Last hike of the year...Whitford Canyon

This is one of my favorite hikes we do as a hiking club. I don't go along on the hikes to hike, I tag along with my camera to nourish my creative side. This is what I saw in Whitford Canyon on Friday.

Salton Sea

On our way back to AZ we spent some time in Imperial County CA. At Indio, CA along I 10, we headed southeast along the western shore of the Salton Sea. It can be seen from I 40, but really caught my intrigue when we caught glimpses of it on our drive through the Joshua Tree National Forest in January 2010 on our last visit to LA. (See Jan. 2010 post)

The lake is 15 miles wide by 35 miles long, the largest lake in CA.

 Salton Sea is 226' below sea level. Only Death Valley is more below sea level.

 See the dead fish washed along the western shore? The eastern shore is different and unique in its own way.

 The lake is a sanctuary for many kinds of birds, over 400 species.

In fact, the southern part of the lake is named the Sonny Bono Salton Sea Restoration Project, honoring the late Congressman's interest in the lake and its problems in 1990.

 The Salton Sea is also a major resting stop on the Pacific Flyway.

The lake's salinity is greater than that of the waters of the Pacific Ocean but less than that of the Great Salt Lake; the concentration is increasing by about 1 percent annually, in spite of three rivers emptying into the lake.

Many species of fish are no longer able to survive because of the high salinity content of the lake. It is believed that once the salinity surpasses 4.4% w/v, only the tilapia will survive. Tilapia in this lake? Notice all the salt?

I was surprised to see all the itty bitty seashells on the ground.

This shoe print caught my eye.


More of our day in Imperial Valley and Imperial County to come...

The Reagan Presidential Library

Wednesday we visited the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA. The library was built on a hill looking north and east to valleys dotted with orchards and white fences. It was a warm and beautiful day to be out and about in sunny CA.

We enjoyed our visit very much.

 flags at the entrance to the library grounds

 a Christmas wreath on the gate

 a statue outside the doors to the library

 the library

 suits worn by the Reagans

 replica of the oval office during his terms as president

 replica of the desk

 his diaries

This was one of the most interesting and impressive

displayed items: Ronald Reagan journaled every day he was 

was president, filling 8 volumes

 three of Nancy's gowns and dresses,

including the suit she wore when she married Ronnie,

the gray suit in the middle

 three of the gowns she wore, including the red one 

for her White House, First Lady portrait

 one of several wall murals

 a retired Air Force One which served 7 US presidents,

including President Reagan

 Curt standing by a piece of the Berlin Wall

 bronze statues of Reagan & Gorbachev

 another mural of Nancy & Ron

his memorial site at the library

Well worth the visit if you are in the area. More photos to come.

Ojai CA

Curt's niece recommended we drive to Ojai (from Malibu) yesterday to see the interesting little community. Interesting it was! Population eight thousand, so little by CA standards. Ojai is in an east-west valley, which is unusual according to the info from a local. He said most valleys run north and south. So the community has developed based on this 'unusual-ness' and cashing in on the 'energy' of an east-west mountain valley.

"Ojai's charms are many.  The community has long been known as a haven for artists, musicians and health enthusiasts.  A village ”as we locals call it”of about 8,000, Ojai is a vibrant place with so much natural beauty that it gained fame decades ago when the area was photographed to represent Shangri-La in the 1939 movie, The Lost Horizon."

Here are some of my photos from the interesting community of Ojai.

 a flowering succulent

 Ojai Post Office

 A desk in the art studio

 the hand carving and painting on the desk

 a water fountain in the park across the street

 the Christmas street lights

 a fountain in a courtyard behind some shops

 the tiled arch leading to and from the rear courtyard

 detailed tiles on the archway

 a sculpture in the courtyard

 some fall colored trees

 a vine covered corner shop

 the vines with their flat seed pods

 shops along the north side of main street

 detailed tiling on the corner of a hotel

 prickly pear flower pod

an interesting and different plant with

its flat leaves