Well, we’re going back to the mainland today. It’s only been three nights here, but it seems like we’ve been here for a nice, relaxing, and lengthy stay. I suppose that means that we’ve had a great time.
We were rewarded this morning with this wonderful sunrise. This was taken from the Crescent Avenue balcony at our hotel in Avalon; this is the exact room we stayed in on our wedding night.
Click on the thumbnail image to see the full-sized photo of this beautiful Avalon sunrise.
On Catalina Island in Avalon, we rented a little golf cart putt-putt to take a tour up into the hills. After all the trips to Avalon, this is our first time onto the roads behind the city. The roads were narrow and too small for one of the tour vehicles to go, so this was a first for us.
We drove up to the nature center and looked around and then went up past the country club. We saw some of the areas that burned earlier this year when fires raged over much of the island. We also saw parts of the valley where the city of Avalon has expanded.
On one hilltop we stopped to take some pictures of the scenery below. I took this nice panorama from that hilltop. Click the image below for the full-sized scene.
I just love this building. The Casino is a 1920’s Art Deco creation and one of the most beautiful structures in California. I was here many years ago at a time when this majestic structure was run down and fenced off from the public. What a shame, I thought at the time. Fortunately, it’s completely restored and as beautiful as ever. We have a view of the Casino from our balcony at the Hotel Metropole, and watch the many moods that this wonderful landmark shows at different times of the day. One of the times it’s most beautiful is in the evening after sunset.
It’s our anniversary week and later today, in our tradition, we’re off on a pilgrimage to the place we got married – the city of Avalon on Catalina Island. We will be crossing the Catalina Channel on the Island Express helicopter, which takes about fifteen minutes. I shot this video last year on the helicopter trip over to the Avalon Heliport.
Our plans are to visit some of our favorite places like the shops on Crescent Avenue and the botanic gardens in the hills behind the town. We plan to do a bit more hiking this time, and will probably climb the hill up to the Chime Tower. We’re looking forward to this trip. We will try and update the blog from the island with some photos and posts about the island.
After reading news accounts about the contribution of pigeon dung to the collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, I was reminded about how pigeons similarly factored into the destruction of the famous “RENO – The Biggest little city in the world” sign that spans the entrance to the downtown gambling district. I recall reading a the story in the 1980’s about how the old sign became inhabited by pigeons that roosted or nested in the sign. They got in through gaps in the sign and, of course, pooped while they were in there.
Image right: Reno sign, 1980’s – click to enlarge
Eventually, despite having been evicted several times by the city’s maintenance crews, the pigeon problem persisted until one day there was an electrical short-circuit in the sign. The methane from the dung ignited; there was a minor explosion and a fire afterwards that damaged the sign beyond repair. The sign was removed and subsequently replaced by a newer Vegas-style beauty which electronically beckons visitors to the downtown district. While it’s a beautiful sight, the new sign doesn’t have the old sign’s charm and breaks the promise for a “little city” beyond. Recent visitors to the new Reno, if they knew the old Reno, will know what I mean.
Image left: New Reno sign – click to enlarge
As for pigeons? They’re just rats with wings.
This one is out of the archives, and was actually imaged by Verna last year on our way home from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley. This was taken from Pacific Coast Highway, State Route One, just inside the Los Angeles County Line. Zuma Beach stretches toward Point Dume in the distance. Click the image for the large panoramic view.
