After the big earthquake in Chile there was a tsunami watch throughout the Pacific Ocean. We were lucky in California to only receive strong currents & tides. Here is a picture of the cliffs near Laguna Beach, a very beautiful area.

Flying up the Owens Valley to Mammoth Lakes I came across many small craters. They look like small volcanoes that have been dormant for many years. The east side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains has been an active earthquake area. About 100 years ago the town of Lone Pine recorded one of California's biggest earthquakes. Snow really adds to the definition of these little volcanoes.

Flying through the Banning Pass you come across hundreds of wind turbines. The Banning Pass is know for it's high winds, which is a perfect place for wind farms. These rows of turbines remind me of a marching band standing in the middle of a football stadium. Desert Hot Springs is the city in the background and Palm Springs is out of view just to the right.

Today is the first round of the Northern Trust Golf Tournament. This is been held at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, which is about 10 miles west of downtown Los Angeles. Since this is on the PGA Tour, most of the top golfers will be playing. Phil Mickelson is the previous winner. Here is a picture I shot yesterday during the practice round. It shows the club house, putting greens and driving range.

The resort and the village of Lake Arrowhead are located in the local mountains about 90 miles from downtown Los Angeles. It's close enough to visit throughout the year from most of Southern California. There is water skiing and fishing in the summer and it is close snow skiing areas during the winter. Lake Arrowhead has one of the best Forth of July fireworks shows I ever seen. They shoot the fireworks from the middle of the lake surrounded by people in their boats. Here is a view just after a snow.

It was a beautiful night for the BCS final football game between Texas and Alabama at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. There were over 93,000 people in the stadium. The Air Force Academy had 6 parachutist drop in with one carrying the American Flag. They were followed by 4 Navy F-18 Super Hornets with their afterburners on. Then there were the fireworks, both inside and outside of the Rose Bowl. Here is an aerial photograph of the fireworks. What a way to spend an evening.

I just landed from shooting both the 2010 Pasadena Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl Game. It was a beautiful day with 100 mile visibility. The Navy did the fly overs this year with the F-18 Super Hornets. Here is a picture of the four F-18s flying over the Rose Bowl just at the completion of the National Anthem.

The Beverly Hills Hotel was built about 80 years ago. The idea was that a luxury hotel would bring in wealthy people into the area. It worked and the area became Beverly Hills. This hotel is known to cater to people from the movie industry and hosting many awards parties. The famous Polo Lounge is part of this hotel. Sunset Boulevard is in the foreground and all the private bungalows are in the back.

Every year or two Los Angeles will receive snow in the local mountains. Last week was one of those days and I made sure to be flying and taking pictures. Here is a view with the Coliseum and the University of Southern California in the foreground. Looking north is downtown Los Angeles and the foothills with snow. Two days later we had more rain but was warm and melted all the local snow.

A beautiful flying day in Los Angeles just after a storm. It is not very common to see snow in the local mountains, so it was a nice surprise. This is the Griffith Park Observatory which is located in the Hollywood mountains. Built 70 years ago and has been seen in many films. It is a wonderful place to visit both for the educational experience and for the view of Los Angeles.