Hotel del Coronado

Front area.

Arrival area.

Hotel lobby with holiday decorations.

Antique Elevator.

Elevator door opening.

Inside the elevator, complete with elevator operator. The elevator was retrofitted with modern machinery and controls. The box near the operator's hip still contains the original lever control.

Ice skating on a "frigid" late autumn day (lower 70s).

Courtyard panorama.

The interior is a maze of hallways similar to this one. Though the decor is clean and relatively up-to-date, floors still slope and creak, ceilings are low and are not level. Far from being dark and dingy, as one might expect of such a vintage building, this place is light and airy with natural light streaming in from many directions. This is the original building with all the character that implies.

One of many classic stairwells.

Another panoramic courtyard view.

Overhead view (courtesy of Google Earth)
Note the dunes that spell out "Coronado".

Coronado dunes seen from ground level.

Sunset Arrival

Full width view on Panoramio

Oh, The Places You'll Go

From the 2013 Tournament of Roses Parade

Pete

"Pete" the Pelican watches over the Malibu Pier

A wonderful bird is a Pelican,
Whose beak can hold more than his belly can.
Be it crabs, clams, or fish,
It will hold all you wish.
But I'm damned if I see how the hell he can.

Scenic Coast of Central California

Avlia Beach, San Luis Obispo

Avila Beach Pier, San Luis Obispo

Piedras Blancas Lightstation, near San Simeon

North from Ragged Point

Ragged Point Sunset

Big Creek Bridge

Ventana Vista

Point Sur Lighthouse

Point Pinos Lighthouse
(under restoration)

Bixby Creek Bridge

In the Mist

Chips Fire - Aerial 40,000' MSL

Updated August 28, 7:00AM-PDT

Huge smoke plume from Chips Fire, Plumas County, CA
The dark spec in the center of the frame is a commercial airliner at cruise altitude suggesting the cloud topped out higher than 25,000' MSL.
Image taken Aug 2, 2012, about 5:00 PM-PDT

Smoke drifting towards the northeast from the Chips Fire
The fire is burning off the lower left of the frame and was not in view on the side of the aircraft where I was seated.
Image taken August 23, 2012, about 8:00 PM-PDT

Latest Incident information [Inciweb]


Notice: Firefighters have made significant progress battling the Chips Fire as can be seen in the latest MODIS imagery (below). Interest in this blog post has waned. As a result, it will be updated less frequently and the incident information will be accessible through the Inciweb link above, but will no longer be replicated here.

This fire is by no means out, and still represents an extreme hazard in the region. If it resumes its rapid growth and/or interest in this post increases, updates may also resume.

NASA MODIS images

Annotated image of fires burning in the vicinity of the Chips Fire
Barry Point, Fort Complex, Holloway, Reading, Hanson, and Chips fires shown
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8/27 afternoon pass
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8/27 morning pass
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8/23 pass
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8/22 pass
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8/21 pass
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8/20 pass
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8/19 pass
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8/18 - afternoon pass
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8/18 morning pass
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8/15 pass
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8/14 pass
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8/13 pass
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8/11 afternoon pass
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8/11 morning pass
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Shrinking plumes as firefighters work to get the blaze under control
Image 8/9 19:15 UTC /  11:15 PDT
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Smoke plumes over Northern California and Nevada
Image 8/7 21:05 UTC /  13:05 PDT
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