Another pass at Vulture…..

Ah yes, wasn’t I going to do some “local shooting”?  I sure was, but an opportunity arose and I jumped at it.

My friend Josh and his wife Ashleigh mentioned the other day that they were on a mission down to Wickenburg on Sunday.  Josh was in search of an old abandoned airfield.  They were going to do a shoot at the airfield with an aviator theme, and the spot was 13 miles West of Wickenburg.  Not too far from Vulture either!

So on Saturday night we decided to combine forces (in other words, car pool) and go on a photo shoot together!  What fun!

Since the Versa gets amazing gas mileage (and my travel for shoots is a write off) we took my car down to the Wickenburg area.  Once again when we dropped down from Yarnell to Congress we went from jackets to short sleeved shirts.  I still can’t believe the temperature difference a few feet makes!

Our first stop for the day was Vulture.  Again…..  And it was worth it!  The place is of course a former gold mine that yielded real gold.  And it’s a photographic gold mine to this day.  No doubts in my mind.  One of my favorite places that I’ve shot in months.

Yes, I loved the Bisbee trip.  And yes, it is an amazingly photogenic place as well.  But there’s just something about wandering the old ruins of Vulture that captures my imagination.  Rough history and all, the place is truly unique!

Josh and Ash wandered in and out of the buildings just like I did last week.  You’d hear Josh’s shutter in the distance when he wasn’t nearby, and when we were around each other we’d take turns with scenes we both liked.

Interestingly enough, things weren’t exactly as they were last week.  In the old Assayer’s office 2 tables were moved.  Several bottles were moved as well.  The shots I had in mind had to change…..  Which certainly wasn’t a bad thing.  But I wonder, who moved things around?

The site staff?  Nah, too plausible…..

The ghosts of Vulture…?  Yeah, that sounds like a more interesting answer to me!

On this trip I got to see a few sites I hadn’t last time.  Just so much ground to cover, so many unique views and perspectives.  I could return there again and again and be sure to find something new that I missed last time!  It’s just that type of place!

According to Josh and Ashleigh they had a great time as well.  After hours of poking around through the ruins we finally packed it in and headed off to find their abandoned airfield.  Sure enough, we found it.  We also found the airstrip missing, cow poo and horse poo everywhere, and Josh found that the site still worked for his photo shoot.  I wandered off for a short time, took a picture of a tumbleweed that I liked, then returned to the Versa to read about other locations I’d like to visit soon!

Another great day!  That’s for the fun trip guys!  Next time, Sedona and the Arch!