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.
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Birdwatching on north side of San Diego River, not far from Pacific Ocean.
Today I enjoyed a glorious walk. I hiked along the always life-filled San Diego River Estuary.
Beginning along the north side of the San Diego River from Friars Road, I headed west down the bicycle and jogging trail which parallels Sea World Drive. I then crossed the river over the Sports Arena Boulevard bridge and returned along the San Diego River Trail back east to Morena Boulevard.
I didn’t expect to get any decent shots of birds with my dinky little camera, but as it turned out I got lucky. While the estuary is always teeming with both migrating and native birds, most tend to gather on the small islands and mud flats a fair distance from the path.
The San Diego River Estuary is one of the best birding spots in Southern California.Great egret takes flight from river’s edge, very close to pedestrian and bike path.Hummingbird takes a rest on a twig on a sunny winter afternoon.Plenty of ducks and shore birds dot the living river throughout the year.Black-necked stilt walks through the water, perhaps watching for a meal.Looking north across blue water. Mission Bay and SeaWorld lie beyond the trees.Huge flock of seagulls takes flight from mud flat near mouth of San Diego River.A fish-hunting osprey flies above the San Diego River Estuary.
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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!
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These photographs were taken this morning in Mission Valley, in the general area of Hazard Center. It had rained during the night and early morning, and the last remnants of dark clouds were rolling away.
Dark morning rain clouds break for the rising sun.Morning light emerges from behind a bank of clouds.Tree by San Diego River beneath passing rain clouds.Rain on fallen leaves, a spider’s web and bent stems.Blue patch reflected in a building beneath clouds.
San Diego River mottled with algae, behind grey branches.
Usually I keep my old camera on Auto mode then just aim and shoot. I take a million pics and hope a few come out okay.
This morning, during my walk to work through Mission Valley, I was fortunate to capture some weirdly artistic photographs. I paused a few times on the south side of the San Diego River as the sun rose. The slanting light illuminated patches of red algae, bright green reeds and tangles of dry branches.
San Diego River looks like an Impressionist painting.Red algae and bright green reeds in San Diego River.Morning light on San Diego River and swirls of color.
This photograph was taken several mornings ago while I walked through Mission Valley. It looks west from Mission Center Road along the San Diego River.
The bright green, I believe, is Yerba Mansa.
People are often surprised that such a beautiful, peaceful scene can be found in a busy city. Had I turned the camera in any other direction, I might’ve captured buildings, shopping centers, cars and several freeways. So much depends on the direction in which we turn…
Here are two more pics which I took in late February 2015…
San Diego River Trail follows natural beauty through Mission Valley.Taking a look at the river from the other side of Mission Center Road.
Here are a couple more photographs of the beautiful Our River mural just north of the San Diego River, east of Mission Center Road.
San Diego contains many examples of fantastic outdoor urban art, and I hope to document many of them on this blog. Stay tuned for all sorts of colorful surprises and fun!
Long, very colorful mural on parking lot wall near Carl’s Jr.
Here are more photographs that I took of the wonderful mural Our River, which depicts a sinuous blue ribbon of life, symbol of the San Diego River. The long blue ribbon is held up and cherished by those who live along it. The flowers, tree, cloud and happy children give this fine example of public art amazing vitality. The surprising parking lot mural contains joy from one end to the other!
Two figures hold up the long blue ribbon of life.Small portion of the Our River mural in Mission Valley.A figure from the extensive Our River mural.Happy faces at the beach painted on an outdoor mural.
Here’s a photograph of one small section of the very colorful mural that can be found on the north side of the San Diego River, just east of Mission Center Road. The mural, Our River, decorates a long wall along the parking lot below Carl’s Jr. This great example of meaningful public art depicts the river in the form of a long blue ribbon, being held by many diverse San Diegans representing every walk of life.
This is a good place to begin a walk along the river, heading east. Shady trails run along either side of the river, offering surprisingly peaceful and beautiful views of the rippling water, green trees and assorted wildlife, including pelicans, cormorants, herons, egrets, ducks and seagulls. And you’ll see passing red trolleys, too!
The beautiful Our River mural was a project of the San Diego River Park Foundation, completed on April 5, 2009. The artist was Andrea Arroyo.
Cool San Diego Sights! 