Our adventure had a slow start – we started to head out, decided to get the car checked because it was doing some weird things, then visited a friend who owned the car before Sly (one of my good friends) did. She took a look at the car, and while she and Sly talked about it, I hopped out of the car and snapped these pictures. The first image was taken on the drive to her house, the others are of flowers in her garden, and her garden bench.
After we finished up at her house, we continued our journey through Hereford, trying to find the Hereford Bridge – it is a one lane bridge that goes over the San Pedro River. It definitely has an eerie feeling surrounding it, I won’t lie. This bridge, and the old Charleston Bridge, give me the heebie-jeebies.We ended up getting quite lost in the process, and before and after finding the bridge, I took some more shots.The following are pictures of the Hereford Bridge, and other shots taken during this leg of the adventure.
Our final stop on the journey was to a place I have never been before: The US-Mexico border. Sly drove us down Naco Hwy and I was able to see the station where you enter into Mexico, and the actual fence the marks the border between our two countries. It was surreal, standing in front of a physical marker of such segregation. It really made me realize how feeble the lines that divide humanity are. The fence looked rusted, stained with the red dust of the desert. Beyond the wall I could houses, fields, mountains. They live just like we do, day to day, trying to enjoy our lives. It is interesting to feel shut out, and for a moment I imagined how it would feel to be on the other side of the fence – the sadness, the fear, the desire to find something better for myself and my family… Even as a writer, where it is my duty to get into the minds and hearts of my characters, it was difficult to pull those deep, dark emotions up.
And finally, as I was taking those last two shots, Border Patrol descended upon us like ravenous hounds. Not even kidding. Three trucks and one helicopter rushed to the scene of me taking photos. The helicopter dropped to about 10 feet above the car, and continued to circle us as I ran to the car and buckled up. We explained to one of the BP drivers that I was just taking some pictures because I had never seen the border before. He reassured us the they were not there for us – but we were not convinced. Sly nearly had a heart attack from the experience, and we had three children in the car – I seriously thought I was going to be detained. I am grateful I wasn’t. It was one of the most exciting experiences I have had, and is just one more point toward the list of KEEP YOUR CAMERA WITH YOU AT ALL TIMES, IT MAY BE USEFUL IN GETTING YOU OUT OF TROUBLE. Also, a college ID or Press ID is good for numerous occasions, especially when trespassing or what not. At least that is my experience. May not work for everyone.
Well, there was our adventure from September 7th 2014. It was pretty epic.
Gothic Memories Photography 