Cities | Explore California

Kumeyaay-Ipai Interpretive Center

Posted on April 11, 2016 by AdventureDavid

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This 5-acre site in Poway seeks to preserve this important archaeological area where the Kumeyaay people lived about 1,000 years ago. Acorns were a primary food resource and this pic shows the milling area where acorns were ground into flour. After leaching out the bitter tannic acid with water, the resulting dough was heated to make “shawii” or acorn mush. Docents lead tours every Saturday (except the first Saturday of each month) from 9:00 a.m. to noon.

Links: K-I Interpretive Center

Cardiff Kook

Posted on April 9, 2016 by AdventureDavid

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The “Cardiff Kook” is a sculpture of a surfer by Hemet sculptor Matthew Antichevich that was installed in 2007 and is officially named “Magic Carpet Ride”. Located just outside of the San Elijo State Beach campground, the statue is “dressed” in widely varying garb that changes from day to day or week to week. It’s always fun to drive by and see what he is wearing that day!

Link: 5 years of pics

Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle

Posted on April 8, 2016 by AdventureDavid

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Sleeping Beauty Castle opened on July 17, 1955 with Disneyland Park. Its design was based on the Bavarian castle Neuschwanstein. Guests could not walk through the interior until 1957 and the drawbridge has only been lowered twice, once at the opening of the park and again in 1983 at the rededication of Fantasyland. It’s never more beautiful than at Christmas when specially lit for the holiday season.

Carlsbad Desalination Plant

Posted on April 7, 2016 by AdventureDavid

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The $1 billion Carlsbad Desalination Plant, the largest in the Western Hemisphere, is adjacent to the Encina Power Station on the Agua Hedionda Lagoon and produces 50 million gallons of purified water daily, enough to supply 400,000 San Diego County residents. This pic shows part of the interior of the reverse osmosis building, which contains more than 2,000 pressure vessels housing more than 16,000 reverse osmosis membranes.

link to more info

Air Force One

Posted on April 6, 2016 by AdventureDavid

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One of the most interesting features of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library near Simi Valley is the ability to tour the Air Force One airplane that served seven presidents, including Ronald Reagan, during its service from 1973-2001. The Boeing 707 is housed in a 90,000 sq. ft. exhibit hangar as part of a display about presidential travel.

Previous related post

Olivenhain Dam and Reservoir at EFRR

Posted on April 5, 2016 by AdventureDavid

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The Olivenhain Dam and Reservoir is located within the Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve and serves as an emergency water storage facility for San Diego County, to be used in the event of an earthquake or other disaster severing incoming water transportation lines. It was the first roller-compacted concrete dam built in California and was designed to remain fully functional during a magnitude 7.5 earthquake. Completed in 2003, the reservoir can hold 24,000 acre-feet of water.

Links: SDCWA Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve previous related post

Dog Beach Frolic!

Posted on March 31, 2016 by AdventureDavid

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The Original Dog Beach in Ocean Beach (at the end of I8 at the mouth of the San Diego River) was one of the first official leash-free beaches in the United States. It’s so much fun to watch all kinds of dogs frolic freely in the ocean and on the sand.

Links: Original Dog Beach other dog friendly beaches/parks in San Diego

Barrel Cactus Forest at Huntington Gardens

Posted on March 28, 2016 by AdventureDavid

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These barrel cacti are part of the Huntington Desert Garden, one of 12 gardens at The Huntington in San Marino near Pasadena. The Garden has one of the oldest and largest (over 2,000 species) collections of cacti, succulents and various other desert plants from around the world, planted in 60 landscaped beds.

Links: Desert Garden previous related post

Bay Bridge

Posted on March 25, 2016 by AdventureDavid

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This pic shows part of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge (known locally as the Bay Bridge) in its illuminated nighttime splendor. It opened in 1936, six months before the Golden Gate Bridge. Approximately 270,000 vehicles utilize this bridge to cross San Francisco Bay each day.