven minutes to our drive so obviously it was a necessity to stop and actually take our time there.

stickers, street art, denture sticker, arrested development

When I first got into geocaching at the beginning of this year I was blown away by the fact that there are basically geocaches everywhere. One of my first thoughts was “I wonder if there was a geocache at Two Guns!” Sure enough there is but it’s WAY cooler than I could have ever imagined. Since the second we read the description, Jeff and I have been basically frothing at the mouth to get this thing. The cache isn’t near the abandoned buildings, instead it’s underground… in the Apache Death Cave. I won’t go into it but the cave has a crazy interesting history, as made quite obvious by the name. You can read more about it here. There’s even more insanity not listed in that article if you still feel like digging around!

We wandered around the abandoned stuff for a while, getting all the shots we weren’t able to take on our first visit then it came time to find the cache. We took the short hike over to where we thought the cave might be and sure enough there she was. The photo below shows where you climb down. In older photos I found on google it appears that those logs used to have boards going across so the walk down was fairly easy but these days you choose a log and hope your balance is good enough. Jeff took this really cute photo of me walking up the logs!

You guys, I love adventure. I like exploring new places, and I like a bit of danger. I love when my adrenaline is pumping and I talk a big game but when it comes right down to it, sometimes I’m a giant weenie. I was terrified in this cave. Not because of bats, or the dark but because I was afraid rocks would fall and we’d be trapped. I was afraid the cave, which is said to be cursed, would end up being our one final adventure.

Jeff, on the other hand, basically had the time of his life in this cave. He even said “I think I can retire from geocaching now.” because seriously, how could a cache be in a cooler spot than this one?! Despite being afraid, I was definitely enjoying myself. It was a true adventure! How many people can say they explored a real cave in the middle of the desert? Not somewhere you have to pay an admission fee, and have a guide. But a reeeeal cave. IT. WAS. AWESOME.

After making it out of the cave alive, wahooo, we poked around the property a bit more checking out the ruins of buildings. We didn’t get a chance to see this area last year so it was all new to us. Then when I started researching the cave after leaving I realized we missed a few more buildings that hold fairly significant history here. Guess that just means we have to go back again…

Until next time, Two Guns!!
xoxo

To see more posts from this trip + others, check out the “travel” tag.

abandoned in the desert 2015

by Kaylah Stroup September 14, 2015

Last year Jeff and I took a pretty epic road trip (six states and 3,204 miles of driving). During that week we stumbled upon abandoned building after abandoned building in the middle of the desert, this year’s trip was no different. There were so many. Driving along roads less traveled and even the highway it’s so exciting to look out and spot these places, just waiting for us. There is just this rush of excitement, and a sense of discovery. Some of my favorite memories from both of those trips, and our relationship in general, include these places.

There’s just something about abandoned buildings in the desert. They have a different feel, a different smell, just another vibe altogether. In the Midwest abandoned buildings are musty, and most suffer from water damage. The freezing and thawing year after year ages them so much more quickly. They generally just feel rotten. In the desert you could almost describe the buildings as “crispy”. Everything is sun bleached and dried out.

I find the couch in the photo of above particularly funny. I really really don’t understand how it’s in such great condition. I guess it once again goes back to the lack of precipitation out there because I can say without a doubt if that thing was in Ohio it would be covered in moss at the very least.

I’m missing the desert a lot today. …But that’s nothing new. I look forward to visiting again, in the mean time I’ll just be dealing with all the feels that these photos leave me with.
xoxo

You can find more posts from our road trip under the “travel” tag.

Desert Dreamin’ at Joshua Tree

by Kaylah Stroup August 26, 2015

I’m finally at the end of my photos from mine and Jeff’s big adventure at the beginning of June. I feel like I’ve just been holding on to these photos to make it feel like I wasn’t finally done. Writing these posts and looking back through the photos have been a great help in soothing my ache to travel. I’ve been having dreams these last few weeks where we’re out in the desert again. I literally get teary eyed even trying to explain how much I love the desert. Being in a car in the middle of my desert with just Jeff, and all our camera gear is when I’m happiest.

Back to the subject at hand, our last big stop of the trip – Joshua Tree! We were on our back to Phoenix after spending the night at Wigwam Village when we just so happened to pass a sign for Joshua Tree National Park. It wasn’t something that was even on our mind and we were more than ready to get to our final hotel of the trip but we figured at the very least we could get some more stamps in our national park passport book. We picked up a park map, and chose a spot to get out and play so we could say we spent a little bit of time there. The very first thing I spotted on the map was the Cholla Cactus Garden – that without a doubt was what I really wanted to see.

It’s just a quick walk through the garden but it was an excellent one none-the-less. We took photos, admired tiny birds nests in the cactus, and took silly panoramic iPhone photos where it looked like Jeff was floating.

Last year while we were at Noah’s Art I was walking backward taking photos and not paying attention when I got one of these cactus stuck my ankle. I called Jeff over and had him pry it off with a stick. I almost immediately regretted not stopping to photograph it before removing it but I was left with a little reminder anyway – it actually bruised! It was sore for the whole rest of the trip too. Since that was my only previous experience with cholla cactus I did my best to be oh so careful in this garden full of them.

Guess its time to plan another trip now, right?
xoxo

You can find more posts from our road trip under the “travel” tag.

Borrego Springs Sky Art

by Kaylah Stroup August 10, 2015

Before leaving to head out on our road trip a very kind reader, who gave us the awesome suggestion of hitting up Noah’s Art last year, recommended visiting Borrego Springs. It looked and sounded awesome. Like I mentioned in my previous post about the trip, we had the whole day after Bottle Tree Ranch to do whatever we’d like before checking in to our room for the night. So despite it being a little bit out of the way we decided to venture down to Borrego Springs and see what it was all about.

The product of Dennis Avery’s imagination and Ricardo A Breceda’s hard work the land surround Borrego Springs is filled with giant metal sculptures collectively known as “Sky Art”. There are over 130 of these babies scattered around. All sorts of different animals too! There are horses, dinosaurs, camels, and even a sea serpent emerging from the sand.

Jeff wasn’t feeling too well so visiting Borrego Springs was basically just him driving me from animal to animal and me saying “Are you sure you’re okay with this? Do you want me to drive? Can we at least go see the ______ and then we can leave?” There are so many sculptures we didn’t even get to see a quarter of them! Although we found a few crude maps on the internet it was still a lot more like a scavenger hunt finding them which was kind of fun.

Looking back I so badly wish I had some photos of Jeff and I beside these sculptures so you could get an idea of just how large they are. Something I really enjoyed about being here was that you could walk right up the animals. Nothing stopping you from getting as close you wanted. Some of them were a bit of a hike in the heat from the road but worth it regardless!
xoxo

You can find more posts from our road trip under the “travel” tag.

Bottle Tree Ranch

by Kaylah Stroup August 6, 2015

After Death Valley National Park we made our way over to Bartstow where we got a hotel room for the night. Death Valley was our last big stop of the trip. We didn’t have any destinations planned but we had places already booked to stay for our last two nights of the trip so we had time to just wander around. We woke up the next morning and started heading toward Bottle Tree Ranch which I had found on Roadside America while cuddled up in bed watching the Food Network in the hotel. That’s only worth noting because the Food Network and hotels go hand and hand for me. I can’t stand to watch it at home but because it’s what Jeff always turns on in hotel rooms I’ve come to love it and somehow it makes hotels feel more like home to me.

So! Bottle Tree Ranch. What to say about this place? First of all, WOW, it’s incredible. It is literally a forest made from large metal pipes with bottles on them. Elmer Long has been interested in collecting bottles since he was a kid. He and his father would go on trips where they would bring home old bottles found at dump sites. When his father died he inherited his collection of bottles and that’s when the ranch began. In 2002, at age 55, he quit his job to dedicate his time to the ranch. There are over two hundred trees and thousands of bottles!

It is definitely a sight to behold. While the property isn’t all that large, it’s absolutely overwhelming standing in the middle of it all. I had no idea how to shoot it. The whole time I was just thinking “I hope some of these pictures look okay…“. I’m pretty pumped about my shots but definitely feel that there is nothing that compares to seeing the trees in person.

I know when I blogged about Jerry’s Junk I briefly touched on how much I love collectors, and their collections. I just really really love passionate people. I’m the biggest weenie in the book but I’m seriously sitting here all teary eyed about this place. It’s so awesome to see people doing something they love, even if that thing is seen as a bit crazy by the general public.

Bottle Tree Ranch is nothing short of amazing. When we visited Elmer was outside. He was so friendly and so kind. I’m so happy people like him exist! If you’re anywhere near Oro Grande, CA or are just out cruising Route 66, Bottle Tree Ranch is a must.
xoxo

You can find more posts from our road trip under the “travel” tag.

Death Valley National Park

by Kaylah Stroup July 29, 2015

I don’t know what I was expecting from a place called Death Valley but somehow I was still shocked by the conditions in the park. At the visitors center we stood beside a sign that read 119 degrees Fahrenheit, which is easily one of the hottest temperatures I’ve ever experienced. Why we had to visit at the hottest time of the year is beyond me but I’m definitely glad we went. It still blows my mind that just a day before we were on the coast where I was worried I hadn’t brought enough warm clothes.

We did a lot of driving in Death Valley National Park, and not too much else since we’re both absolute babies in the heat. One of the few spots we stopped was at Mesquite Sand Dunes. It was insanely hot. So hot that I could feel the heat through my shoes which I thought was crazy. After roaming around in the sand a bit shooting photos we scurried back to the car. We sat down, turned on the air, chugged some water, and realized there was a funny smell in the car.

“Do you smell burning rubber?”
“I think it might be my shoes…?”
Lifts foot as close to face as possible in the car. “Yep!”

That sand was so hot our shoes were actually melting. The park’s brochure actually said of the eighteen heat related deaths in the park sine 2000 three of them occurred in the sand dunes. My photos don’t really seem to capture the size of the dunes and just how expansive the area was. But to see this place in person and experience heat that oppressive that fact really isn’t all that shocking.

The goal was to not spend too much time in the park since we needed to get out of the area before we got too tired. Every other night that we had tried to sleep in the car this trip it was miserable. The last thing we wanted was to be sleeping in the car in this heat. After the dunes we cruised to the visitor center to get stamps in our National Parks passport. We sat inside looking over the other main parts of the park trying to figure out what else we wanted to see. Death Valley National Park is massive, it actually has more miles of roads than any other national park. Sadly everything else we were interested in visiting suggested having some sort of fancy pants all terrain tire that our rental most definitely didn’t have. Guess we’ll just have to go back another time to see The Racetrack…

We made one last stop in the park, at Zabriskie Point. You walk up this steep hill to the an overlook where no matter which way you turn there is a gorgeous view. It kind of seemed like all the other visitors in the park that day we’re following the same agenda as us – only get out of the car when absolutely necessary. This overlook, and the visitor center were the only place we really saw anyone else. Even with the crowd at Zabriskie Point it was a perfect last stop. It was so beautiful you could easily just tune everyone else out.

Right outside of the park there were tons of abandoned buildings. It was a busy-ish area and a great majority of them were fenced off so we passed. We did manage to find another outside the fenced area that we stopped at. Just a small shell of a building but I love the photos of it nonetheless. I actually have a whole post of abandoned things we visited in the desert that I’ll share another day. The desert is a wonderful place!

You can find more posts from our road trip under the “travel” tag.

23 miles, 5 bikes + Cleveland

by Kaylah Stroup July 28, 2015

Mural by the fantastic Erin Guido.

I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who thinks summer can sometimes be kind of stressful. There’s so much pressure to have fun, which sounds strange but maybe you get what I mean…? Aside from the big road trip we haven’t really done too much. Jeff has been busy shooting weddings and editing photos, and I’ve been hibernating (because humidity is my worst enemy) so bike rides, days spent exploring, and everything else have been few and far between.

Jeff’s long time friend, also named Jeff, was in town for the week from Maine so we spent last Wednesday biking! I cannot even begin to tell you how good it felt to get out, ride, and enjoy the city again.

Jeff from Maine has the same bike as me!

After lunch we met up with Jason who took us over to one of his secret spots along the lake. We lounged around on the edge of the water, throwing rocks, and just relaxing. Tiny escapes hidden around the city are so awesome but the highlight of this stop for me was actually leaving. Instead of heading back through the weeds which were lousy with ticks we decided to follow the rocks along the shore. They got bigger, and bigger until we were just hopping around on massive boulders. Jason had been this way before, knew there was a fence/wall we’d eventually have to hop over but I think he may have underestimated how difficult it was going to be. Jeff got over pretty easily after some careful planning, Jason slowly maneuvered his way over, and my Jeff said “eh, let’s go around.” The rocks were slippery and it quite a fall if you did slip. I was kind of determined to get over so I grabbed on to a tree limb with each hand, walked my legs up the wall, and shimmied my way up until I was sitting on it. Basically it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. I’m always super pumped when I underestimate my body and it’s ability to do something. I bragged about it the whole rest of the day (and yes, I am totally bragging right now.) It was way rad, I’m very sad there isn’t video or at least a photo of my skills.

After that, we headed to Koko Bakery to meet up with Brandon and grab some bubble tea. I know I’ve mentioned Koko Bakery a few times before, I just love that place. The bubble tea is amazing, and they’re super sweet there. The woman working even gave us a free loaf of some sort of fancy bread!

The evening included more photos, more miles, and even a neighborhood block party (complete with food trucks!) Nearly six hours later with 23 miles down I arrived back at home to shower and crash in bed. Days like this do not happen often enough!
xoxo

Ballarat, CA

by Kaylah Stroup July 23, 2015

Fish Rocks, Salt Wells Canyon, CA

Cell phone service in the desert is hit or miss. I either had all my bars or nothing but while I did have service I was browsing Roadside America for spots to hit. That’s how we found Ballarat. Formerly a supply point for the mines nearby, Ballarat is now a ghost town. In it’s heyday it was home to nearly 500 people. It had 7 saloons, a jail, a school, a handful of hotels and more. There isn’t much left anymore, just a few rusted out all cars, shells of buildings, and a cemetery.

I was a bit nervous to visit since it’s a little ways off the main road. I was worried it would be home to someone who might be offended by our visit. A sign near the entrance of the town read as follows…

“this is a free zone take any kind of photos you want. camp party make movies etc no harm. nobody cares feel free. learn nothen setting in your car the friendly zone welcome to ballarat ghost town…”

After seeing that I felt free to roam…

The thing I was most excited about in Ballarat was the cemetery. I’d been on the lookout for an old desert cemetery since the last trip and we had yet to stumble across one. I saw photos of this one on Roadside America and that was actually one of the biggest reasons I wanted to visit. This one was smaller than I had been hoping for but still so awesome. It had such a gorgeous view and it was just a world of difference from the cemeteries we have here. And this headstone?! Get out! Easily one of the most interesting I’ve ever seen in person.

We didn’t stay too long in Ballarat, it was hot and we were both anxious to get into the national park but it was definitely a great stop.
xoxo

You can find more posts from our road trip under the “travel” tag.

San Francisco to Yosemite

by Kaylah Stroup July 20, 2015

After the tide pools Jeff and I made our way up to San Francisco. We hadn’t scheduled much time in our agenda for the city, it was basically just meant to be a stopping point for our journey along the coast. I wanted to see two things in San Francisco – Camera Obscura and the Golden Gate Bridge. So, first stop – Camera Obscura! It sadly wasn’t open but I was happy to see it nonetheless. This has been on my to-find list for so long. I’ve been seeing photos of it pop up from time to time for years but never really knew anything about it, let alone where in the world it was. I realized right before the trip it was in San Francisco so I super giddy about finally seeing it.

From the Camera Obscura you can see the Sutro Bath ruins. It had popped up on Roadside America when I was browsing the area but it didn’t seem that interesting considering we only had a few hours at most in the city. Being right beside it, and in the fog was another story though. We had to go check it out.

The Sutro Baths opened in 1896 and at the time it was the largest indoor swimming facility. There were slides, springboards and even a high dive. There were six saltwater pools and one fresh water pool. It eventually closed due to not being profitable. Shortly that in 1966, a fire destroyed the building while it was in the process of being demolished. (Arson for insurance money!) Now the land surrounding it is part of the Golden Gate Recreational Area which is way cool because you’re able to explore the ruins. This website sums it up perfectly “It’s allowed to be harrowing and wild in a time and place where shampoos carry warnings and most interesting things are cordoned off for your protection. Here’s the playground for those who love crumbling stone clubhouses, jutting pipe monkeybars, stairways that lead you off cliffs and shifting sandboxes that get swallowed by surf.” It’s really surprising to me that you’re allowed to explore the ruins but you best believe, I’m all about it. I wish there were more places like this.

Beside the ruins is a cliff-side tunnel which I thought was terrifying. I’m sure some local is reading this and laughing but that water was rough, it was dark, and I thought the ground felt smushy. I was afraid somehow I was going to end up in the water. I don’t know, it was just really strange experience. I’m pretty fearless when it comes to most things but that tunnel freaked me out. It’s fun to be afraid sometimes, if that makes sense. I was happy to get out of the tunnel but I enjoyed the rush of being in there.

Next we headed to the Golden Gate Bridge which I didn’t actually get to see because of the fog. Whomp whomp whomp. We drove over it, I shot this picture, and we called it day. I have never in my life seen fog SO thick. We had assumed the sun set but after getting outside of the city we got to watch it actually set. It was really strange to watch it get dark, then an hour or so later watch it get dark all over again.

We drove into the night toward our next stop, Yosemite National Park. We got there in the middle of the night. I had a really bad stomach ache. Jeff said he had some tums or something in his suitcase so we pulled over on the top of a mountain to get it. I’m all bundled up in my seat when Jeff calls from outside “You have to come see this!” The stars, you guys, THE STARS. It was just the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my entire life. I’m literally teary eyed right now thinking about it. We got out our cameras and hung out on the side of the road trying to capture the view. I didn’t get anything close to representing how amazing it was but Jeff shot this gorgeous photo. I could have stayed there and watched the stars forever. That actually might be one of my favorite memories of the trip. Just being barefoot on the side of a mountain looking up at the stars with Jeff. They were something else!

We finally headed back down the mountain to find a spot to sleep for a few hours before making our way into the park. It was another rough night of not being able to find somewhere suitable to sleep. I remember groggily searching “how to sleep in your car” for tips because we just couldn’t find somewhere that felt safe enough to snooze at. Rough night or not all was well because the next morning I sat on the rock wall below and put on my make-up, and got gussied up for the day ahead. Talk about a great view!

Yosemite was gorgeous but a bit crowded for my tastes. I was also crabby I didn’t have my bike because everyone there was on a bike. But I ate a killer sandwich, got some pressed pennies, and took photos that I love with the man I love.
xoxo

You can find more posts from our road trip under the “travel” tag.

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