Lake Fulmor is a beautiful oasis on Highway 243 between Banning and Idyllwild. It looks like a great spot for some hiking, fishing, kayaking, or just relaxing. An Adventure Pass is required to park in the lot across the road.
Links: Forest Service
The Petersen Automotive Museum on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles underwent a $125 million renovation in 2015, including the addition of this distinctive facade designed by the architectural firm Kohn Pedersen Fox, which is comprised of over 100 tons of stainless steel ribbon. Design reviews have been mixed with some critics describing it as a “car wreck” and the “Edsel of architecture”. What do you think?
A beautiful place for primitive camping is Hawk Canyon in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The sandstone cliffs are salmon colored and an unusual shade of green, and were once part of a ancient marine environment. Not far to the west is The Slot, an interesting slot canyon, and subject of an earlier post.
This pic captures the arched bridge that is part of the Japanese Garden at Descanso Gardens in La Canada Flintridge. This 160 acre garden was originally owned by newspaper magnate E. Manchester Boddy and boasts over 1 million plants including one of the largest collections of camellias in the world.
The Temecula Valley AVA (American Viticultural Area) currently boasts over 40 wineries producing a wide variety of wines. We recently went on a wine tour and were impressed with the beauty of the area and the quality of the wines. This pic shows part of the Avensole Winery vineyard.
Links: winery map winery listing
These are but two of the many dinosaur sculptures by Ricardo Breceda located in Galleta Meadows in Borrego Springs. Kinda cool to look across the desert and see a couple of T-Rex. Hopefully they survived this morning’s earthquake without damage!
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.
Links: previous related post1 previous related post2
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.
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