Tuesday, December 4, 2001

Hello from Los Angeles, California!

Start time: 0815

Start odometer: 28092

Weather: Sunny all day, temperature 45 degrees F.

The sun was already up by the time I departed the hotel, and it was a beautiful day! It was a full day, and very enjoyable. I decided to stay in Los Angeles tonight in order to position myself for a visit to a friend Wednesday. I booked this room through Hotwire, and got a great rate, even with the service charges. Not good for the small towns I usually visit, but great for the metropolitan areas.

Highlights:

Headed south to Border Fields State Park, located at the southwestern most point of the United States. However, when I got there, the access road was blocked with dirt and a sign read that the park was closed. Nearby, I saw Border Patrol vehicle, and asked the agent about the park. It seems recently there were heavy rains that washed out the road, and it had not yet been repaired. He anticipated the repairs might be done by next summer! This will be part of my next journey. Nevertheless, I stood as far southwest as possible. Does that qualify?
I returned to the highway and headed north into San Diego. I stopped by Balboa Park, a large area in the city where many museums and attractions are located. The famous San Diego Zoo is also located here. I drove through a portion of the park and it looks like a wonderful place.
I decided to visit the San Diego Aerospace Museum. Another great museum, I also took a tour of their basement, where they work on their displays. One of their major products is building a P-26 from the original plans, fabricating the materials as set by the designer. Quite an interesting undertaking!
After my visit, I drove to La Jolla, and visited David Pound, a friend I worked with at IBM. We went for a late lunch and spent several hours having an excellent conversation. It was great to see and talk with Dave again. He has one more quarter of school at UCSD, and will graduate in the spring. Congrats, Dave! And good luck on your Japanese final Thursday!
Returning to the road, I headed north to my hotel in LA, making sure to notice the power plant along the road that was used in "The Naked Gun" (thanks for the heads up, Dave!)

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The road to Border Field State Park is blocked by this dirt pile.

A road used by the border patrol.

The Aerospace Museum in Balboa Park.

A recreation of the Spirit of St. Louis.

One of several models displayed to show the progression of commercial aircraft manufacturing.

Model of a Piedmont 767.

Model of a North Central DC9-50

A recreation of the Wright Flyer.

An F4...

...Chasing a Russian Mig!

Bell helicopter on display.

Ford Tri-motor

After this aerobatic plane called "Shoestring" was retired, the owner donated it to the museum.

A wider view of part of the exhibition hall.

Ralph Wells, my guide to the basement.

The Boeing P-26 being built from scratch using original plans.

Another view of the P-26.

Appropriately, the museum is located under an approach to San Diego Airport!

My friend, Dave Pound.

Tomorrow I will visit another colleague, this time from Candle Corporation, my previous employer. Then I will head south east to begin my long journey back to Maine, and the completion of my trip. Thank you for visiting!

Routes traveled today: Ca 178 - US 395 - Ca 190 - Ca 136 - US 385 - US 15 - US 215 - US 5

Lodging: Quality Hotel Airport -

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