Long Beach, CA

Greetings again from the other side of our continent.  We enjoyed beautiful 85 degree weather while exploring today - this time the Port of Long Beach, CA.  What was once a sleepy sister to LA began to grow up with oil in the 1920's and the US Navy during WWII.  Our exploring today involved the balances needed between growing global industrialization and the need for safe haven for humans.  To do this we took a tour of the Port of Long Beach (next door to the Port of LA) via a harbor cruise then went through an ethnic neighborhood to see the impact of that heavy industry on the quality of life there.

 Cranes, cranes and more cranes...

 Just some of the many cranes within the Port of  Long Beach used to offload cargo from overseas.  The white cranes are part of the pier that offloads the largest boats in the world, mostly coming from Asia with goods for bound for us purchase.

Anchored within the port are some US Navy re-supply ships as well as two giant rocket launch and satellite control ships used for equatorial launches of commercial satellites.

Is this MaryAnn or Ginger, and where's Gilligan?

Investigating the erosional processes of waves

Checking air quality in a neighborhood next to the port facility, an oil refinery , a rail yard and a truck depot.
Airborne particulates numbered in the thousands.

Checking air quality in a neighborhood far from the port facility though in the heart of a commercial corridor.    
Airborne particulates numbered much less.

Following our tour of Long Beach, we went up to Pacific Heights which overlooks the Pacific Ocean.  The pieces of land jutting out into the ocean are called marine terraces and they're created from weathering forces of waves against the shoreline then the land rises due to tectonic activities.