Encinitas Offers Unparalleled Charm And Beauty

A diverse community in San Diego County, Encinitas is home to all of the beauties of Southern California. With stunning natural landscape and a prospering local economy, many real estate investors are flocking to this booming coastal town, eager to build or buy property. Homes for sale in Encinitas may carry some of the highest price tags in the area, however, these impressive houses are also considered to be some of the most magnificent.

Homes for Sale in Encinitas Radiate Nature’s Best

Located along six miles of rugged Pacific Ocean coastline, homes for sale in Encinitas rest in the Northern section of San Diego County, approximately 25 miles from the heart of the city. The outstanding beauties of nature are apparent in homes for sale in Encinitas, with pristine beaches, steep mesa bluffs, sloping hills, and expansive coastal areas composing the vicinity.

Encinitas is also known as a floral attraction in Southern California. Classified as the “Flower Growing Capital of the World” by local residents, homes for sale in Encinitas are surrounded by fabulous flower gardens and festive flower baskets. Encinitas boasts a prevalent surfing culture, and is rated as one of the top ten surfing cities by Surfer’s Magazine. Numerous surfing contests encircle homes for sale in Encinitas, due to the challenging waves, unbeatable surf, and desirable climate.

Variation in Price and Style of Homes for Sale in Encinitas

Homes for sale in Encinitas are considered to be very diverse, are can vary in style, age, and price. Quaint beach cottages, sleek Italian and Mediterranean styled villas, funky contemporary condominiums and townhouses, and modern single-family houses are just some of the housing options available in homes for sale in Encinitas. Many homes for sale in Encinitas offer amazing ocean views, with these houses demanding the highest prices in the area. A prospering vacation Mecca, there are also numerous vacation properties available for rent. The Encinitas vicinity offers more than 55 housing communities overall, a style or price for any potential home buyer.

Homes for sale in Encinitas that are positioned along the Pacific Ocean coastline possess some of the highest price tags in the area. Most ocean front properties range in price from .45 million to .9 million. Homes for sale in Encinitas situated further away from the ocean can sell for considerably less. Homes for sale in Encinitas closer to the shore average from 9,000 to 9,000.

Transportation Possibilities Surround Homes for Sale in Encinitas

Encinitas residents are fortunate to have various modes of public transportation and commuting possibilities available. The Old Encinitas area is home to a train station, with both Amtrak and Coaster commuter train services. The Coaster service provides services to Los Angeles and Orange Counties. The Commuter rail lies between the cities of Oceanside and downtown San Diego, with stops in the cities of Oceanside, Encinitas, and Solano Beach.

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6 Great San Diego Beaches

There are hundreds of miles of beach along the California coast, and some of the best beaches for surfing, swimming, sunbathing, family outings, and beauty are located in San Diego County. If you are new to the area, or merely visiting, here is a guide to some of the best beaches in the area.

Blacks Beach is known for it’s great surf break, and is often considered the best surf in the country. Located in the northern part of La Jolla, this short strip of land is a favorite among locals, and traveling surfers. Access isn’t easy though, which deters many tourists. A cliff separates the street from the shore, and makes for difficult traversing with typical beach-gear such as chairs and coolers. Additionally, if you head north too far, you will be greeted by nude-beachgoers, so be aware when traveling with children!

For college-aged kids, teens, and families, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, and Ocean Beach are very similar. These three areas have flatter, longer, beaches, and less surf breaks than the rest of the county. Without the reefs and rocks to catch the seaweed, much of it washes up on the shore, so you have to set up camp a little further back from the water. Each of these beaches has a typical touristy feel, and Mission Beach even has a Ferris Wheel with a few other park attractions. For directions and surf information, visit the city’s lifeguard services’ site.

If you are just looking for a day out with the family, you might want to check out Mission Bay. This beach area also has parks and playgrounds for children, picnic tables and barbeque pits for a Sunday afternoon get-together. There aren’t as many sand areas here as other beaches, but you can cross a short land bridge onto Fiesta Island for some relaxing fishing.

Another great beach for families is on Coronado Island. By crossing an amazing bridge, and passing through the small town of Coronado you will find b Municipal Beach. It is just 5-10 miles above the border to Mexico, and you can even see the Tijuana skyline from the shore. The famous and luxurious Hotel del Coronado resort abuts the sand, and is filled with shops and restaurants to keep the family entertained.

If you are staying at a vacation rental in California, make you visit a few of these great San Diego’s beaches!

Earthquake

January 12, 2010 4:53 PM, 15 miles WSW of Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, the ground began to shake with a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. 8 miles below the earth surface the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault was slipping with the Caribbean plate moving eastward against the North American plate.

Unconfirmed historical earthquakes associated with this fault occurred in 1860, 1770, 1761, 1751, 1684, 1673 and 1618. A 5.9 magnitude after shock occurred at 5:00 PM followed by another 5.5 magnitude at 5:12 PM and then a 5.7 magnitude 2 minutes after midnight. Eight days later on January 20th at 6:03 AM a 6.1 magnitude struck again 35 miles WSW of Port-Au-Prince.

The problem with earthquakes is the time span between them. Generations may go by before a major one hits again. People become lax, building codes relaxed and disaster strikes.

The Richter scale, which records the magnitude of a quake doubles for every 0.2 increase. For example a 7.0 quake would be 32 times stronger than a 6.0 quake. The earth’s crust is a mere 6.5 miles thick in mid ocean and an average of only 25 miles thick under the land masses. Think of the earth’s crust compared to the skin of an apple, then imagine the apple drying out and wrinkling. Well that is not quite how it happens but it looks that way.

The crust is made up of large plates that are constantly on the move. The problem is that they are moving in different directions. When the plates grind against each other we have a fault and earthquakes. In other places one plate may be forced under another plate called subduction zones.

The subduction zone where the Chile Ridge oceanic plate is slipping under the South American plate created the largest recorded earthquake. On May 22, 1960 a 9.5 magnitude quake occurred off the coast of Chile. The sudden change in the ocean floor created huge tsunami in the Pacific.

Subduction zones are found in the deep valleys of the oceans and result in most of the deaths due to the resulting tsunamis.

What drives these plates? It would have to be the strongest force on earth, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a mountain range that extends half way around the world. Running north and south through the Atlantic ocean. The ridge is growing through volcanos along the center of its length, pushing the North American plate west and the Eurasian plate east.

The question is whither the ridge is the result of the two plates moving apart or is it causing the plates to move.

The Core of the earth is like a boiling pot, with heat rising toward the surface and cooler areas falling toward the center. Convection and the release of heat from the Earth’s core drives further convection in the mantle. The portion of the mantle that is closest to the crust is plastic and flows easily. Convection in the mantle drives plate tectonic motions of the sea floor and continents. This convection is not even, just as currents in the ocean are not all the going in the same direction. These rivers of lava push against the bottom of mountains and move continents or continental plates. An excellent paper on the Earth’s Interior & Plate Tectonics can be found at http://www.solarviews.com/eng/earthint.htm.

The Pacific Ring of Fire is the most active earthquake and volcano area in the world. The Pacific rise is expanding and the continents of the Americas and Asia are pushing toward each other to create the Ring of Fire around the Pacific with subduction zones on both sides of the ocean.

Mountain uplift and folding

With all the pressure being applied to the edges of some of the continents, mountains are being pushed up and some that have eroded down are floating back up to stabilize on the ocean of mantle below. This results in the many smaller earthquakes in the eastern US and other parts of the world. This mountain uplifting has created faults along mountain sides and of course this results in caves being formed in the crevasse formed by this activity. As caving is my hobby, I have a special interest in all this activity. Cavers have reported not even noticing an earthquake during a cave trip, even when the quake was near by. All the rock moves together and being inside you have no reference to gauge the movement. Of course these are usually a magnitude of 3 or less. We do see plenty of fault evidence in the caves and they sometimes give clues to more cave passage to explore. There have also been freak accidents where large boulders have fallen on cavers that may have been caused by small quakes.

The Lake County uplift, about 31 miles long and 14 miles wide, up warps the Mississippi river valley as much a 32 feet in parts of southwest Kentucky, southeast Missouri, and Northwest Tennessee. The Tiptonville dome is the largest and highest topographic relief on the Lake County uplift. It is 8.7 miles wide and 6.8 miles long. Uplifting of this dome occurred during the earthquakes of 1811-1812. The ground subsided to the east of the Tiptonville dome during the same time and formed Reelfoot Lake. Some areas subsided as much as 16 feet. This area is also know as the New Madrid Seismic Zone, New Madrid Fault Line or Reelfoot Rift.

The most well documented and accurate prediction of an earthquake was the earthquake of December 16, 1811. The first quake was an estimated magnitude 8.1 followed by four other quakes of magnitude 8.0 or higher through February 7, 1812. The area of strong shaking associated with these shocks is two to three times larger than that of the 1964 Alaska Quake and 10 times larger than that of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

Tecumseh was born March 9, 1768 under a shooting star called the Panther, his name means Panther-Across-The-Sky. Leading up to the War of 1812 Tecumseh was well know as a diplomat, a peacemaker and a prophet. He prophesied to the day the first of the long series of quakes months before. It was the signal for all the Indian tribes to go to war with the whites. An accurate account of the events can be found in the book The Frontiersmen a narrative by Allan W. Eckert.

In December, 1809, Tecumseh planned to visit each chief of all the tribes he was trying to bring together. But before he set out he gave strict instructions to his younger brother to go into the woods and make a large number of sacred slabs. Each slab was to be the same length, thickness and taper, and each was to have carved, on one side only, the same symbols. They were to be made of red cedar and each was to be supplied with a bundle of thin red sticks. Each stick was to represent one moon, and, when the bundle and slab was given to a particular chief, he would be directed to throw away one of the red sticks at each full moon until only the slab remained, at which time he must prepare for the great sign to be given. The meaning of the symbols, known only to the Indians on both sides of the Mississippi River were to come directly to Detroit to take over the fort. As he traveled through the southern tribes and handed out the slabs and bundles of sticks, the bundles were becoming smaller, so that the timing would be that all would run out of sticks at the same time.

Big Warrior, chief of the Upper Creeks, in the village of Tuckabatchee located on the Tallapoosa River, was hard to convince. Tecumseh told him that as a sign, that he would leave Tuckabatchee and go directly to Detroit. When I arrive there, I will stamp on the ground with my foot, and shake down every house in Tuckagatchee! Big Warrior agreed to follow if and when this took place.

When all of the tribes were down to the last red stick, they were told that they would be given a preliminary sign in six days. A great star would flash across the sky. They were then to divide the last stick into thirty equal pieces. Each day thereafter, one of thede pieces was to be burned in the light of dawn, but the thirtieth and last piece was to be burned in the midst of the night. Then the would come the great sign which he had told them about. They would then all converge on the British fort Malden on Lake Erie.

Saturday, November 16, 1811

Under a crisp cloudless sky, the Indians crouched. No fires were lit as to not interfere with the sign. There was also no moon and the stars were bright. From southern Canada, western New York and Pennsylvania, they watched. In Ohio and the Indiana Territory to the land between the lakes and the land west of the lakes they watched. Along the Mississippi and Missouri, and even farther west, they watched. In the Tennessee and Alabama and Mississippi country, they watched. And each chief held in his hand the final red stick.

Just before midnight it came — a great searing flash from out of the southwest; incredibly bright with a weird greenish-white light, swift and awe-inspiring as the heads of a hundred thousand Indians swivelled to watch its progress across the heavens until it disappeared in the northeast.

Many of the chiefs broke their sticks over their knees and threw them away in fear and anger. But there were some who carefully measured, marked it off with a bit of charcoal, and cut it into thirty equal lengths. And then they waited.

Monday, December 16, 1811

At 2:30 AM the earth shook.

In the south of Canada, in the villages of the Iroquois, Ottawa, Chippewa and Huron, it came as a deep and terrifying rumble. Creek banks caved in and huge trees toppled in a continuous crash of snapping branches.

In all of the Great Lakes, but especially Lake Michigan and Lake Erie, the waters danced and great waves broke erratically on the shores, though there was no wind.

In the western plains, there was a fierce grinding sound and a shuddering, which jarred the bones and set teeth on edge. Earthen vessels split apart and great herds of bison staggered to their feet and stampeded in abject panic.

To the south and west, tremendous boulders broke loose on hills and cut swaths through the trees and brush to the bottoms. Rapidly running streams stopped and eddied, and some of them abruptly went dry and the fish that had lived in them flopped away their lives on the muddy or rocky beds.

To the south, whole forests fell in incredible tangles. New streams sprang up where none had been before. In the Upper Creek village of Tuckabatchee, every dwelling shuddered and shook, and then collapsed upon itself and its inhabitants.

To the south and east, palm trees lashed about like whips, and lakes emptied of their waters, while ponds appeared in huge declivities which suddenly dented the surface of the earth.

All over the land, birds were roused from their roosting places with scream of fright and flapping wings. Cattle bellowed and kicked, lost their footing, and were thrown to the ground where they rolled about, unable to regain their balance.

In Kentucky, Tennessee and the Indiana Territory, settlers were thrown from their beds, heard the timbers of their cabins wrench apart, and watched the bricks crumble into heaps of debris masked in choking clouds of dust. Bridges snapped and tumbled into rivers and creeks. Glass shattered, fences and barns collapsed and fires broke out. Along steep ravines, the cliffside slipped and filled their chasms, and the country was blanketing with a deafening roar.

In the center of all this, in that area where the Ohio River meets the Mississippi, where Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri, and Illinois come together, fantastic splits appeared in the ground and huge tracts of land were swallowed up. A few miles from the Mississippi, near the Kentucky-Tennessee border, a monstrous section of ground sank as if some gigantic foot had stepped on the soft earth and mashed it down. Water gushed forth in fantastic volume and the depression became filled and turned into a large lake, to become known as Reelfoot Lake. The whole mid-section of the Mississippi writhed and heaved and tremendous bluffs toppled into the muddy waters. Entire sections of land were inundated, and others that had been riverbed were left high in the air. The Mississippi itself turned and flowed backwards for a time. It swirled and eddied, hissed and gurgled, and at length, when it settled down, the face of the land had changed. New Madrid was destroyed and the tens of thousands of acres of land, including virtually all that was owned by Simon Kenton, vanished forever; that which remained was ugly and austere.

Such was the great sign of Tecumseh.

This was the earthquake which occurred where no tremor had ever been recorded before; where there was no scientific explanation for such a thing happening; where no one cold possibly have anticipated or predicted that an earthquake could happen. No one except Tecumseh.

And though they were only a small percentage of those who had pledged themselves to do so, nevertheless quite a number of warriors of various tribes gathered up their weapons and set out at once to join the amazing Shawnee chief near Detroit.

From the book The Frontiersmen by Allan W. Echert.

The second quake occurred at 8:15 AM on December 16, 1811 with about the same magnitude.

The third quake occurred at Noon on December 16, 1811 also about the same magnitude.

The forth quake occurred at 9:00 AM on January 23, 1812 with a magnitude of 7.8.

And the fifth quake occurred at 3:45 AM on February 7, 1812 this last quake had several destructive shocks on February 7, the last of which equaled or surpassed the magnitude of any previous event. The town of New Madrid was destroyed. At St. Louis, many houses were damaged severely and the chimneys were thrown down.

For almost two years strong aftershocks were felt in the area and currently smaller quakes are still occurring. Five towns disappeared, in Missouri Little Prairie and Lost Village, in Arkansas Big Prairie (Rebuilt as Helena) and New Madrid. Fort Jefferson, Ky was also disappeared though only a few people were living there at the time. New Madrid had the largest population and was rebuilt further north on the new Mississippi bank with a population of 1,548. To give you an ideal of the population density the population of St. Louis after the quake was only 3,149, Cape Girardeau 2,026, Ste. Genevieve 1,701 and St. Charles 1,096.

The quakes were felt in 28 states and the District of Columbia.

People and Earthquakes

New York City, New York
August 10 at 19:07 UTC
Magnitude 5.5

This severe earthquake affected an area roughly extending along the Atlantic Coast from southern Maine to central Virginia and westward to Cleveland, Ohio. Chimneys were knocked down and walls were cracked in several States, including Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Many towns from Hartford, Connecticut, to West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Property damage was severe at Amityville and Jamaica, New York, where several chimneys were “overturned” and large cracks formed in walls. Two chimneys were thrown down and bricks were shaken from other chimneys at Stratford (Fairfield County), Conn.; water in the Housatonic River was agitated violently. At Bloomfield, N.J., and Chester, Pa., several chimneys were downed and crockery was broken. Chimneys also were damaged at Mount Vernon, N.Y., and Allentown, Easton, and Philadelphia, Pa. Three shocks occurred, the second of which was most violent. This earthquake also was reported felt in Vermont, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Several slight aftershocks were reported on August 11.

Source: Carl W. Stover and Jerry L. Coffman, U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1527

People seem to collect in earthquake prone areas. Maybe it is because of the bays and waterways.

formed by the faults. A rift in the crust runs along underneath the 125th street in New York and is known as the 125th Street Fault. The fault line creates a fault valley deep enough to require the IRT Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line to become a trestle bridge between 122nd and 135th Streets. The street in the 18th century was called The Hollow Way.

Compare the population density of the US with damaging quakes and you can clearly see that we live in all the wrong places.

As recent as 2009 a mild earthquake has occurred in the New York City area.

Morristown, New Jersey 34 miles from New York City
February 03, 2009 at 03:34:19 UTC
Magnitude 3.0

A year later, 40 miles from Chicago, IL.
February 10, 2010 at 14:00:04 UTC
Magnitude 3.8

In poorer areas where building codes are not up to earthquake standards the death toll is much higher even with moderate earthquakes.

Deadest Quakes in the World:

Date

Location Deaths Magnitude Jan. 23, 1556 Shansi, China 830,000 ~8 July 27, 1976 Tangshan, China 255,000 [1] 7.5 January 12, 2010 Port-Au-Prince, Haiti 230,000 7.0 Aug. 9, 1138 Aleppo, Syria 230,000 n.a. Dec. 26, 2004 off west coast of northern Sumatra 225,000 + 9.0 Dec. 22, 8562 Damghan, Iran 200,000 n.a. May 22, 1927 near Xining, Tsinghai, China 200,000 7.9 Dec. 16, 1920 Gansu, China 200,000 7.8 March 23, 8932 Ardabil, Iran 150,000 n.a. Sept. 1, 1923 Kwanto, Japan 143,000 7.9 Oct. 5, 1948 Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, USSR 110,000 7.3 Dec. 28, 1908 Messina, Italy 100,000 [2] 7.2 Sept. 1290 Chihli, China 100,000 n.a. May 12, 2008 Eastern Sichuan, China 87,587 7.9 Oct. 8, 2005 Pakistan 80,361 7.6 Nov. 1667 Shemakha, Caucasia 80,000 n.a. Nov. 18, 1727 Tabriz, Iran 77,000 n.a. Dec. 25, 1932 Gansu, China 70,000 7.6 Nov. 1, 1755 Lisbon, Portugal 70,000 8.7 May 31, 1970 Peru 66,000 7.9 May 30, 1935 Quetta, Pakistan 60,000 7.5 Jan. 11, 1693 Sicily, Italy 60,000 [2] n.a. 1268 [3] Silicia, Asia Minor 60,000 n.a. June 20, 1990 Iran 50,000 7.7 Feb. 4, 1783 Calabria, Italy 50,000 n.a.

Largest earthquakes by magnitude:

Date Location Magnitude May 22, 1960 Valdivia, Chile 9.5 December 26, 2004 Off west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia 9.3 March 27, 1964 Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA 9.2 November 4, 1952 Kamchatka, USSR 9.0 January 26, 1700 Cascadia subduction zone 9 [2] January 31, 1906 Colombia-Ecuador 8.8 February 4, 1965 Rat Islands, Alaska, USA 8.7 November 25, 1833 Sumatra, Indonesia 8.8-9.2 [2] November 1, 1755 Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal 8.7 [2] March 28, 2005 Sumatra, Indonesia 8.6-8.7 [2] March 9, 1957 Andreanof Islands, Alaska, USA 8.6 December 16, 1920 Ningxia-Gansu, China 8.6 August 15, 1950 Assam, India – Tibet, China 8.6 December 16, 1575 Valdivia, Kingdom of Chile 8.5 September 12, 2007 Sumatra, Indonesia 8.5 October 16, 1737 Kamchatka, Russian Empire 8.3 [2]

1. Official. Estimated death toll as high as 655,000.

2. Estimated.

3. No date available.

Source: National Earthquake Information Center, U.S. Geological Survey.

Largest earthquake in North America

Anchorage Alaska earthquake

March 27, 1964, at 5:36 PM local time in Alaska, a Magnitude 9.2 earthquake occurred in Prince William Sound. This was also the third largest recorded in the world.

This subduction zone was created by the Pacific plate sliding under the North American plate 16 miles underground between Valdez and Anchorage. The vertical thrust of the fault generated a tsunami that reached Hawaii and ran down the Pacific Coast of North America. Ground waves of over 3 feet high were reported as the ground turned to liquid and became unstable. In Anchorage, Post tension cables in concrete buildings became missiles as they shot out of the buildings and flew for blocks. Part of main street sunk into a 10 foot hole and major damage occurred to buildings in a 30 block radius. The air traffic control tower collapsed and water, sewer, gas lines ruptured. Remarkable only nine deaths were reported.

Twenty eight people were killed in Valdez where the wave entered the harbor and lifted a freighter thirty feet destroying the dock. Twelve people died in Seward were fires broke out at a large oil storage facility.

Two canneries were wiped out in Kodiak and Eight people died. The tsunami traveling at an estimated 400 miles per hour washing away 55 homes and damaged 375 others in Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada. Twelve more were killed in Crescent City, California and four dide in Beverly Beach State Park in Oregon.

Deaths in Alaska were low due the Good Friday Holiday, and a low population density.

Most well known earthquake in North America

The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake

The San Andreas Fault neat San Francisco is the most well known and most studied Fault zone in the world. The 7.7 to 8.3 magnitude quake centered near Daly City, a suburb of San Francisco occurred on April 18th, 1906 and 5:12 AM. There were over thirty major fires and an estimated 3,000 deaths with 250,000 left homeless. 25,000 buildings in 490 city blocks were destroyed. Fires burned for 4 days. The bay area were the land was filled in on the bay suffered the most damage. The Fault ruptured the ground for 296 miles along the northern section of the San Andreas Fault with a displacement of twenty feet on each side of the fault in places.

On October 17, 1989 at 5:04 PM local time, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake occurred ten miles north of Santa Cruz and became known as the Loma Prieta or World Series Quake. This was on a parallel fault to the San Andreas Fault and occurred at the start of the third game of the World Series. Millions of people were watching and lost video at the time of the quake.

Several years before the quake my family and I were traveling the Viaduct on the Nimitz Freeway while vacation in the Bay area, and I can remembering commenting about what would happen if there were an earthquake and the upper level came down. I was happy to get off that road. Forty two people were crushed in their cars on that Viaduct when the upper deck collapsed.

A fifty foot section of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge upper level also fell to the lower deck. Six people were killed in Santa Cruz were forty buildings collapsed.

Comets and Earthquakes

The Great Comet of 1811, formally designated C/1811 F1, is a comet that was visible to the naked eye for around 260 days, a record it held until the appearance of Comet Hale-Bopp in 1997. In October 1811, at its brightest, it displayed an apparent magnitude of 0 (equal to the brightness of the star Vega magnitude 0, the brightest star Sirius has a magnitude -1.47), with an easily visible coma.

From May-August, the comet’s position made it difficult to spot because of its low altitude and the evening twilight. By September, in Ursa Major, it was becoming a conspicuous object in the evening sky as it approached perihelion: William Herschel noted that a tail 25° long had developed by October 6.

By January 1812, the comet’s brightness had faded. Several astronomers continued to obtain telescopic observations for some months.

The Great Comet of 1811 was thought to have had an exceptionally large coma, perhaps reaching over 1 million miles across – fifty percent larger than the Sun. The comet’s nucleus was later estimated at 30-40 km in diameter and the orbital period was calculated at 3,065 years. In many ways the comet was quite similar to Comet Hale-Bopp: it became spectacular without passing particularly close to either the Earth or the Sun, but had an extremely large and active nucleus.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The comet was nearest Earth (1.22 AU) on October 16. (AU is equal to the mean distance between the earth and sun.)

It is very interesting that the earthquakes of 1811-1812 were noted by the North American Indians, as being predicted by the sign of the 1811 comet.

Conclusion

Earthquakes are a constant reminder of just how young and fragile our present home here on this earth is. When the Bible recommends building your house on a rock, it has a double meaning. Not only a stable foundation for our homes, but Christ the Rock as a stable foundation for our lives. Just as the moon pulls on the oceans of the world and creates the tides, the moon also pulls on the molten rock just under our feet to cause pressure on the earth’s crust. These external forces may not be the cause of earthquakes, but they could be the straw breaks the camels back.

If we can learn to measure the stresses in the earth’s crust and then watch for the things that trigger quakes, then someday we may be able predict earthquakes.

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An Alaska Cruise from San Francisco: 5 Reasons to Take One

It is now possible top take an Alaska cruise from San Francisco, rather than flying into Seattle, Vancouver, or Anchorage.

These are five reasons why you might want to consider starting your Alaskan cruise from the Bay Area rather than from ports further to the north.

1. The airfare can be much cheaper

Flying into San Francisco can be cheaper than flights into Vancouver, Anchorage, or even Seattle — especially if you live on the West Coast. In fact, many people in California can save even more by driving and avoiding airfare altogether.

2. You get three more days of cruising

Cruises out of San Francisco are generally ten days long, as opposed to the seven day cruises out of Seattle and Vancouver. There is simply so much to do on a modern cruise ship that you can never fit even a fraction of it into a week-long cruise. The extra three days extends your vacation, allowing you to enjoy even more of the ship’s facilities, activities, and entertainment.

3. You can add on some great side trips

There are simply dozens of great side trips to take from San Francisco, ranging from day trips to week-long excursions. You can choose from the towering redwoods, beautiful Napa Valley, picture-perfect Lake Tahoe, the coastline of Big Sur, Monterrey, Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia National Parks, and the stunning Mendocino coastline – all within several hours of the San Francisco Bay Area. Slightly further afield (within a day’s drive) are Los Angeles, San Diego, the Grand Canyon, and the casinos and excitement of Las Vegas. In fact, San Francisco is easily accessible to the greatest variety of attractions of any of the Alaska cruise ports.

4. You can see more of the coastline

When sailing from San Francisco, you get to view far more of the amazing Pacific coastline, starting with the Golden Gate Bridge, the stunning Northern California Coast, and coastal Oregon and Washington.

5. You can explore San Francisco

Of course maybe the best part of taking an Alaskan cruise from San Francisco is that you can visit the city of San Francisco itself. One of the most beautiful cities in North America — or anywhere — San Francisco is built on steep hills, allowing you breathtaking views from seemingly every block. The city has wonderful restaurants, hotels, nightlife, museums, and cultural life. If you’ve never been, you’re in for a treat, and if you’ve visited before, you know just how special this city is. Of course, no trip to San Francisco is complete without a ride on the cable cars and a trip to Ghirardelli’s chocolates at Fisherman’s wharf. Throw in a tour of Alcatraz and an afternoon in Golden Gate Park, and you’re sure to have a fantastic time.

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Im trying to find a place in Southern California or Northern California so my family and I could go to for our summer vacation.

Hitchcock Has Left Indelible Imprint on Bodega

There is a scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds,” near the start of the movie, where Tippy Hedren is speeding her sports car through the rolling green countryside. Suddenly the camera pulls back to show a bay and seaside village that are so pristine and picturesque they would do justice to any fine painting.

The movie then proceeds to allow thousands of birds to terrorize this idyllic little place and run Tippy and boyfriend Rod Taylor completely out of town. Fortunately, it was all just a movie and we’re happy to report that the movie’s little village – Bodega Bay – has survived to become an even more popular getaway than it was before Hitchcock chose it for his movie.

In fact, birds are big business in Bodega. You can’t cross the street without some reminder that the movie was filmed there. The Tides Restaurant – featured prominently in the movie – now has a gift shop that has become a near-museum with its shelves and shelves of stuffed birds, Hitchcock posters, location photos and just about any kind of clothing you want emblazoned with some variation of Bodega Bay or “The Birds.” Of course, no matter that the “real” restaurant burned down long ago and the replacement buildings bear no resemblance to those used in the movie.

What does remain is the same sleepy seaside village that appeared in the movie. While there certainly have been many new buildings added since the movie’s release in 1963, the town retains the same character so evident in the movie.

Our suggestion would be to rent “The Birds” before taking your trip to Bodega Bay. It will be fun comparing the many locations in the movie with how they look now, 40 years later, and the movie will also give you a good idea of what to expect when you get there – as long as you disregard the birds.

You might also disregard a few geographic inconsistencies. For example, one of the most memorable scenes from the movie is when the birds attack the children at the country school and the kids try an orderly retreat from the school only to be forced running and screaming down to the waterfront. In the town of Bodega, you can visit Potter School which you’ll remember from the movie.

Another great place to match scenery with the movie is to take Bay Hill Road from the village area a little more than a mile up into the rolling hills above Bodega Bay. Soon you’ll be able to look back at Bodega and see exactly the same “establishing shot” of the bay that Hitchcock used in those early scenes of the movie.

Back down at the Tides Restaurant, there still is a bit of the waterfront flavor seen in the movie. Fishing trawlers bring their fresh catch to a seafood company on the dock, and there are always plenty of barking sea lions hoping to dine on leftovers. In the movie, Tippy rented a small motorboat at this dock before motoring across the bay to her new boyfriend’s house.

Now for those who could care less about movie-making, Bodega Bay was an established getaway long before “The Birds” came out. The countryside along this scenic stretch of the California Coast is like an ocean-lover’s paradise. It also helps that the area is relatively easy to get to from the San Francisco Bay area – less than two hours from almost any Bay area location, most of that by freeway.

We stayed the night at the Bodega Bay Lodge and Spa, the area’s only four-diamond resort. The property is located on the Bodega Bay’s southeastern shore and it provides a big area for you to go exploring the bay. The sights, sounds and smells of the bay are right there – most notably the foghorns heard faintly in the distance, guiding ships away from the hazardous coastline.

The lodge is spread out in a series of buildings that have been updated with Cape Cod styling. Our tastefully appointed suite was like a high-end studio apartment with a complete living room area adjacent to the bed and a small desk arrangement. Of special note was the oversize Jacuzzi tub, which got some good use during our stay. At the other end of the unit, sliding glass doors opened out to the bayshore, and a patio offered a relaxing place to observe the surroundings.

The Bodega Bay Lodge also features a resort-style ocean-view pool and large hot tub, which seemed quite popular with a group of business people who were staying at the lodge as part of a corporate retreat. Then of course we must not forget the spa – not on our list of activities, but popular with guests who come to Bodega Bay for rest, relaxation and rejuvenation.

Bodoga Bay offers trails to help guide you to beaches such as Shorttail Gulch Beach. The trail to Shorttail is fairly new and allows access to a beach that was previously difficult to reach. There is a whole network of such trails in the area, making for endless hours of exploration and discovery.

If you’re up for a short drive, the coastline near Bodega offers many spectacular seaside viewpoints as well as beaches to explore. Driving this part of Highway 1, it seems that just about every bend in the road reveals another picture-perfect view of the rocky shoreline, spectacular bluffs or Robinson Crusoe beaches.

Just south of Bodega Bay you’ll find Tomales Bay, a popular destination for kayakers and others who want to enjoy upclose-and-personal contact with the area’s marine life. At the Bodega Marine Laboratory, each Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. you can explore a number of aquarium displays featuring colorful local fish, a kelp forest and other marine life.

Hitchcock really was looking for great scenery rather than the birds he ultimately added to the movie through special effects and mechanical devices. But, ironically, Bodega Bay is known as a “hot spot” on the Northern Coast for finding rare birds. More rare birds have been spotted in Bodega than any other place in Sonoma County – and, fortunately, not one of them has instigated an attack on the thousands of tourists brought to this area each year by “The Birds.”

AT A GLANCE

WHERE: Bodega Bay is about 60 miles north of San Francisco and, barring a lot of rush hour traffic, can be reached quickly and easily from the Bay area.

WHAT: Bodega Bay, a town of just 1,400 full time residents, has long been known as a quiet seaside destination for Californians who want to explore the Northern Coast. Even thought the area was made more popular by the movie, which came out in 1963, it’s still quiet and charming.

WHEN: A visit to Bodega Bay can be made any time of the year, although winter months are cloudier and cooler. The area has a moderate climate so temperatures range from highs in the 40s during winter to highs in the 60s during the summer months.

WHY: The Bodega area has great ocean scenery and it’s fun to see where “The Birds” was filmed. It’s a great weekend trip from the Bay area, or an excellent stop to include on a travel itinerary through Northern California.

HOW: For more information on the Bodega Bay Lodge and Spa call (800) 368-2468, ext. 5 or email rooms@bodegabaylodge.com. Rates range from 0 for a guest room to 5 for a suite midweek, slightly more for weekends. You can also rent a vacation home in the area through Vacation Rentals USA, 800-548-7631. For Bodega Bay visitor information, phone 707-875-3866.

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Wildflowers, Recreation Beckon Travelers To Anza-Borrego

There are so many reasons people visit the Anza-Borrego Desert, east of San Diego: Springtime wildflowers, geologic history and the mysterious Salton Sea.

Wildflower season is expected to be better than usual this year because of the heavy Southern California rains. This desert is area about 90 miles east of San Diego is known for a colorful wildflower display that usually gets under way in late February as well as many nearby points of interest.

How about an inland “sea” that was once promoted as a major water recreational area only to fall into near oblivion because of the water’s increased salinity and a major die-off of fish and birds? The Salton Sea is just one of the interesting sights in this area, and worth going an extra 30 miles east of Borrego Springs to see what remains.

Anyone flying over the desert east of San Diego will remember this vast body of water that stands out in stark contrast to the surrounding California desert. Drive up-close and it seems almost like a Great Lake – in fact it is the largest lake in the state measured at 376 square miles. Unfortunately, the water here is even saltier than the ocean and is so toxic that most species of fish have died. High levels of selenium also have been found in the sea which is thought to have contributed to the mortality of the local bird populations.

While this may not sound like the recipe for a fun vacation experience, the area is fascinating to explore as you walk on beaches made of barnacles and see where major beach developments of the 1960’s have rotted away, giving portions of the small waterfront community of Salton City almost a ghost town look and feel. One sign we saw was advertising a three-bedroom home for ,000 and conversation with locals revealed that, while a dying sea may not seem all that attractive for recreation, it sure reduces the local cost of living.

Our visit was just a quick look at the sea along the Salton City shoreline – the closest point to Borrego Springs — but there are in fact several recreational opportunities on the northern and eastern shorelines of the sea. Some state park beaches have been closed for budgetary reasons, but there still are good access points for kayaking, boating and other forms of water recreation.

Visiting on a weekend, we also were struck by the enormous influx of off-roaders who set up virtual cities of RV’s on many open camping areas on the outskirts of Salton City and on the way back to Borrego Springs. Visit the local AM/PM on a weekend and you’ll be completely immersed in this culture with 75 percent of the customers dressed in protective riding gear.

About 30 miles back toward San Diego is Borrego Springs, an area that looks a lot like Palm Springs did before it was fully developed. A couple of resorts and a handful of lodgings cater to warm-weather lovers and golfers but, for all intents and purposes, Borrego Springs still seems like a backwater town with more acreage devoted to golf courses than commercial buildings. The area attracts seniors who have found affordable winter homes as well as boomers who want an inexpensive vacation.

When you think about it, this really is Palm Springs – minus, of course, the fancy resorts and upscale shopping. But the views are the same, the blue skies are the same, and the sizzling summer weather is the same. The prices, however, are lower.

The Borrego Springs area is loaded with things to do. Many people will choose just to stay close to the resort, especially during summer, but others will find there is a myriad of trails and sights to see in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The town of Borrego Springs is, in fact, surrounded by this 600,000-acre state park, the largest in the state system. In fact, about one-fifth of San Diego County’s land is within the park’s boundaries.

As you drive to various locations within the park, you’ll marvel at the desert vistas and enjoy observing the plant and animal life so prevalent in the park. Colorful wildflowers are in bloom in early spring; at other times, plants like the Ocotillo plant or the Cholla cactus fill in the desert landscape to create an other-worldly feel. Roadrunners skip across roads, black-tailed jackrabbits hop along golf greens as well as the desert and, up on the craggy rock mountain ledges you may even spot some bighorn sheep.

Bits of history are around every corner. The Anza Borrego Park includes geography where stagecoaches drove the first intercontinental mail. It’s interesting to sp;ot the old wagon roads and places where stagecoaches stopped to take on supplies. Hiking trails take you to these and other sites such as waterfalls (which can be dry depending on the season), historic monuments and old settler houses such as the hike up to Ghost Mountain where you can enjoy great views and poke around a house once occupied by a family that seemed to be living alone on top of the world.

These Borrego adventures are all outlined in maps and materials available at the Anza-Borrego Park Visitor Center, just a couple miles from downtown Borrego Springs. Inside, dioramas depict the park’s various types of vegetation and wildlife, while naturalists stand by to answer your questions. Interpretive trails will take you into a nearby section of the desert where you can see up-close the various species of desert plants. (But one note of caution: plan your bathroom stops elsewhere because the day we visited, four of six bathrooms were not open, and the other two were plugged to the point they were not useable).

AT A GLANCE

WHERE: The Anza-Borrego desert area is about 90 miles northeast of San Diego and about 150 miles from Los Angeles. The Salton Sea is another 30 miles east.

WHAT: Spring wildflowers are a big attraction and Borrego Springs looks a lot like Palm Springs without the glitter. There are a couple of resorts and some other lodgings and golf courses, but the valley is mostly open and surrounded by the Borrego-Anza State Park.

WHEN: Any time of year. Especially in summer, be sure to bring lots of water, sunscreen and a hat, and time your outdoor adventures for early morning or early evening.

WHY: Lots of natural beauty and interesting attractions.

HOW: For more information on Anza-Borrego State Park, phone 760-767-5311.

The American dream can still be found in California. Beautiful scenery, great climate, wonderful people…this is the America you should get to know. Before anyone says anything, is it perfect? No. But the living and lifestyle are better than can be found in most places of the world.

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Top 3 Ways to Stay Connected to the Outdoor

Love the great outdoors? If you’re the type who would rather be hiking up a mountain or rafting down a river that controlling the remote, you know exactly what I mean. I’m always amazed when someone tells me their ideal vacation requires a hotel room with 100 channels on the remote. Give me a mountain view, or the sound of a rushing river and I’m in bliss.

The challenge is to stay connected to the calm and joy of nature when you can’t be in that ideal location. What if your life requires a city address, too-close neighbors, and daily chores that threaten to suck the energy right out of you?

Over the years, I’ve found some simple ways to sneak a little bit of the outdoors into my life, no matter where I am. OK- I can’t transplant a Redwood into my den, or afford a home next to the crashing waves. What I can do is to figure out what it is about nature and the outdoors I love most, and find some small ways to incorporate that into my daily life.

1. Plants and foliage. Maybe watching leaving gently swaying out your window allows you to breathe more deeply. Maybe cacti and sand is therapeutic. Or maybe the scent of hydrangeas lights up your brain cells. Even in the tiniest city apartment you can find ways to use container plants, an indoor potted plant, or a line of small cacti along your window sill to help connect you with nature.

2. Seating for one. OK, you might want some cozy space for two people to enjoy whatever bit of nature is visible from your current venue. If the only thing you’ve got going on is a breathtaking sunrise, place a porch swing in the best viewing place. Maybe your porch or back yard offers a view of some woods or simply a bit of solitude. Try those beach inspired, wooden, Adirondack chairs. The low seating and optional footrests almost insist on relaxation and bring thought of ocean side enjoyment.

3. Bird and Bees. No, I mean the real birds and bees! Try setting out a bird feeder to invite some of nature’s ambassadors to your home. If you really are against trying to attract bees, how about some butterflies? Certain plants are very attractive to these winged beauties.

At the end of the day, your ability to function in the real work is directly connected to how well you are able to unwind, relax and put things in perspective. So, go ahead and plan for a trek along the Long Trail of the Northeast. Gear up for a cross country bike riding expedition in the western mountain trails. Or maybe make plans to visit the wild horses on Georgia’s Cumberland Island.

Until you get there, make sure to find some way to stay connected to the outdoor life. For many of us, it’s what makes the rest of life shine.

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