Wednesday, June 26, 2024

San Diego Air & Space Museum Balboa Park

 

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The San Diego Air & Space Museum is open daily 10am to 4:30pm 

For current pricing and exhibitions checkout their website. If you already have been to the Balboa Park Museum check out their secondary location at Gillespie Field in El Cajon for more aircraft and artifacts. 

The original museum opened up to the public in 1963 but a fire in 1978 caused the loss of the entire collection. The museum would reopen two years later in 1980 in its current home in the former Ford building in the southwest corner of Balboa Park. 
Plan on about 1hr to 2 hrs to enjoy the museum. 



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Thursday, June 20, 2024

San Diego Annex Air & Space Museum Gillespie Field

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15San Diego Air and Space Gillespie Field

San Diego Aerospace Museum

Gillespie Airport El Cajon 


The El Cajon site serves as an additional exhibit space for the Museum's growing collection, as well as a storage and restoration facility. Located at the northeastern corner of Gillespie Field, visitors can view various aircraft, including many examples of military jets, private sport aircraft and small racing planes. New additions at Gillespie are the S-3 Viking, the P2 Neptune, and Baron Hilton’s Staggerwing.

The Facility is Open to the Public
Wednesday - Sunday • 9:00 am-4:00 pm

Admission Pricing
General (Age12 years & up) • $10.00
$5 for children under 12, free for children under 2

The restoration shop at Gillespie Field, like the one in the basement of the main Museum building, is staffed by highly skilled volunteers. In addition to repairing various historic aircraft, they are able to build authentic reproductions. Current projects for the year include the Boeing FB5 and Aeronca L-3.



North American F-86F Sabre Lockheed Martin S-3B Viking Lockheed P2V Neptune San Diego Air and Space Gillespie Field Ryan X-13 Vertijet prototypeSan Diego Air and Space Gillespie Field

Wednesday, June 5, 2024

Lower Otay Lake Reservoir Boat Launch Area

2165 Wueste Road

Chula Vista, CA 91915

Things to do: Birding, walking, bike riding, fishing, boating




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The gate to the Lower Otay Lake Reservoir Boat Launch area is open Saturday and Sunday sunrise to sunset and on some Wednesdays see website for current schedule. In addition to the boat launch and floating pier for fisherman, there are walking and biking trails that start from north west corner of the parking lot. The condition of the trails ranges from gravel road, dirt path to muddy and slippery paths if it has recently rained. 

The main service road is made up of crushed gravel and it meanders from the boat launch parking lot to the skull boat house, which is closed to the public. You will find smaller dirt trails that depart the service road in all directions. Some dirt paths make their way up towards Wueste Road while others head to towards the lake shoreline. For the most part the trail is open and exposed to the sun. There are no water fountains. Keep yourself and dog if applicable well hydrated. Dogs on leash are permitted on trails. 










Great Egret Great Egret

Tuesday, June 4, 2024

Whale Watching in San Diego

Just a few miles off San Diego's coastline is one of the busiest migratory routes for whales on planet earth. Each spring and summer thousands of whales from Humpbacks, Gray, Orcas, Minke, Fin, and Blue whales travel north from the the warm waters of Baja Mexico, where they spent their winters, to the cooler but food rich waters of Alaska. They will pass by San Diego again on their return to Baja Mexico in late fall and winter. Gray whales can travel more than 14,000 miles on their yearly migration up and down the pacific coast. 



Blue Whale off the coast of San Diego Blue Whale off the coast of San Diego A pod of Common Dolphins off the coast of San Diego 

 




Pod of Short beaked common dolphin

 


Who, When and Where 


Gray Whale - Averages about 50 feet in length, weighs 40 tons and can live 50-70 years 

Sseaon Dec-April

Mid-December through April is the southbound Gray Whale migration. Gray whales are headed south to the warm waters Baja California. Females have a 12-13 month gestation period, and give birth to a single calf every two or more years. Calves nurse for seven to eight months on milf that is 53% fat (human milk is 2% fat). At birth, calves average 15 feet in length and weigh 1100 to 1500lbs. The rich milk helps the calf gain between 50-70lbs a day. This helps the calf get stronger and healthier for its big swim back north to arctic fishing summer grounds. Generally calves will continue to nurse and or stay close to their mother for eight months to year. Mother and Calf sightings are common in the late spring/ early summer  time as they trek north. 

Gray whales have been frequently spotted near shore of the past few years with one or more juvenile gray whales entering the waters of Mission Bay. You might be able to spot them from areas like La Jolla Cove, Torrey Pines Bluff. There are a number of Whale watching companies that depart various locations around San Diego. 


Blue Whales- Largest animal on earth can reach a 100 feet in length and weigh 200 tons. Lifespan 80-90 years

Migration Season June - September

Blue Whales, the largest animal to have ever existed on earth, was once near the brink of extinction as it was hunted by humans for its oil rich blubber in the early 1900s. Then in the late 1960s international laws were introduced to prevent the trading of whale products. The Blue Whale is still listed on the Endangered Species list as only 15-25000 individual remain. Climate Change, water quality and food source availability are now the main factors in the Blue Whale ability to comeback. 

What does the largest animal on earth eat? Well one of the smallest animals on earth. The Blue Whale is a Baleen Whale and eats primarily the crustacean called krill. And lots of it,. Almost 6 tons a day. There are number of underwater canyons a few miles off shore from San Diego were cooler and plancton rich water get pushed to the surface attracting large numbers of krill. That's were you will find the blue whales gorging on krill. 

View Whales from Land or by Sea

There are a number of different ways to experience whale watching in San Diego both from land and on sea. We will start with land based locations. The are a number of underwater canyons just off shore that provide a rich feeding ground and the depth needed for baleen whales to remain close to shore while they dive for fish and krill crustacean. There are areas north and south of San Diego that have bluff and cliff areas that look out over the ocean. 

North of San Diego

places include Birch Aquarium at Scripps, the Self Realization Fellowship Temple in Encinitas , and the Torrey Pines State Reserve 

West of San Diego 

Places include Point Loma, Cabrillo National Monument, La Jolla Cove, Sunset Cliffs 


By Sea 

There are number of tour operators in San Diego that a variety of whale watching experience from a couple of hours to all day trips. If you are in town during Blue Whale migration getting on a boat is the best way to hear, see and yes smell these gentle giants, since they tend to stay farther out to sea. 

Whale watch Tour Operators 

San Diego Whale Watch 

Flagship Cruises San Diego 

Adventure Whale Watching 

Gone Whale Watching 





Heritage of the Americas Museum

ADDRESS: 12110 Cuyamaca College Drive W. El Cajon, CA 92019   HOURS: Tuesday - Friday: 10 a.m - 3 p.m. 1st & 3rd Saturday: Noon - 3 p.m....