San Diego Skyline - Holiday Colors

We like to head over to Coronado this time of year to check out the holiday lights.  Here's a view of the San Diego downtown skyline in festive holiday colors. This is the view from near the Ferry Landing on Coronado tonight.

       

A New Year's Day Public Service Announcement

Think of this as a Public Service Announcement . . .

Among people I know, a traditional New Year's Day dinner is often a nice big roast beef.  If, like a friend of mine, you decide that the roast you've bought needs to hang for a bit of extra aging, be careful where you hang it . . .

. . . because . . . you just never know when the neighborhood cat is going to show up.

I'll put up more images later of Connor, the Malayan Tiger at the San Diego Zoo, from this morning, but for now I wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year before the day was over. 

     

A Few New Images of Connor, Malayan Tiger at the San Diego Zoo

Connor got to hang out in the large enclosure last Saturday, and the morning sun was in just the right spot for photos.

He was getting pretty excited about playing with this big piece of log.

Click here to see a few more images of Connor, the older Malayan Tiger at the San Diego Zoo, from Saturday, Dec 26.
       

Merry Christmas !

 

    
    

Some New Pictures of Cinta, Malayan Tiger at the San Diego Zoo

Here are a few new pictures of Cinta, one of the almost two year old Malayan Tigers at the San Diego Zoo.

Click here to see a few more images of Cinta, one of the Malayan Tigers at the San Diego Zoo.
     

The Very Large Array

One of the high points of our New Mexico road trip was a stop at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, otherwise known as The Very Large Array.

The Very Large Array, one of the world's premier astronomical radio observatories, consists of 27 radio antennas in a Y-shaped configuration on the Plains of San Agustin fifty miles west of Socorro, New Mexico. Each antenna is 25 meters (82 feet) in diameter. The data from the antennas is combined electronically to give the resolution of an antenna 36km (22 miles) across, with the sensitivity of a dish 130 meters (422 feet) in diameter.  Whoever named this was not kidding.  Also, it's no accident that it is located truly in the middle of nowhere.

The VLA offers a self-guided walking tour that gets you fairly close to at least one of the 82' diameter antennas.  We were particularly lucky I think in that not only did we have really nice late afternoon light, but the antennas were configured fairly close together, and we even got to see them move in sync from one direction to another.  Even in the close configuration I had a tough time trying to get all of the antennas into one image.  At their widest configuration, which produces a diameter of just over 22 miles, it would have been almost impossible.

In addition to the 27 active antennas, they do keep a spare so that they can rotate them out for maintenance and not have to shut the facility down.

The Very Large Array is definitely worth the drive to see.  If you would like to know more about the VLA, they have a great video narrated by Jodie Foster.

Click here to see a few more images from the Very Large Array.
    

More New Mexico Road Trip - December 2015

Before we left Santa Fe to head south, we took a little detour up to the base of the Santa Fe Ski Area at 10,300' to check out the views.  Apparently the aspen trees showed up after a big fire in the late 1800's. 

About halfway between Santa Fe and Las Cruces we turned west onto US 60 at Socorro to visit the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's Very Large Array.  I'll put up a separate blog post for that.

In Las Cruces we spent more of our time in the little village of Mesilla.  We had dinner at the Double Eagle, which is housed in an old adobe that dates back to the mid-1800's, and is said to be haunted by two ghosts.  

We didn't see the ghosts, even though we went back the next morning to get more pictures.  Apparently the ghosts of Armando and Inez, who died in the room pictured below, are said to be quite friendly and playful.  

The town plaza was decorated with luminarias.

Our last stop in Mesilla was the Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park, where we took a little walk to stretch our legs before the drive to Tucson.  This is New Mexico's newest State Park, and they've done a very nice job setting this up.

Anyone who has driven the Interstate highways of the US Southwest will remember the many signs touting the next upcoming gas station / gift shop / tourist trap.  One that I remembered from trips to Texas in the mid-1970's was The Thing.  For many miles before you get to it there are signs proclaiming that you have to see it.  I saw it in the 1970's at some point, but didn't remember much.  We just had to stop and see what it was.

After you pay $1.00 each for a ticket, you pass through a ratty little door at the back of the shop, and head through a series of old, dusty sheds with old, dusty stuff on display.  Follow the yellow footprints.

Eventually, in the third shed, you get to The Thing.

I would hate to spoil the surprise for anyone, so I won't show what's inside the case.  In fact, I don't even have the photo in the gallery linked at the end of this post.  If anyone really has to know what The Thing looks like, and doesn't feel like driving out I-10 in Arizona to just before the New Mexico border, send me an email.

One of our last stops was in Gila Bend to refuel.  We saw some dinosaurs.

Click here to see a few more images from various spots we stopped along the way, including a lot more from Mesilla.  There are other links at the end of the other blog posts about this road trip.