At The Backroads

Gulls Flock at the Rocky Intertidal Zone at Low Tide

The moment we stepped on the shores of San Onofre State Beach yesterday to enjoy the sunset, it was also just like the other day, a beautiful low tide. Again, there are so many exciting things at low tide. The rocky intertidal zone is exposed, allowing the birds to see clearly what they want to feed on, thus a lot of birds usually flock on the shore at low tide. I always love to see them chase the waves, or chase the small sea creatures carried by the wave? But since it was close to sunset, the gulls mostly are just resting on shore.

Gulls on Shore @ Low Tide

San Onofre State Beach is at the very Northern part of San Diego County, thus it is a very quiet beach being far from bigger cities. It is several miles North of Oceanside and maybe just a mile of South of San Clemente border. Most of the beach goers here are mostly surfers, especially at this time of the year where the water is only in the 50s. But I think the surfers like the peacefulness of this beach so they can have this mostly for themselves, their paradise.

Surfers Cleaning Up their Boards

San Onofre State Beach offers a world renowned and historical surf break. This is probably a  surfer’s paradise 360 days of the year. The San Mateo Creek flows just east of the campground outward towards the ocean creating key riparian and wetland habitats which host some rare and even endangered species. There is a 1.5 mile nature trail from the beach to the campground on top of the bluffs which is i.5 mile inland.

Parade of Surfers

Seeing a lot of gulls on shore made me excited for sunset pictures. I had my own imagination, a big congregation of gulls resting on the sand being lit by the setting sun. But little did I know that at sunset, most surfers get out of the water. And each time they get out of the water, this is what happens

1. As the surfer closes his distance to the birds, one by one, the birds started to fly.

2. When the surfer finally crosses the birds congregation, birds would fly almost at the same time

3. Passing some surfers on the water

4. Almost towards the sun

5. And then, the birds would congregate again in another part of the beach, that would make me follow where they are, hoping they would still be there when the sun is much lower in the horizon already.

6. Unfortunately, when I get to them,

they would fly in the opposite direction again :))

And I would walk again where they would land,

it was definitely fun! It was such a lovely and another special day yesterday, kind of chasing or following the birds where they would go.

I did not get my first imagined picture, but then, the birds and the surfers had their own beautiful plan as well

Looking North from Guy Fleming Trail

Yesterday, was another beautiful day in San Diego. It was sunny, chilly (in the 50s), but not too cold to forsake the outdoors. The sun was brightly shining, inviting for a grand merry making out of the doors. A lot of people were jamming the traffic to the nearby mountains to have fun with white powder stuff and enjoy winter wonderland landscape. Us however, decided to have fun with the sun.

The Blue Ocean, the Bluffs and the Snow Capped Mountain Behind

I had wanted to take the trails at Los Penaquitos Canyon Preserve and had beein imagining the gushing waterfalls after several weeks of rain we had. However, when we got there, the park and the trail system was closed . Maybe, some other time. So, we decided to hike at Torrey Pines State Reserve again, and instead of listening to the gushing waterfalls as planned, we got serenaded by the sound of the splashing waves. It was low tide when we got there, that got me excited since I would be able to take pictures of the cliffs farther out catching their reflection on the sand. However, it was 2:00 pm, I was thinking the sun is so strong if I will take pictures of the cliffs’s reflection on the sand, the colors will just appear wash out! So, I told my hubby we’ll take all the trails at the top of cliffs first and go down when it is close to sunset, hoping that in 2+ hours, it would still be low tide. The uniqueness of Torrey Pines is that it does not only offer a stunning beach, but also a place where one can have a leisurely hike and get lost with the beauty of nature.

South Viewpoint at Guy Fleming Trail

From where we parked at Carmel Valley Road ( we always love to park farther out from the beach for a longer walk), we walked to the entrance of Torrey Pines State Reserve and then, up the cliffs. On top of the reserve, we took Guy Fleming Trail First.

@ Guy Fleming Trail

I have been to this trail so many times it is hard for me to count, but I do not think I have taken a picture of this fallen tree which had been here since I first set foot at Torrey Pines in 2004.

Fallen Torrey Pine Tree Gracing the Landscape at Guy Fleming Trail

I think this fallen Torrey Pine was not at all taken out from the trail since when it fell, it fell graciously and artistically! That even despite its death, it continues to provide beauty. A surprised came to our view when at the South view point of GuyFleming Trail, looking down, we saw someone wrote this on the sand.

Proposal Written on Sand

Sure does it was not only me who took picture of the proposal written on the sand. We wonder if the guy sitting there alone was the one who wrote it and was waiting for his partner? Or was it of someone’s and they were already walking happily every after . Like these two birds in the sky, flying merrily.

Pelicans on Flight

From Guy Fleming Trail, we continued up to Parry Grove Trail. When we’re done with Parry Grove trail, we took the beach trail, which will go down to the beach obviously . Before going down however, we took a short detour at Yucca Point.

Trail To Yucca Point

The Yucca Point had been closed for several months, but now they have opened it. This trail becomes livelier by spring when the Yuccas bloom, I just love their unique flowers, and the ground is filled with yellow, gold, white and purple wildflowers. But right now, even without these wildflowers, Yucca Point still offer a one of a kind of beauty. I call it “desert in the sea”. I love the badlands right next to the ocean, which were the result of erosion.

Badlands by the Sea, View from Yucca Point

I love badlands, it reminds me of how fragile our Mother Earth is and we need to work together and cooperate with nature to conserve and preserve its resources. It also reminds me that even a bare landscape can be beautiful, for our Mother Earth gifted us with different forms of life’s cycles.

Divided Badlands by the Sea @ Yucca Point

From Yucca Point, we went down the beach where the trail opens up with the view of the Flat Rock. It was just as I had wished when we got there, still low tide, in the late afternoon sun, nice time to picture the cliffs and their reflection on the sand.

Torrey Pine Cliffs and Its Reflection on the Sand

Torrey Pine Cliffs and Their Reflections on the Sand

Biking on the Sand

And when we were walking towards where we parked at Carmel Valley Road, we caught another beautiful sunset in San Diego. My hubby calls it “just another beautiful sunset in sunny Sand Diego”.

Yesterday’s Sunset

And the magic of sunset is that it makes a lot of people stop, those driving would pull over at the side of the road, and take their time looking at the last glimpse of the gift of sun, the gift of warmth, the gift of life.

Man Watching Sunset

It seems even the birds paused for a while too for the setting sun. I had wished them to fly towards the sun, but they did not cooperate with my wish, so I got this picture instead of the birds resting on the sand.

Gulls and a Pelican Resting on the Sand at Sunset

When the sun finally dipped in the horizon, I noticed this father and son who after watching sunset, took their time to have some more fun in the sand.

Father and Son, Precious Moments

It was another beautiful day, perfect to enjoy nature’s beauty right in the city!