Surfer crossing sign near a golden dome of the Self-Realization Fellowship ashram in Encinitas.
Today I went for a long walk beside the Pacific Ocean. I began along old Coast Highway 101 from the Coaster’s Encinitas Station, headed south through Cardiff-by-the-Sea, and walked all the way through Solana Beach to Via de la Valle.
The following photographs are from one very cool stretch of my walk.
Come along! We begin at Swami’s in Encinitas and proceed south down Coast Highway 101 to the Cardiff Kook sculpture.
As you will see, this is quite an amazing walk.
Please read the captions!
A woody with surfboard heads along old Coast Highway 101, past one of the Self-Realization Fellowship’s iconic Golden Lotus Towers.As I walked south by the exotic ashram, a surfer passed me on the sidewalk going the opposite way. I turned to take a photo.A few steps farther and here comes another surfer, heading through the park by the Swami’s Beach parking lot. It appears he just finished surfing at Swami’s Reef.I’ve arrived at the entrance to Swami’s Beach, which was mentioned in the Beach Boys’ song Surfin’ U.S.A.Two huge Easter Island Heads carved from dead tree stumps tilt in the grassy park at Swami’s.Both Easter Island Heads were created by Tim Richards and are in the Encinitas Public Art Collection.Cool art on a park planter.People walk past another planter with cool tile art depicting a palm tree and Pacific Ocean sunset.A blue wave seems to be splashing up from the walkway ahead.This public artwork is the Swamis Surfing Memorial.Dedicated with appreciation to Gary Taylor and the others whose efforts of the past and future make Encinitas a better place to live and surf.One guy stretches while a couple gets ready to head down to Swami’s Beach.Descending steps to the public beach far below.Benches above the bluffs allow people to watch the surfing action at Swami’s internationally famous point break.My small camera catches some distant surfing action.Many surfers were out on a sunny September day, enjoying good conditions.Engraved on a rock by the benches are the words: Waves on the Point are dedicated to Syrus King.Looking south along the beautiful shoreline as I get ready to resume my walk along Coast Highway 101, sometimes referred to as Pacific Coast Highway.Bicyclists head down South Coast Highway 101, leaving Encinitas.I turn for a moment to glance back north at Swami’s.The surging Pacific Ocean and the narrow beach below.A cool pink residence near the highway with a great view of the ocean.As I continue south I see a lifeguard tower coming up.People gaze at the foaming water from a rocky beach.I couldn’t help looking back north one more time.Lifeguard tower 19 near the north end of San Elijo State Beach in Cardiff rises above wet sand.I saw hundreds of surfers out in the water during my walk. Looks like fun!Walking down a path that enters the campground area at San Elijo State Beach.A smiley for a laid-back, sunny day in Southern California.Entrance sign at San Elijo State Beach in Cardiff-by-the Sea.Continuing south along Coast Highway 101, approaching Chesterfield Drive.Up ahead at the intersection I see the Cardiff Kook. The bronze sculpture is officially called Magic Carpet Ride, but to most people the youthful figure on a surfboard appears awkward and silly.Someone looks up at the Cardiff Kook, which is often dressed up by pranksters in odd clothing and costumes.Magic Carpet Ride, 2007, bronze, Matthew Antichevich.If the balloon is any indication, the Cardiff Kook must be celebrating a birthday.A poem for the Cardiff Kook.
Magic Carpet Ride
Grommit of bronze
On an ocean of stone
Frozen in time
In Cardiff, at home
Action in art
Still life by the sea
Community pride
Goofy footed and free
Exuberant youth
Arms open and wide
A cultural ambassador
Takes his first ride
His story is our story
Personified Grace
Both the past and the future
See yourself in his face
Grommit of bronze
On an ocean of stone
Surfs by the sea
In Cardiff, at home.
A wonderfully kooky conclusion to this amazing stretch of my walk!
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
It’s Labor Day. The unofficial last day of summer.
Early this morning I headed to Ocean Beach. There’s no better place in San Diego to people watch.
As the warm sun climbed higher and broke through the morning haze, humanity trickled down Newport Avenue to find breakfast, to surf, or to stake out a spot on the beach or OB pier.
Many shops were closed. Nobody I saw seemed to be in a very big hurry. Even in laid-back Ocean Beach, the day had an easy holiday vibe.
As I walked I took these photos…
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
The largest women’s surfing competition in the world is taking place this weekend by the Oceanside Pier. It’s the 2019 Supergirl Surf Pro!
Over 100 amazing athletes from around the world are vying for glory in this very cool international surfing event. The competition is among the very best female surfers on the planet. Some of the participants will compete in the next Olympic Games!
Not only does the Supergirl Surf Pro provide great entertainment in its huge, bustling Festival Village and along the beach, but the event’s positive message of female empowerment is broadcast around the globe!
I spent a couple hours today watching the incredible surfing action from the Oceanside Pier.
My modest camera managed to get a few exciting photos!
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
Yesterday I walked to the end of Oceanside Pier. It’s another one of my favorite places.
I experienced sunshine, the sparkle of the Pacific Ocean, a fresh sea breeze, the smell of wood, the cry of seagulls . . . and happy people all around: strolling, fishing, listening to music, talking, eating ice cream, leaning over the rail gazing down at the colorful beach and surfers in the blue water awaiting the perfect wave…
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
The Rockademy performs on the main stage at 2018 Fiesta del Sol in Solana Beach.
Today I rode the Coaster train from downtown San Diego up to Solana Beach to experience the annual Fiesta del Sol street festival!
I’d never been to Fiesta del Sol, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. What I found was a lot of family fun, live music, a tasty chicken quesadilla, and a perfect bench overlooking the event where I could read and gaze out at the beach and Pacific Ocean!
This cool event continues through the weekend. You’ll find it just off the Pacific Coast Highway, right next to Fletcher Cove Beach Park!
Fiesta del Sol, presented by the Solana Beach Chamber of Commerce, takes place beside Fletcher Cove Beach Park. The street festival continues through the weekend.Thousands turn out for a fun community event on a spring day in Solana Beach.Lots of tasty food could be found.Lots of art, too.This guy recycles surfboards.GC Dance Company performs at Fiesta del Sol.Photo of Fletcher Cove Beach Park from Overlook Park. I found a nice bench where I sat and read a book. (After visiting the food trucks to grab a mouthwatering lunch!)I wandered down to Fletcher Cove and looked north along the cliffs. Not many people were on the beach this overcast, slightly chilly day.A stand up paddle surfer was out on the Pacific Ocean waiting for the perfect wave.Walking back up from the beach toward the colorful festival.A cool Solana Beach sign above the tops of tents at Fiesta del Sol.Some people checked out some old school music for sale.Another vendor had all sorts of unique wooden items, including awesome model ships.The Solana Beach Civic Historical Society had a fascinating display of old photos. I learned about their Heritage Museum in La Colonia Park, which I’ll visit someday!Teenage rock band The Elements gets ready to perform at another stage near Pacific Coast Highway.More food!This artist surrounded by cool surf images displays his artwork at various festivals. I remember seeing him at the Ocean Beach Street Fair.These super long skateboards are Blue Murphy’s original Wonderboards! Murphy was a very friendly guy!On my way back to the Solana Beach train station to catch the Coaster, I spied this friendly stiltwalker. She was inviting people to a gallery down the street in the Cedros Avenue Design District.Lots of folks were having a great time today at Fiesta del Sol in Solana Beach!
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
People play on the sandy volleyball courts at South Mission Beach, north of the jetty.
Yesterday I walked through South Mission Beach near the jetty. I got lots of fun, sunny photos for you to enjoy!
Riding a bike through South Mission Beach on a perfect San Diego day.The Mission Beach boardwalk, which passes many small colorful houses and condos, is popular with bicyclists and pedestrians.One of the cool beachfront properties on South Mission Beach. Many are available as vacation rentals.A row of lifeguard towers. It’s winter in San Diego. During the summer these lookouts will be arranged at intervals along the beach.Heading south along the path, approaching palm trees and the parking lot at the jetty.A beautiful day for a bike ride.These people have paused to look at the nearby grass.Guys play in the sun at the basketball court.On the beach, a lifeguard building with flag flapping in the sea breeze. Pacific Beach and La Jolla rise to the north.Families walk and play on the shore. The surf is gentle today.A seagull hangs out on a dune as surfers come in. The South Mission Beach jetty juts into the Pacific Ocean.Someone approaches the foot of the rock jetty, which guards the channel into Mission Bay. This cape is called Point Medanos.I stopped at the lifeguard emergency sign. Halfway down the jetty stands an old, abandoned bait shack, which appears like an arch that is covered with graffiti.Gulls wheel over the entrance channel as a boat comes into Mission Bay.Beyond this sailboat I see the long Ocean Beach Pier.Point Loma rises beyond a second jetty that juts from Hospitality Point, separating the Mission Bay entrance channel from the San Diego River.People are also out and about in Ocean Beach enjoying the sunny day. I see a few pooches running freely about Dog Beach.Several fishermen were casting into the blue water from the rocks.Now I’m circling back on North Jetty Road heading for the boardwalk. A cool windblown tree and flowers in the sand.Like paradise on Earth.I love this place!
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This blog now features thousands of photos around San Diego! Are you curious? There’s lots of cool stuff to check out!
Here’s the Cool San Diego Sights main page, where you can read the most current blog posts. If you’re using a phone or small mobile device, click those three parallel lines up at the top–that opens up my website’s sidebar, where you’ll see the most popular posts, a search box, and more!
To enjoy future posts, you can also “like” Cool San Diego Sights on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.
A pelican painted on an electrical box. Photo taken on Mission Boulevard in Mission Beach.
Enjoy these photos of street art finds in Mission Beach!
I saw lots of cool artwork while walking along Mission Boulevard from Pacific Beach Drive south to the Giant Dipper roller coaster at Belmont Park. Almost every electrical box along the sidewalk had been painted with a lively beach or ocean theme!
A sailfish swims above the sidewalk.These fish in some kelp appear to be made of a hand and two feet dipped in paint!A transformer box with a small beach scene wrapping around it.Close look at one part of the impressionistic painting of the beach.A typical beach scene with sand, palm tree and surfer.Someone with a pail and someone walking a dog.Three orange garibaldis in the Pacific Ocean.A traffic sign warns of surfers crossing!A red, white and blue fish above a garage door.Some fun surfer street art in Mission Beach.And right next to it is another colorful, psychedelic panel of street art. Find it near Mission Blvd. and San Rafael Pl.A tropical scene on a wall.Perhaps take some gyros out on the boat when you go sport fishing.A goose is loose!One of several cool, nostalgic beach images on one parking lot fence. A surfer girl and a woodie overlooking the ocean.Another cool Southern California image on the parking lot wall.A youth with a surfboard looks out at the beach and sandstone cliffs.There seems to be a large hole in this wall. I see ocean waves through it!We must take care of our land and sea. Live aloha.A wacky Deadhead tiki character at the corner of a Mission Beach shop.Another painted scene shows natural beauty along San Diego’s coastline.Another cool woodie with surfboards on the roof.Whales and seals and fish on one watery wall.And a dolphin, too!The most important things in life . . . aren’t things.Two sailboats painted on an electrical box.Another underwater scene on a utility box, faded by the sun.A ringed planet appears to be surfing! Cosmic, dude!Urban art celebrates the Mission Beach Centennial, 1914-2014. The Giant Dipper roller coaster, the main attraction of Belmont Park, is in both the artwork and the photograph’s background.More garibaldis on a large electrical box near Mission Beach’s famous roller coaster.A migrating gray whale and pod of dolphins are part of the previously shown underwater mural.
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of fun photos for you to share and enjoy!
Street mural by artist Amandalynn, painted in 2016 near Mission Boulevard in Pacific Beach.
On Saturday I walked down Mission Boulevard through both Pacific Beach and Mission Beach. I was blown away by some of the really cool street art that I found. As you’ll see, many of the colorful murals that I spied in Pacific Beach were painted just last year.
This batch of photos represents my walk south along Mission Boulevard, which is a block from the beach, from around Emerald Street to Pacific Beach Drive. In a coming blog post, I’ll share the fun and very unusual art I encountered as I continued south through Mission Beach.
A second photo of the eye-catching mural by Amandalynn, which shows beautiful ladies in a colorful underwater scene.The Pacific Beach Mermaid hangs out on a rock painted on a wall. Art by Jared Blake Lazar a.k.a Jared Black Lazer.A humorous sign on the sidewalk. Head into this barber shop and come out a completely different person!
I don’t know if some critics would classify the above as art–but it was undeniably funny!
Street art on a utility box. The curl of this coffee’s steam resembles the surf beyond the sand.Bunny Kitty carries a cigarette butt away as a fierce sea monster emerges from the deep. Pacific Beach art created in 2016 by Dave Persue for PangeaSeed.A cool mural near The Local Pacific Beach restaurant and bar, painted in 2016 by artists Sean Dietrich and Kai Martin. A blonde on roller skates, the PB boardwalk, surfboards, and a rather unusual car.A very funny utility box. This side shows a woman at the beach covering the eyes of a small boy.Another side shows Pacific Beach tourists who have spotted something that is both interesting and alarming.100 years of skating talent between us, but……nobody notices!Another utility box is covered with mermaids. This friendly purple mermaid watches humans driving down Mission Boulevard.Another long-haired mermaid on the same box.And a third happy mermaid!Two ladies walking along the edge of a parking lot toward the nearby beach. They pass someone snoozing in a hammock strung between palm trees.Street art on doors shows a surfer climbing toward a lifeguard tower at sunset.One additional look at the gorgeous art painted in 2016 by muralist Amandalynn in Pacific Beach.
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of fun photos for you to share and enjoy!
People gather near the beach to watch the 2nd Annual Ocean Beach Pier Surf Classic.
Here come some cool surf photos!
I went to the 2nd Annual Ocean Beach Pier Surf Classic today and enjoyed walking around and watching the action from atop the OB pier.
What a beautiful, perfect day. Check it out!
The OB Pier stretches into the Pacific Ocean on a beautiful morning in early February. A fun surf competition is underway.I believe these guys were signing up people for a beach cleanup.Catching a football on the beach while two surfers head toward the water.Considering the event is only two years old, a nice turnout was evident along the boardwalk.A musician plays in OB during a surf community celebration.I believe the winners in different categories would take home one of these small surfboards.Hanging out on the sea wall and the sand berm. The latter protects the nearby street and businesses from high water during winter storms.A horn sounds. The 10:30 heat is starting out across the beach! May the best surfer win!The surf competitors enter the water.One of the surfers has caught a nice wave. The surf was high today and not terribly choppy, making for some pretty good rides.Pacific Beach and La Jolla can be seen in the distance.Two surfers tackle a good breaker!OB is a haven for Southern California surfers. It’s fun to watch from the pier.A nice shot. This local surfer went under the pier and emerged near the competitors.A fun surf photo. (About the best my little camera can manage at a distance.)People on the pier look out across the foamy water.Keep having a good day!More cool action at the 2nd Annual OB Pier Surf Classic.A line of pelicans flies overhead.People enjoy a warm San Diego winter day on the OB pier. One of my favorite places.Leaning over the rail watching surfers below.The guys surfing the south side of the pier were catching some fairly big waves.Today San Diego beaches were under a high surf advisory. Perfect for experienced surfers!Surfer in a wetsuit about to paddle under the pier.Some photographers and videographers were recording the action.Wow! Check out this pic of the surf competition! Very cool!Riding smoothly in toward the shore.Meanwhile, along the beach people were simply enjoying life.An artist was displaying some colorful surf art at the competition.An announcer calls the action so everyone can follow along.A wonderful day at the 2nd Annual Ocean Beach Pier Surf Classic. Here’s to many more years of success!
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of fun photos for you to share and enjoy!
Surfer walks past a community mural in Ocean Beach. The mural project was begun by OB artist Rich James in 1999. During special events, residents each paint a square in the mosaic artwork.
Just some more cool photos of colorful signs and street art taken while walking around Ocean Beach. I’ve arranged them in no particular order. Enjoy!
Cool street art mural on the side of a building near the foot of the OB pier. Artist Celeste Byers collaborated with Aaron Glasson.A small totem pole and some geraniums.Surfing street art on OB utility box shows a view down the barrel of perfect wave.Motorcycle graphic on repair shop wall.A mermaid holds a shell full of ocean gifts. A mural in an Ocean Beach alley above a dumpster.Images of breaking surf high on a building wall.Candy and goodies depicted on a colorfully painted Beach Sweets sign.This octopus on Newport Avenue seems to enjoy beer and pizza. One can grab a lot with eight tentacles!A pelican, pizza and ale.Ocean Beach Surf School truck parked by sand features cool surfer art.A splash of urban art on the side of the Hodad’s building.Another of the many community murals in Ocean Beach. This one depicts underwater sea life.What appears to be a tropical island scene on a utility box in OB.Art along a sidewalk shows lush vegetation and the OB pier.Three parrots take flight.Surfboards lie in wait beyond open door of the groovy USA Hostels Ocean Beach.Street lamp on Newport Avenue features palm trees.Car with surfboard drives down Newport Avenue past hair salon and tattoo parlor street art signs.Don’t believe the hype! You are already beautiful. Music, expression, love.Volkswagen bug appears to have emerged from the 60s, with peace signs and psychedelic designs.Ocean Beach community mural features bicycles.The OB Christmas tree near the beach is a focal point of this cool community mural!
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This blog now features thousands of photos around San Diego! Are you curious? There’s lots of cool stuff to check out!
Here’s the Cool San Diego Sights main page, where you can read the most current blog posts. If you’re using a small mobile device, click those three parallel lines up at the top–that opens up my website’s sidebar, where you’ll see the most popular posts, a search box, and more!
To enjoy future posts, you can also “like” Cool San Diego Sights on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.
