2019 10 14 - 10 27 In and east of San Diego, California

KOA, Boulevard/Cleveland National Forest, California - 15 October 2019 

It looks inviting but the pool, and even the spa, were very chilly. Suppose to be heated from the pipes along the roof, the 40 degree nights let the temperature drop well below comfort level. Maybe we swam for about 30 minutes and were still cold afterwards. We did enjoy the company of the hawks in the trees behind our trailer and the several different kinds of hummingbirds that visited our feeder. The black-chinned and Anna hummingbirds were both new to our bird lists. 

USS Midway, San Diego, California - 16 October 2019 

Aircraft carrier and museum in downtown San Diego harbor, named after the climatic Battle of Midway, missed service in World War II by one week when commissioned in September 1945. A self-guided tour enhanced by audio phones let us walk through at our own pace. Below deck are several exhibits of World War II planes and flight simulators of a fighter jet. Neither of us are cut out for fighter jet training. We had to close our eyes to stop the nausea from building to critical stage.  

These "racks" were not made for today's 6 footers. And don't even ask about comfort. That was not a consideration either. The lockers barely have room for a couple t-shirts. The secret is the storage compartment under the ultra-thin mattress. On the right is refurbished chains attached to the anchors. Each link weights 156 pounds, with 1,800 feet of chain on board. The anchor is lowered by gravity only as it alone weights 20 tons. Stand clear. 

The flight deck is over 3 football fields long (1,001 feet). We were told that is about 100 feet short of today's carriers (1,092 feet). Jet fighters, attack aircraft, specialist designs and helicopters populate the flight deck. The Island/Bridge is the command center for flight deck operations, as well as the ship as a whole.

A crane provides easy access to the flight deck for set-up of an upcoming evening event. Tour Boat returning to harbor. Famous "End of the War" kiss and Mexico beyond the bridge.

Some of the aircraft were open for people to climb into the cockpit or walk through the larger rescue helicopters. The amount of armaments carried by helicopters was impressive. A docent explains how the catapult works. Again, stand clear. 

Bob inspects a fighter on the (remaining portion) of the catapult and poses with a flight deck facilitator. Yellow shirts are worn by aircraft handlers and aircrafts directors that shuttle aircraft around the carrier's tight and chaotic deck. Green, blue, purple, red, brown, and white also populate the deck. Each color designates different activities and responsibilities. Life on the flight deck is dangerous and taxing. Piercing sounds, walls of hot exhaust, spinning propellers and guzzling jet air intakes, grease everywhere, and a stiff sea wind that never stops. Nighttime and bad weather throw a whole other set of problems into the mix.

Audio wand (touch the yellow markers) provides independence from group tours and at our own pace. While Ohio's John Glenn was actually on Midway (Feb-Jun 1944), it was after the Battle of Midway (Jun 1942). The navy continues to operate out of San Diego and the Coast Guard Air Station also operates helicopters.

Old Town San Diego, California - 16 October 2019

Created in 1769, Old Town is the historic heart of San Diego, and was the first settlement in California with a mission and fort. 

A collection of gardens and specialty shops with imports from around the world. Some local flavor, like these fine ladies dressed for the Day of the Dead, celebrate San Diego's Mexican-American heritage from 1821-1872. 

La Casa de Estudillo family was very prosperous as evidenced by the extravagant floor design, matching china, rooms dedicated to dining, office work and individual bedrooms. 

The Estudillo courtyard was also representative of their affluence with fruit trees, fountains and paving stoned walkways. Each room was accessed from the courtyard.

The marketplace has shops of spices, coffees, teas, copper and metalworks, fabrics, clothing, soaps, candies, jewelry, antiques, groceries, Native art, pottery, linens and souvenirs.

Casa Guadalajara, San Diego, California 

Late lunch was monumental. Look at the size of that burrito. It's as big as my forearm. I certainly won't need dinner after eating it.

Back at our campsite, the wildlife came in all shapes, sizes and modes of arrival.  

Balboa Park, San Diego, California - 23 October 2019 

Spreckels Organ Pavilion donated by John and Adolph Spreckel in 1914. The unique organ contains more than 5,000 pipes ranging in length from the size of a pencil to 32 feet, and is the largest outdoor pipe organ in the world. Since 1917, San Diego has had a civic organist, who performs free weekly Sunday Concerts.

We love the peacefulness of Japanese Gardens. Soothing water features, shaded benches, precise gardening techniques surrounding meandering paths soothe the frazzled edges of hectic lives. Getting lost in the immersive experience of Japanese culture of simplicity, serenity and aestheticism. With over a dozen various gardens within the park, there is something for everyone who loves nature.

Always a favorite for us is a selection of decades old bonsai trees demonstrating the various styles and species.

Our two favorites - multi-stem and wind swept. 

Having a gentle calming effect, the stream runs through the garden, peaceful and tranquil until it plunges over the rocks into the pond populated by large koi (colorful carp) and a few ducks.

Mallards paddling with koi fish. A female is scraping algae off the rocks. 

Several bridges allow visitors to cross the stream to access paths on either side. 

Another water feature with a donated statue from San Diego's sister city, Yokohama.

The Botanical Building and Lily Pond, one of the most photographed scenes in Balboa Park. Built for the 1915-16 Exposition, the historic building is one of the largest lathe structures in the world. More than 2,100 permanent plants and seasonal flowers are displayed inside.

Staghorn fern over Bob's head, orchids, lillies and giant ferns. Too many fall colored plants to picture. 

The Old Globe Theater, one of ten Performing Arts venues, modeled after Shakespeare's Old Globe in London and constructed in 1935 for the presentation of abridged versions of his plays. It annually produces 15 mainstage productions from all periods and styles, ranging from Shakespeare and new works, along with the annual family musical Dr. Seuss's How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Sadly, it was not open during our visit.  

The Museum of Man (one of 17 museums) specializes in cultural anthropology, exploring the human experience from multicultural perspectives. This unique and iconic building was opened in 1915 for the Panama-California Exposition commemorating the opening of the Panama Canal. The California Building and the Tower were used by Orsen Wells as the principal features of the fictitious Xanadu estate in the classic film, Citizen Kane. The museum was converted to a hospital during World War II. Today, the collections contain nearly 2 million individual objects. While the museum is open, the tower is closed for for a seismic retrofit 

Other gardens include perrenials and extra large trees.  

Sky Falconry, Alpine, California - 26 October 2019

A small Eurasian falcon (about 10 inches) and two Harris' hawks, the smaller male at about 18 and the female at about 30 inches. Although she can be 40% larger than the male, she still only weighs around 2.5 pounds (due to hollow bones).

Practicing with the gloved fist. Denise and Kirk were entertaining and provided information about how the raptors hunt, in general, as solitary hunters. The Harris' hawks, however, are the only raptors that hunt cooperatively in a pack of 2-7 birds. This social nature has been attributed to their intelligence, which makes them easy to train and popular in falconry.  

Stand still with hands down unless calling the bird because she actually is reading body language. If you raise the fist, the bird will assume it is being called. She hits the glove gently and is steady with very little adjusting but always "hunting" which is searching for her next prey. Her wingspan is up to 47 inches across, marked by chestnut shoulders, wing linings and thighs.

Such an amazing experience. The power of her landing and taking off is juxtaposed with the lightness of her feeding on the fist. 

This lovely lady is named Steam. To call her, I have to loudly say, "Gimme Steam." She drops off the fist, takes one or two strokes (depending on wind direction) glides at a low altitude (about 18 inches off the ground) and one stroke to rise to the next fist. Two little kids were also participating. 

A spectacular series of pictures (thanks, Bob!) showing the hawk grasping a small piece a of chicken foot out of the air. These pieces were little more than a quarter inch long and we threw them into the air. Hawks have spectacular vision and can see a field mouse at 3 miles distance. They also can see in the infrared spectrum and track prey by seeing "reflections" of body fluids. Kind of gross to think about but how cool is that!?  

She is only capable of securing prey in her talons (the definition of a bird of prey), as small as a lizard or large insect, as large as a jackrabbit. Because it pursues large prey often, this hawk has larger and stronger feet, with long talons, and a larger, more prominant hooked beak than most other raptors around its size.

Holding her wings out and spreading her tail over some downed prey, this behavior is called manteling. It's designed to prevent other larger raptors from stealing her kill. 

Her ability to hold struggling prey is based on the ligaments in her feet which instinctively close like a rachet and tighten until the trainer bribes her to release it with some other meat. She actually has to think about opening her claws and releasing her tendons. 

My only final thought as we drove away was where can I find places to do this again?