Walking on the beach north of the Imperial Beach pier.
Nothing feels more perfect than a long walk. A long, easy walk to anywhere.
No matter which path feet follow, which direction your head turns, to walk is to feel refreshingly alive.
With every step, the world’s infinite complexity is revealed page by page. When eyes are open and the mind is keen, the strides are through endless wonder.
That first step. That deep, expansive breath of new air. The stretching out of limbs. A touch of warmth or chill on your face. Eyes lifted to the horizon, expectant.
Joy mounting with every stride as senses register a million familiar proofs of the world’s essential beauty.
The smells from near and far. Mown grass, the salty ocean, rain-wet asphalt, piney hills, a jasmine bush on a corner, sun-baked dirt, perfume from a cafe.
Kaleidoscope visions through which you simply, happily flow. The infinite detail of reflected light, dazzling your eyes. Patterns of leaves. Patterns of shadow. Patterns of neighbors and bustle and streets. The patterns of humanity.
And every gradation of daylight. Every blue and every green that nature supplies. A complete riot of color on painted things. Rainbows on buildings, signs, cars, jackets, socks. The whole spectrum of color, if only you see it. A trillion, trillion buzzing atoms encompass you, if only you see them. The awesome visual geometry of angles, form and depth. It’s all before and around you.
The smallest object encountered during a thoughtful walk is a self-contained universe. Even a lone bit of windblown trash is beautiful, in perhaps a thousand different ways. With a microscope you couldn’t unravel its potent mysteries. Who made it? How was it made? Where did it come from, and where’s it headed? For a moment the walker shares the world closely with surprising and mysterious companions: a bird, a grasshopper, a motorist, another walker. We all travel alone but together, encountering our own unique wonders, creating through sheer muscle and chance our historic voyages of discovery.
I want to go exploring today. I suppose I’ll just start out my door.
Got to put on my shoes… Bye!
…
To enjoy future posts, you can “like” Cool San Diego Sights on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.
This is one of the most amazing trees you’re likely to ever see.
Have you visited Balboa Park? Perhaps you’ve seen an incredibly enormous tree standing between the San Diego Natural History Museum and Spanish Village. It’s impossible to miss! That’s the over 100 year old Moreton Bay Fig!
Sign in Balboa Park describes Ficus macrophylla, the Moreton Bay Fig.
Ficus macrophylla
“Moreton Bay Fig”
Native to East Australia
This tree was planted prior to the 1915 Panama-California International Exposition and was the focus of a Formal Garden located at this site. Because of its large size, it is listed as a co-champion with the Santa Barbara Fig in the California Dept. of Forestry Registry of Big Trees.
Age: over 100 years (now)
Height: 80 feet
Trunk Girth: 42 feet
Canopy width: 145 feet
Trunk and roots of a tree once climbed by kids, but now fenced off for its protection.Huge Moreton Bay Fig tree and the San Diego Natural History Museum.A big tree is a rare and valuable part of the ecosystem.
The Value of a Big Tree
Trees contribute to our environment by producing oxygen; reducing temperature, carbon-dioxide and stormwater runoff; improving property value and providing wildlife habitat.
Scientists have developed a value formula to determine the cost benefit of trees. The Center for Urban Forest Research states that trees over 50 feet tall contribute about $65.00/year back to the environment. Smaller trees contribute $18-36.00/year. There are about 20,000 trees in Balboa Park which contribute a value of one million dollars per year back to our environment.
Beyond dollars, Big Trees like the Moreton Bay Fig enhance the park, provide a sense of history to our community and a legacy for our children.
Someone gazes at the hundred year old leafy giant in Balboa Park.
…
To enjoy future posts, you can “like” Cool San Diego Sights on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter.
View of the Quince Street Trestle from a spot on Fourth Avenue.
Many nature hikes can be enjoyed in Balboa Park. But there’s another beautiful, quiet hike through date palms and eucalyptus trees and bright spring flowers that anyone can enjoy just a few blocks north of downtown San Diego.
The Maple Canyon Trail stretches from a trailhead near Quince Street and Third Avenue on Bankers Hill to a second trailhead at Maple Street and Dove Street in Middletown. It often seems that the only people who use the trail are dog walkers and joggers who live nearby. Those who haven’t hiked this easy trail are missing out on a unique experience. The Maple Canyon Trail passes under two cool historic bridges!
The Quince Street Trestle is a visually interesting wooden footbridge that was built in 1905. Back then streetcars ran up Fourth Avenue, and the trestle allowed pedestrians to cross the steep canyon from the west. A quarter century ago the bridge, weakened by termites and rot, was closed and almost demolished. Local residents took up the cause of saving the bridge, which was finally declared a historic site.
The Maple Canyon Trail also passes beneath the impressive First Avenue Bridge. The arched steel bridge was built in 1931 and was originally known as the Peoples Bridge. Its astonishing height above the trail is a reminder of San Diego’s unique geology. Southern California’s coastal region is crisscrossed in many places by deep, narrow canyons, which often serve as undeveloped habitat for native species of plant and animal life.
Small cabinet at end of footbridge contains books that people can freely borrow!Walking across the very cool historic trestle on Bankers Hill.Looking down from trestle at dogs and walker passing through the canyon below.This super cool condo is located near the Third Avenue trailhead.Maple Canyon Open Space sign near trailhead on Bankers Hill.Looking up at the wooden footbridge from the quiet footpath on a sunny day.Wood beams compose the high trestle.Grass and spring flowers line the Maple Canyon Trail.Some interesting houses can be seen up on the hillsides.Here comes the First Avenue Bridge beyond a eucalyptus tree.This elegant old steel bridge has very limited motor traffic.
…
To enjoy future posts, you can “like” Cool San Diego Sights on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.
Beautiful cherry blossoms have opened at the Japanese Friendship Garden!
Because a big storm is on its way into Southern California, I got my weekend walk in this morning. I didn’t want to venture too far and get caught in the rain, so I decided to head up to Balboa Park to check out the cherry blossoms at the Japanese Friendship Garden!
Next weekend is the big, super popular Cherry Blossom Festival. I don’t like crowds generally, so my small adventure today was just perfect! Relatively few people were visiting the quiet Friendship Garden. I guess other folks, like me, were worried about getting caught in a chilly shower. Turns out most of my walk was in sunshine!
Not long ago the Japanese Friendship Garden occupied just a small narrow spot in Balboa Park, and visitors could see and enjoy everything with a very short visit. No longer! The spectacular expansion into the canyon and additional coming expansions promise to make this a truly world-class garden.
In addition to traditional Japanese garden features and the cherry blossoms, one can walk among many beautiful trees and down shady hillsides of flowers, which include azaleas, camellias and hydrangeas. Anyone with an interest in gardening must go see this incredible place!
A shout out to the friendly folks at the garden!
View of the Japanese Friendship Garden expansion in Balboa Park canyon.
The above pic was taken from a viewing deck between the House of Hospitality and the Tea Pavilion. We’ll be heading down there in a bit!
Sign near entrance explains history of the garden. In 1915 a Japanese tea house was built at another location in Balboa Park for the Panama-California Exposition.Today’s Japanese Tea Pavilion is next to the Friendship Garden and offers many choices of tea and great food.
If you’ve ever been to the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, you’ve surely seen the Japanese Tea Pavilion right next door. Next time you enjoy a concert, grab a bite here!
People enter Japanese Friendship Garden. The San-Kei-En entrance stone, gift from San Diego’s sister city Yokohama, translates Three Scene Garden–Water, Pastoral and Mountain.Water gently drips from hollow bamboo, inviting meditation.Visitors check out thought-provoking historical and cultural displays in the Exhibit Hall.
The Exhibit Hall includes a room with benches that look out a big window at the Dry Stone Garden. The gravel is raked into simple patterns for meditation. I didn’t want to disturb people, so no photos of that.
Oribe-doro lantern. Exhibit Hall with views of Karesansui (Dry Stone Garden) in background.The amazing Koi Pond is a favorite spot to relax and feel alive.The koi are colorful and curious. They seemed interested in my camera!People stroll along a tranquil path in one of San Diego’s most beautiful gardens.Stepping stones lead toward the Activity Room, where various Japan-related clubs meet.Looking down at a path that leads into canyon. New construction is a large pavilion that will open later this year.A special Bonsai Exhibit area.Perfectly pruned bonsai includes a bright red bougainvillea!That bright tree in the distance is a pink trumpet tree.Light of Friendship.Walking down a path through a scene of carefully maintained beauty.The Charles C. Dail Memorial Gate leads into the canyon, where the Japanese Cherry trees await. That’s another pink trumpet tree!Former San Diego mayor Charles Dail created the Sister City Association with Yokohama.Visitors head down an easy hiking trail to see cherry blossoms and other flowers.Another look at the large canyon pavilion buildings, which will be finished soon.Here are some cherry blossoms! Many are blooming, even though it isn’t spring quite yet!A sparkling man-made river runs through the canyon bottom, surrounded by a gorgeous landscape.A waterfall and gurgling, bubbling water put me in a thoughtful mood.A steady-handed expert gardener tends to one of the many shrubs and plants in the garden. I envy him!Delicate pink cherry blossoms hover over lush green grass.Gauzy pink blooms seem so new and promising.One last photo of the new pavilion under construction. Looks inviting!There are about 160 ornamental cherry trees in this grove. I think I’ll be going here more often!The Japanese Friendship Garden in San Diego’s Balboa Park is a place of beauty.
…
To enjoy future posts, you can “like” Cool San Diego Sights on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter.
Cars zoom west down Friars Road, beneath the Morena Boulevard bridge.
Should you ever drive west down Friars Road approaching Mission Bay, you might see a collection of native animals gathered under the Morena Boulevard bridge. They seem to like the place, because they never leave!
The west end of Mission Valley contains an open space preserve, where some wild animals live in the midst of a big city. The wildlife mural, designed in 2007 by lead artist Julia C. R. Gray, was a public art project of the San Diego River Park Foundation.
This mural is a project of the San Diego River Park Foundation.A bobcat lurks under the busy city bridge!So does a skunk! I didn’t smell this critter, however.Fish in dry water, painted on a public art mural near the San Diego River.Horned toad and raccoon, samples of wildlife that live in Mission Valley preserve.Frog in a painted mural, created by artist Julia C. R. Gray in 2007.A rabbit that’s still enough to be captured by my camera!It’s very rare to see a fox in the developed parts of San Diego.Second mural painted on south side of Friars Road also shows a river scene.Beyond lies open space. Lush vegetation provides shelter for wildlife near river.
…
To enjoy future posts, you can “like” Cool San Diego Sights on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.
People on patio behind Visitor Center take in a breathtaking panorama.View from Cabrillo National Monument Visitor Center scenic overlook. Downtown San Diego is visible to the east.
Last Sunday, after I checked out the new Yankee Baleeiros whaling exhibit in the Visitor Center, I wandered about Cabrillo National Monument and took in the many beautiful views. My camera was very busy!
Tall ship America sails south down the channel out of the bay and into the open ocean.Looking out over San Diego Bay. Shelter Island lies in the distance beyond Naval Base Point Loma.One of many interesting signs. This one shows typical commercial and pleasure craft seen on the water below.Statue of explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo at a popular lookout spot.Naval Air Station North Island seems to glow beyond the Cabrillo National Monument Visitor Center building.I took lots of photographs while climbing up through native coastal vegetation toward the beautiful Old Point Loma Lighthouse.Looking southwest over two World War II bunkers toward the distant Coronado Islands, which are a part of Tijuana, Mexico. The new lighthouse is down by the water.People gaze out at the beautiful sky and ocean from a popular whale-watching point.Gray whales migrate past Cabrillo National Monument from December through April. Spouts are often seen from here!Sculpture of a gray whale and a cetacean’s vertebrae along walkway that leads from the old lighthouse.Looking northwest toward the tidepools below and Pacific Ocean breakers.
…
To enjoy future posts, you can “like” Cool San Diego Sights on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.
Large trees by San Diego River snapped by sudden violent microburst winds.
Late yesterday, a few minutes after five o’clock, a violent microburst tore through Mission Valley, several miles north of downtown San Diego. Similar microbursts occurred elsewhere around the city and county, bringing thunder and lightning, torrential downpours and extremely violent winds. San Diegans saw on the news how many small airplanes parked at Montgomery Field in Kearny Mesa (a few miles farther north) were thrown through the air and overturned like mere toys.
I was fortunate. I left the place where I work in Mission Valley half an hour early. Many of my coworkers weren’t so fortunate. One, walking to the Hazard Center trolley station, took shelter in a grocery store while the wind, sounding like an oncoming tornado, knocked over sturdy steel shopping cart corrals in the parking lot with ease. He reported the fury of the storm only lasted a few minutes.
Early this morning I walked along the pathway that follows the north side of the San Diego River. For better than a mile, from Qualcomm Way west well past Mission Center Road, I photographed the aftermath of the terrifying microburst. The amount of damage to the river’s lush canopy of trees was indescribable. Hundreds of trees, large and small, were torn to pieces or uprooted by the brief microbust.
These pics aren’t so cool, but they are interesting…
Popular pathway through Mission Valley is covered with miles of fallen trees.Walking along the river required fancy footwork the morning after the freak storm.One of many trees torn to pieces next to residential buildings.The late summer microburst came on a very hot, humid San Diego day.San Diego River seen behind devastated trees near walking path.This hurricane-like rainstorm ended so quickly no severe flooding occurred.
This sign talks about the history of flooding in Mission Valley, and how nature occasionally flushes out accumulated debris and keeps the river healthy. Because the storm was so brief, nature didn’t create much flooding yesterday–but it certainly created quite a bit of debris!
Many trees around the developed parts of Mission Valley were also uprooted!
Tree trimming businesses and city workers converged in full force on Mission Valley today! Many truckloads of branches were hauled off from all over!
…
To enjoy future posts, you can “like” Cool San Diego Sights on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter.
Hiking to the beach from a trailhead in Torrey Pines State Reserve.
Today is National Trails Day, so it seems the perfect time to blog about one hike I took recently at Torrey Pines State Reserve! The hike was down the Beach Trail, which is one of the most popular hikes in this beautiful place. The coming photos demonstrate why!
The 3/4 mile downhill Beach Trail begins at the edge of a small parking lot near the Torrey Pines State Reserve’s historic lodge, which serves as the visitor center. On this spring day, many small flowers were blooming along the trail, and lots of hikers were enjoying the sunshine as well. Should you ever go hiking here, make sure you wear good shoes because it can be a bit steep in places and the sand often makes slippery footing.
Hikers take beautiful trail through coastal chaparral.People enjoy vistas from atop sandstone formation.Endangered Torrey pine can be seen beyond fork in the trail.
You can observe many more examples of the endangered Torrey pine tree in the north part of the reserve. See my post about the Guy Fleming Trail!
The blue Pacific Ocean comes into view!Typical rugged scenery along trails of Torrey Pines State Reserve.The Beach Trail is often covered in fine sand.Now we’re getting really close to our destination!
It gets much steeper as one approaches the ocean. You can see La Jolla way off in the hazy distance.
Erosion of layered sandstone creates unusual, fluid forms.Flat Rock can be seen below on Torrey Pines State Beach.Steps head steeply down from cliffs.Hikers arrive at the beach!
The transition from the reserve to the beach seems very sudden as you hike down from the cliffs. Suddenly you hear the surf and see many sea birds. It’s an amazing experience!
Down on the sand.People walk north along Torrey Pines State Beach.
A walk north along the beach about a mile or so brings one back to the main Torrey Pines State Reserve parking lot by the Pacific Coast Highway. If you’d like to enjoy a relatively easy nature hike, I’d highly recommend this one! (Going uphill is more difficult!)
…
To enjoy future posts, you can “like” Cool San Diego Sights on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter.
View of Balboa Park rose garden from nearby bridge.
Mom passed away some years ago. She loved roses. This blog post is dedicated to every precious mom on Mother’s Day.
I took these photos today at Balboa Park’s three-acre Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden. It’s located across Park Boulevard from the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, and features about 1,600 roses of more than 130 varieties. People love to stroll through the lush award-winning displays. Many mothers and families were present today!
Hundreds of roses surround a large, shady gazebo.Path near the edge of rose garden’s gazebo.Plaque on one gazebo bench with romantic sentiment.A fountain among the roses.Looking across colorful blooms toward entrance.Families enjoy a world-class rose garden on Mother’s Day.Looking over white roses at the Natural History Museum.Garden is dedicated to the memory of Inez Grant Parker.Simply beautiful.
…
To enjoy future posts, you can “like” Cool San Diego Sights on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter.
I hope you enjoyed my last blog post, where I described a hike around the Guy Fleming Trail in Torrey Pines State Reserve. Now I’d like to take you up to see the Lodge.
We’re going to start at the entrance of Torrey Pines State Reserve, just off the Pacific Coast Highway. We’ll be climbing the steep Torrey Pines Park Road all the way to the historic Lodge.
Looking south along Torrey Pines State Beach.
As we begin our climb we bend away from the beach, but pause for a moment to observe the high sandstone cliffs to our south. This wonderful beach, which extends for many miles, will be the subject of a future blog post!
Heading up steep Torrey Pines Park Road.Entering a zone full of endangered Torrey pines.Torrey pines stand atop eroded sandstone cliffs.
The Torrey pine is an endangered tree found only here and on Santa Rosa island. We’ll learn more about it shortly…
View of lagoon and ocean from High Point Overlook.
Near the top of the road we come to High Point Overlook, a short trail that heads up some steps for a 360 degree view. Here we’re looking north and seeing a bit of the Los Peñasquitos Lagoon.
Sign about philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps.
This sign stands among some Torrey pines at the top of the overlook. It reads:
The philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps (1836-1932) holds a special and endearing place in the annals of Torrey Pines. Without Miss Scripps, this mesa might resemble what you see to the east: a tangle of roads, houses and businesses.
Although the City of San Diego had set aside some land to preserve the Torrey pines, the best and densest groves remained in the hands of developers who planned to subdivide and commercialize the area. Miss Scripps bought these lots in 1908, 1911, and 1912.
She hired naturalist Guy Fleming to care for and protect this wonderful place in 1921 and funded the construction of his house on the property.
The Torrey Pines Lodge, now used as a visitor center and ranger station, was built with her funds and donated to the people of San Diego. It was designed by noted architects Richard Requa and Herbert Lewis Jackson. It opened as a restaurant in 1923.
Finally, she bequeathed the City of San Diego the groves of Torrey pines, asking that they “be held in perpetuity as a public park,” and requesting, “that care be taken to preserve the natural beauty of the area” in 1932.
Today’s visitors may thank Ellen Browning Scripps for having the foresight to protect this unique place in the California landscape.
Nearing Torrey Pines State Reserve’s historic Lodge.
A little more walking takes us to our main destination, the Lodge. An old adobe built in 1922, it originally served as a restaurant! According to the official website, it had stumpy tables, chintz curtains, lampshades made of Torrey Pine needles, and a jukebox! Back in those days, Model T cars had difficulty going up the steep hill, because they didn’t have a fuel pump, and instead relied on a gravity system. When the steeply climbing cars conked out, drivers were told to continue up the hill in reverse!
Banner commemorates 150 years of California State Parks.Gap in Lodge’s stucco shows original adobe bricks.
This is near the front door. The sign below reads:
When the Lodge was built in 1922-23, thousands of bricks were made on site using local sand and clay. The gap in the stucco coating above deliberately reveals the original adobe bricks.
Portion of large sign outside describing coastal flowers.Interior of Lodge is a museum and visitor center.
I love the interior of the Lodge. There’s so much interesting stuff to see, and so much history and natural charm jammed into one place. The Lodge is open daily 9 AM to 6 PM during summer daylight saving time and 10 AM to 4 PM during winter standard time. Ranger guided hikes are available on weekends.
One of many educational exhibits.Mountain lion patiently watches visitors to the Lodge.Plaque in Lodge credits Ellen Browning Scripps.Old fireplace shows decades of use.
The plaque above the old fireplace reads:
Torrey Pines Lodge dedicated to Dr. John Torrey, for whom, in 1850, these unique trees were named Pinus torreyana by Dr. C. C. Parry.
Sign behind Lodge describes Torrey Pine Woodlands.
Now we’ve headed back outside, around the back of the Lodge. Numerous Torrey pines are all around us, and benches are sprinkled here and there with sweeping views eastward toward developed Carmel Valley and Interstate 5.
This sign reads:
The Torrey Pine tree is one of the most rare pine trees in all of North America. The young trees that you see today may be the remnants of what was once an ancient coastal forest. This natural plant community is found only in nutrient-poor sandy soils, along the sandstone bluffs, canyons, and ravines, of Torrey Pines State Reserve and on Santa Rosa Island. In this harsh arid landscape, coastal fog is vital to the tree’s survival, acting as an air conditioner, shielding the needles from the hot sun and providing most of the moisture for the trees. The twisted and gnarled trees along the bluffs often lean inland, growing close to the ground, as a result of the ocean winds and pruning by salt crystals in the air.
School kids learn about local flora and fauna.
A ranger was giving a bunch of school kids a talk about Torrey Pines State Reserve. They’ll remember this special place for the rest of their lives.
The Lodge at Torrey Pines State Reserve is a must see!
…
To enjoy future posts, you can “like” Cool San Diego Sights on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter.
Cool San Diego Sights! 