2021 Interesting Stuff Along the Way (I SAW) Photo Gallery by Jerry Pillarelli at pbase.com

2021 Interesting Stuff Along the Way (I SAW)

Images of things I SAW (Interesting Stuff Along the Way) in 2021.

To borrow a line from singer Olivia Rodrigo “It’s brutal out here”!

This was by far my toughest year on the road; and remember I lost everything four years ago when my RV burned to the ground! It all started on day two when my RV water pump broke outside of Death Valley and I had to drive my rig onto a flatbed truck to get it to Pahrump Nevada for service. For the next month I had ‘check engine’ light issues and finally had to have the engine turbo and fuel injectors replaced in Grand Junction Colorado. I was a little over a month into my travels and I had spent $18K on repairs and already blown my budget.

All this was followed by car problems but the toughest issue to work through was the drought and the fact that nearly the entire western US was on fire. I spent the last three months of my summer in the smoke watching the wind direction so I could determine which days would be best to venture outside without worrying about getting lung cancer. Layer the continued COVID crisis over everything and the fact I couldn’t trust any of my fellow Americans to be vaccinated, which meant no eating out at restaurants and wearing a mask to do my grocery shopping, and it was an exceptionally challenging year. Even so, I was able to make it to all my planned destinations with the exception of a return trip to Lassen Volcanic National Park in California which was closed because of the Dixie fire.

So, once again here is the much-anticipated end of year gallery of images I simply don’t know what else to do with…the things I SAW in 2021…the country is on fire and what the hell are people thinking edition!

Longhorn Grill in Arivaca Junction Arizona	Sunset over Saint Mary’s Hospital on February 9 in Tucson Arizona	Painted dead trees along Ajo Way near Three Points west of Tucson Arizona	‘Heavy load’ chained to a flatbed truck in central Arizona	Rugged mountains on the edge of Death Valley National Park seen from the Amargosa Valley Nevada
Spirit of Nevada TV host Samantha Chian at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada	Area 51 Alien Center in Amargosa Valley Nevada	Alien Cathouse Brothel in Amargosa Valley Nevada; Free Tours, Hot Girls, Cold Beer, 24/7!	World’s Largest Firecracker, Alamo Fireworks, Amargosa Valley Nevada	Large copper bull, Highway 373, Amargosa Valley Nevada
Amargosa Opera House at the junction of California Highways 127 and 190 outside of Death Valley National Park	Piece of cake; two inches to spare on each side…driving my RV onto a flatbed truck; Amargosa Valley Nevada	My disabled RV loaded onto a flatbed semi-truck in Amargosa Valley Nevada	RV headed to Pahrump Nevada to get a new water pump from the Amargosa Valley Nevada	Rock formations near Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Utah
Shockingly low water levels of Lake Powell from the Wahweap Overlook outside of Page Arizona	Our Barefoot tour guide on the six-mile round trip to the Wave in Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona	Wind sculptures grouped together on a remote road near Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah	The Twin Rocks Café in early morning light in Bluff Utah	Tourists roam around Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park in Utah
The Book Cliff Mountains at sunset outside of Grand Junction Colorado	Mountain bike sculpture using all bicycle parts in a traffic circle in Grand Junction Colorado	Cow statue mounted above the street in Denver Colorado	View in traffic approaching Denver Colorado from on I-70 east	“Jerry Is The Champ” …ALL Jerry’s are Champions! ...on the Jerry Springer show
Boulder Colorado Court House lit up on a partly cloudy early evening	View of the Pearl Street Pedestrian Mall in downtown Boulder Colorado	‘Vicky Burp’ flier posted to an activity board along the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder Colorado	The Boulder Theater, opened in 1906, in Boulder Colorado	Mother of the year candidate photographs her son on the tracks at the Golden Spike National Historical Park in Utah
View of Castle Rocks State Park in Sothern Idaho	Old Coca Cola advertisement on the side of a building in Delco Idaho	Yellowstone Trail 1913 Cole 60 in the Old Montana Prison Museum in Deer Lodge Montana	1938 Custom Ford Coupe in the Old Montana Prison Museum in Deer Lodge Montana	Two The Milwaukee Road railroad engines on display in Dear Lodge Montana
Construction stoplight on a remote section of Montana Highway 43	Road paving equipment and traffic down to one lane on Montana Highway 43	Closeup of molten paving asphalt on Montana Highway 43	Deer in a field with the mountains in the distance along Montana Highway 43	Mine shaft buildings on display along I-90 in Butte Montana
Lunch break on the dirt park road in Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument in Montana	Old Texaco Fire Chief Gasoline advertisement on the side of a building in Lewistown Montana	Wall cloud over Lewistown Montana which seems about to be smited by the hand of God	I guess respect for “Family” and “Country” have fallen out of the top three…good to know where some people stand in Winifred MT	Friendly horse living near the RV Park where I was staying in Lewistown Montana
Abandoned homestead along the D-Y Trail south of Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument in Montana	Dust rises as a farmer plows his field north of Lewistown Montana	Old grain elevator along the Winifred Highway (MT 236) in Suffolk Montana	Logging operation and equipment along the Crystal Lake Road south of Lewistown Montana	Old homestead south of Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument in Montana
A bird perched on harvested hay on a field along the Crystal Lake Road south of Lewistown Montana	Harvested hay extends to the horizon along the Crystal Lake Road south of Lewistown Montana	Crystal Lake fan with an abundance of water toys in central Montana	Minuteman II Missile Silo south of Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument in Montana	Homestead along the D-Y Trail south of Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument in Montana
Pulley laundry line at a home along the Crystal Lake Road in Montana	Free range warning sign along the Ennis Lake Road in Montana	Tin RV sculpture at the Ennis RV Village in Ennis Montana	City of Ennis Montana fisherman sculpture in the center of town	Self-portrait in a parabolic traffic mirror along the Bear Trap Canyon Road near Ennis Lake in Montana
Kaman K-Max-K-1200 helicopter with a water bucket headed to the Goose Fire in southern Montana	Smoke from the Goose Fire cloaks US Highway 287 and the countryside in southern Montana	Wedding photographer works a shoot in Glacier National Park in Montana	A couple poses for wedding pictures in Glacier National Park in Montana	Tourists get uncomfortably close to a Bighorn Sheep in Glacier National Park in Montana
Early model RV towing a Jaguar in Kalispell Montana	Sunrise at 6:23 am over a packed parking lot at Logan Pass in Glacier National Park in Montana	Hiking fan on a trail in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington	Cell phones take priority along the trails of Mount Rainier National Park in Washington	With fellow PBase photographer John Tangney at Paradise in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington
Car off the road and in a ditch along the Sunrise Road in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington	Smoke from the Schneider Springs Fire cuts visibility on a Washington highway	Teapot Dome Service Station on the National Register of Historic Places in Zillah Washington	Apple crates piled high along a road near Yakima Washington	Thousands of apple crates piled high at a farm in Yakima Washington
Vineyard field near Yakima Washington	The sun is obscured by smoke from the Schneider Springs Fire near Yakima Washington	A farm in the path of the Schneider Springs Fire near Yakima Washington	Sikorsky S-61 helicopter with a full water bucket headed to the Schneider Springs Fire near Yakima Washington	Smoke billows from the fire line of the Schneider Springs Fire near Yakima Washington
The Lariat Bar-B-Q drive-in in Yakima Washington	Clouds throwin’ shade over Hanford Reach National Monument in Washington	High power lines disappear into the horizon in Hanford Reach National Monument in Washington	Secessionist, apparently against just about everything, along US Highway 97 near Crescent Oregon	4th Amendment fan warning sign near Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument in California
Abandoned car, and other objects, used for illegal target practice in Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument in California	Note to self; women love small dogs…always travel with a small dog! ...in Hollywood California	Illegal graffiti on historic remnants of the disaster in St. Francis Dam Disaster National Monument in California	Ominous roadside marker on San Francisquito Road near St. Francis Dam Disaster National Monument in California	Roller coasters weaving through Six Flags Magic Mountain near Valencia California
Smoky view of the east side of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range as seen from US 395	Mountain in the Sierra Nevada Range viewed from US 395	Yosemite National Park fan along the Tioga Road in California	Mountain and foothills in the Sierra Nevada range in California as seen from US 395	Jagged peaks in Yosemite National Park as seen from US 395 in California
California mountain peaks of the Inyo National Forest in a late September snow storm	Dramatic view of Mount Morrison (12,241 ft) in the Inyo National Forest in California	Famous California roadside attraction, Nightmare Rock or the Face of the Alabama Hills, outside of Alabama Hills NSA	Self-portrait at Mobius Arch in the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area in California	Mobius Arch fan at the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area in California
Narrow mountain road leading to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in California	Freight train paralleling US 95 in California	Road sign supported by a dead tree in the Mojave National Preserve in California	The Newcastle Gold Mine surrounded by the Castle Mountains National Monument in California	Multiple train engines both pulling (foreground) and pushing (background) a train up a steep incline in central California

comment |

Jim's Visions		20-Jul-2022 15:21
Love this gallery!.... josefina

Guest		11-Nov-2021 18:48
So Good. Thanks for sharing. And congratulations on your fortitude, stamina and bravery to go into the wilderness of modern day urban America.

Greg Temple		11-Nov-2021 16:30
Sounds like a challenging travel season, but you always manage to capture some amazing sights and (I’m sure) memories. I always love your I SAW collection. It really captures the crazy zeitgeist of our nation and times. Well done!

Guest		11-Nov-2021 01:46
Great compilation Jerry!!

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