Antelope Valley Information

Bicyling Along the Pacific

2009-06-20T15:55:00.001-07:00

IMG_6053
Originally uploaded by PaulT27

Last weekend I took my bike out for a nice ride along the Pacific Ocean. I began at the Santa Monica Pier and rode south all the way to Redondo Beach. I took a short beak at Hermosa Beach to eat lunch and then rode back to Santa Monica. I found the bike path enjoyable to ride with great views of the ocean along the way. The total ride turned out to be 40 miles.

California Poppy Reserve

2008-04-05T15:22:00.001-07:00

IMG_0810
Originally uploaded by PaulT27

Yesterday Becky and I drove out to the California Poppy Reserve to see the blooming flowers. The reserve is located 15 miles west of Lancaster on Avenue I, which turns into Lancaster Road. Driving out there we could see the hills covered in orange. The poppy reserve has seven miles of nice trails to explore and see the flowers up close. This year there are quite a few flowers. The past couple of years have not been to impressive but this year the bloom is amazing. You can see a few more pictures of the poppies I took by clicking on the photo above.

San Diego Skyline

2008-02-28T21:24:00.001-08:00

San Diego Night Lights
Originally uploaded by PaulT27

Coronado is a great place to get pictures of the San Diego skyline. I took many pictures of the skyline including this night shot. This picture was tough to get since I did not have a tripod. By making a few adjustments on my digital SLR I was able to get this hand held shot of the lights. If you click on the picture you can see a couple of other skyline shots I took.

Coronado

2008-02-28T21:18:00.001-08:00

Coronado Beach
Originally uploaded by PaulT27

This past weekend Becky and I visited Coronado. Friday and Sunday were rainy days in Southern California, however, Saturday was a great day to explore the island. You can get to Coronado by crossing the bridge from San Diego. Coronado is about 225 miles from the Antelope Valley. We took the 15 freeway instead of the 5 to avoid traffic and it worked well for us. You can see a few more pictures taken in Coronado by clicking on the picture to the right.

Apollo Park

2008-02-13T20:05:00.001-08:00

Apollo Park
Originally uploaded by PaulT27

Apollo Park in located in Lancaster California just north of Avenue G on 50th Street West. I was taking a walk around one of the ponds when I got this photo. You can see an arial photo of the park by clicking HERE.

Hiking in the Angeles National Forest

2006-10-08T19:42:00.000-07:00

IMG_3122
Originally uploaded by PaulT27.

Today Becky and I got out for a hike in the Angeles National Forest. We hiked in an area about 20 miles east of Palmdale at the northern foot of the San Gabriel Mountains. The Angeles National Forest has many hiking trails and we hope to explore more of them this fall.

John Muir

2006-09-30T08:39:00.000-07:00

Up in the Sequoia National Park there was a lot of information on John Muir. John Muir was a wilderness explorer who spent a lot of time in the California Mountains among other wilderness areas. I saw this interesting book in one of the gift shops that highlights some of his adventures.

Hiking Sequoia National Park

2006-09-26T17:02:00.000-07:00

Sequoia National Park

2006-09-25T17:05:00.000-07:00

IMG_3011
Originally uploaded by PaulT27.

Becky and I took a drive up to the Sequoia National Park this past weekend. The park is located approximately 200 miles north of the Antelope Valley. We have never been there before and enjoyed it very much. There are some monster trees in that park and we were at an altitude of 6,000 feet. Click on the picture to see some more photos of the big trees.

Back from Kauai

2006-05-21T16:14:00.000-07:00

IMG_2516
Originally uploaded by PaulT27.

Becky and I have returned from a wonderful trip to Kauai. This picture here is of some waterfalls in Waimea Canyon. If you click on the picture you will be able to see a few more pictures from Kauai. We have more photos to add but this is a start.

LeBrea Tar Pits

2006-03-19T18:58:00.000-08:00

Well it was another cold and rainy weekend in the Antelope Valley so we escaped down to LA. We stopped by the LeBrea Tar Pits on Saturday afternoon. It was an interesting place to visit. I have found a couple of web sites to get some more information. I did not have my camera with me or I would have some photos to share. There have been over 100 tons of fossils recovered from the LeBrea Tar Pits. The tar pits trapped many prehistoric animals between 10,000 and 40,000 years ago including mammoths and sabre-tooth tigers. You can learn more about the LeBrea Tar Pits by clicking on the following links. Page Museum - LeBrea Tar Pits or clickHERE to learn more and see what the area looked like in 1910.

Snowy Hills

2006-03-11T12:19:00.000-08:00

Snowy Hills
Originally uploaded by PaulT27.

When I woke up this morning all the snow had melted near my apartment. I saw that the nearby hills were all snow covered and got a picture of them. You can see the dark clouds rolling in. We may get some more snow today into tomorrow. Hopefully the skies will clear up tomorrow and I can get some nicer pictures of the snow covered hills in the Antelope Valley.

Snow in the Antelope Valley

2006-03-10T16:29:00.000-08:00

Paul in Snow
Originally uploaded by PaulT27.

Today I was getting my haircut and noticed it starting to snow outside! The snow was very light and soon stopped. The other people in the barber shop were all excited about the few flakes of snow that fell. Becky and I took a drive down to Northridge for the afternoon and when we returned to the Antelope Valley it was really snowing. This is a picture of me out in the snow to prove it. If you click on the image you can see a couple of other photos of the snow. As I am writing this the snow has turned to rain and a lot of the snow is melting. If there is still snow on the ground in the morning I hope to get some more pictures.

Find the Value of Your Home

2006-03-04T17:17:00.000-08:00

I came across an interesting website the other day. The website is Zillow.com. Type in your address and see if the value of your home is in its database. If you check out the value of a home in Lancaster, California you will see they average around $300,000.

More Air Show Photos

2006-01-25T19:09:00.000-08:00

I found a website that has more pictures from the 2005 Edwards Air Force Base Open House and Air Show. You can also see pictures from previous years and other air shows. Click HERE to check it out.

Victoria Gardens

2005-12-10T12:11:00.000-08:00

Last week we took a drive out to Rancho Cucamonga to check out Victoria Gardens. Victoria Gardens is a new outdoor mall. It was a nice place to see with all of the holiday decorations including a large Christmas tree with lights. We ate at a restaurant that has outdoor seating and were able to see the Christmas tree from our table. To get to Rancho Cucamonga we took 138 East out of the Antelope Valley and then 15 South. It was about a 70 mile drive. If you would like to check out the directory of stores at Victoria Gardens click HERE. If you are looking for a place to do some holiday shopping online click on the Amazon link to the left.

Air Show

2005-10-24T20:36:00.000-07:00

F-117 Nighthawk
Originally uploaded by PaulT27.

On Sunday a few of us went up to Edwards Air Force Base to check out the air show. It was neat to see all those aircraft up close. We got to see a lot of planes fly over including: F/A 22 Raptor, F-16, B-52, B-2, and many more. This picture here is of the F117 Nighthawk flying overhead with its underside painted with stars and stripes. If you would like to see a few other photos from the airshow just click on the photo to the right.

Rains in the Antelope Valley

2005-10-17T20:59:00.000-07:00

Over the past few days we have had quite a bit of rain. Last night I could hear the rain pouring down during the night as well as hearing some thunder and seeing lightning. The rains started up again during the afternoon and by 4:30 many of the roads in Lancaster were flooded. It was amazing the amount of rain we got considering this is the first real rainfall I have seen since May in the Antelope Valley. There is more rain forecasted for tonight but should be coming to an end by Tuesday afternoon.

Back From Cruise

2005-10-16T20:36:00.000-07:00

Navigator of the Seas Parked in St. Thomas
Originally uploaded by PaulT27.

I have been out of town for the past week on a cruise. We has a wonderful time on our Royal Caribbean Cruise. After leaving from Miami we stopped in Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, and the Bahamas. The picture here is of the cruise ship in St. Thomas. If you click on the picture you will be able to see more photos from our trip. Currently there are only five photos from the trip but I hope to add more soon.

Edwards Air Force Base Open House and Air Show

2005-09-28T20:48:00.000-07:00

On the weekend of October 22 and 23 Edwards Air Force Base will host its Open House and Air Show. Admission is free and there will be plenty of interesting things to see. Edwards Air Force Base is located about 30 miles or so north of the Lancaster, California area. This is the base where the space shuttle landed in August. I am looking forward to checking out the air show and seeing some of the airplanes that will be on display. I check out their website and it looks like cameras will be allowed so hopefully I will get some nice pictures to share. If you want to learn more about the open house and air show click HERE.

Palmdale Fall Festival

2005-09-27T20:12:00.000-07:00

Come and celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Palmdale Fall Festival. This festival will be held on Saturday, October 8, 2005 and Sunday, October 9, 2005. It has a new location this year, Marie Kerr Park. It looks like there is a lot of things to check out including a farmer's market, aerospace expo, and arts & craft show. You can even get your flu shot at the festival if you qualify. There will also be a fireworks show on Saturday night. To learn more about all the cool stuff you can see and do at the Palmdale Fall Festival check out their web site by clicking HERE.

Valyermo Fall Festival

2005-09-26T20:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took a drive out in the desert to check out the Valyermo Fall Festival. This festival is the major fundraiser for a monastery, Saint Andrew's Abbey, located in the high desert of Southern California. I was not sure what to expect but it was a very busy place with lots of visitors. More than 25,000 people attend this Arts and Crafts Festival. In 1969, the monks began to manufacture ceramic artifacts. These were displayed at the festival for purchase. You can also check out these handmade and handpainted ceramics by clicking HERE. It was a nice day at the festival with lots to see. You can also read about the history of Saint Andrew's Abbey by clicking HERE.

Trail Running in the Western United States

2005-09-13T20:10:00.000-07:00

I was just checking out some blogs and came across a good one on trail running. I have done some running here and there but nothing real major. I picked up some trail running sneakers last fall and had hoped to start doing more trail running. I found this blog to contain some good information about the sport and a lot of good links. I am putting this link on my blog to hopefully inspire some new trail runners and also learn more about trail running in the Western United States. Click HERE to check out the blog.

Images of Lancaster

2005-09-11T15:20:00.000-07:00

I was flipping through the pages of the Images of Lancaster book and saw some interesting pictures. During the 1920's the area was mainly irrigated agricultural lands. Alfalfa was the main crop produced in the area and was shipped to dairy farms. I drove by some alfalfa fields east of Lancaster a few months ago and they seemed out of place in the desert. Interesting to learn about the importance of that crop to the area. They also had some interesting pictures of coyotes that were trapped in the area and a hunter in Old Palmdale hunting mainly for bear, bobcat, and mountain lions. It was an interesting book to look through and learn some more about the history of this area. It may be difficult to find if you do not live near Lancaster, California but you can purchase it by clicking on the link below.

John Williams at the Hollywood Bowl

2005-09-09T18:56:00.000-07:00

Over the Labor Day weekend a group of us went to see John Williams at the Hollywood Bowl. John Williams is know as "The Master of the Cinema" since he has written so much music for the movie industry. The Hollywood Bowl is a very interesting place. The seating is built into the natural hillside and provides for a nice place to see a show. The LA Philharmonic was the first to perform at the Hollywood Bowl back in 1922. You can learn more about the history of the Hollywood Bowl by clicking HERE. It was very pleasant listening to the LA Philharmonic play many movie songs. They played two sets each one hour. We heard music from many movies including: E.T., Schindler's List, Indiana Jones, and Star Wars. If you would like to see the September Calendar of events at the Hollywood Bowl click HERE. Read more about the LA Philharmonic by clicking HERE and for more information about John Williams click HERE.