The winds today were brutal, the scenery great!
(Written March 14, 2005, 10 P.M.) --- I cannot remember photographing in winds worse than this! At times the wind was driving sand at what seemed like hurricane ferocity. It blew away the smog, that made for some of the clearest skies I have seen over the Colton area in Southern California, but it was hard to hold the camera still. I had to shoot at a thousandth of a second. Note the flag on top of the hill in the photo. I could only stand the wind for a short period. Driving was an adventure too! Trucks were leaning way over. I kept expecting them to tip. I have heard of winds like this tipping big trucks and blowing truck trailers off of flat cars. It was amazing!
I explored a part of California I never have before. I've always imagined San Diego as a habitable strip of green hugging the coast with wasteland desert east the city. Today I came from Mojave down to Palmdale and Lancaster and then cut across to Cajon Pass. From there I dropped down through San Bernadino to Colton. Then down the route of old U.S. 395 (now I-215 and I-15) through Riverside and Perris to San Diego (photographing trains the whole way.) Where I expected to find rolling dunes, sage brush and cactus I found nice towns, lots of expensive homes, people and even Starbucks!
Arriving in San Diego I went to the hotel (The Westin Horton Plaza) and registered for the Emerging Technology conference. Downtown San Diego is a great city! I even worked out at a 24-Hour fitness health club near the hotel. The club in Horton Plaza in San Diego is great. It is perhaps the nicest 24-hour fitness I've ever been in. But, I feel so unworthy working out among all the fit So-Cal types. They have a lot more exercise classes here. They had one going on called "Extreme Street." They were dancing like crazy and some of the participants were in costume. It was quite a show. They looked like they were performing in a Broadway Play, like Westside Story or something; unbelievable!
Shadow is sick again
Our kitties are like our babies. Our dear, sweet Burmese Blue named Shadow is having serious intesinal problems. He has lost 25% of his body weight and the vet we trust is not available. We are very worried about him!
8:12:19 AM 
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