Car deep in the water. The flooded lower level of a Fashion Valley mall parking garage in San Diego’s Mission Valley.
Occasionally I post not-so-cool photos on my blog. Here are some that are noteworthy. I took these this morning while walking through a section of Mission Valley on my way to work. Because it lies right next to the San Diego River, the area is notorious for catastrophic flooding.
Yesterday we had a storm that brought intense rain to our region. It was the second winter storm of this El Nino year. Today we’re having our third storm, and it looks to be fairly rainy for many days to come.
Of course, after California’s long drought, we need the water. Unfortunately, the rain that falls in Mission Valley and many other parts of San Diego isn’t captured–it simply runs off into the ocean. I hope there isn’t too much damage caused this winter by El Nino. To my blog’s followers who are affected, take care!
The morning after an early winter storm during an El Nino year. The sun is out as people cross the San Diego River near the Fashion Valley Transit Center.Areas along the San Diego River are notorious for flooding. Yesterday a long deluge raised the water to an unusually high level.A couple dozen cars were spotted flooded at the Fashion Valley shopping mall. This one was stranded not far from Macy’s, which also suffered some flooding inside the store.More cars abandoned in the flood. Many storms are in line to strike San Diego in the coming days during this El Nino year.The bike and pedestrian pathway beneath Highway 163 flooded and was impassable. The nearby river was swollen with the recent rain.A beautiful morning photo of the San Diego River taken from Mission Center Road. This spot floods during severe storms and traffic must be diverted.A barrier stands ready for the next storm. It looks to be a long, watery winter!
Visitors enjoying Explore Mission Trails Day head down Grinding Rock Trail.
About 60 miles of hiking trails through a wilderness environment can be found just 8 miles from downtown San Diego. Seriously!
This morning I enjoyed a very short walk (about a mile) at Mission Trails Regional Park. I went on the occasion of Explore Mission Trails Day, an annual event that showcases this amazing, enormous urban park.
The relatively easy hike was from the Visitor and Interpretive Center to some grinding rocks on the banks of the San Diego River, then back. Led by our guide, Linda, a small group learned what life was like for the ancient Kumeyaay people, who’ve lived in this dry, rugged area of Southern California for thousands of years, long before Europeans arrived. The Kumeyaay lived off the land. The very land where we walked.
We gathered at the kiosk near the parking lot for an easy morning nature walk.Hiking through common, aromatic Southern California sagebrush toward a distinctive mountain, South Fortuna.We pause under a coast live oak, which produces acorns and shade valued by the native Kumeyaay.Large nest created by a woodrat (also known as pack rat). The Kumeyaay would bang a nest with a stick and hope to capture a snake, to eat.We cross a small wooden footbridge and take in nature’s sights and smells on a beautiful day.These tiny pinkish white flowers are flat-top buckwheat. Their tiny seeds are edible. The blooms attract butterflies.It’s easy to forget you are in the San Diego city limits in this open wilderness.Water erosion visible in the gradually descending dirt trail. As the morning was overcast and cool, no snakes were out sunning.Yucca fibers were used by the Kumeyaay to make nets, sandles, baskets and other useful things.Linda, our tour guide, talks about the ancient history of this region and its indigenous peoples. The Kumeyaay moved about depending on the season and availability of resources.Dodder is an orange colored parasitic plant. According to Kumeyaay legend, a woman who failed to guard a camp against invaders ran away, and some of her hair snagged in the bushes!A patch of poison oak! Leaves of three, let it be!We approach the San Diego River, but first pass beneath a large arching tree. If you see a native tree in San Diego, there’s probably water nearby!Smooth boulders on a bank of the San Diego River in Mission Trails Regional Park.Family investigates the life-giving water. The Kumeyaay at times would follow the river all the way to the coast, where some witnessed the landing of explorer Cabrillo.Many mortar-like holes in the nearby boulders are where Kumeyaay ground acorns, seeds, roots, herbs and other edible resources found in this arid environment.Walking stick leans up near some Yucca fiber creations brought by our guide. The basket on the right was made with willow branches. Natural salicylic acid found in willows kept out insects!Starting back up toward the Visitor Center during a very cool hike in San Diego! If you go for a hike, bring water and sturdy shoes!
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Park rangers and community organizations set up displays on the Visitor Center patio.
This morning I headed up Mission Gorge Road to check out the big annual Explore Mission Trails Day event!
Mission Trails Regional Park is a 6000-acre nature reserve located in San Diego’s East County. It’s one of the largest urban parks in the United States–basically a wide stretch of rugged, rocky wilderness within our large modern city! The San Diego River runs through the very heart of the park as it makes its way from higher inland elevations to the Pacific Ocean. I often drive past and gaze at the low chaparral-covered mountains and hills, and twice I’ve climbed Cowles Mountain, but this was the first time I’ve actually set foot inside the Visitor Center.
What an awesome place! How did I miss it all of these years?
Today I limited myself to the south end of the park, including a short but super cool hike from the Visitor Center to the Grinding Rocks. (That will be my next blog post!) There were additional Explore Mission Trails Day activities up by the Old Mission Dam and Kumeyaay Lake Campground, and by Mast Boulevard and Highway 52. I suppose I’ll have to go again next year!
My photos tell the story of what I saw…
Banner beside Father Junipero Serra Trail announces Explore Mission Trails Day!There were opportunities to learn about nature, wildlife, science, history and the environment.Some folks near the main entrance of the Mission Trails Regional Park Visitor Center.Bronze sculpture of a golden eagle is perched above path near the Visitor Center entrance.Plaque by door dedicates the large open space park to past, present and future San Diegans.View inside the Mission Trails Visitor and Interpretive Center from second floor balcony.Flutists play near “Heritage” sculpture depicting native Kumeyaay elders. Amazing monumental artwork is by T.J. Dixon and James Nelson.The Art of Bird Photography is a special exhibition featuring the work of Blake Shaw.Roberta Labastida is the author of My Ancestors’ Village, which tells about the life of the Kumeyaay people who were here long before the arrival of Europeans.Numerous exhibits and activities could be found inside the Mission Trails Visitor and Interpretive Center.Western Scrub Jay and Northern Racoon are animals one might see in this very large San Diego urban park.Cleaning some chalk off where kids have been identifying animal tracks.The bobcat is often encountered in the hills and mountains of San Diego County. I once saw one while hiking around Mount Laguna!Historically, the Kumeyaay lived in large family groups, and moved about depending on the season and the availability of nature’s bounty.Exhibits in Visitor Center’s museum show different aspects of Kumeyaay culture, including songs, games and crafts.Very cool observation window allows visitors to look out upon South Fortuna and Kwaay Paay Peak.With the majestic chaparral-covered Fortuna Mountains as its backdrop, the coastal sage scrub habitat is highly adapted to our long hot summers.Looking back out at the rear patio. More people have arrived in the past few minutes while I explored inside.Now I’m outside again, coming down some steps. Another cloudy day, following San Diego’s latest storm!Replicated flume near Visitor Center is a modern interpretation of the man-made channel that carried water from the Old Mission Dam (a couple miles upriver) to Mission San Diego de Alcala.Sign by replicated flume details how it was engineered over two centuries ago. Water was used at the old historic Mission for livestock, farms and inhabitants.Cool table full of meteorites next to traditional Kumeyaay house made of willow branches.This sign tells the story of a fictional Kumeyaay woman, circa the year 1000. This primitive house was called an Ewaa.Large boulder moved to Visitor Center due to construction contains a mortar-like hole used by Kumeyaay to grind acorns, seeds, roots, herbs and other natural foods.A replicated solar calendar made of stones, used by Native Americans to mark the Winter Solstice. Only a couple have been found in San Diego County.This pink beauty is a California Wild Rose, found beside the patio. They’re more often found along streams.Lady rests in Visitor Center amphitheater by small bronze sculpture of a Dusky-footed Woodrat. This wild rodent can create a nest up to 8 feet high!Sculpture of a coyote, one the top predators of Mission Trails Regional Park. Even with human encroachment, they remain numerous today.Family checks out a very cool, life-size sculpture of a mountain lion at the amphitheater. This secretive animal is rarely seen around here.Ms. Frizzle was present at Explore Mission Trails Day! The event was an educational treat for both kids and adults!
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The roots were almost completely torn out of the ground, but the stubborn tree in spring has green leaves!
Perhaps you read my blog post about the violent microburst that tore through San Diego’s Mission Valley on September 16, 2014. Along with photos of the aftermath, I described the tornado-like winds of the freak weather phenomenon.
A microburst is a localized downdraft of wind that can occur under unstable weather conditions. Several areas around San Diego were struck by a microburst that day, and the resulting damage was stunning. Small airplanes at an airport were tossed through the air. Along the banks of the San Diego River, hundreds of trees were torn to shreds and uprooted.
This morning, 7 months later, I walked along the river path where I had scrambled over thickly fallen trees right after the natural disaster.
Many of the uprooted trees were removed by crews with chainsaws in the days that followed the microburst. But some were not. Check out a few pics from my walk this spring morning! Like the famous quote from the movie Jurassic Park, life finds a way!
One of hundreds of trees that were uprooted during the super violent microburst last September. Amazingly, this one still flourishes!This fallen tree is now growing horizontally like a hedge along a Mission Valley sidewalk!Sign beside the San Diego River Trail. Why fallen trees are okay! There are important benefits to the soil, flora and fauna.
The sign reads:
When a tree falls most people want to remove it from where it has fallen. However, sometimes it is best if we urge people not to be too quick to tidy up. It is often very beneficial to leave the tree, mound of soil, rocks and roots lifted by the tree if they aren’t in the way or dangerous.
The soil eventually will settle as the wood rots, and these tree-root soil mounds are the real “windfall” for some plants and animals. Consider these examples: The bare soil on the mound is home for several mosses that prefer a drier spot free of competition. The space under the lifted roots makes a good place for an animal to dig a breeding den. Wet soil left behind can make a temporary pool for amphibians.
Green shoots look unusual on this violently torn tree trunk. I believe this is a Fremont Cottonwood.Life springs forth from a broken stump months after a devastating natural disaster.
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A human heart hovers above the Serra Museum atop nearby Presidio Hill in this extremely unique ceramic artwork.
There’s some fascinating public art in Mission Valley that few people see. It’s located in the deep shadows beneath Interstate 8 where the freeway passes over Hotel Circle. Eyes are adjusting to darkness as motorists, turning a corner, quickly pass five ceramic panels high on drab concrete pillars. The one sidewalk is located on the opposite side of the street. To really appreciate the artwork, you have to cross traffic dangerously and stand in a narrow band of dirt right up close.
Today I walked to work past the darkly obscured art and decided to finally get a closer look.
Vital Parts, installed in 1999, was created by local San Diego artist Joanne Hayakawa. The pieces seem to be stratified, crumbling and sculpted by time and memory. They seem to blend with the dirt beneath the bare bridge.
The very dark Interstate 8 underpass at Hotel Circle features seldom appreciated public art.Vital Parts, by artist Joanne Hayakawa, was installed on five pillars of a Mission Valley freeway bridge in 1999.Mysterious fossil-like hand hovers above nearby San Diego River and what I believe are Native American structures.Human brain, made golden by underpass light, crowns image of old Mission San Diego and the ever-present blue river.Spine rises over what I believe is modern Qualcomm Stadium. This earthy art is very unusual and evocative.Chin and silent mouth seem like a timeless clay mask beside the eternally flowing river.
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Youth helps paint a public mural along the San Diego River Estuary.
This morning, after I checked out the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, I headed out to the San Diego River Estuary and enjoyed a long, leisurely walk. I’d read that kids would be painting a cool mural next to the river, directly south of SeaWorld and east of the Sports Arena Boulevard/West Mission Bay Drive bridge.
When I arrived, the mural was nearly completed. The project was hosted by The San Diego River Park Foundation. Young artists also had an opportunity to do a little birdwatching!
Bicyclists heading down Old Sea World Drive spy a line of colorful artwork.The San Diego River Park Foundation is working to preserve the life-filled estuary.Lots of paint cans contain the colors of wildlife and river scenery.San Diego River Park Foundation banner is positioned near mural painted by kids.Most of the painting was completed when I walked by in the late morning.Adults were putting some finishing touches on the cool public art.A project of River Kids Discovery Days on March 14, 2015.Two great egrets in San Diego River Estuary not far from the mural project!San Diego Park Rangers were also painting. This panel depicts a snowy egret.Mural artists put their names on sign beside the San Diego River Trail.Lots of kids turned out to add life and color to a fence bordering nature’s beauty.
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Public art in San Diego honors those who serve in uniform, defending Peace, Liberty, Justice, America , Freedom.
Four large painted murals can be seen under Interstate 5 where the freeway passes over Rosecrans Street, just west of Old Town. The title of my blog post is a bit deceptive, because I only managed to get decent pics of three murals. The fourth, which depicts the Coronado Bay Bridge, was half in sunlight, half in darkness, and is the least interesting (in my opinion) of the four anyway.
Mural includes two colorful scenes from historic Old Town, just a short walk away.Four works of art glimpsed by motorists as they drive under the busy overpass.Pedestrians file past artwork that shows nearby San Diego River and wildlife.
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San Diego Bay scene graces a slowly fading mural in Mission Valley.
When you ride the San Diego Trolley’s Green Line between the Old Town and Linda Vista stations, an interesting mural can be glimpsed for a moment where the tracks span the San Diego River. The public art is best viewed when walking along the San Diego River Trail, between the rail and Pacific Highway bridges. The path down by the river is fairly popular with bicycles; it is also trash-filled and tagged with graffiti. I don’t know anything about this artwork. Faded a little bit by time and the elements, the images still impart a happy glow along the seemingly neglected river trail.
UPDATE!
Turns out this mural is called “On The River Trail” and was completed in 2008. The artist who designed it is Lori Escalera. The public art comes from the San Diego River Park Foundation.
Public art along the San Diego River Trail near Pacific Highway. The Coaster train can be seen passing across one of the rail bridges.Weathered by outdoor elements, artwork still glows like an impressionist painting.Dreamy yellow sunflower painted on old wall seen by those who walk along river.A hummingbird hovers above brightly sunlit vegetation.Happy painted bicyclist greets those who travel down San Diego River Trail.Art shows painter inspired by the river’s natural beauty.This artwork was lovingly planted for future enjoyment.
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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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Cool San Diego Sights! 