Rick_Dickert's Blog

I love taking pictures of nature. Whether its clouds, mountains, the ocean or trees, I am always clicking away. My inspiration for landscape and nature photography came from my love of the earth and the atmosphere and my admiration for Ansel Adams. I have several of Ansel’s photographs on the walls of my home. My library is also filled with many of his books. Yeah, I try to emulate his work, but never get close. I was fortunate enough to take a trip up to Yosemite a few years back during spring and see where it all started for Ansel. What a magical place. I am hoping to take another trip to the park very soon.

Last year I purchased a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi. It’s an amazing digital camera. However, there are so many complicated features that are available to help get just the right picture. I am slowly working with lighting and the ISO speed and am gradually getting more proficient with all of the camera’s bells and whistles. I’ll be honest though and say that many times I just put it in “auto” mode and click away. I need more training and need to get out more and shoot away! Below are a couple of photographs I took at the beach near my home. I like working with both black and white and color.

I’d love to hear from you guys about photography. Any good tips for photographing landscape images? Share some of your pictures with us. I am going to see if our web guys can set up an area where you can post some your work.

Have a great weekend everyone-Rick

Ok, like you..I am being hammered by the high gas prices. I drive from Redondo Beach to West L.A. (our studio) and then to Van Nuys Airport AND BACK 5 days a week. I am filling up about every 3 ½ days at about $60 a tank..If you are like me and can’t carpool or mix in a few days of mass transit, we just have to deal! However, there are some ways that we can get much better gas mileage and reduce our gas expenses. I have tried these and they work!  

1)     Make sure your tires are inflated to the right pressure 2)     Don’t haul unnecessary things in your trunk or truck bed (drive light!) 3)     Remove bicycle, surf racks, ski racks or any other attachments that might be causing drag on our automobile

4)     DON’T fill your tank all the way up! Experts say to keep your gas tank level at about 50% )     Fill up during the coolest part of the day to reduce evaporation of gas 6)     DRIVE the speed limit!! I know this helps. Driving about 60-65 mph really does save on mileage! 7)     When driving around town, stop with the quick accelerations and rapid breaking. By implementing these tips, I have noticed that I have gotten much better mileage and have saved a few bucks. With $4/gallon..every cent counts! Lastly, check out on our web site under the Good Day L.A. tab, “10 Lowest Gas Prices in L.A.”. We list some stations around town with the best prices. Good luck and see you at the pump!

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Spring is in full swing, temperatures are nice and mild..flowers are blooming...perfect conditions for a hike! With surfing and running, hiking is another one of my favorite outlets. There are so many amazing trails right here in our backyard. The Santa Monica Mountains are loaded with all kinds of great hiking areas with various levels of difficulty. You can hike from the beach up to some of the mountain's highest peaks. Calabasas Peak (2163’) off of Stunt Road and Mulholland Drive is a great hike with awesome views. You can see the ocean and the valley from the trail. Much of the Santa Monica Mountains has been reserved for our pleasure. You have to take advantage of it! A short drive will get you out of the West L.A. or 818 gridlock and into the wilderness. Point Mugu State Park on the west end of the mountains is beautiful. I recently hiked through Malibu Creek State Park. WOW! It was my first time through the area. I’ve included a few pictures.

I'll take this view over the 405 any day..

**This is an old weather station..HAD to take a shot of it!

Yes..this is just a few miles from the city..

We pass over these trails on a regular basis up in SkyFox when we are flying in and out of Van Nuys Airport each morning. The mountains look great from 3000’ but you can’t beat being on the ground trudging through the trails. So make plans for a hike this spring..it’s the perfect time and I guarantee it will be therapeutic. The sea breeze and marine layer keep the temperature nice and mild this time of year. Robert Stone’s “Day Hikes Around Los Angeles” details ALL of the trails in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. It’s in my library and is my bible for hiking in SOCAL. It gives comprehensive driving directions to the trailheads and summarizes the various hikes. Go out and enjoy! I’ll see ya on the trail-Rick

Here's a great like to info on the Santa Monica Mountains:

 http://www.nps.gov/samo/

The poppys are blooming BIG TIME and you have to check them out! We made a trip up to the Antelope Valley last week and captured images like this: 

The high desert is covered with them..it is quite a sight. The Poppy Festival is taking place THIS weekend. Check out this web site for more information: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=627

The Antelope Valley California Poppy Preserve is the best spot to view our state’s flower. There are trails and all kinds of great information. If you live in SOCAL and have never made it out to the Antelope Valley to check out the flowers I highly recommend it. It’s a great day trip! HEADS UP THOUGH!! This weekend looks like it will be windy and cooler up in the deserts. Check the latest forecast on our web site where you are at now! Have a good one everyone-

Rick

Time is running out! 62 stories….1377 stairs…858 feet up…. If you want to join me on the 26th for the big AON building stair climb benefiting the American Lung Association. The event is "Climb California Greater L.A.". It is southern California's inaugural stair climb event benefiting the American Lung Association of California. The Lung Association wants to promote exercise, clean air and clean living through this great event. I'll be there leading the charge up the stairs! There will be some serious competitors participating. I was told the winners will be complete the climb in about 7 minutes! I am an active guy who likes to runs, but I have been hitting the stair master at the gym lately to make sure I am ready for the challenge. I am hoping to complete the trek up in less than 15 minutes. I'll let you know how the event goes. OR..you can come down and participate. It is NOT too late to register.

Check out climbcalifornia.org to sign up!

Back on the stair master for now..Rick

I can't wait until April 26th...This is going to be a blast. I was asked by the American Lung Association of California to MC a stair climb in the AON Center. This is the old First Interstate building in Downtown Los Angeles, now the 2nd tallest building in L.A. with 62 stories and 1377 stairs. The building 858 feet tall and was built 1974. 

The event is "Climb California Greater L.A.". It is southern California's inaugural stair climb event benefiting the American Lung Association of California. The Lung Association wants to promote exercise, clean air and clean living through this great event. I'll be there leading the charge up the stairs! There will be some serious competitors participating. I was told the winners will be complete the climb in about 7 minutes! I am an active guy who likes to runs, but I have been hitting the stair master at the gym lately to make sure I am ready for the challenge. I am hoping to complete the trek up in less than 15 minutes. I'll let you know how the event goes. OR..you can come down and participate. It is NOT too late to register. Check out climbcalifornia.org for more info.

The best part of the climb is that you get a great view at the end! Yes, you get to go up on the TOP of the building and look out over the city. Hope to see you guys down there on the morning of the 26th.

Our web site: myfoxla.com get's better every day. We have everything to keep you connected with us when you are away from the TV or we are away from covering news on air. One great feature that we've had for sometime that I want to remind you all about..is our SkyFox streaming. Yes, whenever we are up and flying during the morning show we are streaming on the web. You can see our live pictures and listen in to our conversations up in SkyFox. You can hear me talk to my producers down on the ground and see how I prepare for a live report during the morning show. It's great stuff and very entertaining! So..log on to our web site some morning when you are at the office and click on the SkyFox live bottom and check it out. We usually stream from about 5:30 am to 9:30 am Monday through Friday. Write me back and let me know what you think. And don't forget to set you home page to myfoxla.com! It's FOX 11 24-7..Have a great week everyone-Rick

Ok, this one is for all of you who do NOT buy into the theory of global warming…According to government scientists, the average temperature across both the contiguous U.S. and the globe during the past climatological winter (December 2007-February 2008) was the coolest since the year 2001. HOWEVER, the average temperature for the U.S. of 33.2 degrees was still 0.2 degrees Fahrenheit ABOVE average. Below is a map which breaks down state by state rankings. Here in California, it was the 27th coldest winter on record and BELOW average. A series of Pacific storms kept our area on the chilly side through the winter months. Furthermore, we were in a La Nina pattern where the eastern equatorial Pacific waters are cooler than average. This typically brings cool temperatures to the Golden State. Meanwhile, much of the East Coast was above average. When you average in all of the states, we ended up being the coolest since 2001. Remember, this is only one winter! If you look at the long term averages, temperatures continue to slowly climb across North America and the globe. The data doesn’t lie; however, some still some debate on what may be causing the warming. We were in the 80’s and low 90’s here in SOCAL over Easter weekend setting new record highs..so spring is off to a WARM start...Time to hit the beach..Have a great weekend everyone and wite back! Rick

Just back from the San Bernardino Mountains….and it was great..Out of the hustle and congestion of the city and into the pristine mountain air. I spent a long weekend up in Big Bear..snow boarding and enjoying some down time. The slopes are still covered because of all of the storms that moved through this winter. We really are fortunate here in southern California. Everyone is just a couple of hours (at most) away from the mountains or beaches. I am fortunate enough to live at the coast so heading up to the high country is a treat. It was no nice to be away from everything and surrounded by the trees. The air is clean, you can here the wind through the pines and everything moves slowly. I highly recommend heading up to the mountains if you want a break from your rut and need some R&R. I stayed in a cabin in the town of Fawnskin on the north side of the lake. The town is so quaint and everyone is extra friendly…such a fresh of breath air. Not much traffic either on North Shore Drive!…It was awesome. I hope you are all having a great week…Rick

Spring officially began at 10:48 pm local time Wednesday night!..I made a mistake during the Fox 11 Morning News this morning..Today (Thursday) is the FIRST FULL day of spring. The noon sun will be directly overhead at the equator and everywhere on the planet will have close to 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness..hence EQUINOX!

Happy Spring! Rick

Let me know how you are dealing with commuting and the HIGH GAS PRICES!

As high as gas prices have gotten lately, I am surprised to see no change in the amount of cars on the road. Congestion is as heavy as ever. People just seem to be going on as usual, probably because they have no other choice. I wonder at what point will people pull back on their driving. Although Los Angeles is not the most mass transit friendly town, I have to think some will start looking for alternative methods to get to their destination. Metrolink and Metro Rail zig zag across the county and are quite convenient. Monday through Friday I drive from my home in the South Bay up to West Los Angeles and then to Van Nuys Airport. In total, I travel about 75 miles a day. That adds up to almost a tank and a half of gas a week. How much $$$??....almost $300 month. Ridiculous!! Once I am home I stay away from my car. I walk, run, skateboard or ride my bike whenever possible. Due to my odd hours and travels, mass transit and carpooling are not an option. The only choice I have is to move closer to West L.A. I know many of you are in the same boat that I am in. You have to work to pay for the gas and the expensive groceries and all of your other bills...You have to commute to work! Unfortunately, I don’t think we have seen the worst of it when it comes to gas prices. My gas guy says he thinks it may be in the $4.50/gallon range by the end of the summer. Not so good of times…Hang in everyone..

By the way, (800) COMMUTE will give you guys some great info on our cities mass transit. Have a great week everyone..See ya on the FREEWAY!

A BUSY 10 freeway despite $3.55/gallon!

Flying up in SkyFox every morning, we encounter all kinds of weather. As a meteorologist, this is one of the many parts of my job that I love. I get to see first hand from 1000’ up exactly what is happening. Are low clouds spreading north into L.A. due to an eddy? Are the Santa Ana winds as strong as forecast? Has the cold front cleared the L.A. Basin? I can show and tell all of this every morning from SkyFox.

However, the weather can be a bit challenging for our helicopter as well. Wind is the worst. Strong Santa Ana winds make flying quite difficult and a bit sketchy. The erratic nature of the gusts are especially challenging. During a strong wind event, we try and stay clear of the mountains and canyons where the winds are typically strongest. However, if a wildfire develops and we need to cover it for the viewers, we just have to go with it...and typically they are in the windiest locations. I am often asked if I ever get scarred while flying due to the wind or other weather elements. I love it all, as long as it is in the zone of safe flying, which brings me to my next point.

Yes, there are limits to our flying ability. The visibility and ceiling are typically our biggest constraints. SkyFox and our pilot are categorized as a VFR (Visual Flight Rules) aircraft. In a controlled air space, the limits for VFR flying are at the lower end of MVFR conditions (Marginal Visual Flight Rules). This means the visibility should be 3 miles or greater and the ceiling (height of the bases of the clouds) should be no lower than 1000’ AGL (Above Ground Level). However, we have a special “clause” that allows us to fly if the visibility is as low as 1 mile and the ceiling drops to 500’ AGL. The FAA stipulates that our flying be in an environment in which we can make a safe landing without injury or damage to property. In the end, it is the pilots call. If he feels it is too dangerous, we keep the bird on the ground. With winds, if gusts are exceeding 50 mph, we are grounded. Bottom line, we fly as safe as possible.

You all be safe too!

So we set our clocks FORWARD 1 hour over the weekend. Daylight saving time began 3 weeks EARLIER than usual (this is a permanent change). The time change is nice in that we have extra light in the evening hours. For those of you who are 9-5ers you can get out and enjoy outdoor activities when you get home from work. The only drag for me is trying to go to bed when it is still light!

The time change also has an impact on accidents. A recent study indicated that the car crash rate INCREASES by about 17% on the Monday following the “spring forward” time change. The cause is likely due to the extended darkness in the morning hours and sleep deprivation. Well, this morning (Monday) was busy on the freeways. We had four pretty serious crashes/SigAlerts and several minor ones.

I also learned that the time change, which is supposed to help reduce energy usage, actually does the opposite. Yes, the increase in daylight later into the afternoon and evening reduces the usage of home lighting energy. However, the INCREASE in air conditioning that is needed later into the evening due to the extra light at the end of the day offsets this. In fact, one study actually showed energy usage INCREASES due to daylight saving time.

Regardless, the time change is a sign that spring is here and summer is right around the corner…my favorite season. Here in southern California, most of us enjoy the longer days. You can’t beat going for an evening surf! Have a great week everyone and enjoy the extra light.

Every day is different up in SkyFox. Each day is very unique. Yes, except for the holidays, there is ALWAYS traffic to show from 1000’. Some days we have some major breaking stories like fires or police pursuits. Others are filled with spectacular views of the ocean and mountains. And of course, we always mix in some fun. That’s why I dig my job so much…What I do up there constantly changes.

I grabbed some photos with my camera last Thursday (2/28) to illustrate this. We made a fly by out over Riverside over the tragic plane crash. We captured the snow capped San Gabriel Mountains as we headed back west. We always make a pass through Downtown L.A. and yes…we mix in a crowded freeway or two.

We are a team of *3* up in SkyFox. I’m just the talking head. The two most important guys are Kevin Walton, our senior pilot and Vince Mac, our award-winning photo journalist. Kevin is an amazing pilot and Vince works magic with our high definition Cineflex camera. I’ve included photos of them all. So, a little “behind the scenes” action for you guys. Let me know what you like and don’t like from what we do up in SkyFox. We are here to serve you!

I grew up hanging around the Redondo Beach pier and still live in the city. Unfortunately, the water around the pier is some of the worst of the entire Santa Monica Bay. Nearby storm drains and runoff from the pier contributes to the pollution. Organizations like Heal the Bay are constantly striving to remedy the water quality problem. This Saturday night (2/23) from 6-8pm, I’ll be working as a “guest waiter” at Kilkenny’s on the Redondo Beach pier. Kilkenny’s has agreed to donate a portion of the sales from all food items purchased during the time that I am there to Heal the Bay. Come on down to the pier and have a bite to eat and say hello to me! Hopefully I’ll be able to serve you. Have a great weekend everyone and stay dry.