Honeymoon In Vallarta

Honeymoon In Vallarta, a photo by Whitney Lake on Flickr.

The drive down from Guadalajara to Puerto Vallarta is an experience worth doing. Along the way there is the government sanctioned tequila country to pass through, which being very picturesque in it's terrain, ultimately descends into a low canopy jungle overhanging the road. About this time the road from Guadalajara briefly wends its way into the State of Nayarit before heading back into Jalisco. I see army men with automatic weapons.....ah....I'm in Mexico. At this state border it's about the illegal importation of fruit instead of narcotics.....which is kinda funny really, because as soon as you cross the state line, one sees multitudes of shanty fruit stands. I'm nearing Vallarta now...here is the in your face billboard at a T junction blinding me with advertisements for strip clubs and gambling....hey, I thought that I was going to someplace classy?

...sooooo....I'm entering into Vallarta from the north which I have been told is a place to avoid since it's your basic generic luxury hotel scene without real flavor...and that is true, however, in booking a hotel in Mexico in a place you've never been to before, I would still recommend something that you can be reasonably sure is going to be a clean and healthy environment.

I've heard some sparking reviews about this town, however I did not find it to be among the top 10 or even 20 places in Mexico that I would prefer to visit. Without going into all that, and the fact that a hurricane hovered off the coast for the week that I was there, I will say that there are a number of very good restaurants there, all in the 'Zona Romantico' or old portion of the town so named for the Burton/Taylor love tryst that occurred there...the best of which that I enjoyed was the Vista Grill overlooking the town and shoreline where I found a unique tequila called Almondrado, which varies greatly by brand. Whatever brand it is they have at the Vista Grill, which they would not tell me is I think, brewed in heaven. I haven't found anything like it in or out of Mexico yet.

....how would I characterize Vallarta in general?

It's an overpriced yet dismally dysfunctional vacation venue, unless you can get into one of the more intimate privately owned condo retreats that are south of town, and your primary interest is lying on a veranda.

Part of my Mexico set from my Flickr site...to see more visit at:

Whitney Lake at Flickr

All photographs are ALL RIGHTS RESERVED and are COPYRIGHT © solely to Whitney Lake.

Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed or written permission by Whitney Lake.

15 Seconds Of Fame

15 Seconds Of Fame, a photo by Whitney Lake on Flickr.

....according to popular legend, everyone gets it. For some it lasts longer, but it's still 15 seconds in the light of eternity.

I for one, can't wait until the 15 seconds are over for certain people, but I'm going to observe good social etiquette and refrain from naming them for purposes of maintaining my composure and escaping the possibilities of libel.

...from my Flickr set on Chicago. To see more please visit:

Whitney LAke Chicago Flickr Set

All photographs are ALL RIGHTS RESERVED and are COPYRIGHT © solely to Whitney Lake.

Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed or written permission by Whitney Lake.

A Place In Time

A Place In Time, a photo by Whitney Lake on Flickr.

..from my Flickr set on Chicago....for more please visit :

Whitney Lake Flickr Chicago Set

All photographs are ALL RIGHTS RESERVED and are COPYRIGHT © solely to Whitney Lake.

Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed or written permission by Whitney Lake.

333 Wacker

333 Wacker, a photo by Whitney Lake on Flickr.

Beautiful new building on Wacker Drive in Chicago reflects the setting sun against the Chicago River.

....a shot from my Flickr set on Chicago:

Whitney Lake Chicago Flickr Set

All photographs are ALL RIGHTS RESERVED and are COPYRIGHT © solely to Whitney Lake.

Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed or written permission by Whitney Lake.

View From North Rim 3

View From North Rim 3, a photo by Whitney Lake on Flickr.

The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is entirely different than the South rim. It's a thousand feet higher, forested all the way to the edge in pine and aspen, and it is free from the crowds of the South Rim. It is very easy to find solitude there: the pine scent and cool breezes are truly alpine in character.

This view is just a few steps from the Grand Canyon Lodge, which is roughly 20 winding miles from the north gate and another 20 or so to Jacob Lake, the nearest 'town' which is really just a gas station and a campgrounds at the junction of the road with AZ 89.

To view the rest of my posted photos from The Grand Canyon North Rim, please visit: 

Grand Canyon North Rim Photos by Whitney Lake

All photographs are ALL RIGHTS RESERVED and are COPYRIGHT © solely to Whitney Lake.

Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed or written permission by Whitney Lake.

YakiTrail View 2

YakiTrail View 2, a photo by Whitney Lake on Flickr.

Nearly 5 million people visit the Grand Canyon each year but very go beneath the rim..which seems kinda funny to me to go all that way, take a look at it and then go away. This is a shot from the Yaki trail, which begins at Yaki Point, east of Grand Canyon Village, becomes the South Kaibab Trail to the bottom and then ties into the North Kaibab Trail to the North Rim.

It is easy going down, but coming back up is nothing but steps and switchbacks.....and for a flatlander like me....doing that at 5,000 feet is not an easy chore especially with a tripod and camera. It is well worth the effort though, as each bend in the trail brings another  new, spectacular view, and at sunset, those rocks really glow...just remember there are no handrails to hold onto in the dark...and take plenty of water, cause there isn't any here....this ain't Disneyland.

Please visit me on Flickr to see the rest of my GC South Rim shots:

GC South Rim Photos by Whitney Lake

All photographs are ALL RIGHTS RESERVED and are COPYRIGHT © solely to Whitney Lake.

Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed or written permission by Whitney Lake.

Partial View Of Jerome

Partial View Of Jerome, a photo by Whitney Lake on Flickr.

Jerome...one of my favorite places. In it's heyday was called the 'wickedest town in the west', although I doubt that, since the handle has been applied to almost every mining and cow town from the 1800's that I've read about. It was apparently pretty bad, although I think at lot of that has to do with the papers of the time focusing on the sensational elements....surely it was no worse than Detroit.

There are of course, numerous ghost stories, and the town was basically a ghost from around the 1920s until the 1970s when some hippies decided to move in, buy up cheap property and eventually turned it into an artsy destination. I stayed in the Conner Hotel on Halloween night, which is dead center in the middle of town and known for it's ghostly activity. I didn't sleep well though because the room was too stuffy...the only disturbance other than that was the biker revelry in the bar downstairs. The 'asylum' which is the renovated hospital ( the yellow building at top right ) would have been a preferred stay but it was booked solid as well as the numerous historic  B&Bs and the adjacent Surgeons House which is also a privately run B&B with a really nice genteel ambience.

The town is full of shops and small restaurants and pubs, although the 'real' artists are found in the old high school when you first come into town.

The morning following halloween night was exceptionally foggy with cloud cover bringing a spooky atmosphere while misting over the town from the mountains. The fact that I had been told that 2 weeks prior there had been 2 mountain lions prowling the streets gave me far more pause to reflect at that point than ghost stories though.

The mountain is completely riddled with mining tunnels that have undermined building foundations and caused parts of it to slowly slide downhill...notably the jail which is about a block so from it's original site. There is still active mining going on north of town, where there is also a fabulous junkyard of old vehicles and period mining buildings filled with authentic paraphernalia which is run as a tourist attraction by a fellow who has a white beard to his waist, along with his wife and favorite mule.

This pic represents the southern half of the town which is approached from the east on AZ 89A from Sedona by a zigzag roadbed after leaving Clarksdale which continues through town to it's western border with Mingus Mountain and Prescott National Forest.

To view the rest of my posted photos from Jerome, please visit: 

Jerome Photos by Whitney Lake

All photographs are ALL RIGHTS RESERVED and are COPYRIGHT © solely to Whitney Lake.

Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed or written permission by Whitney Lake.