The infamous Berlin Wall separating East and West Berlin came down on November 9, 1989 after standing for over 28 years, and a chunk of it can be viewed at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley. This section weighs 6,338 lbs and stands 9 1/2 ft tall. At this spot you also have a great view of the surrounding countryside.
Links: Ronald Reagan Presidential Library previous related post
Upper Yosemite Fall plunges 1,430 feet before heading into five smaller drops known as the Middle Cascades (675 feet), followed by Lower Yosemite Fall (320 feet) for a total of 2,425 feet. The top of the falls can be reached by a 7.2 mile round trip trail (2,700 ft elevation gain) known as the Yosemite Falls Trail, which takes 6-8 hours to complete. The trail begins at the Camp 4 area near shuttle stop #7.
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In a previous post I featured the “old” Point Loma Lighthouse and now am highlighting the “new” one. Built down at sea level to better avoid the fog and low clouds, this lighthouse began operation on March 23, 1891. What a gorgeous combination of green grass, palm trees, beautiful ocean and white buildings.
Links: history previous related post
Shields Date Garden (started in 1924) in Indio features 17 acres of landscaped grounds showcasing date palms and many other fruit trees along with a pond spouting dual fountains. Many varieties of fresh dates and various date products can be purchased in their store.
Griffith Observatory sits on the south facing slope of Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park in Los Angeles. This beautiful Art Deco building opened its doors on May 14, 1935. It is named for Griffith J. Griffith, the Welsh-American industrialist who donated the land that is now Griffith Park and the funds to build the observatory.
One of the attractions at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park is the tethered balloon ride which ascends 400 feet into the sky for a great bird’s eye view of the park and surrounding countryside. This pic was taken from the Jameson Research Island and includes several flamingos at rest.
Links: SDZSP previous related post
Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery is located on the Fort Rosecrans Military reservation in San Diego County, on both sides of Catalina Boulevard on the way to Cabrillo National Monument/Point Loma. The earliest interments include the remains of the casualties from the battle of San Pasqual (1846) which were moved here in 1882. Twenty-three Medal of Honor recipients are buried here along with Major General Joseph H. Pendleton for whom Camp Pendleton was named. As you view this post, please remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.
I recently attended the 25th annual Southern California Homebrewers Festival held at Vail Lake east of Temecula. Forty three clubs were on-site, each pouring between 8 and 32 different homebrews, resulting in well over 600 products on tap. This pic shows the beautiful Society of Barley Engineers bar, with two handsome homebrewers getting ready to serve one of the 2000+ attendees.
Located about 15 miles north of Blythe just off US Highway 95, the Blythe Intaglios or Blythe Geoglyphs are large figures found on the ground that were created by scraping away layers of darker rocks to reveal lighter-colored soil. Carbon dating of the figures estimate they were created between 900 BC and 1200 AD. They are best viewed from the air but can be seen from the ground as this pic shows. The largest human figure is 171 feet long.
Links: photo gallery of images
These enormous dinosaurs are located at the Cabazon exit off I10 a little west of Palm Springs. The Brontosaurus is named “Dinny the Dinosaur” while the Tyrannosaurus is “Mr. Rex”. They were created by Knott’s Berry Farm sculptor and portrait artist Claude K. Bell to promote his Wheel Inn Restaurant. The dinosaurs can be seen in several movies including Pee Wee’s Big Adventure and Pixar’s Inside Out.
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