Around The World In 80 Waves

Named after the Welsh newspaper tycoon Griffith J Griffith who donated the land to Los Angeles, upon which Griffith park and it’s Obervatory now stand. He wanted to inspire people through astronomy. It has been used in many movies as a location but most famously in James Dean’s Rebel Without a Cause.

As you can see it was foggy while I was there, and it gives it a more eerie quality than I had expected. However from what the astronomer inside tells me it doesn’t matter because I wouldn’t have been able to see much anyway. Due to all the light pollution 98% of the visible night sky has been lost since the observatory was built in 1935. This lovely telescope, which is far more powerful than anything I used in Hawaii, can’t even see the Milky Way.

The other exhibits and the planetarium at the observatory are exceptionally good though and is one of the better $7 I have spent so far on this trip.

My thoughts are very much with my good mate and keen astronomer Pete Griffith at this point who has just been told he cannot go surfing indefinitely. I know how much that would break my own heart, so my thoughts are with you fella. It is a massive reminder for me about why I came on this trip, and I think it is time to hit the waves again. (After a Saturday night of sharking in LA of course!)