Fog’n Fall

With the Tuweep trip postponed and  discovering on my Ocotillo Wells trip last week I’m getting pretty stiff to be tenting camping.  I decided to check out the RecVan and Overlander RVs at the LaMesa show.

It’s late September and the beach area is still under heavy morning fog.  We have ‘MayGray’, ‘JuneGloom’, ‘NoSkyJuly’, ‘Fogust’, but no term for September fog.  I’m coining ‘Fog’nFall’, and am open to any other input.

So on this Fog’nFall day I checked out the van options that would make the 60 miles of dirt road to Tuweep.

Vanlife street vans are little more than off-the-shelf vans with a modified interior.

The overlander vans are priced well into $100,000 range. $140,000 for a Sprinter chassis.

But I liked the EKCO better at just over $150,000 on the Ford chassis.

There was not a single 4x4 on display.  All units were All Wheel Drive (AWD).  A damaged tire on an AWD typically means FOUR new tires, not putting on the spare tire.  The computer needs to be satisfied.

I did like the rear corner unit for some shade.

On the next Fog’nFall morning I was off to the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) for the largest Military Air Show in the US.

The gates opened at 8am and I started walking the tarmac at 8:30.

The B29 'DOC' is 1 of 2 B29 planes in flying condition.

DOC was retired in 1956 and used as target practice in the Mojave.  After 12 years of restoration DOC can be seen at many airshows.

The P-3 Orion remains in service

The KC135 is used for arial refueling

The C17 is a heavy hauler

The folks heading inside add a bit of scale to this big boy

The legendary B52

This is a British Fairey Firefly painted up to represent a Japanese warplane.

Now this caught my attention

Now that's my idea of an overlander

By noon the show has yet to show any signs of starting.  An inverted helicopter was scheduled to do a demonstration at 10:30.  Grr Fog’nFall!

As I’m thinking of getting a snack I find the least expensive item on the tarmac is $5 glazed Dunkin’ Donut!

The Marines also have shoot’n’scoot land equipment, manufactured by Lockheed Martin.

Ashough I wanted to see the inverted helicopter most folks are waiting for the Blue Angels.

It would be a great sight as Amanda Lee, not only the first gal to make the team, she also has command of the fourth slot.  But ...

A few fun static exhibits as I had back to my truck.  A 1966 Bonanza with a V6 piston engine.

I guess the engine is mounted backwards to turn the propeller and acrobatics are not allowed???

An Air Force version of the Navy Hornet.  The wings fold, but it lacks a tail hook.

Now that’s a beach toy!

The Navy Lap Frog Team was to jump from the Osprey to signal the start as they descend with the American Flag and the Anthem is played.  This Osprey is a static display.

The Osprey to be used for the event are still idle at the far west end of the tarmac.

The CH53 Super Stallion is one big rotor craft!  Just looking at the size of the tail rotor gives an indication of how much torque it needs to counter.

I’ve seen the inverted helicopter before and the Blue Angels can be seen from home.  So as I’m leaving the Osprey engines are starting to warm up!

Any air buffs out there with amplifications or corrections please comment!  My notes, my photos, or memories could easily be mixed ...

I’ll have a bit more on rotor craft next time.

Longboards and Grass Skirts - in PB

Longboards:
Saturday was the 30th annual Longboard Surfing Festival.  The event is held annually at Crystal Pier in PB (Pacific Beach, not Peanut Butter).  And hence my bike ride destination that morning.

Crystal Pier is closed past the cottages

Unfortunately, like the OB pier, PB’s Crystal Pier is also closed due to Storm Damage.

Although the City will eventually reopen the Crystal Pier, it has been closed since December 2023 with no plan in place for the repairs. That leaves the IB Pier as the last pier standing.

Here’s a couple telephoto shots of men's longboard division.

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Grass Skirts:

I decided not to stay long at Crystal Pier, and rode over to the Pacific Island Fest (PIFA), being held on Mission Bay’s Ski Beach.  This is a FREE family friendly event that celebrates Pacific Island traditions.  Even a Haole, like me, is welcome.

I was walking past the stage where ‘cute’ was performing.

Ok so the skirts are cellophane now, rather than grass.  They are a lot more colorful.

Hula gals continued to show experience, as the teens came to the stage.

It’s nice to see the grace of the gals, but I like the terror the drums can instill.

Much too late getting here for scrambled eggs and SPAM, but L&L has Musubi.  It’s easier to eat anyway, and my SPAM cravings are good for another year.

After Suzi reported in her blog ‘Home’, that MonaLiza brought fresh home-made lumpia.  (you can find that post HERE), I’m on a mission to have some lumpia to compliment my SPAM.

Lunch procured: Musubi, lumpia and BBQ.

MonaLisa need not worry of her lumpia being replaced.  These are the smallest ever!  I didn’t know they could be rolled that tight!  ARG!  About the size of an unfiltered cigarette.

There are lots of merchants available.

want a Tonga T

or jewelry

Hanna Tattoos, clothes, fabric, candies, etc.  It’s all here.

Catch-up Misc:

Last post I mentioned new tires for my truck.  I again added the BFG KO T/A,  not the newer KO 2/3 just the original 10 ply.  With just about 400,000 on KO tires neither the Jeep nor the truck has ever been stranded nor had a flat.  The reason for the tires was a planned  trip to Tuweep in the Toroweap of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

In picking the permit dates for Tuweep  I totally forgot I had a DMV appointment to renew my driver's license.  I'm sure it's easier to request a new permit than it is to request a new appointment.  I passed!

That left me a couple days for a road trip.  The truck was already packed for camping.  The desert awaits!

I chose Ocotillo Wells, as it’s FREE, has shade ramadas and showers.

A SpaceX launch was scheduled for dusk.  I really didn't expect to see much as the rocket plume would be hidden in the twilight, but the wind came up, just in time.

SpaceX plume

The ‘Lithium Valley’ at the Salton Sea is about an hour away, as is the Sonny Bono Wildlife Refuge.

This is a great place for burrowing owls!  There were lots of burrows, but the owls seem to have already called it a night.  This cute little Jackalope hung out for a bit.

I did not see any new-to-me activity near the lithium deposits.  The several geo-thermal power plants have been here,

With temperatures rising I did not try very hard to find the ‘Mud Volcanoes’.  I think they are now on the lithium leased land.

Fran's Jeep tossed an error P0441, Emissions Regen Failure.  I reset the code, but of course …  The membrane in the carbon canister had failed, but there is not an OEM replacement available!  A bit of research revealed a Chevy canister could fit.

It took a bit of a MacGyver to fit it, but seems to work fine.

And there was a nibble out of the harvest moon.

This was a bit long, I’ll try to hold it back a bit next time.  Until then! … Hint MonaLisa also had something else for Suzi … and I have a birthday coming!

OB - Ocean Beach

Here in SoCal, we can say PB, OB, or IB and even the tourists know the correct beach.  But none would even dare call Coronado Beach CB.  Not sure how these familiar terms came to refer to 'my' beaches. Thus we’ve made a couple bike rides. to OB.

Built in 1966 the iconic OB Pier has been shuttered since an October 2023 storm caused significant damage.

Damage from high surf has caused closures of the pier in recent years.
Photo: Sean M. Haffey/Getty images

This past week the city has confirmed that no additional repairs will be attempted.  The OB Pier will be demolished and replaced.  The current plan rendering has been released.

Ocean Beach Pier rendering.
Photo: Courtesy of the City of San Diego

The estimated cost is near $200 million! and will take years to complete. The new rendering shows the pier to be 2000’ as was the original.

I believe the WOW Cafe on the pier is also gone forever :(, it has not reopened anywhere in the OB area ... so I am now on a personal quest to find another fish taco in OB worthy of replacing WOW.

Fran and I rode our bikes over the recently completed bike path on Sunset Cliffs Blvd through Rob Field and down to the sand volleyball courts at Dog Beach.  She had heard that Beach Tennis is to be played there.  It’s kinda like Pickle Ball on a half-height volleyball net, in the sand.  We enjoyed walking the beach, but alas no tennis.

It’s nice to have the sand between the toes, it’s even nicer to wash it out.

We walked all of Newport Ave from the beach and then back checking out the options.  And we ended back at South Beach an old favorite.

Really, it is a very good taco, with a variety of condiments

At $5 their ‘World Famous’ grilled Mahi Mahi is going to be hard to beat.  But their service is a bit slow and does not have the personality the WOW had.

Saturday 9/7 Old Mission Beach Athletic Club (OMBAC) was sponsoring a wheelchair Over The Line (OTL).

Many of the participants are not disabled, but are there to support friends or family.  OMBAC provides chairs for the them, so they too can compete.

A while back I put together an OTL-101 blog.  If you want to check up on the game that blog can be found HERE.

A few concessions for the ADA version.  Although the ball must still go Over The Line.  If the ball is fielded cleanly in the air that, of course, is an out.  However in Chair OTL The ball can be fielded cleanly after a single bounce or simply touched in the air before a bounce and that too is an out.

The use of a T-ball stand is permitted at the batter’s request.

Field positions are the same with 2 forward to protect the corners and 1 deep to prevent a home run.  A good hitter will spin the ball into a corner over the line and with bounce out of bounds.  It's only a homerun if the ball travels over the last defender's head without touching the ground, hence he plays deep.

Rather than use a T-ball stand, the batter may chose to have a teammate pitch the ball.

The idea is to drop the ball near the wheel so a nice one handed golf shot can spin the ball over the line into a corner or sideline.  After watching for awhile I drove to Rob Field to unload my bike for a ride over to the Sunset Cliffs Auto Show.

With 250,000 miles on my truck I just put on a set of new tires.  I should have waited!, now these are some tires!, don't think they'll fit.

My personal fav at the show

Custom surfboard graphics to match his car.

A fully restored 1929 Hudson and it’s available!

A Stoddard Dayton 10-K.

A 1953 Bentley

also with some nice tires.

This 2017 Rolls-Royce Ghost is a commissioned build.  Simply it’s one-of-a-kind.

You get the idea the OB Auto Show has some really classic entries.

New to OB is a City Tacos.  They are a chain found throughout the county.  But this one is  their OB playground.

I wanted a grilled fish taco, but what came was fried.  Hard to compare grilled tacos ... maybe next time.

But their salsa bar is to be recommended

The outdoor patio is pretty open.

With it’s own fenced dog park

Foosball and cornhole for adult entertainment.

And on the puzzle table, Aj and I finished this mosaic.  Aj calls the edges 'The Crust', since neither of us start there and we completed the guts, we left all the 'crust' for Fran :)

Then Aj whipped out this Bobcat in record time.  Since it does not have an interlocking 'crust' and a nice collection of pieces in the shape of animals, I thought it might be more of a challenge … nope ....

That’s the action from the past couple weeks.  Fran has planned her Ohio trip for next week.  And I’ll let you know how my new tires hold up, next time!