I've never been a beach person - nor much of a water person for that matter - there are only lakes and rivers in the land-locked Prairies scoured out of the ground by the glacial action of the last ice age and the meltwaters of the Rocky Mountains .
But, I think I could be... Place name links like Carolina Beach, NC go to Wikipedia. Place name links like Carolina Beach use the local tourism or government website.
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The Mullin Automotive Museum
Murphy Museum Street Show |
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The Mulholland Highway and Western Malibu |
| 2013.03.13 |
Through Topanga Canyon to the Santa Monica Pier |
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Whereas temps were in the 60s for our trip to Oxnard on the weekend, today at noon it's 83°F (28°C). So I'm going to head over the hill via Topanga Canyon to the beach and the Santa Monica Pier where it's currently a much-cooler 62°F (17°C) and foggy because of the marine-layer effect. To the best that I could, I took pictures as I drove, to give you an idea of canyon driving, a common part of getting around the LA area. | Topanga Canyon is the easternmost driveable canyon through the Santa Monica Mountains . Being usually warm and dry, fires are a concern and signs along the road warn of stiff fines for open fires or smoking. Topanga, CA has been and is home to a number of famousa musicians and actors, and like all other canyons it sports numerous large homes with scenic views.
southward approaching the 101 | |
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down Topanga Canyon Boulevard | |
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starting up the north side | |
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down to the ocean now | |
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approaching the ocean | |
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The beaches here are wide with light surf and cool breezes. They've been pretty quiet since it's winter and I've visited them on weekdays. |
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The Santa Monica Pier is over a century old and has had several incarnations in that time. The latest version has some shops and restaurants, performers and vendors along the pier, a small amusement park with a carousel and the world's first and only solar-pwoered ferris wheel, and an aquarium.
south along the pier | |
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west beach | |
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local colour | |
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looking back | |
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deck at the end of the pier | |
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| The pier is considered the California terminus of Route 66 . This is a tribute to artist and cartographer Bob Waldmire known for his artwork of the route. | |
| Panorama from the end of the pier. |
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beach east | |
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After spending a couple hours on the pier, in warm but not hot sunshine, stopping for a burger and to people-watch, it was time to head inland again. Driving this side of the PCH is a bit riskier because of the steep and unstable hillside prone to slides and rockfalls. At any moment - Bonk! - and your day can go drastically different. It's much worse when it's raining but fortunately this winter has been dry.
Off the PCH and back onto Topanga Canyon Road. At rush-hour the road can be a parade of cars in each direction as many people use it as an alternative route into and out of the Valley. Mid-day it's a pretty easy drive though one slow driver can back traffic up for miles as passing isn't allowed and there are few turn-outs (which they usually don't think they need to use).
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entering Topanga | |
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past Topanga | |
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it's about here that the heat of the Valley | |
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starts to be noticeable | |
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| Back in the Valley now |
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cactus garden | |
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west along Ventura | |
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< Previous
The Mullin Automotive Museum
Murphy Museum Street Show |
|
Start
........................................ |
|
Next >
The Mulholland Highway and Western Malibu |
|
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