At The Backroads

I went to La Jolla for a walk last Wednesday after work thinking I would be missing the sun for several days. I was thinking there would be a lot of clouds rolling in that day since Thursday was forecasted to have rain. However, when I got there, the sky was still so blue with only a thin wall of marine layer at the far horizon.

California Brown Pelicans

 I started my walk a little bit disappointed because I was imagining rolling clouds that were not there. However, it seemed the wildlife covered up for what I was missing. California brown pelicans and gulls kept on flying above me,

Gull in Flight

some of them resting on bluffs,

Brown Pelica’s Red Pouch, Winter Breeding Color

 some sea gulls sharing the rocks with the seals,

Gulls and Harbor Seals

that in time I was entertained by what I was seeing while walking and not minding anymore the clouds that I was missing. What surprised me most are the presence of wildflowers on the slopes of the coastal hills already.

La Jolla Wildflowers

The sight of these wildflowers put joy into my heart, I love flowers and I always look forward for spring to see a lot more flowers in the trails. I am not seeing a lot yet in the trails, but a little bloom here and there, and seeing a carpeting yellow on the slopes made me excited for the coming spring, which for San Diego standard comes late February or early March, that is the time I usually see a lot more flowers in the trail.

Carpeting Flowers on the Slopes

Looking at the flowers makes it an almost spring now, and the presence of wildflowers seem like a smile to me beyond compare.

The Smile of Spring

Anyway, these sights just make me dreamy hoping to see more colors in the next weeks to come, especially we had been enjoying rain since Thursday. Today is a nice day with very little rain, and we managed to hike to Woodson Mountain, which I will make a post sometime this week.  I had all my wished clouds today, no sunset though since the West is filled with dark clouds.

Here are some more pictures from my leisurely walk last Wednesday at La Jolla.

Moon Over Dragon Trees

The Dragon Tree is a succulent type of tree-size species with stout trunks and dense umbrella-shaped canopy of thick leaves. The tree got its name from its red sap, which was thought to be dragon’s blood by early inhabitants of the tree’s native Canary Islands.

Cormorants on La Jolla Caves

Sea Lions

Pelican Bluff (the bluff is where you can view best the pelicans and the sea lions)

I was browsing Jerry Schad’s A Foot and a Field in San Diego County and I learned that there is a new trail currently developed that will ultimately go all the way from Torrey Pines State Reserve to Anza Borrego Desert State Park. The trail covers habitats from ocean to mountain to desert over a variety of terrain. Interestingly, the trails are isolated enough to allow hikers to see more wildlife. Since I know we will never complete this trail, therefore, we had our own version of Pines to Spines Trail last weekend, but it was a drive and hike . We drove to Spines, and walk one mile. Drove to mountains, and hike 5 miles. Drove to Pines, and hike 4 miles again. Yes, from desert, to mountains to oceans, that’s what we did! But with the aid of our vehicle haha! And since we did not have to avoid civilization, our route is a lot shorter than the hiking route for we did not have to climb several mountains. From this trip, you can guess how much geological diversity is there in San Diego County.

Our Spines to Pines trip, all within San Diego County:

I. San Diego to Spines, Morning: From Highway 15, we took Scripps Poway Parkway to 67 North, continuing to 78 East, then taking 79 North to S2 and then S22 to Borrego Springs.

Spine @ Anza Borrego Desert State Park Visitor Center

From Borrego Springs, we take S-22 East to Font’s Point.

Badlands Across to Mexico, @ Font’s Point

Badlands as Far as Your Eyes Can See, Font’s Point

Badlands Up Close

Looking West from Font’s Point to Our Next Destination

From Font’s Point, we moved west to Tamarisk Grove Campground for more Spines and did the 1 mile Cactus Loop Trail.

Cactus Loop Trail @ Anza Borrego

II. Spines to Mountains, Mid-day. From Tamarisk we took 78 West and then 79 South to Cuyamaca Rancho State Park and did a 5 mile hike looping around Lake Cuyamaca and to Stone Wall Gold Mine.

Start of our Hike @ Lake Cuyamaca Loop to Stone Wall Gold Mine

Pines and Oaks ( just imagine East of this Forest is Anza Borrego Desert )

Hiking to Historical Stone Wall Gold Mine Site

If only these leaves would turn into real Gold, then, we can retire

The Stone Wall Mine Site

$2,000,000 worth of gold in 1893 (how much would that now be?) excavated in this 30-ft shaft alone

Since The State Park is an Archaelogical Site, and No Excavation Allowed, We Settled for This Gold

More Gold with A Dash of Iron

Stepped on Fallen Apples @ the Trail

Apples

Almost Done

One more Look at the Lake before we move closer to the Pacific Ocean

III. Mountains to Pines by the Sea, Late Afternoon. Drive Back to San Diego by taking 79 South to I-8 West to I-5 North to the Pines part of the Spines to Pines Trail, @ Torrey Pines State Reserve (our route was a loop ). As I told fellow San Diegan blogger Frigga, I had been going to the mountains and desert lately forgetting for a short time what is closest to us, the ocean. Her picture brought a reminder for me to feel the ocean breeze again on my skin and listen to the magical and powerful sound of the waves. And by the ocean, is my favorite place on Earth, if there is anywhere I wanted to be if I would be ask for only one choice, then, by the ocean it would be! Only that living in San Diego affords us the experience and enjoyment of all these three different atmospheres, the ocean, mountains and desert.

Squid (we got there at low tide )

Gulls

Just Landed Gull

Broken Hill

Torrey Pines By the Hill

Broken Hill

Sun Sets on Thick Marine Layer Over Torrey Pines

Spines (Left) Meet Pines (back of Broken Hill) @ Torrey Pines State Reserve

That was a lovely but long day. Actually, when we got to Torrey Pines, I was so dismayed, since I enjoyed immensely the blue sky at the desert and mountains. But when we got at Torrey Pines, the marine layer was so thick, it was so overly foggy. I did not think I could take any picture because of poor visibility. I actually at first left my backpack, thinking I will just finish our trip by hiking to Broken Hill. But then, I saw my hubby bringing his backpack. I asked him why, he said for weight training, so, I followed him. I told myself, okay, for weight training! I am glad I brought my camera and tripod for weight training, though the sunset was not one of Torrey Pines’ best, but at least, the fog cleared a bit for me to take some pictures of the gulls and hills, and it was my first time to see a squid breathing on sand. We can never tell indeed how situations will change in the great outdoors.