After leaving Santa Barbara around 8:45 a.m., we arrived at the wonderful beaches of Venice at 10:30 a.m.
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After leaving Santa Barbara around 8:45 a.m., we arrived at the wonderful beaches of Venice at 10:30 a.m. |
This is the third and final page documenting our California vacation; from here, you can also access page 1 and page 2
Click on any image to see a larger (2400 x 1600 pixel) version!
On March 12, we got up early enough to to check out of our hotel, grab a quick cup of coffee, and leave Santa Barbara at a quarter to nine. Eric did all the driving; this was wonderful and very much appreciated since it left us passengers free to admire the areas we were driving through—and it gave me the opportunity to take photos. In fact, quite a few of the photos presented on these three California pages were shot through the windshield or side window of our rental car.
Venice is a vibrant beach resort, a bit artsy and bohemian, and walking down its iconic Ocean Front Walk, one has the feeling of visiting what many people imagine typical California to be. It is not as upmarket as Santa Barbara we had just left that morning, but it's a wonderful place to people-watch as there appears to be an amazingly varied combination of individuals, many of whom could be described as "unusual." Runor has it that the unofficial motto of this place is, "Keep Venice Beach Weird."
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In Venice Beach |
On Ocean Front Walk |
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On Ocean Front Walk |
On Ocean Front Walk |
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On Ocean Front Walk |
Quintessential California |
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Skateboards |
Vibrant colors |
Souvenirs |
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Art of Venice souvenir shop at 1409 Ocean Front Walk |
Fancy Venice mural |
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By the skate park |
Watching the skaters |
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The action is incredibly fast, and shooting at 1/3200 of a second... |
...and ƒ/4 is a great test of the camera's autofocusing system. |
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For bikers and those... |
...taking out the dogs, the camera can relax... |
...but in the skate park it's back to work! |
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I shot these amazing skaters... |
...at 1/4000 of a second and ƒ/4. |
The camera handled it perfectly |
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Unlike the waterways of the original Venice, the canals here are man-made |
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This is a very pretty part of town to walk through... |
...and we even befriended a local resident. |
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The views and colors in Venice are idyllic... |
...but on the highway, we are reminded that we are in Los Angeles. |
We left Venice in the early afternoon to drive to Palm Springs, only the second place on this trip we stayed in one hotel for two nights (the first being San Francisco). Our purpose going to Palm Springs was twofold: first, we wished to attend the Indian Wells Open tennis tournament (about half an hour away by car) and second, we wanted to visit Joshua Tree National Park (a drive of roughly 50 minutes). We drove to Palm Springs on Interstate 10, arriving in plenty of time to check in, have a leisurely dinner, and see an enormous statue of Marilyn Monroe.
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A colorful Palm Springs backyard |
Forever Marilyn, a 26-foot (7.9 meter) statue... |
...designed by Seward Johnson. Tacky! |
This was definitely one of the highlights of our trip! We got to see two French players, Gaël Monfils and Diane Parry. We encouraged both of them very loudly (OK, mainly I did) and in French. Alas, it was to no avail as both lost, Monfils to Casper Ruud and Parry to Maria Sakkari (who went on to play—and lose—in the final). We also saw Tommy Paul eliminate Luca Nardi who had unexpectedly beaten Novak Djokovic in the previous round, and we had fun just watching the public. We also spent some time by the practice courts and witnessed parts of a women's double quarterfinal. Because I was afraid not to be admitted with my telephoto lens, I only took the midsize zoom with me, leaving the rest of my gear in the trunk of the car. As we saw other people with larger lenses, Eric volunteered to go back to the car and get the lens I needed; the best tennis shots shown below were only possible because of that.
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The (18mm wide-angle!) view from our wonderful seats at the 2024 BNP Paribas Indian Wells Open |
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One of the many practice courts at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden |
Gaël Monfils preparing for his upcoming match against... |
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...Casper Ruud, shown here in full action. |
Gaël Monfils running towards the ball |
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The Frenchman is serving... |
...the Norwegian is returning... |
...and back to Monfils. |
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Women's Doubles quarterfinals: Melichar-Martinez and Perez... |
...vs. Kichenok and Ostapenko. Melichar-Martinez and Perez won. |
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Luca Nardi vs. Tommy Paul |
Luca Nardi serving |
Tommy Paul's racket head takes a beating! |
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Diane Parry serving to Maria Sakkari |
Maria Sakkari serving to Diane Parry |
In the end, Diane Parry lost 2:6 6:3 3:6 |
Our last stop on this wonderful California vacation was Joshua Tree National Park which we visited on March 14. Eric had been there before and convinced us that we really had to see the place, and he was right! It seems that the Mojave Desert is pretty much the only place where one can see Joshua Trees—which, amazingly enough, are not trees at all, but a type of grass-like flowering plant called a monocot. We had a good time walking around on various trails and also visited the cholla cactus garden. The scenery in this national park is wonderful, and from Keys View, one can see all the way to Mexico if the weather is exceptionally clear.
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The view from Cap Rock Nature Trail |
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Off Park Boulevard |
Near the Hidden Valley Nature Trailhead |
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Rock formations |
If you see a Joshua tree, chances are you're in the Mojave desert |
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This could not be in any other National Park |
Skull Rock |
Off Keys View Road |
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The beautiful vista from Keys View |
Joshua trees are also known as Yucca palms |
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Cholla Cactus Garden |
Among the teddy-bear cholla |
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Cholla cactus flower |
Cholla skeleton, a.k.a. Cholla wood |
Cholla cactus flowers |
We couldn't stay too long as we had to get back to Los Angeles where we were planning to spend the night before our respective flights home the following morning. Wer left the national park by the north entrance and stopped in Twentynine Palms for a late lunch or early dinner, gassed up the car, and Eric drove the roughly 160 miles to Los Angeles airport where we returned our rental car and checked into our hotel. We ended this vacation by having a couple of drinks in the hotel bar. The next morning, we took the hotel shuttle to the airport from where we flew home.
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On the way to Los Angeles at dusk. Eric is driving, thus enabling me to take photos en route |
The photos on this page were taken on March 12, 13, and 14, 2024.
This is the third and final page documenting our California vacation; from here, you can also access page 1 and page 2
The photos of all three California pages can also be found in a gallery
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