San Diego Metro KOA
Chula Vista, CA
January 15, 2024
One of our favorite places to walk when in San Diego is Torrey Pines. We first hiked this beautiful plateau that overlooks the ocean back in February 2015. We were wowed then and are still wowed today after several visits. We are saddened by the loss of so many Torrey pines this trip. We read that because of insufficient water, these rare trees can not produce a necessary oozy sap-substance that flushes bark beetles from the trees. Dry conditions are favorable for bark beetles as they tunnel into and feed on inner bark tissues...ultimately killing the tree. I took this photo in 2015...
and this photo this week in the same curve on the hike. I won't repeat information from past posts (if interested, type Torrey Pines in the search bar to the right) and just post some favorite photos I took this week. We started the morn with the Guy Fleming Trail for the gorgeous views and it is pretty awesome to be amongst the rarest pine tree in North America.
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| Female cones open and gray with age...a female cone will remain closed for many years and slowly open remaining on the branch for over ten years. |
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| Male pollen cones... |
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| Lighting was not so good for photography as we were there mid-day... |
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| Torrey Pines vary in shape and size depending on their location... |
Spectacular views from the plateau...
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| Carol took a picture of me taking a picture... |
Beautiful colors... |
| Ragwort |
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| Licorice Fern |
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| Desert Sand-verbena |
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| Agave shawl |
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Century plant
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| California holly |
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| California poppy |
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| Prickly pear |
We heard lots of birds, but I saw only two that I could photograph...
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| Joe and I could not ID this one... |
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| Spotted Towhee...he's a fast little bird rummaging and hopping in and out of the shrubs. It was hard to catch a clear picture |
After snacks, we enjoyed another walk...this time on the beach. In past visits to the reserve, the tide was too high and there was no beach to walk on...I was so happy to be at the base of the sandstone cliffs we had just hiked. I am not sure if the tide was going out or coming in, but there was a narrow section of beach to walk on between the cliff and the ocean. The section of beach we walked was not the kind of beach one would spread out a blanket on to soak up the sun and not the kind of beach one would make sandcastles on...but instead, a gorgeous beach with sparkling, colorful rocks to walk on.
And I did manage an up shot of one of the Peregrine Falcons flying overhead. They nest on the cliffs.
It was such a wonderful morning to be with friends and soaking in all this beauty.
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| Thank you for the photo Carol! |
Back at Belle...
HAPPY TRAILS !
So many interesting trees and plants, but it was that last picture that wins the prize for the day! And of course, the one Carol took of you two!
ReplyDeleteGood morning Jim…thank you. I liked that last photo too! The sandstone cliffs are really pretty and striated, but the lighting wasn’t so good to capture the different colors of stripes they have.
Deletelove those stony beaches and your pictures of them. Of course, I love most beaches though.....
ReplyDeleteGood morning Sue…thank you! I agree with you about the beaches.
DeleteA bit overcast, but not yet raining!, makes for a good day to hike along the beach and the Torrey Pines bluffs. It is so sad to see those magnificent trees suffering. The gran girls collected and painted some of those rocks and returned them to be found by some beach comber.
ReplyDeleteHi Jeff…yes, it is very sad to see those wonderful and rare trees gone. Painted rocks…now that’s a cool idea and fun for someone else to find. I didn’t realize how gorgeous those rocks were until I saw the photo I took of them wet…so many different colors!
DeleteI like stone beaches way more than sand--less mess! Loved your stone beach photos and the photo of the two of you. The drought is affecting everything, everywhere. Our ranching friends in Cochise county have had to sell half their cow herd due to lack of water for the animals.
ReplyDeleteHi Janna....the stones were so pretty and quite colorful. I am not so accustomed to stone beaches. I am sure the east coast has them, but most of my life until RVing, we spent time in the Gulf and along the east coast. I really like waking barefoot in the sand along the waters edge. Starting tomorrow (Saturday) we have three days of heavy rain forecast. So sorry to read about your friends...
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