Writing and Photography

I said in my last post that I would try and write every day... and I actually have been writing nearly every day, just not on my blog. But regardless of where I write, at least I am doing some writing. So good job me.

I have also been doing some photography around town so I can enter the photos in a these weekly contests over on Trazzler's Open Places. So far I have won two honorable mentions - one for the Santa Barbara Courthouse and another for St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Italy - both of which you can see below:

View from the bell tower of the Santa Barbara Courthouse

Dome of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Italy 

Sunset from Goleta Beach

Sunset from Goleta Beach

After I took this photo today at Goleta Beach, I got in my car and drove to the store. While I was paying I noticed that my camera wasn't in my purse and figured that it must be in my car. I walked out to the parking lot and there was my camera - sitting on the roof. And to think.. I could have easily lost this nice photo!

Sunset from Lizard's Mouth

Sunset from Lizard's Mouth.

A new friend of mine took me up to a place in the Santa Ynez Mountains called the Lizard's Mouth this past Wednesday to watch the sunset. Lizard's Mouth is in an area of sandston outcroppings that overlooks Goleta and beyond.

When I went up there the evening was a little bit hazy, making the ocean and sky melt together, undifferentiated. The Channel Islands looked like they were floating in the sky. The view of the mountains sloping down into Goleta was spectacular - certainly one of the best views in Santa Barbara I have seen so far. Lizard's Mouth is also easy to get to. Whereas most vistas require a decent hike to get to, the trail to Lizard's Mouth can be measured in yards rather than miles.

To get to the trailhead drive up the 154 and take West Camino Cielo for a few miles. Just before you arrive at a shooting range, there will be a brown sign on the left that says, "Lizard's Mouth," indicating the trail head. Follow the short path and there you'll be.

Although Lizard's mouth is a great spot to hang out and relax, it also has some darker secrets. I knew that the 2008 Gap Fire started here (accidentally by a 16 year old boy), but there is an even stranger piece of history tied to this place. In August 2000 Jesse James Hollywood ordered the kidnapping and murder of 15 year old Nicholas Markowitz as revenge for a $1,200 debt his older brother, Benjamin, owed him. Hollywood's henchmen went up to the Lizard's Mouth beforehand to dig a shallow grave. Later that night, after telling Nicholas that he was going home, the men took Nicholas up into the mountains where they bound him, hit him over the head with a shovel, and shot him nine times, after which they buried him in the shallow grave. The body was found several days later and police began making arrests. Hollywood, however, fled the country through Canada and then flew to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with a fake passport. He managed to hide out in Rio de Janeiro and Saquarema until 2005 when he was captured and later extradited to the US. While Hollywood was in Brazil, all participants in the murder were convicted or made pleas. In 2006 the movie Alpha Dog, based on Jesse Hollywood and the kidnap and murder of Nicholas Markowitz, was released. Finally, in July 2009, Hollywood was found guilty of kidnapping and first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

I didn't know about the Hollywood case before I went up there. It is interesting how once you find out something new about a place it can totally change your perspective of it. I went up there for pure enjoyment, yet I wonder, had know about this story beforehand would I have been enjoying myself to the fullest or would I have been looking for the "X" on a rock that supposedly marks the grave site, thinking that this was the last view that boy saw - at least it was a nice view (<-- is that morbid?). I will certainly go up there again and I will be sure to monitor my own reaction.

All in all, the Lizard's Mouth was an excellent place to watch the sunset and spend time with a wonderful person, having great conversation.

REEF: UCSB's Aquarium and Touch Tanks

Kathy checking out the touch tanks.

After two years at UCSB I finally made it to the Research Experience & Education Facility - better known as The REEF - UCSB's interactive aquarium facility at Campus Point (map). There are a few small aquariums and seven large aquariums, four of which are touch tanks full of a variety of star fish, urchins, sea cucumbers, and baby swell sharks. There is also one tank with a grown female swell shark, who was about to lay eggs (mermaid's purse) when I visited. 


The REEF is staffed by informative UCSB marine science students. I easily spent 45 minutes getting my hands wet, asking questions, and learning some new fun facts.

Coast and North Goleta Bike Route

Only did a 10 mile bike ride today. I did, however, use the North Goleta route for the first time. Pretty nice.

See the map.

Beach and Foothill Bike Loop

Relaxing after my bicycle ride.

I've decided to go back to biking. I drive my car too much, it is great exercise, and it is fun! I went on a 15 mile bike ride (see the map) and it felt so good.... So exhilarating.

I left from my house and took the Coast Route past Goleta Beach to Patterson Avenue. Then I took Patterson to connect to the Foothill Route and took that until Glenn Anne/Storke Road. Storke goes all the way down to Coal Oil Point, winding past Devereux Lagoon - which very beautiful, but the road is bumpy. I took the nice, new dirt path that overlooks the ocean towards I.V., then stopped for a water and banana break at one of those nifty new benches. I took some time to read Favela on my kindle and watched the sun fall behind the trees before I headed home.

That beautiful ride was a nice addition to the seriously delicious breakfast at Alphie's I had with Kathy and the afternoon beach BBQ, followed by beach volleyball - or something that was supposed to resemble beach volleyball.

An overall excellent day!

Tangerine Falls, Santa Barbara, CA

Walking through clouds of mist at Tangerine Falls

I often hike up the East Fork of the Cold Springs trail, which goes up to my favorite swimming hole as well as an incredible view of Montecito and Santa Barbara below. Beyond that is Montecito Peak. This time around, though, I went up the West Fork, which goes to Tangerine Falls. You can take a trail to the top of the falls or the bottom - we choose the bottom of the falls to get a good view. Plus there have been a few people in the past few months who had to get rescued from the upper path because they didn't leave enough time to get back down.

Tangerine Falls

The weather was very moist. If it was warmer I could have mistaken myself in a tropical rainforest. Everything was green and beautiful - and wet and slippery! After taking a few wrong turns and crossing over the rain swollen creek, we found our way to Tangerine Falls and Russell took a dive into the freezing water! He went right under the waterfall and disappeared behind it. The other hikers went wild for that, cheering him on.

After his waterfall shower, Russ and I headed back down to the car. Very nice after work hike, although I still prefer the East Fork (nothing can beat our secluded swimming hole and water slide!)

More photos: Tangerine Falls Hike

Isla Vista Beaches Shut Down Due to Floatopia Fears

This weekend the beaches of Isla Vista will be closed to students and the general public due to a Facebook organized "Floatopia." A Floatopia is a big informal gathering of, generally, UCSB students on the beaches in front of campus who then jump into the water on anything that can float for a drunken, floating, beach/ocean party. Although I may be a bit of a buzz kill, I think that the reasons behind the closure are totally legitimate. Already the beaches inevitably wind up with trash just from beachfront house parties -- can you imagine the trash (and likely urine and vomit) that ends up on the beach once everyone is dehydrated and passed out at home (or on the beach)?! So much trash!! So I have to give a thumbs up to the UC Santa Barbara campus police for nipping this in the bud. KEEP OUR OCEANS CLEAN!!!

Via UCSB PD:

Due to the potential for a "Floatopia" type event to occur, the campus beaches will be closed Saturday, April 2 and Sunday, April 3, 2011 and not accessible to the public or campus community. This beach closure is in response to unsafe and unsanitary conditions that have been associated with this unplanned event in the past.

The "Floatopia" event in 2009 failed to provide for the appropriate health, safety, or well being provisions necessary for a large scale public event, to include sanitation or refuse collections.  Because of safety concerns, the University of California, Santa Barbara Police Department will enforce the campus beach closure.

Southern California Nuclear Radiation Monitoring Station

EnviroReporter has set up a nuclear radiation monitoring station in their Santa Monica office. They take reading every ten minutes and have it streaming live online. Current levels are normal.

This is just one reason why the internet can be so good - transparency. You better believe that I don't trust on the US government to give me accurate information. There is much too much corporate involvement and private interest in government. The people with a vested interest in nuclear power will do everything they can to keep the general public unaware of the dangers of nuclear radiation. If people know radiation is coming to California from Japan then there may be calls to halt our own nuclear endeavors (which there obviously should be), which is why industry will do anything it can to silence concerns - including flat out lying. But alas, now we have an independent, non government related website to monitor radiation levels for us. This is the beauty of the internet (for now).

Santa Barbara, California Tidal Wave

Russell and I just got back from the beach and the tide is very high and the waves are unusually large. The updated warning say that these sea conditions will continue throughout the day and we may even see an increase - but really no big deal.

On another note, I want to point out that the current Republican budget proposal gives MAJOR cuts to the federal organizations that monitor, issue alerts, and prepare for tsunamis (as well as other natural disasters and natural disaster relief). If the budget were to go through 12 warning centers throughout the US would be shut down, with each warning center serving 2.5 million people. No good.

Also, a nuclear reactor in Japan is serious condition after the earthquake. Thousands of people are being evacuated and the US military has sent over an emergency supply of coolant because the reactor is overheating, which could lead to a meltdown. This is why nuclear power, especially in California, is not a good option.

Tsunami in Santa Barbara, California

This morning I woke up at 3 am to an emergency text message from UCSB warning me of an impending tsunami. According to Noozhawk, tsunami waves of up to 1½ feet reached the Santa Barbara Harbor about 8:15 a.m., and elevated swells could continue for several hours and subsequent swells or waves can be larger than ones that came before them. The beaches have been shut down.

If I hadn't received that text or read the news this morning I would have been none the wiser -- well except for the phone calls and text messages from my family telling me not to go to the beach this morning like I usually do.

Via Noozhawk:

According to the National Weather Service, tsunami warnings mean a tsunami with significant widespread inundation is expected, along with dangerous coastal flooding. Powerful currents are possible and may continue for several hours after the initial wave. Coastal residents are asked to move inland to higher ground, and boats and ships should be repositioned to deep water when there is time to safely do so.

Tsunami advisories mean a tsunami capable of producing strong currents and waves is expected, and currents may be hazardous to swimmers, surfers, boats and coastal structures. Authorities said significant widespread inundation is not expected in advisory areas but unsettled conditions could continue for several hours afterward.

A New Favorite Photo

Aura

Andrea came up from LA to visit me in Santa Barbara. She brought along her dog Mooie -- who, by the way, is incredibly smart and well trained. The two of them came hiking with Russell and I up my favorite trail, Cold Springs trail. Of course we had to stop at the natural waterslide - all three of us went down the slide and into the refreshing water below (note that this took place on Feb. 12 -- I love California!). There really isn't a better feeling, except maybe a steaming hot shower on a cold rainy night.