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Published: February 28th 2007
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The Real Desert
Loads of sand here at Imperial Sand Dunes -- we'd just commented on "wonder if we'll ever see the stereotypical desert?" February 23-28, 2007 Southern California
Up early Friday morning to begin our venture into Southern California—our departure coordinated with the installation of new wall-to-wall carpeting and subsequent delivery of new bedroom furniture, the (almost) last steps in restoring the Tucson house to full function after the January freeze and broken pipes. We headed west on I-8 toward San Diego by way of Yuma, AZ, where Foxy lettuce and a number of other vegetables are grown in acres and acres of fields right along the highway. Then, not too much further down the interstate, in great contrast to this fertile stretch, we came to the Imperial Sand Dunes of Southern California. Wow! During our several weeks in the Arizona desert, we had been “wondering” where all the sand was. No shortage of it here! Several miles of huge dunes, complete with dune buggies sailing up, down, and across them. We reached San Diego by early afternoon and headed straight for Sea World. In the few hours we had available, we squeezed in three shows—the acrobatic dolphins, the goofy yet gifted sea lions, and, of course, Shamu and friends—a couple of aquarium exhibits, and two wetter-than-we-wanted but still very fun rides.
Alternate Energy
We were impressed by the number of windmills in Southern CA - although many of them didn't seem to be moving. One was a roller coaster/flume ride that included a cool elevator.
At dinner time we headed to a casual seafood place down by the docks where we were surprised to see a beautiful square-rigger . . . probably resting there for the long term. Saturday was our day at the San Diego Zoo—what fun! We got the lay of the land and saw some of the highlights on a tour bus trip around the park and then meandered all around the place on foot, seeing so many animals we can scarcely remember them all . . . from hippos to giraffes, pandas to piranhas, and a good many we’d never heard of (and can’t spell.) Jennie decided to do a photographic study of behinds, since that was a view the animals frequently offered.
Our plan was to drive north to LA after the zoo visit, but first, a stop along the shore at La Jolla to see a gorgeous Pacific sunset. What a treat! Good thing that made us feel pretty mellow because next up was our first taste of California freeway traffic. Fortunately, we did not experience any “parking lot” stretches of huge congestion, but the volume
Seaworld
Just like little kids, we thoroughly enjoyed the dolphin show! was certainly heavy and the navigating pretty stressful all the way up to Santa Monica. Our reward was a late but very nice dinner at a small restaurant near our motel (Chez Jay on Ocean Avenue is the type of “dive” you think Bogey or Cagney might stop in at any moment) and a visit to the historic Santa Monica Pier, complete with a ride on the Ferris Wheel!
On Sunday, while the Oscar attendees were preparing for their red carpet appearances, we rode our bikes for several miles along the Strand, a wonderful, wide ribbon of sidewalk along the beach for walkers, rollerbladers, skateboarders, and bikers. We went as far north as Pacific Palisades and south past Venice Beach (though the Strand extends much farther), and along with fresh air and exercise, were treated to everything from beach volleyball practice to street musicians. A group of well-organized teens were redoing a graffiti wall, one fellow was giving break dancing lessons, and many of the street vendors in Venice Beach have not yet left the 60’s. A group of drummers were having what looked like an improv jam session, and one of the “beautiful people” dancing to the rhythms
Shamu
puts on a show too! must have been a celeb, since about a dozen people with very long camera lenses were snapping away. Naturally, we didn’t recognize any of them.
Dinner on Sunday was a special treat. We got together with good friends and former PA baseball players Brendan McGrail ’89, Gus Quattlebaum ’92, and Hugh Quattlebaum ’95, plus Gus’ wife Holly and their darling new daughter Addison. The Chart House in Redondo Beach provided not only delicious food but also waves crashing on the rocks as the sun sank magnificently into the ocean.
Monday morning we had fun on a Hollywood tour with stops on Rodeo Drive, the Walk of Fame just outside the Kodak Theater, the Sunset Strip, and Mulholland Drive. It was a little cheesy but seemed like the kind of thing one ought to experience once. After a brief return to the Santa Monica Pier to ride the famous carousel (featured in The Sting and other flicks) and have lunch at Bubba Gump’s, we headed west to Palm Springs on “The 10.” (It seems that most folks in this part of the country refer to numbered highways with the prefix “the.” So we drove up from San Diego on
Sunset in La Jolla, CA
We'd finally made it to the pacific shore! the 5 and then took the 405 to Santa Monica.)
In Palm Springs we had dinner with dear friends George and Helen Best. George was a math teacher and coach at Andover and was a great mentor for Andy. They not only raised eight of their own children but also lived in dorms at PA for many years. More recently George and Jennie have been business associates, as she has done graphic design work for his math textbook company, Venture Publishing. On Tuesday morning we played golf with George at a local club, a beautiful spot made even more so by a rainbow over the San Bernardino Mountains that lasted at least half an hour!
Rather than continuing east on “the 10,” we backtracked slightly and then turned north in order to drive through Joshua Tree National Park. It’s a beautiful stretch of country and a great spot for camping and rock-climbing . . . neither of which were on our agenda this time.
Among the many new experiences we have encountered on this trip, was our first ever sand storm. When we arrived in Palm Springs Monday evening and again as we were departing on Tuesday,
San Diego Zoo
it's great that bamboo is so prolific -- pandas spend 16 hours a day eating the stuff. the sand was whipping across the highways much like snowdrifts. It didn’t seem to make the roads particularly slippery the way snow might, but it sure does obscure visibility and probably makes the “footing” somewhat treacherous. It’s also tough on the car’s paint . . . and probably the engine. We were very grateful that it subsided during our morning golf game and that it wasn’t nearly as bad when we headed up to Joshua Tree.
Our final stop before returning to Tucson was at Taliesin West, a Frank Lloyd Wright home and architecture school in Scottsdale, just east of Phoenix. We were so impressed with his vision and creativity with things such as lighting, display space, and the size and shape of room entryways. A great lunch at a restaurant called Blue Adobe fueled our drive back to Tucson, where we were welcomed by the new carpeting and furniture . . . and just in time, since Heidi and Andy were scheduled to arrive the following day for a long weekend.
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anonymous
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Ya, Ya, Ya.....You're warm and toasty. We just got 14 inches of that damn white stuff for Easter. Come home and enjoy it with us!! Mark Cambpell