The desert holds many mysteries. One of these mysteries is Llano Del Rio.
You’re looking at photos of the 100 year old ruins of Llano del Rio Colony, a socialist utopian community, established in SE Antelope Valley in 1914. Llano del Rio was founded by Job Harriman, a young lawyer who almost won a bid for mayor of Los Angeles in 1911, obtaining over a third of the votes. Not trusting the political system to enact social change, Harriman founded the community out in the desert north of Los Angeles. The cooperative thrived, its population exceeding 1000, until their water supply was diverted by an earthquake fault. They had one of the country’s first Montessori schools, hosted a fertile intellectual and cultural climate, and had innovative low-cost housing, Social Security, minimum-wage pay, and universal health care services that predated the rest of the country by decades. Although Llano del Rio is today considered Western American history’s most important non-religious utopian community, there is unfortunately no protection for the site despite being a California Historic Landmark.
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Title: The Fireplace of Forever
Photographer: Ken Lee
Info: Nikon D7000, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8. 20 minute exposure in total, “stacked” in Photoshop CS4 from 5 individual photos of 4 minutes each at ISO 200 f/9, using Triggertrap to control the camera for the star trails. “Light painted” with LED flashlight and speedlight with gel. 18 January 2014 9:51 pm.
Location: Llano Del Rio, California, USA
Please click on the photo to view it larger and more clearly! Thanks!
Title: Tower of Utopia
Photographer: Ken Lee
Info: Nikon D7000, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8. 136 second long exposure, f/8, ISO 400. “Light painted” grain silo with LED flashlight and speedlight with gel. 18 January 2014 8:04 PM.
Location: Llano Del Rio, California, USA
Equipment: Nikon D7000, Tokina AT-X 116, Feisol tripod.
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You can see more of these photos here on my Ken Lee Photography Facebook Page (poke your head in, say hi, and “like” the page if you would, uh, like). We discuss long exposure, night sky, star trails, and coastal long exposure photography, as well as lots of other things, so I hope you can join us!
And you can go to the Ken Lee Photography website, which has more photos from Ken Lee. Thank you very much for visiting!
kenleephotography.wordpress.com 
Nuevamente felicitandote por tus excelentes fotografías Ken.
Un saludo muy fuerte!
iMuchisimas gracias por su apoyo, Rodolfo!