Point Loma National Monument

Today my photo club went to Point Loma National Monument to get some shots of the Tide Pools. We did not know it at the time - but the USS Ronald Reagan was pulling out and we were able to see it go past us. Here is some information on the USS Ronald Reagan:
January Hundreds of friends and family members of Sailors assigned to the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group (CSG) watched as the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), embarked staffs and squadrons departed San Diego Jan. 27 on a surge deployment in support of U.S. Navy operations in the Western Pacific.
The Ronald Reagan CSG was deployed under the Navy’s Fleet Response Plan (FRP), which provides the U.S. with the ability to respond to any global commitment with flexible and sustainable forces and the ability to rapidly respond to a range of situations on short notice.

We also spent some time at the Tide Pools. Here are some pictures that I captured while there.

On the western side of Point Loma lies the rocky intertidal zone, a window into the ocean ecosystem that lies along of San Diego's coast. During periods of low tide, pools form along this shore in rocky depressions. In them you may see flowery anemones, elusive octopi, spongy deadman's fingers, and a myriad of other creatures.

The Grand Canyon

On our trip back to San Diego, we stopped in Flagstaff, AZ. Instead of heading straingt home like we usually do, we decided to stop by the Grand Canyon since it was only an hour or so away. We got up early, and drove the 1.5 hours to the South Rim. I was pretty impressed by the size of the place. Here are a few pictures that I took that day.

Sunshine after the Blizzard

After spending 50 hours inside (except for the occasional snow clearing exercise) we were able to get outside again. Here are some of the pictures that I took when the sun came out. We are still stuck - cannot go South into New Mexico - but that should change some time today. We are enjoying the sunshine and the warm weather. The roads in town are passable - the freeways were dry - and the city streets were slushy during the day and icy at night - but the plows have been working non-stop. My sister and her family need to go East from here - and are delayed by at least one day. Bummer for them. My brother-in-law has a court appearance that will not be met!
This is a picture that taken today that I took yesterday in the midst of the blizzard. Same (approx) location. Note the blue sky and the drifts.
Pike's Peak with lots of blue sky.