Palm Springs is an interesting area located in Coachella Valley, a desert nestled between 2 mountain ranges. Aquifers have given the city a supply of water which has turned what would have been a very arid area into a picturesque oasis.
Don't judge, everybody was posing for the same shot.
We went for a ride in Palm Springs Aerial Tramway to the 8,500 foot lookout over the city.
A view of Palm Springs across Coachella Valley.
The end of the valley funnels winds to a Wind Energy Farm. There are some 4000 windmills producing electricity for the Cochella Valley.
San Diego
We spent an enjoyable day strolling through the world famous San Diego Zoo.
I won't bore you with dozens of pictures of animals. Here's a few of my favourites.
The zoo has a big collection of Flamingos.
I liked this close up shot of a Flamingo with the blurred shrub in the background.
A dozing Red Panda.
A South American Maned "Wolf"
Chris poses at the zoo entrance by a topiary Elephant.
A restaurant on the harbour.
An American Aircraft carrier which has been permanently moored on the waterfront and conserved as a museum.
We enter the ship through the anchor room. The chain is huge.
As we enter we are given a map to follow and headphones explaining each section of the ship. Here is the laundry, one of the worst jobs aboard.
The hospital, capable of carrying out extensive surgery.
The exhibits have been setup with mannequins and props to realise the experience.
At various stations there are volunteer ex servicemen who explain how things work and tell of their own experiences on the ship.
This is a briefing room for the helicopter pilots.
Under the deck.
This retired pilot gave us an incite of a landing procedure and how it could easy turn to tragedy. He also recalled several interesting stories and explained the important role of each of the personal on deck during flights.
There is a large collection of aircraft on board.
The Bridge. Again we had a retired officer who took us through the operation of the bridge.
I found the tour of USS Midway extremely interesting.
One of the original remaining buildings in the old town.
Los Angeles
As close as Chris will get to a Bugatti Veyron.
This Bugatti is owned by House of Bijan, an upmarket menswear store.
Price: around $2.5 Million.
Photograph from Internet.
Look closely. You can see the House of Bijan logo on the bonnet.
We were fortunate to arrive in Hollywood on a rainy day. Why do you say "fortunate" I hear you say. Well I have been told that on a normal day there are endless lines and people everywhere. This day the crowds were gone.
Like a good samaritan I just stopped to give her directions.
Photograph from Internet.
The Endeavour Space Shuttle is "piggy backed" into LA.
Photograph from Internet.
The trip from the airport to its new home at the California Science Centre was a major logistical nightmare. The trip of 12 miles took more than 60 hours.
We spent a day at the Science Centre. The main attraction was the newly arrived Endeavour Space Shuttle.
I had to add this photograph in. Its a question that many people ponder. The astronaut straps his feet into the stirrups and attaches the tube to the necessary parts. Air pulls the waste away from the astronauts body and is stored in a space vacuum holding container to kill bacteria. The air is deodorised, filtered and recycled back into their air supply.
We spent hours wandering the vendors stalls and watching the eccentric locals.
I don't know what this guy was about.
Universal Studios
A day at Universal Studios is a must see on a visit to Hollywood.
I took many photographs but most have seen them before so I will reframe from posting too many of them.
Chris with "Donkey" The actor behind the mask was very convincing.
The flood on the Studio Tour.
Norman Bates from "Psycho" disposing the body.
Airplane disaster set.
The Water World Stunt Show
Ending in a massive explosion
The Terminator set.
Temecula
Just out of Temecula we came across this sight.
Sculptor Ricardo Breceda is well known for his metal sculptures around this area.
Further along the road we stopped at this full size metal sculpture of a stagecoach, complete with a passanger.
A closer look at the horses.
We took a detour in to Vail Lake Ranch where his studio was located
A work in progress.
Demon.
