COOL STUFF – Hangin’ Out With Blue Whales!
PHOTO GALLERY BELOW – CLICK ON IMAGES FOR LARGER VIEWS
Yesterday, thanks to Aquarium of the Pacific & Harbor Breeze Cruises we got a chance to see the largest animal in the world, right off the coast of Palos Verdes… so of COURSE we jumped at the chance! They are debuting a new whale-listening device on their daily boat excursions and invited HiddenLA to tag along. Having never been whale watching in my life, I invited one of our beloved Facebook fans (Cindy and her totally awesome little six year old daughter) to join me on the maiden voyage.
Moments after we ran into a school of playful dolphin, we found ourselves sharing water with a blue whale as promised – one of only 2,000 in existence. It was amazing to realize that the creature I was looking at is larger than any dinosaur that ever existed. Scroll down and check out our photo gallery!
If you’re interested in seeing blue whales for yourself, they’re out there so now’s the time! Details below.
WHAT: Aquarium of the Pacific and Harbor Breeze Cruises three and a half hour whale watch excursion with Aquarium experts (more…)
NATURE – Zoe Visits Coldwater Canyon Park
*Click on the thumbnail below to launch a photo gallery of Zoe’s hike through Tree People’s Coldwater Canyon*
My dog Zoe and I have been exploring the canyons lately. I hate to admit that despite living in L.A. for decades, up until now I’ve never really spent quality time venturing through the hills. Now that I’ve started, I can’t seem to stop. When there’s nature to discover just five minutes away, it’s a shame to stay indoors… especially since exploring the hills is free (unless you get one of those infamous stop sign tickets). One thing for certain… people who lament the lack of wildlife and trees in Los Angeles haven’t spent much time making effort to look for them. There are plenty, and close by.
So the other day I drove up to the TreePeople campus and Zoe and I went for a leisurely sunset walk. Certain parts of the trails were more populated than others, but for the most part it was very peaceful… I sat at a picnic table for a few minutes to listen to the birds, and within moments I spotted a family of deer just feet below me. FYI, one thing about Coldwater Canyon is that it can be whatever you want to be, a workout or a leisurely stroll. Also, you don’t have to worry about getting lost unless you start blazing your own trail… the paths are easy to follow.
Other web sites have already spent quality time discussing what the Park has to offer, rating the trails, and exploring the wonderful good deeds of Andy Lipkis and the great folks at TreePeople (who maintain the park and are definitely unsung heroes of Los Angeles). No need reinventing the wheel, so I’m just going to share a photo gallery from our relaxing walk and hopefully inspire you to check out the canyons for yourself. And be sure to bring your pup… a tired dog is a good dog! :)
