151 BIRCH AQUARIUM AND ABBEY'S REAL TEXAS BBQ

This morning I woke up early at 5:00 AM and looked outside.  It was raining so hard that I didn’t think I would ever see the sun again.  I crawled back into bed with the laptop and did some more editing of the photos from yesterday.  It’s now night-time and I still haven’t finished them and now have another 900 pics to edit.

By the time I went for breakfast it was still raining lightly and I had no opportunity to research what I was going to do today.  I figured though, that with the rain, it would need to be an indoor activity.  I was already thinking of going to the aquarium and I was able to use cellular data to find an address and call Uber.

When we started out it was still raining enough to use wipers, but by the time we got to the aquarium, not only had it stopped raining, but the sun was shining.  I was wandering through the aquarium and taking videos with my iPhone and had not even taken out a camera or lens yet.  I got all the way through and went outside.  I got more photos with the iPhone and got a random stranger to take my photo in front of The Pacific Ocean.

Afterwards, I decided I should probably take some shots with the Nikon, so I opened the backpack and pulled out the “big” camera, which immediately provoked a conversation.  It ended up with a couple more followers on Instagram.  Those cards come in handy.  When I went inside, I ran into another photographer and we got chatting about gear.  She’s using Canon and me Nikon.  But even that resulted in another follower on Instagram.

I went completely through the aquarium again and ended up taking 900 shots.  Once done with that, I stopped and had lunch at their café before calling an Uber to take me back to the hotel.  It was then that I discovered that I had forgotten to change the shutter speed and all the shots were under-exposed and mostly black frames.

This is going to result in a lot more work in editing, to recover at least some of the shots.  I had some good ones too, I think.  We’ll see what happens.  I’ve done it before where I have rescued a prize-winning photo from a near black frame.  This is all as a result of shooting RAW or in Nikon’s case NEF.  Recovering a JPG file in this condition would be impossible.

The hotel internet finally came back on, so I tried to catch up on email, bills etc.  It only lasted about 45 minutes before dropping out yet again.  By now it was getting to dinner time and I really have a craving for BBQ Ribs.  Last night I had asked for ribs at the hotel, but the owner of the restaurant said that they don’t do ribs.  However, he recommended I try Abbey’s Real Texas BBQ.  He said they have the best BBQ ribs in the city.

So, I called another Uber and the restaurant is only about 4 miles away as the crow flies, but with all the freeways, it was really a big circle route to get there.  Once I got inside, It’s a quaint place with a bunch of young people behind the counter.  It turns out that the restaurant has been in operation for 37 years and all family owned, and all the employees are family members.  The current ones are the Grandchildren of the original owners who brought it from Texas.

I ordered the full rack of ribs, thinking they would be the small pork ribs like at home.  I was wrong though.  These ribs are huge.  They are almost the size of beef ribs but are pork.  They came with two buns, spicy fries and coleslaw.  Plus, complimentary chips and salsa to snack on while waiting for the order.  I even had root beer instead of water for a change, and it turned out to be bottomless.

After dinner, I called another Uber and headed back to the hotel.  Once in the room I discovered that the internet was still down.  So, I started to write this out.  Within about 45 minutes, the signal came back on, but who knows for how long.  It’s a bit frustrating.  So far this is pretty much the only negative to the trip so far, well, ok, the rain isn’t great either.

150 SAN DIEGO AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM

Wow, if I thought I was sore yesterday morning, today has brought a new level of pain into play.  I hate like hell to admit that I might be doing too much, and I don’t know why I seem to be trying to get it all done in the first few days.  Lordy, I have 2 weeks, although, I do want to go back to both the zoo and the safari park.  See if I can catch up on animals I missed in both parks, or who were sleeping when I was there.

I think on the return visits though, I’m going to book special safaris where I get driven around in a cart.  I’ll research it first though.  I don’t want to go if it’s like the train tour I took yesterday.  It was nice to see the different animals that I did, but it was hard to get good photos, and that’s the whole point of being here.

My right foot was very sore and badly swollen, especially around the ankle area.  So, I resolved that if I was going to go anywhere, I would tape the foot and force the swelling down.  An ice pack would probably help, and I’ll have to see if I can come up with a plastic bad from somewhere.  Then a quick trip to the ice machine.

I was very seriously considering calling this a forced rest day today, just because I was hurting so, but when I looked out the window and saw it pissing down rain, that pretty much sealed the deal.  Although, when I thought about it, I could go visit the Air and Space Museum.  It’s going to be all flat surfaces and should be an easy walk.  So, photos presided over common sense, and I went.

When I arrived, by Uber, I was surprised to see the entrance flanked by an SR71 Blackbird and another jet of some type.  I don’t know what impression I had but the SR71 is about 10 times bigger than I expected.  That would come into play later as well.

I went inside and paid my admission ad the lady gave me the seniors rate.  Even when I told her I’m not 65 yet, she just said “close enough”.  So, I got inside for $15, pretty much what happened at Gatorland in Orlando.  It’s very impressive inside with aircraft and spacecraft sitting on the floor and hanging from the ceiling.

The actual Apollo 9 Command Module is there.  Some of the other highlights include a Spitfire, a P51 Mustang and a Messerschmitt 262, the world’s first jet airplane.  Another thing that caught me by surprise by how big it is, was a mock-up of the Mars Rover.  I don’t know why, but I had always assumed the Rover was the size of an R/C controlled car.  This thing however is the size of a small SUV.

I wandered around taking tons of photos and talking to the volunteers.  I also got chatting with a paramedic from Florida.  Every so often, he would say things like “I smell something” and when I asked what he meant, he said, “I smell the pile” and I wasn’t quite sure what he meant.

Two rooms further on, we spotted a badly damaged New York police car.  Of course, the car was damaged in the aftermath of 9/11.  He told me that he had worked on “the pile” for 2 months after the attack and it has a distinctive smell.  He could smell the remains of the police car from 2 rooms away.  I guess its part of an air museum, since the disaster was caused by two crashing airplanes.

It took me about 2 hours to go through the museum, and even with the easy surfaces and leisurely walk, I was again hurting pretty well by the end of it.  So, I made the decision to go back to the hotel.  While I was sitting on the park bench though, I noticed that aircraft heading for the San Diego airport all passed directly over the Air and Space Museum, which I think is a cool touch.  So, I spent some time taking photos of planes coming into the airport.  When I got back, I discovered that the Internet was down yet again.  So, while I was waiting for it to maybe come back up, so I could make yesterday’s blog post, I fell asleep.  When I woke up 90 minutes later, the internet was back up and I managed to get the previous blog post up as well as some photos.

I went to the usual restaurant and had a great steak and shrimp dinner and they were setting up for another live performance, but I decided that I was too tired and sore to stick around.  I did finally capture a few images for my own private airshow, with a couple of F-18’s doing a flyby.

149 SAN DIEGO ZOO SAFARI PARK

First off, one thing I have noticed is that the wi-fi signal in the hotel is hit and miss at the best of times.  It’s been difficult to post Blog updates and even more difficult to post updates to Instagram.  It was even playing hell with editing, because I couldn’t upload photos to online directories.  Even when it is working, the connection is not that fast.  Other than that, I have no complaints about the hotel.  It’s clean and quiet, except when the airshow from Miramar is going on, but that is just plain cool.

Anyway, when I woke up this morning, I was hurting pretty good.  My back and legs and more so my feet.  Why I didn’t tape my right foot, I couldn’t say.  I have the supplies with me.  It was cloudy and looking very much like rain, so I was trying to decide what to do.  Air and Space Museum or San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

By the time I finished breakfast, it still had not rained and was looking a little brighter.  So, like an idiot, I ignored what my body was telling me and went on safari.  I had absolutely no concept.  I figured it would be more open, but less hills than the zoo itself, but roughly the same size.  I should have gotten a better idea when the Uber ride to 35 minutes to get there.

I still had no idea until I got inside.  I was standing chatting with a San Diego police Sergeant who was working overtime.   After a bit, I headed off on my trek, I even bumped into him several more times.  I had several animals that I was targeting on this “mission”.  Lions, tigers, elephants, rhinos, gorillas and so on.  There is also a huge butterfly exhibit I want to see and photograph as well.

There is plenty of space and lots of walking.  I found several primates, and birds and there was the gorilla enclosure.  These ones were somewhat more active than the ones in the zoo yesterday.  I can’t remember all their names, but the one that sticks out for me, was “Frank”.  Probably because that was my Dad’s name.  Frank is apparently the “boss man” and I found him lounging in a tree in a hammock.  Some of the others were keeping busy, while a couple of the big “Silverbacks” were hiding and sleeping.

FRANK IN HIS HAMMOCK

By now, the sun was trying to come out and it was warming up quickly, compounding my misery.  It’s only a couple of hours in and I’m hurting and limping big time.  I made a point of stopping and resting and drinking a Gatorade.  That helped a bit.

It was around this time that I got talking to one of the employees.  I mentioned that I had been walking about as long as it took to see the zoo yesterday, but it didn’t feel like I had covered much.  This is when I learned the difference.  The zoo is built on about 90 acres of land, while the safari park is on 900 acres, so it is 10 times bigger.  Who knew?  No wonder I was so worn out, especially with starting at a disadvantage.

GOLDEN EAGLE, HE'S HUGE

MACCAW IN FLIGHT

He suggested I take the “train tour” around the outer perimeter of the African section.  It came up in conversation that I am now considered disabled.  He directed me to the ticket booth, where I showed my disability card.  I got the ticket free and with priority boarding, so I didn’t have to stand in the lengthy line. 

The tour was great and got lots of information, I even got some decent photos of giraffes, and the rhino with a few others.  The tour lasted about 30 minutes and it was good to be off my feet for a bit.  Once back, I resumed my walk and discovered a bird show.  Where they had several different species of birds showing off.  Again, it was good to be off my feet.

RHINOCEROUS

Finally, though, at the 7.5-hour mark of mostly walking, I decided it was time to head back to the hotel.  It was then that I discovered how far away from the entrance I was.  I also discovered that I was absolutely spent.  There was no way that I could make it back.  It was hell to admit that to myself, but even harder to admit that to another staff member.  She assured me it was not a problem and it happens so often, that they have a special shuttle just for these occasions.  Long story short, they drove me back to the entrance and I limped out.

Once I got back and had a rest, I went over to the restaurant for dinner.  Boy if this isn't an awful sign of the times. I'm eating dinner in the restaurant and a young family walks in. There is Mom, Dad a young boy maybe 5 or 6 and a baby, maybe 3 months old. Mom and Dad sit on one side. Little boy sits next to the baby in its carrier seat. Mom and Dad break out their cell phones and start doing whatever they're doing. They just weren't paying attention to the two kids. Baby starts to cry, neither parent reacts. Little boy gets up and very tenderly picks the baby up and cradles it. He rocks the baby, gives it the soother and continues to rock it and pats it on the back. The poor kid is trying everything to console the baby, again, no reaction from parents. Finally, after about 10 minutes, Mom slams down her phone, takes the baby away from the kid and glares at him like he did something wrong. Geez!

148 SAN DIEGO ZOO

The start of my first full day in San Diego, didn’t look good for the plans.  When I woke up very early and looked outside, it was raining hard.  So, I started to write yesterday’s Blog and play around on the internet.  Of course, that seems to be a hit and miss proposition.  It was down, most of the evening and caused me to miss the Canucks game.  When I got up and logged on, it was working but quickly went down again.  Thankfully, I don’t need the internet to write the Blog, just post it.

Anyway, by the time I got done, had my shower, packed my gear and was ready to head out for breakfast, it had stopped raining, but the cloudy skies were looking threatening.  Cloudy skies are certainly not a deterrent for photography, and so I decided to carry through with my plan of the San Diego Zoo.

My Uber picked me up and drove me to the zoo and it was then that I discovered that Spring Break is different from ours.  While our kids went back to school on April 1, theirs just started.  It seemed like there were 400,000 kids waiting to get into the zoo.  An exaggeration of course, but there was a lot.

It is different here than in Florida.  There are no x-ray scanners or physical bag checks to get into the zoo.  In Florida, there were x-ray scanners and physical inspections at Universal Theme Parks and straight up physical searches at Disney Theme Parks.  It was busy inside.

I managed to get to the Panda exhibit before the massive lines I saw later in the day.  Unfortunately, the one Panda that was outside, was fast asleep on a tree branch.  I got what pictures I could of her and then kept moving.  Of course, after I was out of prime photo range, she was up and moving.

In Florida I didn’t take advantage of all the photo ops offered in the various theme parks, except at NASA.  This time I did.  I had my photo taken in front of a green screen at the photo exhibit.  They took 3 poses and I was able to pick the prints up later.  Cost me $25 US for 2 prints in a cardboard frame, where they added in the Pandas.  You get digital downloads as well.

GREEN SCREEN PANDA

GREEN SCREEN PANDAS

I kept, wandering and taking photos and ran into a couple of other photographers using the same big lens.  One fellow was using a Nikon D4s and the Tamron 150-600 the same setup as mine.  The other was shooting with a gasp, Canon.  I couldn’t chat with the Nikon guy as he was from Japan and did not speak any English.  We each gave the other a thumbs up though.  I couldn’t chat with the other guy as he was shooting a, gasp, Canon.

When I got to the gorilla enclosure, again I was met by sleeping animals. But there were lots of other primates close by to get some shots of.  Tigers, sleeping.  Jaguars and leopards, sleeping.  I couldn’t find the polar bears and the hippo was underwater.  There was an interesting animal that appeared to be half deer and half zebra.  I can’t remember what it was called and couldn’t get a full-on body shot because he kept hiding his butt.

SLEEPING PANDA

SLEEPING GORILLA

With all these comments about what I couldn’t shoot, you’d think I got nothing.  That’s not the case however as I came back with 1138 shots.  I spent almost 7 hours walking around the zoo, up and down the hills with almost 30 pounds of gear on my back and front.  I never took any other lens out of the backpack, so I won’t take it on the next trip to the zoo.

I’ll likely be using more of the lenses and flash at the Flight and Space Museum, if that’s where I end up today.  If I go to the Safari Park, I’ll take it all, because I have no idea what I will need there.  I mentioned all the hills in the zoo.  Last time I was here, I remember a far more wide-open area and wide gravel roadways.  Maybe that’s the safari park, only it wasn’t called that then.

All over the zoo, there are signs commemorating donors who thorough their generous contributions, allow the zoo to not only keep operating, but carry on with conservation efforts throughout the world.  The biggest contributor, judging by all the signs is Mr. and Mrs. Ray Kroc.  Owners of McDonald’s Restaurants.

147 CALIFORNIA HERE I COME

Well, I’m pretty much all packed and ready to go, except for a few last-minute things to go in the morning.  I tweaked my back a few days ago, of course on a Saturday and no way to get physio treatment on it before I leave.  But, with all the physio I have undergone in the last few years, I did my own treatments on it.  So, I’m hopeful.  It’s painful, but I can still walk, it’s just it takes that much longer to get moving.

Of, course, I wake up bright and early, at 3:30 AM, not intentionally.  I roll over and try to go back to sleep, but it’s just not happening.  I lie there until 4:30 AM and then give up and get up.  Off to my office I go and start killing time on the computer.  The flight isn’t until 1:35 PM and the plan is, I’ll leave at 9:30 AM to beat rush hour and have a chance to partake in breakfast at the Maple Leaf Lounge.

Finally, with all the last-minute items packed, I’m ready to go at 8:00 AM and I cannot think of anything more to do to keep busy and I wandered out and got my truck and loaded up.  Not wanting to just sit around, I headed for the airport at 8:20 AM.  I figured that I can at least wander around the airport and take pictures.

Well, how wrong I was.  Everything was smooth sailing until I get down on the perimeter road when the traffic starts to build.  Finally, it comes to a standstill and the road is a parking lot, and I’m not even halfway to the airport yet.  Traffic reports on the radio aren’t helping much and the hosts on TSN 1040 are late because of the traffic.

What was supposed to be a 1 hour and 15-minute drive turned into a 3 hour and 5-minute ordeal.  But I got there.  Not enough time to wander around taking pics.  I checked in, checked my suitcase and then went through the Nexus and US Customs lines.  Had a little trouble getting the machine to scan my passport and fingerprints, but it finally worked.  The US Customs agent was impressed with my travel plans of photographing the San Diego zoo.

Now, the next challenge.  Finding the Maple Leaf Lounge.  I spoke to 3 different Air Canada gate agents and an Airport cleaner and none could really tell me where to find it.  I just got vague instructions.  I ended up at the far end of the airport.  With no other option, I started the long walk back toward the gate, which I had passed early in the trek.

Finally, I found the lounge.  It turned out, by riding the moving sidewalk to save my feet, I had gone right past it and not noticed.  By the time I got upstairs, I found I had missed breakfast, but they were just laying out a light lunch.  I had a bowl of the most wonderful Minestrone soup, some salad and melon.  Just as I finished, they put out some very nice pizza, so I had a couple of pieces of that.

But that pretty much used up my time and I had to report to the gate.  We boarded the Bombardier CRJ 900 which is pretty much the smallest commercial aircraft I have been on.  I ended up with an entire row of seats and nobody right behind me.  The takeoff was smooth as was the whole flight.  The only annoying thing was some guy about 4 rows back was coughing up a lung and not covering his mouth.  I hope I don’t get sick.  I positioned the air conditioning fans, to blow back towards him, so here’s hoping.

DEPARTING VANCOUVER

They fed us on the plane too.  I had a tasty salad and a choice between Butter Chicken and a cheese/pasta dish of some kind.  I chose the Butter Chicken, because I’ve never had it before.  It was amazing.  She did warn me the plate was hot, but I thought, it’s an airplane, how hot can it be?  Turns out, it was burn my fingers hot.  I forgot about the perks of business class.  Desert was an amazing piece of Cappuccino Cheese cake.

We got to San Diego and the clouds were just breaking and the temperature was a pleasant 19C.  I had a little trouble getting my Uber as my phone would not log on to the airport Wi-Fi.  Once I got that settled and got my car, it was off we go.

LANDING IN SAN DIEGO

San Diego, like Orlando has changed so much since the last time I was here 35 years ago.  The driver I had was a pleasant fellow and we had a great chat all the way to the hotel.  He told me about all the changes in the city and we talked about places to see.  We drove past Old Town San Diego and it looks really cool.  I’ll have to go there too.

After getting into my room, it was now 6:00 PM and surprisingly, I was hungry, so I headed over to the onsite Restaurant/Pub.  First Item on the menu was real, Southern Fried Chicken (the Chef is from Georgia), mashed potatoes with Chicken Gravy, two southern style biscuits and Zucchini chunks in a tomato sauce all for $19 US, of course that translates to $31 Canadian.  I’ll tell you though, it was amazing.  I have never had fried chicken like that.  There were 4 large pieces of it.  I am not usually a gravy fan, but I’ll make an exception for this.  I forgot to order it with no gravy.

I got back to my room, just in time to stream the Canucks/Sharks game but the internet went down and the last score I saw was 2-1 Sharks in the first period.  I channel surfed trying to find the game on TV but no luck and fell asleep around 10:00 PM.  It was a long day.

146 CBD - THE GREAT EXPERIMENT

As you all know, my body is pretty screwed up due to my near fatal bout of sepsis in 2017.  All the details from that are available earlier in this Blog.  I have experienced so lasting and permanent side-effects from it.  I cannot feel my feet which makes balance difficult, but at the same time, they hurt deep inside.  Also, my right ankle, which I sprained prior to this whole episode starting has never healed properly.  In addition to other aches and pains, my hands have lost strength, I have very poor fine motor skills and they hurt a lot.

For months, I have been inundated with suggestions from my kids, friends, neighbours and various other associates, that I try cannabis.  I’ve never been a smoker and I’m not about to start now.  Even the media got involved.  Every week or so a supplementary newspaper about cannabis arrived at my home.

After a career spent fighting drugs and crime, I just did not want to go down that road.  Plus, I’ve never been a big fan of even legal drugs.  In the hospital when I was in agony, after a few injections of Hydromorphone I started refusing it and opting for Tylenol 3 and then stepping that down to just regular Tylenol.

So, I was not about to start using drugs, no matter how screwed up my body is.  Finally, it was more properly explained to me.  The cannabis they were suggesting, is not the psychoactive drug called THC in marijuana, but instead a completely different drug called CBD.  It’s got a long name that I can’t remember, cannabidiol or something.

So, I started researching it online and reading those newspaper supplements.  After reassuring myself that I was not going to become a raving pothead, I tentatively agreed to try it.  For anyone reading this outside Canada, cannabis is now legal here.  My son-in-law went to a dispensary and bought CBD drops while my son purchased a CBD infused topical cream.

They were extolling its virtues and promises of magical healing powers.  The research I did online was making the same type of promises.  Miracle cure for pretty much everything is what the research claimed.  I’m not even sure it’s proper double-blind scientific research studies, but who knows.  I remained extremely sceptical, because you know the old saying, “If something appears too good to be true, it is”.

Anyway, we booked a date, March 23, yesterday as it turns out.  The kids were coming over to assemble my new patio furniture and at the same time, I wanted someone with me before I took the CBD for the first time.  Just in case of side effects.  You know how in the medication ads where they talk about how less than half of 1% of people experience side effects?  I’m that half of 1%.  If there is a bad side effect to be had, I will have it.

Finally, it was time.  They gave me three little drops under my tongue.  I was expecting some wicked-awful taste, but there was no taste to it at all.  Backing up a little, I woke up in the morning with a “mild” migraine.  I still had vestiges of it, when I took the CBD.  I was also hurting pretty good all over my body.

After about 20 minutes, I felt something.  I can’t put my finger on it.  I just felt, strange.  Not unpleasantly, but I was not in any way intoxicated.  I didn’t really feel any improvement in my pain levels, although to be fair, it’s hard to quantify pain.  What for me would be annoying (I have a very high pain threshold) would be devastating to someone else.

Where I did notice something, is my hands had been sore before, seemed just a little less sore after.  I was having real difficulty bending down and picking things up, it seemed to be slightly easier after. So, at this point the jury is still out.  It certainly isn’t the amazing recovery that was touted in the newspaper, but I can’t definitively say it had no effect.  I can’t say for certain that it did either.

I may need a higher dosage, but I will build up to that.  It may also take awhile to build up in my system to the point that it produces therapeutic results.  At this point I can’t completely endorse it, but I can’t completely rule out any good effects yet.  I also rubbed some of the cream into my hands.  It didn’t appear to have any effect on them, other than to make my hands feel greasy.

I took a second dose just about 45 minutes ago.  This time, I did not experience the strange feeling that I did yesterday.  But, again, I feel like something is happening.  It’s by no means profound.  Just very subtle.  We shall see what happens.  I’ll continue to take it until I leave for San Diego, but I don’t dare take it across the border with me.

145 PACK MAN

The time for San Diego is fast approaching, roughly two weeks out now.  I’ve been busy packing and repacking the new photo back-pack.  The instructions for it say that it can hold a DSLR camera with a 200mm lens attached, but, with some judicious re-arranging of the Velcro spacers inside, I have gotten the case to hold something bigger.  I have my Nikon D4s, which is quite a large camera, to fit in the case with the Tamron 150-600 lens attached.  Down either side I have several lenses, a flash, noise cancelling headphones, my laptop and my iPad Pro.

BACKPACK AND D4s WITH 600MM LENS

The configuration is heavy but nowhere near as heavy as the rolling bag I took to Florida.  The other thing is that even with it fully loaded, it’s comfortable to wear.  Well, at least it is for the half hour or so that I walked around in the house with it on.  It maybe a different story when I get to the airport.

Initially the backpack will e riding on top of the “spinner” suitcase.  But once the case is checked in, the real test will start as I wander through the airport.  This time I will be doing a little more looking around.  Well, hopefully.  I’m hoping not to start off the trip sick this time.  Seeing some photos posted by friends, there is apparently an aquarium in the airport, so I’ll be looking for that.

I also want to leave enough time to hit the Maple Leaf Lounge and have breakfast there.  I chose an early afternoon flight this time.  That way I’m not trying to fight through morning rush hour to get to the airport.  The other method to my madness, is that the hotel I’m staying at doesn’t allow check-in until 4:00 PM.  Since my flight doesn’t arrive until after 4:00 PM it will save sitting in the lobby for 3 hours, like the earlier flight would have caused.

Being a slightly more experienced traveller now, I have a better idea of what I’ll be facing.  Last trip, I left my suitcase unlocked, even though it is equipped with TSA approved locks.  There was no problem with it, but I did not put anything in the suitcase of value.  I’m still trying to figure out the best course of action, but Facebook is being persnickety, and I haven’t been able to post anything for two days.

WATER POUCH NASA PATCH

POUCH  MEMORIAL PATCH

CANADA AND BC PATCHES

 The back pack itself, I have modified.  It is equipped with Molle straps which allows attaching various pouches.  I added a square one to the waist belt which can hold my cell phone, wallets, and Nikon A900 backup camera.  I also added a water bottle pouch to the right side of the pack.

To make things slightly more identifiable, I have added a few stickers to the big orange spinner suitcase.  On the backpack I added a few patches.  On the back I have a Canada Flag over top of a BC Provincial flag patch.  On the square pouch I have a Law Enforcement Memorial patch, on the water bottle pouch is a NASA patch and finally a Maple Leaf pin on the left shoulder strap.

COUNTER-ATTACK, UNDER ARMOR AND APPLE STICKERS

In order to help conceal what the backpack actually is, I will be travelling with the built-in rain hood over it.  On that I added a Canada Flag patch over the Lowepro insignia.  Now it just looks like an ordinary backpack.  As added security I will be locking the zippers to the main compartment.

PACK WITH RAIN HOOD UP 

I’ve even started packing the suitcase already.  Last time I had the camera bag packed weeks in advance, and I guess I do now as well.  But I didn’t even start packing my suitcase until the night before.  I’m also bringing things down to it, instead of loading it upstairs and having to drag it down two flights of stairs.

So, as I said, I’m a little more seasoned now and I have learned what I need to bring and what not to.  I will also no carry anything in my pockets and will put it all into the backpack pouches.  It’s much easier to throw one bag on the X-ray and search table, than it is to empty my pockets into a bin and then refill them after.  Less of a security worry as well, leaving my camera and wallets unattended in a bin, while the security people do the pat down.

I’m really looking forward to getting to San Diego and especially getting to the zoo and start taking photos.  I have a few “targets” as it were.  I want to get more gorilla and tiger shots, but I especially want to get orangutans, chimpanzees and panda bears.  Lions, giraffes and elephants, rhinos and hippopotamus rank right up there as well.