Today, we went for a walk along the cliffs at the Point Vicente Interpretive Center. It was an absolutely beautiful, clear day. We saw Santa Barbara Island, pelicans, Catalina Island and a couple of fin whales spouting offshore. We almost had the place to ourselves except for a few whale watchers up on the observation deck. Bear always enjoys the walk and she did today, too.
Verna and I like to visit the area around Point Vicente, especially when the visibility is good. We like to look across the channel towards Catalina Island and up and down the coastline when you can actually see them.
A quick way to check whether the visibility is good enough, is to visit the Catalina Two Harbors Webcam. On the sidebar next to the image of the harbor there is a list of points to zoom on. I clicked on the “Ship Rock” zoom select to get the image on the right. In this image, not only can you see the Palos Verdes Peninsula on the mainland, but you can also see the mountains beyond. Click on the image to see a larger version.
The South Coast Botanic Garden is the setting for the Model Train Show this weekend, November 7-8, 2009. It’s always fun to see the variety of miniature railroad exhibits. The best modular layouts in Southern California are represented in several venues around the garden.
Verna got this shot of a red car model in a great miniature circa WWII setting. Click on the image to enlarge.
I recently posted about our travel strategy of first driving to Phoenix before renting the travel trailer for our vacation in Arizona. The strategy worked out great and we enjoyed the vacation a lot.
Image: The cruise America Travel Trailer at Apache Junction KOA. Click image for full-size. We were in one of several Cruise America RVs there.
When we returned the rental trailer to Cruise America in Mesa, AZ, we inadvertently forgot Verna’s Canon Camera battery charger which was still plugged in to one of the AC outlets in the kitchenette. As soon as we discovered it was missing, I called the Rental Supervisor, Joe Morales, and asked him if he would look for it. He agreed, and was to call me back later. He did call back later that day, but I missed the call. By the time I got his voice mail, Joe would not have been at work. I sent him an email asking him if he would send the charger to us, with an offer to pay for shipping and handling. The next day, Joe emailed us back saying he would send the charger and advise us of the cost.
Two days later, the big brown truck of goodness (UPS) delivered the charger. It was bubble-wrapped in a small parcel – a real professional-looking package. Verna was glad to have the charger since the battery was low and you know how she loves to take pictures.
After the package showed up, I sent Joe a follow-up email thanking him for the effort and asked how I could pay them back. Joe sent this response today:
No problem, just let your friends and family know how great we are, nice doing business with you.
Joe said it – they were great! We’ll be back to the Mesa Cruise America for sure. Soon, we hope.
We stopped at the Point Vicente Interpretive Center along the cliffs of the Palos Verdes Peninsula to watch the waves and see what we could see. We were passed by dozens of pelicans and seagulls in the short time we were there. I took this photo of a passing California Brown Pelican that soared by only a few yards above us. Click to enlarge.
Just before leaving Arizona, heading into California, this saguaro cactus seems to wave goodbye while beckoning us to come back soon.
Well, suffice it to say, we will be back, Mr. saguaro. And soon . . .
Click image to enlarge.
