San Diego Metro KOA
Chula Vista, CA
January 16, 2024
 |
| "Surfhenge",a colorful art piece, welcomes you to the pier. It is a tribute to the history of surf board design. |
Imperial Beach is a little further than a stone's throw from the KOA at just under 10 miles. It has often been described as a Southern California retro beach vibe that can be lost in the glitzier towns to the north. Imperial Beach was first developed in 1887 as a summer retreat to entice Imperial Valley residents to visit. The area was also a draw for the military beginning in the early 1900s when a 10th Calvary troop was stationed nearby to suppress conflicts along the border. The city was incorporated in 1956...the tenth city to do so in San Diego County.
 |
| Imperial Beach Pier |
At just under 1,500 ft long, the wooden Imperial Beach Pier is the focal point of the community. The first pier and boardwalk date back to 1909. That pier finally gave way to nature in 1948. Today's pier was originally built in 1963 and restored and enlarged in 1989.
At the end of the pier is the Tin Fin Seafood Restaurant and painted on the back wall is a sign that reads, "You have reached the most Southwesterly point in the Continental United States".
The beach was not crowded...a few walkers, a few birds.
Located a few blocks south of the pier is a wonderful walking and birding area...Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge. It is a 1,072 acre wetland located where the Tijuana River meets the ocean. The refuge was established in 1980 and is part of the 2,800 acre Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve...one of only 30 such reserves in the United States. The purpose of the NWR is to conserve fish, wildlife, and plants which are listed as endangered or threatened species. We first visited the refuge two years ago when Jeff suggested it might be a birding spot of interest for us. It sure was of interest and it sure is nice to have friends who are locals and gracious enough to take the time to point out such treasures.
 |
| I took this photo of a Yellow-crowned Night Heron on January 18, 2022. What a photo session it was! |
We arrived at the slough much later in the morning than when we visited in '22. Like the photos from Torrey Pines, the sunlight cast a glare and was not very suitable for photographing the landscape or the birds.
 |
| A sweet little Anna's Hummingbird |
 |
| A sweet little Allen's Hummingbird |
 |
| An elegant Snowy Egret |
What I thought was a stump turned out to be a Yellow-crowned Night Heron...way far away for photographing, but none the less a sighting.
There were lots of Coots...not the doddering old curmudgeons one usually associates with the word coots, but charming charcoal gray waddlers.
And lots of beautiful, hard working, and sometimes amusing ducks. Mallards...
Northern Pintails...
and Green-winged Teals.
Splashes of color here and there...
 |
| Radish |
 |
| Firecracker/Fountain plant |
 |
| Cliffrose |
 |
| Prickly Pear |
 |
| Toyon |
 |
| California Brittlebush |
I'm not sure how many miles of trails there are at the Slough. So far we have been twice, walked two different trails. There is one more trail left to do. Also, there is Imperial Beach Shoreline Trail (5.0 miles round trip) that begins at the pier and ends at the mouth of the Tijuana River that we have not done yet.
 |
| The VC is closed on Monday and Tuesday, but the trails at the refuge open for visitors to enjoy. |
And to top off the day, we stopped at Rally's for burgers and fries. We don't have a Checker's/Rally's in Tucson and jump at the chance to devour our favorite Champ cheese burger and crispy fries when ever we pass by one.
 |
| A bag full of yummy! |
Back at Belle...
Until next time,
HAPPY TRAILS !
That photo of the yellow crowned night heron eating a crustacean is way cool--publish worthy! Maybe we need to lobby for a Rally's in Tucson--Michael would approve! Loved the last photo of Joe and Sally. What were those pinkish webbed feet attached to??
ReplyDeleteGood morning Janna. The photo shoot with the Night Heron 2years ago was and remains one of my favorite bird shoots ever. Yes, we do need a Rally’s in Tucson…and I’m not sure why we don’t have them there. Sally so looks forward to her walks with the second afternoon walk being her favorite. She practically jumps in her leash! The pink feet belong to a juvenile Herring Gull. They are mottled brown their first year and it takes four years for them to completely turn white and grey, but they keep their pink legs and feet all their lives…so cool!
DeleteA cheeseburger challenge! Hodads, Rocky's and In-n-Out also come to mind :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoy the birding areas Tijuana NWR. The Shore Trail is a favorite, drive south from the IB pier, there's ample street parking once you reach the raised walk or the berm.
Good morning Jeff…Joe and I are not fans of In-n-Out burgers…much prefer Five Guys both of which we do have in Tucson. I have had Hodads on our list for quite awhile and I’m sure you have mentioned Rocky,s, but I don’t remember so it’s on the list now. A really good juicy burger AND really good fries are hard to find both at the same place at the same time, but the challenge is fun! Thanks for the parking tip…the shore trail is on our list to do one day (maybe not this trip, but another time).
DeleteLove the pic of the bird's webbed feet! The beach is so beautiful. Glad y'all are having a good time. We have a Checkers up the street here in Hickory. It burned awhile back, but they have renovated it, so it's back open for business. It now has a big, colorful mural that an artist painted on the side of the building. Neat place :)
ReplyDeleteHi Jill…I love those pink feet too! Beach walks are mighty special…especially when you live in the desert! I’m sure you feel the same way about living in the NC mountains...visits to the beach are memory makers! Lucky you to have a Checkers close by! I do love those crispy fries!
DeleteWe haven't tried Checkers/Rally's for burgers yet - I'll have to tell Dave and he can do an A/B trial between them and Five Guys. For my two cents, Five Guys fries cannot be replicated! Love all your bird and flower photos, especially with the captions. Your exploration of the Tijuana Slough looked much more pleasant than ours was. The water was filled with trash and a few unmentionables...and the armed and armored up border patrol guys were racing around on their camo 4x4's, kicking up dust and passing us at what we felt were dangerous speeds. Perhaps they were "on the trail" of someone/something, but that, combined with the floating trash, left us with a bad taste in our mouths. Glad you showed us another side!
ReplyDeleteHi Sue…the fries at Five Guys and Rally’s are very different. Five Guys fries are more greasy with skin on and so yummy dipped in malt vinegar. The Rally’s fries are crispy and yummy just by themselves…at least that is our opinion. I saw a post from 2016 that you wrote about Tijuana Slough. I didn’t recognize anything as we didn’t cross the river, see horse pens like you described, or Diary Pond from your post. There is a nice VC at the National Wildlife Refuge and we park there and walk the trails from there. I’m sorry your experience at the slough was so different and not enjoyable. We have been twice and both times we have enjoyed the walks (quiet and not trashy) and looking for birds. Sounds like things were greatly improved between the six years from your visit and our first visit in ‘22.
Delete