As we continued west along the US/Mexico border, the land got drier and more deserted. Towns were few and far between and many establishments that were once thriving were boarded up and abandoned.
As soon as we crossed from Arizona into California, something changed. Suddenly there were endless fields of vegetation at various stages of growth, all being watered in the intense mid-day sunshine by thousands of sprinkler heads. My guess is that watering in the peak of the heat is the only way to keep lush green crops from shriveling up in the extreme desert conditions, which are only conducive to growing cacti. Not sustainable. The most disturbing part of this was the hundreds of miles of open aqueducts (like canals) that were being used to supply massive quantities of water to these plantations.
These canals are sourced from several major rivers and from the Ogallala aquifer, which lies beneath a large potion of the Midwest and southwestern USA. It's estimated that it formed over millions of years, and It's being drained at an alarming rate to feed the need for mass-produced meat and commercial produce across North America. In some places the aquifer is nearly tapped out, giant sink holes are forming and communities are running out of water. It is estimated to run dry in the next several decades. Consider these circumstances. It's alarming to me that we have no idea where the majority of our food is coming from and what it takes to get it into our shopping carts. The severity of the sacrifices that are being made now and left for our future generations to deal with later is a huge concern. I will forever have these images in my mind when I see produce that has a California sticker on it. (probably Mexico too). Another great reason to eat local, and in season.
I was relieved to see fields full of wind turbines (a step in a better direction?) spanning across the desert as we approached an extremely unique mountain range called the Cuyamaca Mountains.
These mountains were actually made up of huge piles of giant boulders that looked like a massive bulldozer had dropped from the sky. So amazing.
As we summited the mountain range and coasted down the west side, weaving in between peaks, we began to see signs of human settlements again. After driving for an entire day, without seeing more than a gas station, this was strangely relieving.
As per a suggestion from TripAdvisor, (which we rarely turned to for "touristy" suggestions) we headed late afternoon to the Sunset Cliffs in San Diego. We wanted to watch the sun go down and celebrate our return to the West Coast.
We parked the car and walked along the cliff boardwalk. What a beautiful place. We strolled through the neighborhood and marveled at the fact that produce was dripping from trees in every yard and many fruits were rotting on the ground.
Lemons, oranges, persimmons, avocados, pomegranates and many other fruits grow so abundantly here that the locals give them away to each other by the bagful and they are considered by many to be a nuisance.
We had posted a general note on the San Diego Couch Surfing message board seeking a host for a couple of nights. A man around our age responded and invited us to stay with him while we were in town. We thoroughly enjoyed his hospitality and his sightseeing and restaurant suggestions.
We went just outside of San Diego to a town called La Jolla. Torrey Pines National Park was calling to us for an afternoon hike. The park land was donated to the state by a wealthy family back in the 1930's. This park and a few small surrounding areas are the only places in the world that house the Torrey Pine trees.
The trails scale up steep cliffs and through many acres of chaparral brush land. We concluded the hike with a walk down a long stretch of beach.
Afterward we headed north to Encinitas to visit the Self-Realization Fellowship campus. It is a yoga center that was founded in the 1930's by Paramahansa Yogananda. What a neat place!
We strolled through the meditation gardens, which coincidentally were closed to the public that day. We said hello to the security guard who asked where we were from. She said they make exceptions for out-of-towners, so we got a chance to look around after all. There were several acres of lush tropical gardens and ponds with waterfalls that Yogananda had helped plant himself. Such a serene environment.
We climbed a small flight of stairs to a viewpoint that overlooked the ocean. An older woman sat on a bench alone and invited us to join her. We had a lovely visit with her and she told us that this was one of her favorite spots of all time. She said that when she dies, she would like her ashes spread in all of her favorite places, this being one of them. It's a very special place.
PS. I think that SoCal is one of the only places where you will see lost pet signs like these:
No comments:
Post a Comment