Southern California Trip 2011: 11/20 - 11/23

We decided to head down from the Bay Area to southern California earlier this week since a friend - his name is "Mightyfrog" on Blogspot - was here. We spent a couple of days in the Mojave Desert (where it was freezing) and then came up through Santa Barbara where we did some fishing. Can't wait to go on another road trip!

Old Can at "Hole in the Wall" campground in the Mojave
Desert.

Cacti - "Hole in the Wall".

"Rings Loop Trail" at "Hole in the Wall".

Ring-less part of the "Rings Loop Trail".

The old post office in the town of Kelso
which is also in the Mojave Desert. The
town used to be a base of operations for a
railroad.

Kelso Jail.

A far-away view of the famous Kelso Dunes.

We climbed all the way up here over rocks of many sizes
in search of a supposed trilobite area. Sadly, we didn't find
anything. Zoom in to locate our car.

Fishing at the pier in Santa Barbara. Photo credits to
Mightyfrog.

Out of the three baby halibut I caught, this was the smallest.
Mightyfrog and I only caught tiny fish, but nobody else on
the pier was catching any, so I guess we did pretty good.

My fourth and final fish. I looked it up, and it seems to be
called an "island kelpfish". I'm not sure though. Photo
credits to Mightyfrog.

Ah, my favorite thing of the day. Mightyfrog ended up
accidentally hooking an octopus that took his bait. We
removed the hook without a problem, and the little guy swam
away safely. Credits to Mightyfrog once again, as my hands
were covered in octopus goo and I was unable to hold a
camera.

The Caterpillar is Now a Moth!

Yes, that beautiful blue caterpillar has just turned into a moth. I thought it would be a butterfly, but I guess not. This moth was very unusual though. It had two weird looking antennae in the front. I know the picture is not good quality but this is what I got before it flew off. The problem is, it was still inside when it flew away (I was taking pictures) and new we don't know where it is... Good luck little buddy!

Blue Caterpillar

Found a turquoise/blue caterpillar on a cauliflower. My dad said that he will raise it to see what it will become. It looks very weird...

Blue Caterpillar

My First Ocean Fish!

Today I managed to catch my first fish from the ocean at New Brighton State Beach. I only caught one, but in comparison with my usual catch rate of zero, I have made some progress!

Barred Surf Perch

The First Jalapeno Has Been Picked!

I have a jalapeno plant on my patio, and I have waited for the first one to become fully red before I picked it. I don't know if it's more or less spicy than when they are green and not fully mature. I guess I will have to try...