Austin White Photography

Leonard Knight and Salvation Mountain

austin — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 05:18:19 +0000

I first discovered Leonard as most people did, through Sean Penn’s Into the Wild. The story about Christopher McCandless who set out on his own to learn what he was really about, and to live, truly live. This movie has changed my life, the story of Chris quickly affected me in such a deep way I had never felt with anyone else and become hero in my life. We shared the same love for travel, new experiences and using the road and the experiences to cut to the core of your being.
During his travels, Chris met lots of people that made it into the movie, including Leonard Knight and his piece of art, Salvation Mountain.

Leonard Knight has lived out in the desert of Niland, CA for more than 25 years. When he came to the desert here he was wanting to spread a message to the world. A message that, in his words, “Is going worldwide with a universal language, that God loves everyone he’s ever created, so don’t get complicated with love, keep it simple!”.
He began building his mountain atop an existing mound of desert soil and began to mold it, paint it, move it, shape it, stack on top of it until 25 years later we see the mountain here in the picture.

Salvation Mountain is protected and recognized by the US Congress as a national monument. The only piece of art the has the same recognition is Mt Rushmore. The mountain more than deserves the title, standing on top of this work of art is like standing on top of pure love. And to me is still one of the greatest men and experiences to ever come into my life. And just to know that Chris shared the same experience with Leonard… It doesn’t get much better than that.

“Preachers come up here and wanna preach on my mountain, I tell them nope, the mountain says all it needs to say. And churches all over the world, God bless their hearts, they’ve all gotten too complicated. They tell me ‘you don’t read the bible how do you know anything?’, Jesus teaches me! ‘Well who do you fellowship with?’ Jesus! After a few minutes I tell them Jesus everything and finally they simmer down a little bit and wander how this got into Congress and they didn’t? And I’m just sitting here with a wheel barrel, no educations and no smarts at all and my God it got into Congress.”

Pete

austin — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:49:38 +0000

Pete was a man I met in Carthage South Dakota, a town of only 200 people. Pete was in charge of maintaining the few commercial buildings that stood on the main street running through the small town. I sat with Pete in this spot for awhile talking to him about his life in Carthage and the tasks he carried out on a daily basis.
He is a humble man, but has many words that he speaks his stories through. He showed some of the buildings he’s responsible for upkeep and gave us a small tour of the small town he called home.

Austin, TX Skyline

austin — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 03:08:54 +0000

During one of the first rains of summer 2011. Record drought had taken over my hometown, so us locals were happy to see some rain.

Back Roads of Carthage

austin — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 03:00:38 +0000

Where the Rockies Meet the Great Plains

austin — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 02:48:36 +0000

Crossing the border from Idaho to Montana, emerging from the Rocky Mountains to the Great Plains during a snow storm.
Can you find the RV?

Please Be Kind to Cyclists

austin — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 02:17:59 +0000

Seattle cyclist

Volkswagon Vans

austin — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 02:07:58 +0000

Volkswagon vans lined up for the Air-coolers group cruise down South Congress in downtown Austin for the first Thursday of every month.

Mator

austin — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 23:54:11 +0000

In the middle of the Great Montana Plains.

Snoqualmie River

austin — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 23:45:32 +0000

Just downstream of Snoqualmie Falls State Park, WA

Bainbridge Island

austin — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:13:01 +0000

Just across Puget Sound is a beautiful island full of massive driftwood pieces that have washed ashore from a long journey in the ocean, trees towering high above the ground, and a small cozy little waterfront town.
The driftwood piece here is in Bainbridge Island State Park.