Tag Archive | nature

in CA, Photography, San Diego, Sightseeing, Tourism, Travel, Vacation
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The Flower Fields Are Ablaze With The Beauty of Color – Carlsbad, CA (San Diego)

Spring is in the air, flowers are everywhere! Or should I say the hills are alive with the beauty of flowers? These flowers are like music to my soul, and they bring joy. They also bring much joy to my little angel, Chandi.

Here is the Princess of The Flower Fields (I nominate her for that):

The Flower Fields, Carlsbad, CA

Here’s Chandi dreaming of more flowers.

Flower Fields, Carlsbad, CA (San Diego)

Here she is, ever so content with all the flowers around her.

Flower Fields, Carlsbad, CA (San Diego)

The Flower Fields, Carlsbad, CA (San Diego)

Flower Fields, Carlsbad, CA (San Diego)

I should tell you a little more about the Flower Fields – they mainly grow ranunculus flowers here – and the early ranunculus blossoms resembled Poppy blossoms. Here’s a little more history on this:

Ranunculus Flowers, Flower Fields, Carlsbad, CA

Here’s some close-up pictures of the ranunculus flowers

Little kids love to come to the Flower Fields – they get to meet others their age, see fish in the little lily pond basins

They can play in the playground

Flower Fields, Carlsbad, CA – Playground

They will see see hens and will even see some fresh laid eggs on the ground!

They will love taking a ride on the wagon that goes around the fields full of flowers, and have a narrated tour. Most of all, if they are just like Chandi, they will like to be out in the fresh open air, smelling the sweet smell of Spring, and seeing flowers everywhere!

Here are the fields ablaze with color

Flower Fields, Carlsbad, CA

Here are some people picking the flowers (most likely employees) – these flowers could surely brighten anyone’s home, and will likely find their way into the stores.

Flower Fields, Carlsbad, CA

Here’s me and my baby enjoying some Mummy and me time!

Who wouldn’t like to bring their little baby here, and see their face light up with joy? Chandi’s face lit up with joy, is all the happiness I need. Here she is once again, Princess of the Flower Fields.

Also, let me tell you where Carlsbad is in relation to San Diego…..it is a 40 minute drive up north from downtown San Diego. Take the Highway 5 North and exit Palomar Airport Road, then make a right onto Palomar Airport Road, make a left onto Paseo Del Norte, and make a right into the Carlsbad Outlet Mall Shopping Area, and then make another right and head into the parking lot close to the Flower Fields entrance.

Prices: $11 for adults, free for kids under 3 years of age, and kids from 4 to 11 – $6

Also, don’t forget – locally grown strawberries are for sale right here at the Flower Fields, and don’t forget to try a yummy Strawberry Milkshake or one of the other scrumptious desserts made from strawberries.

Flower Fields, Carlsbad, CA

Also, don’t forget to visit sometime soon, as the flowers will only be in bloom up to a certain point in April, so hurry fast and visit Carlsbad, CA – part of greater San Diego.

**This is an addition to the post. Went back to visit again on March 30, 2013 (last week I visited on March 23rd) – there’s a big difference in just a week as far as how much the flowers have bloomed. Here’s what they looked like today, however, these pictures were taken from a distance – we did not get right into the fields like we did last week.

The Flower Fields, Carlsbad, CA – on March 30, 2013

The Flower Fields as of April 20, 2013

The Flower Fields from a previous years:

April 16, 2011

The Flower Fields, Carlsbad, CA – San Diego

April 19, 2009

Flower Fields, Carlsbad – San Diego

June 11, 2012

in Alaska, Cruise Tour, Denali Park, Photography, Post Cruise Tour, Seward, Sightseeing, Travel, Vacation, Wild Life and Animals
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Wildlife Pictures Taken in Alaska

Here are some of my pictures of wildlife taken in Alaska after the completion of the recent Radiance Of The Seas cruise in May, 2012. On May 18, 2012 our cruise ship finished the 7 day cruise in Seward, Alaska and we got on our post cruise tour, which was hosted by Royal Caribbean. There’s a difference between shore excursions and cruise tours. The excursions allow you to see the ports that the ship visits, while the cruise tours allows you to see more of a particular area or country better. For example, our cruise tour started in Seward, and then we went to Girdwood, Talkeetna, Mount McKinley, Denali Park, and Fairbanks. By way of the cruise tour, we were allowed into the wilds of Alaska.

This particular post is not in sequential order of the cruise tour visits, as I mainly wanted to show the wildlife viewing opportunities. This Grizzly Bear was an amazing sight to see, and was out in the wilds of Denali Park, which was part of our 4 Day cruise tour hosted by Royal Caribbean. However, personally, I prefer the Black Bear that I saw at a Nature Reserve. I just love bears, and I guess Black Bears are one of my favorites, along with koala bears. There is a lot of history behind Denali Park, and we really need to treasure places that are out there that protect wild animals, and also allow us to view them as safely as possible.

Grizzly Bear in Denali Park

Black Bear – Alaska

I’m not very good with certain animals, does anyone know if this is moose or bison?

Moose or Bison, Alaska

Animals in Alaska

Caribou of Alaska

Not really wild life, but just had to include this picture here:

Dogs of Alaska – Anchorage

Birds of Alaska – Denali Park

Dall Sheep of Alaska

Dall Sheep scattering up mountains

Dall Sheep, Alaska

Birds of Alaska

Sea Otters of Alaska

Well, if I can’t tell the difference between bison and moose, I also can’t tell the difference between sea lions and seals. This second picture (below) was taken at the Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward, Alaska where the cruise ship docked at the end of the 7 day cruise. It was easier to see the sea life closer in this setting than it was in the wild in the picture above which was taken when we were on a boat tour with Kenai Fjords Tours on the same day after the cruise had finished. Both these excursions were part of our 4 day cruise tour, which had just got started from Seward.

Sea Creatures of Alaska

The boat tour had been really enjoyable and we actually saw whales – I think I have got video coverage of it – too hard to get on camera. Denali Park is also an extremely important experience. So, as you can see if there is any one reason to go to Alaska (other than the mountains, the snow, and the ice) – guess what it is? It’s for the wildlife! Go just to see the wildlife, and you won’t be disappointed.

June 9, 2012

in Alaska, Cruises, Hubbard Glacier, Photography, Radiance Of The Seas, Sightseeing, Travel, Vacation
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Hubbard Glacier

There’s a great reason to visit Hubbard Glacier, and that is to see it before it melts away. Yes, sadly when you visit such an incredible place, it really hits home that you are indeed lucky to see it. Who knows how many more will see it before it disappears or diminishes? The evidence of the melting is right there in the ocean, with chunks of ice all around.

This is Day 7 of the Vancouver to Alaska seven day cruise (Thursday, May 17, 2012), and sadly the last day of the cruise. Most people think that a seven day cruise finishes on the 7th day, but in reality it actually finishes on the 8th day in the early hours of the morning. We will be disembarking tomorrow morning at around 8am.

So today is a Day At Sea – this is a day to enjoy the ship, and it is as necessary to have these days as it is to have port visits. You don’t just want to be rushing around visiting ports all the time, because when will you find the time to enjoy the ship? The ship itself is a very important factor in your cruise enjoyment, and believe it or not, some people enjoy this part of the experience so much more – that they don’t want to get out at the ports to walk around.

Today is the very important viewing from the ship of Hubbard Glacier. This was to be my second experience of seeing glaciers – the first one was of course, Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau. As I was eating breakfast in the Park Cafe, I couldn’t help but be struck in awe at what I saw through the windows of the Solarium, where the Park Cafe was. I saw lots of ice, pieces of ice all over the ocean floor – it was just as though we were floating on ice. It was an amazing sight, and I wish I had taken more pictures of the ice at it’s thickest – but my camera was charging, so this is the picture that I got through the window, and it was taken with my Iphone at approximately 8am. The other pictures were taken with my camcorder, and not my regular camera, so may not be as nice and clear as they should have been.

Icy Ocean – Hubbard Glacier from the Radiance Of The Seas

Then after breakfast, I went outside at approximately 9am, and took pictures from the side of the ship.

Hubbard Glacier vicinity, Alaska – on Radiance Of The Seas