John & Anne Wiley

2016/08/05

Casitas to Coast

Coming back from a look at the Pine Fire burn area we enjoyed this first look at Lake Casitas in the distance made hazy by the cool coastal humidity.

9961 Cool Coast

9961 Cool Coast

One of the things that made it especially inviting was the much hotter air over the burn area. Another thing I like about this pic is how it shows the relative shoreline size. The full lake outline goes from the bottom-left off the right end. Closer in we could begin to get an idea of how much the vertical lake level has dropped from the drought.

9971 Drain & Plane

9971 Drain & Plane

I also saw again the tiny airstrip just above the dark pond at bottom-left that we’ve seen there on prior flights. Here’s the closer look I’ve been meaning to get for several years now, because we descended just to check it out and snap this.

9976 Plane Truth

9976 Plane Truth

I’d seen the “X” marks at the runway ends before, and thought maybe it was some rancher’s private airport for a “short field” plane. But in fact, it’s home to the Ventura County Comets Radio Control Flying Club, that used to launch “seaplanes” right next to the runway at lake level. For their planes, that airstrip is enormous! We went on for a look at the first of many marina slips next to the concrete boat launch ramp that now ends well above water level.

9966 Low Water

9966 Low Water

I like the different shapes, textures and colors in that pic. Next we came across the hills above Rincon, where I noticed these rows of buildings.

9997 Trees & Buildings

9997 Trees & Buildings

Among the wild trees, geometric orchards and patches of bare earth, the neat rows of long buildings tickled our curiosity. So we snapped this maximum zoom shot, and I’m reminded of a childhood memory.

9989 Little Chicken

9989 Little Chicken

My first look at a chicken ranch years ago makes me think that’s what this is, only this one looks much more humane and smaller.

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