Balboa Park at Night

Balboa Park is a 1,200-acre historic urban cultural park in San Diego, California. In addition to open space areas, natural vegetation zones, green belts, gardens, and walking paths, it contains museums, several theaters, and the San Diego Zoo. 


One of my favorite ways to explore Balboa park is by scooter and one of my most favorite scooters is my Boardy (https://boardyonboard.com/) The Boardy is the best merging of: lightweight, nimble, collapsable, well-made, value. 

Below are some beauty shots that I took of the Balboa Park and my Boardy. Click on any image for a larger view. 


Click on any image for a larger view



I arrived Balboa Park with my Boardy scooter just as the sun was setting. I brought photo gear and began crafting images as the evening evolved into night and lights came on.


I used my handcrafted scooter kickstand which allows me to position my scooter and compose the image precisely the way I want. Being able to effectively compose your shot is one of the most important ingredients to a good photo. Without the kickstand, I'd be forced to lean my scooter up against some object, often not ideal for the best / preferred composition. 


I savored the stillness and relished the flow and focus that often comes when crafting photographs. Mindfulness, as I create the image I envision, often washes away and dims the noise and concerns that can burden my day. 



This is Rex the Lion at the San Diego Zoo


The warm California day made way for the cool summer night breezes. At night, the park is much less crowded and hectic. I cruise with my Boardy scooter, almost silently rolling by, on to the next photo opportunity.



Balboa Park is a wonderful place to visit by day, but there is something magical about the quiet serenity of cruising on my Boardy scooter at night. It's a quiet, contemplative time to be in the moment. It's a great experience to move so quickly and silently (no rattling of bike gears) through the cool night air.

LINK TO IMAGES








Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Scooter Using BOTH Feet

Image
This essential "trick" will allow you to go further and faster on any scooter. You NEED to push with both  feet (not at the same time though ... heh heh). Here's why: When you only push with one foot (i.e. push with your left, while your right is planted on the deck), your planted thigh muscles will quickly tire. Your pushing leg will also get tired, but it's using different muscles. If you can alternate your pushing and plant legs every few strokes, you can give both of your legs a " rest " when you change the muscles being used.  Here's how it's done (see the video at the bottom) Push with your left foot while your right is planted. Push about 5 - 10 strokes. Pivot on your right heel and at the same time plant, and put weight on the deck with the toe area of your left foot. Pivot your left foot, on your toes, to straighten it and at the same time take your right foot off. Push 5 - 10 strokes. Now, left heel pivot, right toe plant Right toe pivot,...
Read more

Review - Scooters I Own

Image
Summary review of scooters I own: Pros and Cons I love scootering and own several kick, push, manual (not electric) scooters. They’re nimble, excellent for low impact exercise and are a great way to get around to find Geocaches. As I've mentioned in a previous article , I think scooters are a great solution to quickly get around (a location you might otherwise walk). They're almost as fast as bikes, but don't require a cumbersome bike rack to transport them. You can fold and fit several in your trunk. Get to your destination, unfold them and you're off! Skateboards are just as nimble but require a bit more training. Because of the brakes and added stability that handlebars offer, most people have the confidence to give scooters a go and quickly learn how to scoot.  I am, by no means, an expert regarding kick-scooters, but I have spent a lot of time riding scooters and have logged many miles doing so . Over time, I've come to own a handful of scooters. Each one was ...
Read more

My Boardy Scooter

Image
My impression and review of my Boardy scooter. I also own a Razor A5 Lux and Xootr Mg. I enjoy long distance "exploring" over varied terrain. In one day, I have scootered over 30 miles on my Xootr and on another day over 32 miles on my Boardy . I also enjoy scooting for fitness, pushing the scooter at sustained speeds.  I don’t want to use a bike rack on my car to carry it to my scooting locations. My scooters  must  fit in the trunk of my small car (Mazda Miata). Pros: It's smooth over rough pavement, dirt roads. One of the reasons: it uses 12” high pressure, pneumatic tires. I keep the air pressure high to make the tires as firm as possible. It offers less rolling resistance, but still absorbs shock. Another reason it rides smooth is that it has a "flexy" wooden / fiberglass deck. Absorbs even more shock. Feels kinda like a skateboard. It can get a bit bouncy, but I think it's groovy. The deck is made of layers of wood and fiberglass. It's seems flexi...
Read more

Scooting over 30 miles around San Diego Bay

Image
click on the image for a larger view of the map March 13, 2021, I scootered over 30 miles around San Diego Bay San Diego Bay is a natural harbor and deepwater port located in San Diego County, California near the U.S.–Mexico border. The bay, which is 12 miles long and 1 to 3 miles wide, is the third largest of the three large, protected natural bays on California's 840 miles of coastline. The highly urbanized land adjacent to the bay includes the city of San Diego (eighth-largest in the United States) and four other cities: National City, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach and Coronado. San Diego Bay is one of my favorite places to hang out. As you might expect for a large bay connected to a large metropolitan city, a major portion is a "working seaport", replete with cargo ships, air craft carriers and various warships. Still there are large parts of it that are well designed for recreation. Here's a link for more info on recreation at San Diego Bay Growing up in San Diego,...
Read more

32 Miles around Mission Bay

Image
I rode my kick scooter over 32 miles circumnavigating Mission Bay ( LINK ). My route traced practically every shoreline as I explored areas on my new scooter, areas that I couldn't really ride on my other scooter. This is the beauty that arrived on my birthday! It's a push - kick scooter made by Boardy. Not electric, human powered.  Here's a link . At the time, it had not yet been ridden. So, brand new scooter and I thought "OK, what is an unreasonable way to put this thing through its paces? I know, what about a Long Distance Scooter ride around Mission Bay?" VERY important to me: That it fits in the trunk of my Mazda Miata. No bike rack needed! If it fits in my Miata, it's sure to fit in most any other trunk! I started near the Belmont Park rollercoaster Alright, let's see how the Boardy rates. I have some concerns about the pneumatic tires. Will it be sluggish and slower than my other scooter (with hard polyurethane wheels)? Will it take more energy to ...
Read more