You’re Not Alone

I got up before sunrise so I could be at this location for the morning light. As I was setting up my camera, I could see a vehicle zig zagging way off in the distant desert. There were no roads so I was wondering what’s up with this. This area is at least 40 miles from any towns but very close to Interstate 8. I thought, I would be completely alone when I finally could see it was a Jeep getting closer and closer to me. Instinctively, I’m getting mentally prepared for an encounter of some kind. So just when the light was prime this old prospector type guy pulls up in an old Willies Jeep with a rifle mounted across the folded down windshield. He asked, what are you doing out here? I said, I’m taking pictures what are you doing out here? He said, he was scouting for the upcoming deer hunting season. He was a story teller and informed me that the area was a military training ground during the World War II and the ruin I was photographing was an old ranch house. I was impressed with his historical knowledge and his endless stories but he made me miss sunrise. I finally had to stop him and said, I need to take a picture hold on. The photo wasn’t impressive at all but the encounter was like wow you never know what kind of encounter you’re going to run into and it seems you’re never alone. In retrospect, what disappoints me most is I should have asked him if I could take his picture. But no, I was hyper
fixated on the building. A missed opportunity for sure.