After crossing the Golden Gate Bridge continue driving north on US Highway 101 for 3 to 5 miles while watching for the exit onto Highway 1, the road to Muir Woods and Stinson Beach. Follow that road for a couple of miles around the south end of the Bay. Watch for a sign with an arrow pointing to the road to Tennessee Cove. Follow that road to the parking lot at the end of the pavement. The trail to the beach is at the west end of the parking lot. It’s about a mile to the beach. When I lived in Mill Valley, it was my favorite beach walk. Back in the ’70s, my wife, Katherine and I walked out there to find thousands of rolls of paper towels, plastic wrapped, covering the sand. Out in the surf, a bright red shipping container, with its doors wide open was spilling its contents. When we hiked out, our arms were loaded with treasures from the sea.

You will find more information on California’s Central Coast in Issue #117 of Photograph America Newsletter.

Many panels of petroglyphs are on the vertical sandstone canyon walls along the Potash/Moab Road in Southeastern Utah, the road to Canyonlands National Park. Most are up above the present road level, safe from vandals. The first panels can be spotted five miles west of Highway 191. Watch for a sign pointing out “Indian Writing.” This long panel has hundreds of human and animal forms, geometric patterns, and hunting scenes including warriors with shields and spears. A 300mm telephoto lens (with a polarizer) will frame the images tightly from across the road. The next panel, about 200 yards farther west on Potash Road is also marked with an “Indian Writing” sign. You’ll have to walk back about fifty feet east of the sign to spot the very large bear, the hunters, and the bighorns in a beautiful hunting scene high above the pavement.

You will find more information on Canyonlands National Park in Issue #35 of Photograph America Newsletter.

Restaurants offer red or green chili sauce on their New Mexican specialties. Red chilis have been allowed to ripen; green chilis have not. They are picked green and are usually hotter. There are many varieties used in New Mexican food. Sometimes one type of green chili is milder than a different variety of red chili. Be sure to ask. You will often see Posole on a menu. It is a stew of hominy, pork, and green chili. The long strings of dried, red chilis hanging in shops, restaurants, and roadside stands are called ristras. They mildew quickly in more humid climates and don’t travel well. They are very symbolic of the area and make colorful photographs. 

You will find more information on Santa Fe and Taos in Issue #025 of Photograph America Newsletter.

​The annual Santa Fe Indian Market is the largest all-Native American market in the country. A thousand artisans display and sell their baskets, blankets, jewelry, carvings, pottery, and rugs. Traditional tribal dances are held in the Santa Fe Plaza. Entry is free. Hotels in town are booked up months in advance. After New York and Los Angeles, Santa Fe has more art galleries than any other city in the U.S.

You will find more information on Santa Fe and Taos in Issue #025 of Photograph America Newsletter.