A recent camping trip with my wife to the eastern high desert of San Diego County served to inspire my composition. Over several days and nights out in the open desert, I heard many different sounds (birds, coyotes, the wind rustling through the bushes, faint chatter from other campers). I also reveled in the awe-inspiring landscape of the mountains looming to our west, the high desert terrain and foliage around us, and the incredible swirling star-filled night sky above us.  Beyond the landscape and sounds, there is a rich history of the Pony Express and Butterfield Stagecoach routes through the area, as well as traces of a migrating native American population.  I was moved to attempt to capture all this into a musical soundscape that would evoke these sights, sounds, and memories.

Vallecito

The inspiration for my song Manchester was generated by a trip to Northern California right after Easter when I spent a week on the Pacific coast near Mendocino with my daughter.

ernie92071

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