inglorious wanderer

In between the two fences that separate United States of America and the Mexican United States in the southwestern end of the international border are three bunkers that were used to monitor invading Japanese fleets during the Second World War. Rumors of impending attacks of Japanese forces were unfounded.  Life went on for  both sides of the fences and cross-border migration continued with the usual stories of Mexicans coming north for the unskilled and seasonal employment opportunities and gringos going south for less expensive leisure. We didn't cross the border, the border crossed us. Life goes on south of the border. Come to look at it, life seems to even look peaceful and uncomplicated  from afar. I have crossed the border a lot of times and I could tell that a lot of the things told about Mexico or the Mexicans are not true. I am amazed at how naïve people had become in believing could build a beautiful wall from the Gulf of Mexico ...

"The falling leaves, drift by my window  The falling leaves of red and gold  I see your lips, the summer kisses  The sunburned hands I used to hold." The good old song popularized by the good old dead Nat King Cole is full of sentiments about autumn leaves which is its title. I could have picked a more upbeat song but Google which is getting old but still good couldn't come up with any. It's September 22 and it happens to be Fall equinox. I  think of Fall equinox as the start of autumn when foliage change colors and leaves collectively fall. Fall equinox, according to timeanddate.com is the second equinox of the year. The first one is the Spring equinox or vernal equinox. I decided to go to the San Dieguito River  trails by the historic adobe house at Escondido when I couldn't find early autumn foliage along the trails going to Stanley Peak at the Daley Ranch.  In San Diego, summer always seem to extend into early autumn, except for shortening days. I ...

"Ventura Highway in the sunshine Where the days are longer, the nights are stronger than moonshine Some people  say this  town doesn't look good in snow..." I am playing Ventura Highway on my phone unwary of running it out of battery. Yes, the members of the band would probably  be 75 years olds  of they are still alive.  I am really trying not to use this phone but here I am blogging. I love riding Amtrak. Instead of driving for two hours from San Diego, the train ride takes four hours. The last time I rode Amtrak, I was with the Rose of Jeddah POLO. (Hi 'te Guy, wish you were here.)  I tinker with my D3200 while listening to fellow passengers. A heavily inked lady with a surf board is bound to Oregon and the conductor tells her that she's getting off LA. A couple and another elderly wanted to occupy the area designated for families or a group of 3 or more. The conductor comes back and the...

I finally bagged  good old fucking Mount  Baldy after a glimpse of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and spring on a midsummer day at the San Gabriel Mountains . Mount Baldy has been one of the must bag peaks for hikers in Southern California. It is one of the three tallest fucking saints in the area. Mount Baldy is also known as the  San Antonio Mountain, then there's San Jacinto Mountain  and the third one which makes me drool of  excitement with  the mere thought of bagging it,  is San Gorgonio Mountains. I came, I crawled and I conquered! I custom printed the t-shirt for the occasion. I did  come  prepared with a gorilla tripod so I could  take better selfies using a self-timer or a shutter remote. I did crawl to get to the iron pole marker  that tells hikers they have just hiked 3.5 miles from the Baldy Notch Ski Area into  the Devil's Backbone Trail. The D...