A visiting researcher once remarked,

and while that should be the motto for anyone desiring to graduate as soon as possible, it misses one of the neatest things about being a graduate student, namely, the freedom of determining one's own schedule. If you're going to be working at all hours of the night, then it is reasonable to consider recouping in the middle of the week when you can visit just about any place without fighting crowds. Over this past summer I was fortunate enough to take off a couple Tuesdays and one weekend for various travels, keeping in touch with family and a little bit of nature.

Sunflower in northern California.

The following photos are from my travels this summer. Northern California is beautiful year-round, but the summer is especially nice because the Sun burns away all the fog and creates clear views. It seems as though any collection of photographs will contain one of a sunflower, so mine is presented here. This shot was followed by a mad sprint out of the field as the mosquito swarm emerged in the twilight. While warm parts of northern California are enjoyable, I quickly left for some of the colder ones.

Pismo Beach, California is just such a cold area. This is a state park that allows vehicles out on the beach. While not required, use of a four wheel drive is recommended (see me stuck in the sand below). A desiring individual could very well drive right into the ocean. Instead of that, however, people just bring all-terrain vehicles (ATVs or quads) and ride them across the sand dunes.

Stuck in the sand at Pismo Beach.

Riding along the shore at Pismo Beach.

Pismo Beach is foggy, but the dunes get fairly warm during a ride. Be sure to set up camp well above the level of high tide. If you don't do it the first night, then I am sure you will remember to do so the second night. We spotted an impressive group of whales, but I could not get a good photo. Plenty of other wildlife lives in the area and all of the grassy regions and brush is fenced off to prevent people from riding over the foxes, coyotes, and seabirds. In the morning I found some tracks through our camp (see below).

Animal footprints at the beach. Left: adult seabird, Right: grad student, approximately sixth year.

Bumpy area of the dunes at Pismo Beach.

Riding an ATV across sand dunes is not an easy task. Since this was my first time doing so I faced a steep learning curve. The photo to the right shows one of the bumpier areas of the dunes. At first thought it seems as though there is nothing to fear. Even if you were to fall off the ATV, you would just be landing in soft sand. The reality, however, is that most of the time the ATV will catch your legs and roll over on top of you. Seasoned riders can probably jump off in the worst case scenario (though they probably never find themselves in such a situation to begin with). After two close calls I finished the trip with no injuries.

My riding lessons can be summed up as follows:

1. Bumpy areas must be traversed slowly.
2. Steep inclines must be hit fast when attempting to climb.
3. Do not turn sideways while climbing a steep dune.

Trying for the greatest change possible, the cold weather Pismo trip is followed by a jaunt into the at times oppressive heat of Arizona.

Overexposed partial cactus in Arizona.

As if the Sun were not bright enough, I accidentally set the camera on the sensitive level. This overexposed my first group of shots, including the cactus here. All is not lost, however, because this photo generally expresses how I feel when I step outside. While hot and draining outside, Arizona is a beautiful place to visit. The drives are scenic and full of mountains and greenery. Summer is monsoon season so the desert is drowned in rainstorms and flash floods.

Summer also brings the mud storm to Arizona. A mud storm appears to be the result of strong winds that stir up dust and dirt just before the monsoon hits. Once the rain pours down, all that dirt in the air is converted into mud. Maybe I can get a picture of that next time.

Lessons from the desert:

1. Scorpions like swimming pools.

2. I don't like scorpions.

View driving through Arizona toward California.

The fun summer season ended with a visit to Santa Monica beach. This might not technically count as summer travel since it is only 15 minutes away from campus and I was in the lab that morning. The busy summer vacation season has ended and the beach was remarkably empty for a weekend.

Santa Monica beach with the pier in the background.

Ship in the distance on the ocean.

Thus ends another summer. Now is the time for another kind of fun, data analysis!

Tags: pismo beach, Santa Monica beach, Arizona travel