Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Morro Bay, CA to Merced, CA
Fi
nally!! The Pacific coast...Most of the "dots" on the beach are very large seals, sunning themselves, but there were also some males fighting in the surf.
The camera does not capture the extreme switchbacks very well, but here are two attempts:
(The road between two mountains: we are heading to the right, and have come right-to-left around the mountain road visible in background though a valley switchback.)
(This picture shows the winding road ahead, and the switchback in the background left.)The highway hugs the cliffs all along the coast. Notice the bridge in the background centre of the picture. There was quite a bit on repair/construction going on, and we were stopped several times.
The iconic cliff/surf picture! There was no retaining wall or fence!
Unfortunately, as we approached Big Sur the the fog started moving in.
Although there were quite a few cars on the highway, occasionally there was a break and we could stop for photos. [The sign says "No Parking at Any Time".]
Big Sur, the highest cliffs and the best view south - when clear! When
we reached it, the fog was rolling in and clouds were getting thicker.Yes!! We did find the way to San Jose!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Flagstaff, AZ: Meteor Crater and Lowell Observatory
Another hot day! The weather Service issued a heat warning again today. Yesterday Flagstaff hit a record high of 88F (31C) and today was just as hot.
We left first thing in the morning for Meteor Crater, but it was still incredibly hot when we got there. The exhibit centre has some great displays, including an 1100 lb piece of the iron-nickel meteor and a tribute to Eugene Shoemaker.
We went on the 1/2 mile hike along the rim and nearly got heat-stroke, but it was well worth it; got some great pictures!
For lunch we found a great micro-brew pub in Flagstaff, the Beaver Street Brewery, where we had enormous salads! and two great local pints. Suitably fortified, we went to Lowell Observatory for the afternoon, seeing both the blink comparator used by Clyde Tombaugh to discover Pluto, and the Clark telescope used by Percival Lowell for his Mars studies.
After a short rest to cool down, we returned to Lowell for the night observing program. Surprisingly, there were quite a number of people there; we stood in line to see Saturn through the Clark (unfortunately, not Mars) and M13 through a 16" Dobsonian which was set up on the grounds.
Grand Junction, CO to Richfield, Utah
What incredible scenery today!Although the temperature was still warm ~17C to start, it was overcast agai
n. (Denver boasts 300 sunny days a year, and yet we've been here for three cloudy days in a row.)Drove along the Colorado River to Moab. The twisty, narrow road runs right next to the steep canyon walls.
There are adventure companies that will take you rafting down
the river.About 4:30, we turned a corner and were greeted by a herd of cows. We wa
ited!
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