So Quiet…
I’ve never heard it so quiet here. We live about 0.5 miles from the 405, and you don’t realize how much background noise the freeway makes, constantly, 24 hours a day, until it’s suddenly gone, and all there is in its place is silence. Complete and utter silence. Extraordinary.
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Carmageddon Nears…
Southern California travelers beware: at 7 p.m. Friday, July 15, the 405 freeway will close between I-10 and Highway 101 to allow a mad 53-hour rush demolition of the Mulholland Drive bridge in Sepulveda Pass. What does this mean, exactly?
No one really knows. If everyone heeds the warnings and avoids the closure area (and if the freeway successfully reopens as planned at 5 a.m. on July 18) perhaps nothing much at all will happen. Or perhaps we’ll see a traffic FUBAR of truly epic proportions: Dogs and Cats sleeping together; Carmageddon. I say don’t take the risk. If you possibly can, avoid any north-south travel across the L.A. basin on or near the affected dates. And obviously, if you live or commute in the Sepulveda Pass area, plan to hunker down for the weekend. The countdown has started…
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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! We’re wrapping up an eventful trip to Northern Arizona which had us briefly facing sleeping in our car in a blizzard (I-40 was closed) but gave us a short window (the freeway reopened for an hour) to make it here safely and spend the holiday with family. Add in some snow and some very cold temperatures, and it’s been a wonderful white Christmas for us.
This time of year I am always profoundly thankful for the many gifts in my life, good friends and dear family chief among them. I think also of those who serve in our armed forces, and the tremendous sacrifice they make on our behalf. I wish everyone a very happy holiday season, and for those away from home, a speed and safe return. As for the New Year, I’m looking forward to a busy 2010—especially winter. It’s time to start getting out there!
Happy holidays!
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Santa Monica Pier 100th & Fireworks
Santa Monica Pier celebrates its 100th anniversary tomorrow, September 9, 2009. The day will be packed with events, climaxing in a grand finale fireworks show at 8:50 p.m. There haven’t been fireworks at Santa Monica Pier in nearly twenty years, so this is a special treat indeed. Be aware that the whole day is likely to be one big zoo, especially when it comes to getting in and out of Santa Monica, and parking. I’m planning on biking in to see the fireworks, but even that could get challenging if enough people show up.
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Fourth of July Fireworks
For those of you who didn’t go see 4th of July fireworks, first of all, shame on you! But here’s a video of the grand finale at Marina Del Rey I shot yesterday with my handicam. MDR puts on a great show every year. For a (relatively) small municipality, they sure know how to light up the sky. This is also one of the darkest skies in the LA Basin, so you don’t get too much interference from city lights. Just be creative in your parking if you go, or you’ll have a long haul home. Happy 4th of July!
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On the Beach
Well, after last weekend’s adventure, I figured I’d take some time off from skiing the backcountry. Sue at ESAC reports impressively marginal conditions throughout the Sierra. Apparently the Sierra is on track to set its third driest January on record. Didn’t we just go through all of this a year ago? (more…)
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Interlude: the Beach
Seven days ago I watched the sun set from Mount San Antonio’s west summit. Tonight, a much lower (and warmer!) perch: Santa Monica Beach, looking out toward the pier. With a bit of a heat spell picking up, temps have shot up, from 70′s at the coast to 80′s inland. Faced with such brutal weather, what is there to do but take the day off, hop on the bicycle, and cruise the strand along the beach? (more…)
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