Camping in Arivaca – Day 2

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Arturo Silva and Caroline Wise at Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in Arivaca, Arizona

Ricky is on the left, hidden in his hoodie, Arturo Jr is holding the water, and of course, you all know my wife. Arturo is out of the picture fetching more stuff for his incredible hot breakfast feast he’s about to cook up.

Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in Arivaca, Arizona

We are out here scouting hunting locations for the guys who have a permit to grab a javelina.

Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in Arivaca, Arizona

Where would you go, hang out, find a friend, and something to eat if you were a peccary living in a desert with predators after your ass?

Picacho Peak, Arizona

Picacho Peak is kind of redundant like an ATM machine because Picacho is Spanish for Peak, so Peak Peak State Park is a bit weird. This shark fin rock is famous for being one of the sites of the westernmost skirmishes of the Civil War. Seeing this means we are traveling north or south on Interstate 10, and seeing we’ve been down south the last two days, I guess you can deduce what we are doing.

Los Angeles

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Sunset at Santa Monica Beach in California

Two weeks later and here we are in Los Angeles again. For a while, the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica was a serious draw for movies, food, books, and street life. At some point, Mark Shimer joined us; come to think of it, this was probably the weekend we convinced Caroline to go to Six Flags Magic Mountain, and with knees quivering, she rode Superman – and liked it!

Mark Shimer and Caroline Wise at Santa Monica Beach in California

No matter when and where, my wife will always try to get her shoes off for a walk in the water, add some golden sunset, and it all lends itself to a perfect day.

Southern California – Day 3

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Los Angeles, California

Headed out towards Valencia, California, to pick up our old friend Mark Shimer to spend some time with him today. These are the mountains around Ojai, which is one of the cutest small towns in Southern California.

Mark Shimer, Caroline Wise, and John Wise on the California Coast

We made it out to Pismo Beach because it has a beach and we could walk along the ocean. After a beautiful self-indulgent long weekend in Southern California, it was time to point the car east for our 550 miles (885 km) drive home to Phoenix, Arizona. Getting home after midnight can be a drag, but it’s all well worth the effort.

Prescott, Arizona

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Conner, Keaton, and Tia Herman posing with their snowmen in Prescott, Arizona

Old Friend and former employer Steve Herman invited us up to Prescott for a weekend in the snow. His kids, from the left, Conner, Keaton, and Tia, stayed busy building snowmen, just to tear them down after this photo was taken. We had a nice, slow weekend talking, going for a bite to eat, and a trip or two to Starbucks.

Update: Keaton (center), twin of Tia, seen here at six years old, tragically passed away ten years after this photo was taken at the young age of only 16. On December 30, 2010, Keaton died of a heroin overdose.

Los Angeles

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Visiting Santa Monica Pier late one night after a stoll along 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, California

We don’t require a lot of motivation to make the 375-mile drive from Phoenix to Los Angeles and, from time to time, end up there a bit too frequently.

On the drive out, we often stop at Mix Bowl Cafe, a favorite Thai fast food neon-lit spot in Claremont. On the way home, a stop at TenRen’s for Bubble Tea is just as important. The purpose of this trip was to visit Santa Monica for a stroll along the 3rd Street Promenade with Mark Shimer, visit the Santa Monica Pier, and take a night walk along the ocean.

Little Tokyo

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Mark Shimer in Los Angeles, California

This is Mark Shimer. I hired Mark for his first graphics assignment following his graduation from a Phoenix Technical School.

We are meeting Mark in Little Tokyo, Downtown Los Angeles, for some Shabu Shabu and shopping at Kinokuniya Book Store, maybe even a walk down 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica. Mark is now a recent nominee for a Technical Emmy – congrats, Mark. Part of the weekend was spent visiting my father, who was ill at home, but thrilled with our visits.