Drive 2007 - Day 06 - Drives - Beneath the Waves

Drive 2007 - Day 06

article and photographs by Ben Lincoln

After I'd packed everything back into my car, I backtracked north for a short distance in order to pay a visit to Vasquez Rocks. If you have ever watched any science fiction (even inadvertently) you will probably recognize this location immediately, as their strikingly unusual appearance and close proximity to Hollywood have ensured their ongoing use as one of the most frequent places to shoot "alien planet" footage.

I believe Star Trek was the first major sci-fi production to shoot there (its most famous appearance is in the original series episode "Arena", where Captain Kirk is forced to fight the green Gorn monster), and has returned there frequently over the years. However, it was also used in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Space: Above and Beyond, and a withering list of other productions. The "alien planet" scenes for Starship Troopers were shot at Hell's Half-Acre in Wyoming, but if you watch the test footage of the composited-in CG "bug" alien you will see that Paul Verhoeven shot that at Vasquez Rocks.

This is to say nothing of its use in other types of film and television. It's a favourite of westerns and post-apocalyptic action films among other genres.

Arriving at the park, I discovered something quite surprising: there are only a handful of unusual rock formations, and nearly every on-screen appearance was filmed using one of them, although as it can be shot from numerous angles it's easy to hide this fact.

Vasquez Rocks 1

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These are the only pictures I took of myself during this trip. It was a good thing I did, because the middle shot from the panorama below (from the same position on the tripod) was corrupted on my camera's memory card and I had to reconstruct it from these.

Date Shot: 2007-09-05
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E 28mm
Filters: Standard Set
Date Processed: 2007-09-19
Version: 1.0

I climbed nearly to the top of the most famous rock. If you plan on doing the same, I would highly recommend wearing gloves. Baking in the sun heats these rocks to high temperature even very early in the day.

Vasquez Rocks 2

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A 3-shot panorama of the view made famous by William Shatner and a host of others. There are a couple of registration errors in the false colour versions, but it's still one of my favourites from this trip.

Date Shot: 2007-09-05
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E 28mm
Filters: Standard Set
Date Processed: 2009-09-09
Version: 2.0

Vasquez Rocks 4

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I included this shot for two reasons. First, it shows one of the other types of rock formation that makes this area a favourite of filmmakers looking for "alien" features. Second, I wasn't paying enough attention when shooting it and captured a pile of animal droppings in the middle. From the spectral response, I think it's safe to assume that it was left by a herbivore that feeds on local plants.

Date Shot: 2007-09-05
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E 28mm
Filters: Standard Set
Date Processed: 2009-03-11
Version: 2.0

Vasquez Rocks 6

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The other famous view of the main rock formation. This is how it appears from the parking lot.

Date Shot: 2007-09-05
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E 28mm
Filters: Standard Set
Date Processed: 2009-03-15
Version: 2.0

By the time I'd almost finished taking pictures, a film crew had begun setting up their gear to add one more entry to the list of productions that have done work here. I shot one more panorama on my way out.

Vasquez Rocks 7

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This is a (very wide 7-shot panorama) view of Vasquez Rocks from the dirt road that leads to the parking lot (just over the hill directly in front). The "Captain Kirk rock" is in the middle. Appropriately, the (unedited) NIR version of this panorama includes a "UFO" (see detail below).

Date Shot: 2007-09-05
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E 28mm
Filters: Standard Set
Date Processed: 2009-09-16
Version: 3.0

After finishing up at Vasquez Rocks, I got back on 101 and followed it south. Just south of Los Angeles proper there is a huge field of offshore oil platforms just off the coast, a sight I'd never seen before.

Offshore Platform

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One platform out of the field that I saw in the ocean just off the coast of southern California at Huntington Beach.

Date Shot: 2007-09-05
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E 100mm
Filters: Standard Set
Date Processed: 2009-03-17
Version: 2.0

Somewhere around sunset I shot this image, probably near Cuyamaca Rancho State Park.

A Tree At Sunset

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From a hilltop northeast of San Diego.

Date Shot: 2007-09-05
Camera Body: Nikon D70 (Modified)
Lens: Nikon Series E 28mm
Filters: Standard Set
Date Processed: 2009-03-17
Version: 2.0

I spent the night in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

Date: 5 September 2007
Starting Mileage: 64011 (meaning I managed to drive over 300 miles in the greater Los Angeles area)
Ending Mileage: 64357
Distance Travelled (Day): 346 miles
Distance Travelled (Trip): 2003 miles
Gallons of Fuel Purchased (Day): 11.6
Gallons of Fuel Purchased (Trip): 59.6

GPS Map of Day 6

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