Father Kino’s Missions

Day 36  Clear and Sunny – High-81 Low-49

We decided to switch it up a bit today. Instead of going to the Rincon district of Saguaro National Park, we drove south to visit two Spanish missions built in the 18^th century.

The first mission was St Xavier de Bac. The settlement in which the Mission is located was called Bac, “place where the water appears,” because the Santa Cruz River, which ran underground for some distance, reappeared on the surface near Bac. The celebrated Jesuit missionary and explorer, Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, first visited Bac in 1692. Eight years later, Father Kino laid the foundations of the first church, some two miles north of the present site of the Mission. He named it San Xavier in honor of his chosen patron, St. Francis Xavier, the illustrious Jesuit “Apostle of the Indies.”

The present church was built from 1783 – 1797 by the Franciscans. Little is known about the actual construction of the church, the architect, or the artisans, but many believe the labor was done by the Tohono O’odham Indians. For some reason, one tower was not completed. There is no historical documentation to explain why it was never finished.

The mission is a blend of Moorish, Byzantine, and late Mexican Renaissance architecture. The church is a series of domes and arches that create interior spaces for art. All the wall paintings are original. Time and the harsh desert weather have taken a toll on the church and the entire mission complex. Currently, the church is going through a restoration to clean, repair, and preserve the church. We asked one of the parishioners if they were going to paint the unfinished tower. He said he has asked the same question many times and has not gotten an answer.

One thing that we found strange is a statute of Father Ignacio Joseph Ramirez y Arellano lying in state below a statue of St Francis. It is believed that after Father Ramirez died he sweated and emitted a sweet odor. Those that witnessed it believed that St Francis had something to do with it. Those who continue to believe pin there needs and requests on the shroud covering the Father. Today, El Día de los Muertos (the day of the dead), it seems only fitting to hear this story.

San Xavier del Bac Mission is a fully functioning parish church within the Diocese of Tucson. We arrived at the mission around 9:30 so were able to freely walk through the interior of the church. From 10 AM to 1 PM, the mission was closed to the public as they were performing christenings.

We continued south on Interstate 19, to Tumacacori National Historic Park. As we arrived, we were very fortunate to join a tour that was just starting. The volunteer leading the tour was very knowledgeable and had a real passion for the spirit and history of the park. Tumcacori was established as a mission in 1691 by the same Jesuit priest, Father Eusebio Francisco Kino. The purpose of the mission was to convert the natives to Christianity. Using Tumacacori as his headquarters, Father Kino established other missions in what is today southern Arizona and northern Mexico until his death in 1711. Each mission was exactly one day’s ride on horseback from the next mission. Although the mission was established in 1691, the first church was not finished until 1757. After Carlos III, King of Spain, expelled the Jesuits from Spanish lands in 1767, the Franciscans arrived in 1768. All that remains of the first church is the foundation.

Construction of the present day church was started in 1800 and completed sometime after the last resident priest left in 1828. The church, made of adobe bricks and covered with plaster, was the centerpiece of the community. The walls of the church were 9 feet thick. Stone walls surrounded the church and the nearby buildings like a fort. The people ate, slept, and worked within the walls and supported themselves by raising sheep and cattle and growing fruits and grains. The buildings used for cooking, sleeping, and blacksmithing were torn down once the church was abandoned. Besides the church, there are significant remains of the mortuary chapel, presidio, granary, and convent. Once the resident priest left, a caretaker saw to the maintenance of the church. Once the railroad arrived in Tucson, the presidio moved to Tucson. Feeling insecure and exposed, residents migrated away from the church compound until it was finally abandoned in 1848.

The original timbers of the roof were looted soon after its abandonment for building of homes and barns in the community. Cattle rustlers then used the grounds as a stopping off point before they continued their cattle drive. People who traveled through the area sought out the thick walls of the sacristy for protection and warmth. Fortune hunters dug holes in the thick walls looking for treasures that never existed.

People who moved to the area around 1900 knew the area as campo santo or holy ground. Theodore Roosevelt put it under National Park Service protection in 1916 as a National Historic Park. Unlike St Xavier de Bac, there is no intention of restoring the church, but to preserve the ruins so that the history of the church and its people speak from 200 years ago.

After touring Tumacacori, we took a scenic route back to Tucson. In Sonoita, we passed a huge border patrol station; they must have had over 100 vehicles. As we motored along, we passed a sign that warned of a border patrol check point. Although we were more than 30 miles from the border, the stop was exactly like those when you enter the US from Mexico or Canada. The road was blocked with cones. There were three border patrol officers and not only were they concerned about our citizenship, but what was in the car. After a short discussion and a look through all the windows, we were on our way.

This evening we went to a restaurant near the hotel that was close to Arizona State’s campus. It was really fun seeing all the college kids running from place to place in Halloween costumes. Some of the costumes were recognizable like Ghost Busters, Pilots, and Ronald McDonald, but others required signs. Bill especially enjoyed the scantily clothed co-eds. Who knew Raggedy Ann had cleavage?

It was a great day. Tomorrow we are heading east to New Mexico. Unfortunately, we don’t get an extra hour of sleep as Arizona doesn’t observe daylight savings time.

Sonoran Desert

Day 35  Clear and Sunny – High-63 Low-50

We left Phoenix this morning and headed to Tucson, Arizona. It was a short 116 mile trip south on Interstate 10. As we drove, we wondered what attracted the first settlers to move to this flat, hot, and arid place. Communities seem to pop up out of nowhere with little to sustain them except possibly work in Phoenix or Tucson. On this trip, we have seen few trains. However, today there had to have been 10 different, very long container trains traveling along Interstate 10. We aren’t sure where they came from or where they were going, but they were definitely moving lots of merchandise. There were also several orchards along the highway that we believe were pecan trees. On the negative side, it seems like the haze has followed us on our journey since we left Utah. At one of our overlook stops, we read that it is smog from California that settles into the lowlands.

Our first stop in Tucson, which was recommended in one of our southwest photography books, was the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum. We learned that the museum is the second most visited attraction in Arizona, ranking just after the Grand Canyon. Located very near the Saguaro National Park, the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum is a zoo, natural history museum, and botanical garden all in one. Exhibits re-create the natural landscape of the Sonoran Desert Region featuring over 1,200 species of plants. There are almost 2 miles of paths traversing 21 acres of desert. Similar to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, many of the plants looked starved for water, but without irrigation that is exactly what the desert looks like at this time of year. Not pretty, but it is what it is. We particularly enjoyed the Earth Science Center that featured a cave and exhibits of regional gems and minerals as they would be discovered in a mine. The colors and shapes of the various minerals were amazing.

The zoo showcases more than 300 animal species. As we walked around, we saw mountain lions, prairie dogs, big horn sheep, ocelot, and fox in their natural habitat. They also had a walk in aviary with 40 species of birds, a walk in hummingbird aviary, and a water habitat that you could view from below water level. It was great to see the animals that roam the desert, but are rarely seen.

Starting on October 25, the museum has two Raptor free flights per day. Raptors are birds that eat live prey. They have excellent vision, sharp talons or toenails, and hooked or curved beaks. The free flight is a demonstration in the open desert that showcases the natural behaviors of these native birds. They have several different kinds of birds that they use in their free flight demonstrations. While we were there, we saw three Harris’ Hawks, two males and a female. The birds were obviously trained; however, it was impressive to see them soaring overhead or swooping down to land on a nearby cactus.

As we approached the Saguaro National Park., we noticed many large, square water ponds. When we inquired at the visitor center, we learned that they were groundwater infiltration ponds. The water authority takes water piped in from the Colorado River for agriculture, but not immediately needed for this purpose, and pumps it into one of 12 infiltration basins. From the basins, the water percolates down through the unsaturated groundwater zone into the aquifer. They can then pump the water out of the aquifer as needed for human use.

Saguaro National Park is split into two sections, one on each side of Tucson. The Tucson Mountain District is to the west and the Rincon District is to the East. Today we visited the Tucson Mountain District, a 32 square mile area of the Sanoran Desert. We started at the Visitor’s Center by watching a 15 minute slide show on desert life. The most impressive part was when the slide show ended. The screen rolled up and the curtains parted to show you floor to ceiling windows, 30 feet across with a spectacular view of the living desert. This is off-season for the park, but there were probably 5 different families in the Visitor Center with us. When we left to go on the scenic drive, there was not another car in sight. The 6 mile scenic drive was along a rutted dirt road. The scenery was very similar to that around Phoenix and Tucson with the exception of the density of Saguaro cactus. They stood as far as the eye could see and were just a few feet apart. We learned at the visitor center that Saguaro cacti grow very slowly. They don’t flower until they are 30; they grow arms at 70; and rarely live longer than 200 years. In a small area, you could view various specimens that showed the entire Saguaro life cycle. We thoroughly enjoyed the drive and hope to return one day in the spring to see the desert in bloom.

We haven’t finalized our plans for tomorrow, but will be doing more sightseeing in the Tucson area.

Desert Gardens

Day 34  Clear and Sunny – High-62 Low-40

After spending time in both the high and low desert, we decided to spend the day learning more about the desert landscape. Phoenix’s Desert Botanical Garden opened in 1939 to conserve and showcase the ecology of the desert. A group of Sonoran Valley citizens purchased this property and support it through endowment income, private funding, memberships, and admission fees. We noticed immediately that the  various gardens were very well taken care of and scores of volunteers were available to answer questions and help with new plantings.

The 145 acres contain more than 4,000 different species of cacti, succulents, trees, and flowers. The Garden’s collection also includes 169 rare, threatened, or endangered plant species from the world’s deserts, especially the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico. As we entered the admissions area, we immediately spotted 3 beautiful Chihuly green glass sculptures called the Desert Towers. These are the last remaining pieces from their Nature of Glass exhibit that ended May 31. We talked to one of the volunteers who said that their hope was to keep these three pieces.

The garden’s main trail is the Desert Discovery Trail with 4 minor topical trails, such as, Sonoran Desert Nature Loop and Desert Wildflower Loop. Some of the cactus had started to bud and bloom; however, we were told to come back in spring for the Wildflower Loop. We found it interesting that some of the plants were covered to protect them from the severe summer sun and heat. When winter weather finally arrives, they will uncover these plants. One interesting fact is that the Saguaro Cactus grows very slowly. It is 70 years old before it grows its first arm. and may live 200 years. All the plants were beautifully exhibited, well cared for, and thriving. The volunteers seemed to be everywhere throughout the gardens answering questions, working with school children, or tending the gardens. There wasn’t one question that went unanswered. It was a wonderful way to learn and understand all the different types of desert plants. We were amazed.

There was special show of Mariposa Monarca. Every Thursday they release hundreds of monarch butterflies into the Marshall Pavilion. As you enter through two sets of doors, they are extremely careful that none of the butterflies are released from the building. The docents were very knowledgeable about their life cycle, migration patterns, and environmental threats. They were very careful to keep them away from the hands of children and to shoo them away from any threat (fish in a pond) in the pavilion. When we were in Mexico, we visited the winter habitat for the monarch butterflies. We learned today that only some migrate from Canada to Mexico. If they do, the first generation makes the trip south in one season, but it takes three generations of butterflies to make the return trip north.

We spent almost three hours seeing, learning about, and photographing the various species throughout the garden. One of the volunteers told us about another place to see desert plants, but in a more natural setting.  We decided to travel east to Superior, Arizona to check it out.

Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park was the nation’s first botanical garden established in a desert environment. At the foot of Picketpost Mountain in Superior, it is often called an oasis in the desert. The arid, rocky expanse gives way to lush plant areas along the Queen Creek. The arboretum is home to 3,200 species of desert plants, more than 230 species of birds, and 72 species animals.

William Boyce Thompson, a mining magnate and successful Wall Street investor, found his greatest passion in the home he built in the Arizona hills. Located near the Picketpost Mountain, he called it Picket Post house. When a friend asked him how much land he owned around Picket Post House, he replied, “I own it all as far as the eye can see, because I love it.” The fact was that in the beginning, he owned none at all. The land was part of the Crook National Forest and the house was built under a permit of the Forest Service. By purchasing land in northern Arizona that the Service wanted, he was able to make an exchange, which gave him ownership of over four hundred acres. Starting in 1923, he asked the University of Arizona to establish the Boyce Thompson Southwest Arboretum on a portion of the 400 acres as a museum of living plants. The arboretum offers a living album of the plants capable of living in the Sonoran Desert. Many are native species; others have been introduced, including exotic species such as Canary Islands date palms, Pistachio, and Australian eucalyptus.

The visit here was more like a 2 mile hike through a natural trail and habitat than a visit to a formal garden. As we walked, signs and placards introduced us to the plant life and the environs. A man-made lake was built on the site in 1925 to irrigate the arboretum and protect endangered species of fish. The Picket Post House is visible on a nearby hill, but inaccessible to visitors. We walked past plants from South America, Australia, Europe, Ethiopia, China, and many others all being used for display or research to find their viability in this region. Bridges cross over washes and creek beds as you follow the trail crisscrossing your way though the arboretum. One bridge of particular note was a suspension bridge over Queen Creek. The deck was made of wood and was supported by a series of suspended cables. As we walked across it, it creaked, bounced, and swayed. Big suspension bridges must do exactly the same thing, but you don’t notice it when crossing them.

We met our nephew Brent for dinner. He recently moved to the Phoenix area from Columbus, OH to take a job with a flooring distributor. It was great catching up with the happenings in his life and his view of the area. He recommended a couple of things to see in the Tucson area, which is also part of his territory.

We had a fun time today and it was a great day to be out and about. Tomorrow we head to Tucson.

Casas Grandes Both Old And New

Day 33  Clear and Sunny – High-64 Low-57

Brrr!  Phoenix caught cold overnight. It went from a high of 85 yesterday to a high of 64 today with a 19 mph breeze. We left our hotel without jackets, so really felt the chill most of the day.

Today was a rather quiet day. We all need one of those now and again. It started with a visit to a former co-worker of Bill’s and his wife in Sun Lakes, AZ. Dick and Carolyn live in a very large, contemporary southwest style, 55+ community near Chandler, AZ. It was strange driving through the neighborhoods and seeing gravel lawns and xeriscaping (water conserving landscapes.) Some homes had huge Saguaro cactus in their front lawn located where you would see an oak or maple tree in the east. All the homes had some type of cactus and many had Bougainvillea or other indigenous flowering plants. The only grass to be seen was on the golf courses and along a watered walking/bike trail. Although we have not been to the east coast of Florida or the Villages in Orlando, this is by far the largest community of senior citizens that we have ever seen. Just like in Florida, there are some full-time residents like Dick and Carolyn; however, many residents go to the mountains or back to their home state for the summer months.

We had a great time getting caught up on the news. They took us to their favorite neighborhood Italian restaurant for lunch. The restaurant was very nice, and we enjoyed both the food and the conversation. After lunch, they took us to the nearby Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, an Indian ruin abandoned around 1450 AD. Since the ancient Sonoran Desert people who built it left no written language behind, written historic accounts of the Casa Grande begin with the journal entries of Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino when he visited the ruins in 1694.

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument has an imposing 4-story building dating from the late Hohokam period, probably 14th century. It is believed that the Casa Grande functioned partly as an astronomical observatory since the four walls face the points of the compass, and some of the windows are aligned to the positions of the sun and moon at specific times. There are various smaller ruins in the complex, remains of a Hohokam farming village, and some are yet to be excavated. A second, similarly sized compound is located 850 feet northeast of the Casa Grande. Although cordoned off from close scrutiny, a ramp has been put in place so that you can see the remains of the buildings, dirt mounds where the social elite’s homes were built, and a ball court.

The Casa Grande ruins has a rather curious appearance as the structure is protected from the harsh desert sun by a large metal roof supported by four great pillars, designed by architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. in 1932. The scale of the main ruin is best appreciated from close up – it is 60 feet by 40 feet wide at the base and has caliche walls over a meter thick. Caliche is a hardened deposit of calcium carbonate. This calcium carbonate cements together other materials, including gravel, sand, clay, and silt.

Although visitors are not allowed into the building owing to its delicate state, much can be seen from outside including details of the construction with wooden beams supporting the clay walls, and various internal features such as stairways and windows.

Dick and Carolyn were very gracious to take us to a place that they have visited before. In doing so, they made us aware of over 15 other national monuments in Arizona. We were able to get a map of them at the Visitor’s Center. As we continue our journey south and east, we will be able to visit some of these little known gems.

Where Are The Camels When You Need Them?

Day 32  Mostly Cloudy – High-83 Low-62

Yesterday as we were traveling away from the densely populated San Diego and LA areas, we noticed many uncompleted housing developments and closed businesses. The most striking thing was the number of very large auto dealerships that were just abandoned. These more suburban areas of California were hard hit by the bursting housing bubble and the financial collapse. As we neared Yucca Valley, things seemed to get back in balance and look more prosperous, even though on a smaller scale.

The best time to visit Joshua Tree National Park is in the spring when the harsh landscape comes alive with blooming vegetation and wildflowers. However, we are here in autumn and we are able to see a much different, barren view.

Joshua Tree National Monument was promoted to a national park by Congress in 1994. According to legend, it was named by the Mormon pioneers who thought the limbs of the Joshua trees resembled the up stretched arms of Joshua leading them north.

When we arrived at the Visitor Center in the town of Joshua Tree, the ranger told us that there was a wind advisory in the park for the next two days with gusts expected to be as high as 65 mph. He gave us great information on what to do and where visit in the park. Yesterday, while at the Salton Sea, the sun seemed to sear your skin. We were expecting it to be fairly warm today, so we were really surprised by the 62 degree temperature.

Although we had read about the park in the Frommer’s National Parks of the American West book, we were not prepared for the starkness, dryness, and barrenness of the park. We had been through Death Valley, but somehow this park seemed less welcoming. It could have been the high winds and the dark sky full of blowing dust and grit. On one of the overlook signs it mentioned that man only visits but does not remain here. As we passed through the western entrance of the park we were struck two things, the eerie, spiky Joshua trees and the extensive outcrops of huge granite boulders scattered over the landscape.

The park is home to two deserts with two different ecosystems whose characteristics are determined primarily by elevation. We got to see firsthand the contrast between high and low desert. Below 3,000 feet, the Colorado Desert, occupying the eastern half of the park, is dominated by the abundant creosote bush. Adding interest are small strands of spidery ocotillo and jumping cholla cactus. The higher, moister, and slightly cooler Mojave Desert is the special habitat of the Joshua tree in the western section. We have read and seen pictures of the desert in the spring awash with colors, but after the hot summer months, most of the flora looked tired and dry. This was compounded by the high winds and blowing sand. Since we had lost one camera lens to blowing sand, we were concerned about using the cameras on some of the hikes. Then we noticed that those that were hiking had goggles, masks, long sleeve shirts, and long pants; we were not adequately prepared. Most of our getting to know the park was done from the car. This was unfortunate as we missed seeing some of the areas reachable by longer hikes like the oases and the gold mine. It was mating season for the softball sized tarantulas, but we missed seeing them as well; too bad!

We did travel up to Keys View at 5,185 feet, which on a clear day would have given us an expansive view of the valley, mountains, the Salton Sea, and even Mexico beyond. The overlook sign indicated that clear days are rare, however. The high winds and blowing sand severely compromised the already hazy view. At this spot, you can also see the San Andreas Fault. The overlook sign mentioned that if you stood in the exact spot in one year that you will have moved 2 inches. Pretty amazing!

The “who piled up all those rocks” landscape of Joshua Tree National Park is fascinating. Geologists believe that it was born more than a million years ago. Molten liquid heated by the continuous movement of earth’s crust, oozed up and cooled while still below the surface; this formed a type of granite rock. As the granite moved up, it intruded on the surrounding rocks. As the granite rocks cooled and crystallized underground, they developed a system of horizontal and vertical cracks. As ground water percolated down through the joint fractures, rectangular stones slowly weathered to spheres of hard rock. In more recent times, flash floods began washing away the surface soil exposing the boulders. As they were exposed, the huge boulders settled one on the top of the other creating huge piles of rocks. We had seen similar landscape at Lone Pine, CA, but did not understand how they were formed. The boulders take on many different shapes. One of the boulders looked like a skull while another looked like an open oyster.

Deserts don’t have firm boundaries, but you could tell almost immediately when you were in the transition zone between the Mojave and Colorado deserts. You slowly saw the flora of one area diminish as the flora of the lower desert became more prominent.

It took us about 3 hours to drive through the park. We then got on Interstate 10 and headed to Phoenix. Tomorrow we will visit old friends from Rochester who have relocated to Sun Lakes, AZ.

The Sea In The Desert

Day 31  Clear and Sunny – High-88 Low-60

After a very busy weekend, we were ready to start off a little later this morning. After a leisurely breakfast and packing we left our hotel in San Diego and got back on the road around 10 AM.

Due to the intense traffic we experienced both days in LA, we decided to bypass our return trip to the Huntington Museum, Library, and Garden. In addition to the traffic issues, we learned that the museum hours, with the exception of summer, are from 12:00 – 4:30 PM. With such limited hours, we would need two days to see and experience the Huntington estate.

So, we skipped ahead to our next planned destination and headed north and east toward Joshua Tree National Park through the Imperial Valley. This region is a desert, with high temperatures and low average rainfall; however, the economy is heavily based on agriculture due to irrigation water from the Colorado River. It was strange to see the barren hills with scattered areas of green and trees spread through the landscape. From the road, we saw citrus and date groves as well as evidence of recent planting of the salad vegetables they are known for, including lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage.

As we were driving across Interstate 10, we decided to bypass the exit for our hotel and go to the Salton Sea. On the way, we passed the San Gorgonio wind farm. This wind farm on the San Gorgonio Mountain Pass in the San Bernardino Mountains has more than 4,000 separate windmills. The largest windmills stand 150 feet tall with blades half the width of a football field. This windmill farm provides enough electricity to power Palm Springs and the entire Coachella Valley. Since California has mandated that 20% of their energy must come from renewable sources by the end of 2010, more of these wind farms will be dotting the California landscape.

The Salton Sea, at 10 miles wide and 30 miles long, is the largest inland body of water in California. It is located in the state’s southeastern corner known as the Salton Sink, which is about 227 feet below sea level. Ninety percent of the inflow comes from agricultural runoff. This runoff has a variety of nutrients. However, with the nutrients comes a large amount of salt. Currently, the salinity level of the Salton Sea is 44 parts per thousand (ppt), compared to 35 ppt for the Pacific Ocean. This is causing some major problems for the wildlife and the entire ecosystem.

The present-day Salton Sea is not the first sea to occupy this area. Historic and geologic studies have shown that the Colorado River has spilled over into the Salton Basin many times creating intermittent lakes. In 1901, the California Development Company dug irrigation canals from the Colorado River. Heavy silt loads prompted the engineers to create a cut in the western bank of the Colorado to allow more water to reach the valley. Unfortunately, heavy flood waters broke through the engineered canal and nearly all the river’s flow rushed into the valley. By the time the breach was closed, the present-day Salton Sea was formed. The runoff from the more than 500,000 acres of  irrigated crop land have prevented the sea from evaporating as before. We took a few pictures but did not stay long as it was not very pleasant. There were dead fish along the shore and it smelled like the Gulf of Mexico when the red tide comes in.

We worked our way back to Yucca Valley where we will be staying tonight. Tomorrow we are off to Joshua Tree National Park and then on to Phoenix.

The Fleet Is In

Day 30  Clear and Sunny – High-73 Low-60

Our plan for today was to visit the USS Midway and tour the San Diego waterfront. While waiting for Diego and his family to arrive, we walked along Harbor Drive near the Maritime Museum and the cruse ship docks. As we neared a park next to the USS Midway, we met many people carrying placards protesting the actions being taken by the government as well as many carrying US and Don’t Tread on Me flags. Some of the signs were simply worded, but others were quite clever; they all expressed a high level of frustration and anger at the high levels of spending, government bailouts and takeovers, and passing legislation without even reading it. We asked one of the people what was going on and found out that it was the Tea Party Express II starting today in San Diego and winding its way across the country until it reaches Florida on November 12. These were not extremists or a paid organized group, but common ordinary people, including Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, who don’t like what is happening in Washington.

The protesters were ordinary citizens – young, old, rich, poor, Black, White, Asian, Latino, and all those in between. One man told us that he did not care about himself, but was protesting for his grandchildren. There were signs against Socialism, Healthcare, more Taxation, Obama, and many individual Senators. The estimate from one of the attendees was that there were over 3,000 people in attendance and we think that is a fair estimate. Many left early so that they could go to the next rally today in Los Angeles. Many said that the first time in their life that they ever protested anything was the Washington Tea Party, but have been to other events since and would continue to push back. They were sane, articulate, and knowledgeable about what is going on. It was reassuring to us to see so many people exercising their right to free speech.

We worked our way down to Seaport Village to look around, grab a quick bite, and do a little shopping. Linda was excited to see a “Crazy Shirt” shop as she really likes their quality and designs. Just as we were finishing up, Diego called and said they had arrived and were looking for a parking space.

We met up with them at the USS Midway, the aircraft carrier of World War II fame that was commissioned in 1945. The Midway is now a museum; you use a pre-recorded player as you tour through the ship. Because San Diego is so close to Mexico, the recordings are provided in both English and Spanish, which made it easier for Diego’s wife and parents to enjoy the visit. In addition to the recordings, there were former military people who volunteer to describe what their life was like aboard ship and how things worked. The tour took you through the hangar deck, forecastle, seaman’s and officer’s quarters, brig, engine room, as well as the flight deck. There were many planes in the hangar and the flight deck, which spanned the 47 year active history of the Midway. It is a huge ship, over 300 feet long, and there was much to see. It was crowded with many visitors with varied interests. It took us almost 5 hours to tour the ship, and we did not see everything.

As we reached the end of the flight deck, we got a view of the USS Ronald Reagan back in port for 6 months. Next to it was the USS Makin Island (LHD-8), a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, commissioned yesterday. It was very hazy and they were over a mile away so it was difficult to see any detail or determine their size in comparison to the Midway. It was just a great experience to be even that close to them

When we finished our tour, we headed back to Little Italy for dinner. Little Diego was so tired that he fell asleep at the table. It was a wonderful two days with friends, old and new. As we waved goodbye, it was bittersweet. We enjoyed our time together, but are unsure when we will see them again.

Tomorrow we are headed to Yucca Valley, CA  near Joshua Tree National Park.

Visiting Old Friends

Day 29  Clear and Sunny – High 76 – Low- 59

In 1991, we spent a year working on a project in Mexico for Kodak. While there, we met a software engineer from Guadalajara named Diego who was working on the same project. Like us, he was new to Mexico City. As we worked together, we became friends and toward the end of the project Diego came to live with us in Cuernavaca.

We stayed in contact after we left Mexico. In 1993, a project Bill was working on required a software engineer. Bill convinced Kodak to bring Diego to the US to work for one year as he already knew the system being installed. We enjoyed being together and sharing the US with him as he had done with his country. Diego was a voracious learner of the US culture and English.

Although we stayed in contact, work, family, and other obligations got in the way of consistent communication. In the fall of last year, both Bill and Diego got webcams and started having weekly video conversations. Through that medium, we met Diego’s wife, Gabriela, his daughters, Alexis and Gabriela, and his son Diego Isaac. By then, Diego had moved to Tijuana and was doing firmware programming for Rain Bird Sprinkler Systems. Diego has always wanted to live and work in the US, so when an opportunity to work for Hunter Industries in San Diego came up; he jumped on it. At this time, he is commuting just across the border to San Diego each day from Tijuana. However, the possibility of Diego moving his family to the US may become a reality, once his work visa is approved.

As we planned our trip, we made a concerted effort to take time to come to San Diego to see Diego and meet his family. Today Diego drove his entire family including his Mom and Dad to meet us. We had a great time. His children, Alexis, 15; Diego Isaac, 8; and Gabriela, 5; are in private school and speak fluent English. His wife also speaks English, but is more guarded than the children. Diego’s father, originally from Spain, speaks very little English. His mother, originally from Guadalajara, after a time, felt more comfortable attempting to communicate in English. They are all thoroughly delightful people and a joy to be around. Their English ability made us feel inadequate in our grasp of Spanish. We wish that we had continued with the learning that we did while in Mexico, but time and circumstances didn’t allow for it.

We had lunch, shopped, talked and then had dinner. By the time the day had ended, the bonds that originally brought us together were strengthened and reinforced. We were not people from two countries, but a family with a mutual love and respect for each other.

Tomorrow if all goes well, we will see them. After that, it may be awhile before we see them again, but for now we feel blessed that we have had this time to renew old friendships and build new ones.

Art Within Art

Day 28  Clear and Sunny – High-83   Low-59

We planned to spend the day at the Getty Center in Los Angeles near Santa Monica. On the way, we would be passing by the Nikon Repair Center in El Segundo, California; it seemed to be a perfect opportunity to get the 12-24 MM zoom lens repaired. As we were driving to El Segundo near Torrance, we noticed smoke billowing up and leaving a layer of haze. As we got closer, we realized that it was an oil refinery. It was amazing how much pollution it was putting into the air. In addition to smelling it, you could actually see layers of different colored pollution. We have since found out that there are several refineries in the vicinity. After years of having to have our cars meet California emissions standards and pollution controls, it seemed like a cruel joke.

Our trip to the repair center got the desired result, but not on the schedule we had in mind. We had hoped that they would be able to work on and fix the lens this morning or that we could pick it up Monday on our way to Arizona. Unfortunately, the repair is going to take 7-10 business days, so they will have to ship the lens back to us when it’s fixed. The lesson learned is when the sand and dirt start blowing around put your camera in a plastic bag.

The Getty Center, at 800 feet above sea level in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains, is beautiful and impressive even at a distance. We were about three miles away, yet could see the campus up on the hill from the car. The complex, designed by Richard Meier, is as much a showcase of his architecture as it is a museum of art.

When you arrive, you park in a large garage at street level. The parking is $15; however, visiting the museum is free. A tram track snakes around the side of the hills and both integrates into the landscape and stands out as beautiful piece of engineering by itself. The tram takes you ¾ of a mile up the mountain to the Arrival Plaza, where tour guides meet the tram to direct you up a travertine staircase to the museum entrance hall,

What strikes you, as you first enter the courtyard, is the architecture, Meier’s use of squares and circles complement and unite the assembly of buildings. Everywhere you turn, you see the sweeping vistas surrounding the museum as the buildings draw your eye to them. Once you grasp the major structures, you continue to be surprised and rewarded by stunning architectural detail everywhere you look. Although the buildings are very modern in their design, Meier used travertine from Italy to express Getty’s roots in the past.

There are four main buildings housing the Getty collection. The buildings are designated north, east, south, and west. Starting with the North Building, the collection is organized from oldest to the newest in the West Building. The second floor of each building has the European paintings and drawings, while the first floor is set aside for sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, drawing, photographs, and decorative art of the period. Due to the sunny climate and a unique system of top lighting, paintings may be viewed during the day without artificial light. Artificial light is filtered based on the character of the art.

One of the galleries featured a favorite Dutch artist of ours, Van Huysum. Several years ago, we bought a print of one of his paintings at the Getty Villa. During this visit, we were not disappointed as there were two more examples of his work. He must be popular, as prints were available of both at the Museum Store. Our favorite gallery was in the West Building, which housed works of Van Gogh, Renoir, Degas, Monet, Cezanne, Sizel, and several others. We told one visitor that we suffered through the other galleries to get to this one. She said that she has visited the Getty Center many times and just visits the Impressionists Gallery in the West Building.

We particularly enjoyed the photo exhibit of Small Trades. This influential collection of photographs by Irving Penn, one of the most respected photographers of the twentieth century, was being exhibited together in its entirety for the first time. Penn began his Small Trades series while on assignment in Paris in the summer of 1950. He based these full-length studies on ordinary trades’ people. For his sittings, Penn invited workers to come to his studio, dressed exactly as they were and carrying the tools of their trade. In addition to vendors of traditional wares and services, he also photographed people from the city’s working-class neighborhoods, including a bohemian sculptor and the chanteuse. He continued the series over the next year in London, where he photographed fishmongers, newspaper sellers, rag pickers, and chimney sweeps, and in New York, where he broadened the series to include many of the local vendors and delivery men he met. Penn’s portraits not only define the occupation, but also convey the workers’ pride.

Throughout the complex, landscaping integrates the site into the environment via heavily planted terraces that extend beyond the buildings. The gardens provide a contrast of color and texture to the collection of buildings. A unique garden is found on the South Promontory, a recreation of desert landscape. The highlight is the Central Garden designed by artist Robert Irwin. He called it, “a sculpture in the form of a garden aspiring to be art.” A tree-lined walkway leads through an extraordinary garden experience. The walkway traverses a stream planted on each side with a variety of grasses and gradually descends to a plaza where Bougainvillea arbors give scale. The stream continues through the plaza and ends in a cascade of water over a stone waterfall into a pool in which a maze of azaleas floats. There is a series of specialty gardens around the pool, each with a variety of plant material. All of the foliage and materials of the garden have been selected to stress the relationship of light, color, and reflection.

Water also plays an important role with fountains throughout the campus and channels draining into the central garden. In the courtyard, there is a large linear fountain bordered on one side by a row of Mexican Cypress. There is also a circular fountain with a large grouping of blue-veined marble boulders. The stream in the central garden has strategically placed boulders to create a sound sculpture.

We left the museum wishing that we had the opportunity to visit more often. Like the Getty Villa, it is truly an exceptional place.

From the Museum Garage, it was easy to get back on the 405 south to San Diego. Interstate 405 is another combination race track and parking lot that tests your driving skill, patience, and nerves. At one point, it took us an hour to drive 29 miles. There was a slight reprieve once we hit a short 13 mile toll road ($5.50). As we neared San Diego, however, we were again in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Two lanes were at a dead stop near El Centro, We suspect it was people going to the basketball game between the LA Lakers and Denver Nuggets. However, we learned that the USS Ronald Reagan was also in port with 5,000 sailors on leave to see family and friends who had come to San Diego to meet with them. The reasons are really immaterial except that it took us over 4 hours to drive the 136 miles to San Diego.

That was the bad news; the good news is that our hotel in on the edge of Little Italy with streets full of good Italian restaurants. For us, it doesn’t get better than that.

Five Lane Parking Lot

Day 27  Clear and Sunny – High-75 Low-56

Our only plan for today was to drive to Los Angeles. We use a GPS device that tracks the time and location (latitude and longitude) as you travel throughout the day. This time and location data is then matched by software that comes with the GPS device with the time the camera records for each picture taken. This unit is called the GiSTEQ PhotoTracker and the process is called geocoding.

On our National Park tour last year, geocoding was extremely helpful in pinpointing exactly where each picture was taken. After a few of days of taking hundreds of photographs each day, it all gets kind of muddy. Prior to leaving, Bill found a problem with the unit and worked with tech support to fix it. They thought they had worked out the problem, but alas, at the beginning of the trip, it quit working. Since we are in California, we thought we could take it to the manufacturer and either get it repaired or replaced. So, with directions in hand and only 116 mile trip ahead of us, we set off on another adventure.

We had to drive south on CA Route 99 and that gave us an additional opportunity to see the San Joaquin Valley. Unfortunately, what we saw wasn’t nearly as lush. There were some vineyards prospering in the north, but as we drove south, it looked like the dust bowl of 1930s. In some places, there was so much dust in the air, you couldn’t see the mountains. In the last three years, the San Joaquin Valley has had only 70% of its average rainfall. Compounding the drought problem, there are water delivery restrictions to protect the endangered delta smelt, a two-inch long fish. A federal judge ruled that the water used for irrigation coming from the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta could wipe out the delta smelt. Therefore, pumping had to be curtailed by about two-thirds. These two factors have led farmers to idle more than a quarter-million acres and put thousands of people out of work. Seeing this disaster first hand gives you a perspective on the problem of weighing nature vs. the needs of man.

As soon as we reached Interstate 5, our trip went from a leisurely drive to 80 mph bumper to bumper traffic with periodic screeching halts forming a rolling parking lot of 20 foot starts and stops that’s called a Southern California commute. The first thing we noticed was the massive number of trucks on the road. California restricts them to the rightmost lanes; however, even with that consideration, they formed a solid caravan along the route. Many California drivers are very aggressive, constantly weaving and dodging in and around traffic. Couple that with 5 lanes of solid traffic in one direction and you can understand why our leisurely 116 mile drive turned into a frustrating 4 hour nightmare. The good news is we did reach our destination and did get a brand new GiSTEQ PhotoTracker device courtesy of Erick at GiSTEQ.

All along our trip, we have relied on three pieces of technology. The first is satellite radio. It is so nice to be able to listen to the same programming across the country without the need of searching for a new static free station every time you go out of signal range. Although not all the over 100 channels are commercial free, it is nice to be able to listen to your favorite talk shows, news programming, and music. The next essential is audio books. We both like the mystery/intrigue genre, which makes it easier than if we liked different types of books. When we start listening to a book, the miles evaporate and we have little difficulty driving long distances. The third technology is a GPS navigation device. Ours works with software on a laptop, and although it is roughly the same as a dashboard or hand-held device, it calculates and displays a wider variety of information. We would have gone crazy today trying to drive and figure out how to navigate from hotel to the repair facility and then to the next hotel in the frenzied traffic. California drivers cut you no slack, and it’s bad enough driving with Florida plates, but it seems that it would have been far worse, if we also looked lost.

Early tomorrow, we are going to stop by the Nikon repair facility to get the 12 to 24 MM lens fixed. This wide-angle zoom lens is great for landscape photography and we have missed being able to use it since sand and grit blew into the mechanism at the Colorado National Monument just west of Grand Junction, CO. We will then head off to the Getty Center, a world-class art gallery. We visited the Getty Villa several years ago and wanted to see the newest gallery/museum. We will then head to San Diego to visit our friend Diego and his family.