Mid afternoon, Los Angeles...

In a last minute decision on which highway 2 take enroute 2 San Francisco, Jules points 2 Yosemite National Park.

"Ever been there?" he asked.

Nightfall, Glacier Point...

Don't ask me why I even bought into Jules' suggestion.  Here we are, stranded in Yosemite National Park with a 7 day pass, NO food, NO drinks, NO camping equipment, NO sense of direction & NO idea on where we are gonna sleep tonight.  I kid you not, true believer, none of us looked at each other without laughing at our misguided urge of adventure.

We were sure that the park ranger was gonna find us & direct us 2 one of the $40 bucks & up camp sites.  Never less, we continued 2 play the night by each frozen ear. "Somehow, we managed 2 break out the coolest night time photography shoot." Forever Friends

Then, a large vehicle pulls up alongside us.  "Great..." I thought. "It's the park ranger."  The head lights on the vehicle go off as 6 girls & 3 guys emerge from the vehicle. They are laughing, giggling & so easy 2 talk 2. I quickly offer them $10 bucks 4 any food that they might have. I know that sounds funny, but that is what was needed 4 The Hype 2 kick in.  The next morning, we're still at Glacier Point.  It's a little before sunrise & our pockets are full of lollies, carrots, cookies, fruit by the roll, apples, goldfish crackers & other miscellaneous stuff that was acquired from our newfound friends.

photo collage

The scenery here in Yosemite is absolutely beautiful.  The air is fresh & that wonderful hickory smell only reminded me of my days in good old Anchorage, Alaska.  The squirrels were pretty friendly. One jumped into my car & robbed us of our goldfish crackers.  When the little critter realized that he locked himself in, he began 2 excrete little nuggets all over the place.  I didn't appreciate that.   Jules opens the door, camcorder in hand, while Josh shouts from afar: "Run 4 your freedom little squirrel!" It has only been 12 or so hours & I am already on roll no. 5 of shot photography.  Jules suggested that I go up against the big boy himself, Ansel Adams.  I gave it a shot or 2, but I was quickly reminded that The PHOTOhype is not about landscapes or scenery.  The PHOTOhype is a character based photo project in which my primary goal is 2 hunt down & capture The Shot.

The trail 2 the waterfalls was long & tedious. Playing follow the leader with the other hikers wasn't exactly my cup of tea. We decided 2 bridge our way across a fallen tree trunk & hiked up the river itself. We bounced from rock 2 rock while curious onlookers snapped photos of us in dangerous positions that required nothing but a little youthful sense of adventure. When we got 2 the top, I filmed & shot The Adventures of Josh & Jules skinny dipping in the freezing cold water. Jules even swam underneath the waterfall itself.

Nightfall, San Francisco...

Our first stop was the home of The Post Street Posse.  We met up with Paul I, Paul II, Max, Jeremy, Carl, Sam & a slew of others.  It is always a good idea 2 check out the post street scene first. They always know about the SF night life & the in's & out's of the party scene itself.

11pm - Underneath a warm sky & a moonlit night, The PHOTOhype found The Adventures of Josh & Jules off the shorelines of the Pacific Ocean at some outdoor groove party. There was a DJ, dancing & a small campfire. I broke out The Super Flash 2000 & turned it into a mini strobe, which created a wicked club light effect. The outdoor party by the shore didn't end until after 4am. What a day. We clocked in 24 straight hours of UNFILTEREDhype.

Sunday was such a relaxing day. Post St. Posse member, Max, took us 2 a park in Marin County, where we hung out with The Sunset Seekers at one of their bi-monthly gatherings.  4 previous adventures with The Post Street Posse, check your print outs: Tales of The PHOTOhype: San Francisco (January & February, 1999)

Monday, we checked into The Green Tortoise Hostel in China town.  The manager, Eric Gerrick, recognized The PHOTOhype label & welcomed all of us in.  The staff was extremely friendly, which is always a good thing.  The 3 story hostel was big & the kitchen was extremely nice.  There were 2 computers 4 FREE Internet usage, FREE breakfast (bagels, cream cheese & fruit), & a FREE SAUNA!  The common room was the size of a night club (bigger than the Viper Room on the Sunset Strip) & it has a gigantic big screen TV, lockers, billiards, & racks 4 your mountain bike.

We met a lot of people @ this hostel.  We didn't do much 2 obtain such attention, "We just sat in these 3 chairs near the front desk & teased everybody as they walked by." Wanna chat?  Well, linger around the FREE Internet computers, they'll be people waiting in line & looking 4 somebody 2 talk to.  I met a Swedish couple who was looking 4 a ride 2 Hermosa Beach. Wow, how cool is that!

Tuesday morning, San Francisco Airport...

I bid a bon voyage 2 The Adventures of Josh & Jules.  It felt weird 2 see them leave.  Photographing those 2 crazy Aussies ended up being the most expensive & long lasting individual project 4 The PHOTOhype.  In the end, Jules breaks out the camcorder & shines the light onto me.  It's my final spoken words & somehow, I had nothing 2 say.

In a poem that I wrote about The PHOTOhype, the last paragraph states...

"In a moment of my life that has now come 2 pass, I accept the
fact that the best of times will never last.  In the end, the sparkling light
light in their eyes began 2 fall.  They left behind an e-mail
address & sure enough, I photographed them all."

Tuesday night, Hermosa Beach...

When I entered my room, a redlight flickers on my answering machine...

Aside from the first 7 messages, a lady introduces herself & asked me if I was available 2 appear on the hit WBtv show "Felicity".
The message was dated on Monday afternoon & I had 2 confirm by Monday night.  Oh well, true believer, that is the way the ball
bounces.  You win some, you loose some & sometimes, you've gotta look at your life & wonder if everything you're
doing is all worth the price of admission. -Geo D. Oliver, Alaska