Midway

I recently returned from a trip to the La Jolla / San Diego area.  I'd been there once previously, which I wrote about in 2021.  I want to add something to that summary -- this time, I toured the decommissioned aircraft carrier, the USS Midway.

The Midway was the main naval vessel involved in Operation Desert Storm, circa 1991.  It's now a museum, permanently docked in the San Diego harbor across from the Navy base on Coronado Island (where it just so happened two active aircraft carriers were docked).

Along with an audio tour, there were dozens of volunteer docents to help guide you around.  These were almost all retired Navy vets, so they could add great context to what you saw and heard.

About what you saw and heard about.....this is a short list:

The flight deck, full of past Naval aircraft.

The bridge.

The navigation room.

The communications room.

The lower decks, which included the barracks, the officers quarters, the galley and kitchen, the sick bay, the machine room, the boiler room, and much more.

It was mind-boggling to think of what it took to build the ship, and what it took to operate it a city of 4500 people on the sea.  Not to mention how something that weighs 100,000 tons can even float!

I highly recommend going to the USS Midway Museum.

It Never Rains In Southern California

After a one-year hiatus caused by COVID-19, I just returned from a Fall excursion to some part of the country where I've never been.  This year, it was to the San Diego / La Jolla region of southern California.  My observations:

• It might have simply been coincidence, but the weather was fantastic.  It was in the upper 70s daily, with a cloudless sky.  The sun felt warm, but was offset by the light, cool Pacific Ocean breeze.  It was the stereotypical 'San Diego' weather that makes one wonder why they don't move there permanently.

• Took the high, arcing bridge from San Diego to Coronado Island, which is mostly known for its naval air station and for the Hotel del Coronado of movie fame.  The island is small, and an hour-long bike ride can get you around the entire inhabited area.  It's basically a tourist trap, with a nicely-kept beach.  The hotel itself is a major draw -- a massive, old structure with lots of friendly folks willing to sell expensive items to both guests and non-guests.

• La Jolla itself is a trendy, knob-shaped area with beautiful ocean views.  It's also an expensive place to live -- the median price of a modest residence there was around $2.5 million.  It's also not an exaggeration to say the majority of cars I saw there were luxury models.  There were lots of open-air eating and drinking establishments, most of which had that chill, wine-drinking type of vibe.

• About 10-15 miles north of San Diego, the Torrey Pines area has plenty of trails to walk and sights to see.  Most will stop at the ‘gliderport’ on the cliffs above the Pacific to watch paragliders swoop up and down, and back and forth along the coastline.  It's an awesome sight for those who've never seen it in person.  Many may have seen the gliders on TV during telecasts of professional golf tournaments at nearby Torrey Pines Golf Course, a gorgeous public venue and also a great place for lunch.

• Speaking of cars, the per capita ratio of Tesla models in the San Diego area was stunning.  They were everywhere.  I presume it's a combination of high gasoline prices ($4.50 per gallon was the average) and the feeling of exclusivity one might crave living in SoCal.

One COVID-related item was that California has an indoor mask mandate, and people were very compliant, as you might expect from any area that relies on tourists.  Contrast that with Iowa / the Midwest where I live, where wearing masks isn't encouraged much less required.  The result is that while the Midwest has always considered itself a safer place to live, right now from a pandemic perspective, it's clearly safer to live in California.