January 2002 |
February 2002 |
March 2002 |
April 2002 |
May 2002 |
June 2002 |
July 2002 |
August 2002 |
September 2002 |
October 2002 |
November 2002 |
December 2002 |
| Parking at 10:30am | street parking, plenty
glider port, a little muddy but plenty of spaces |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition
damp from recent rain |
| Climate | hot and sunny all day
I even had to set up an umbrella. |
| People | dozens |
| Activities Observed | surfing, paragliding, Frisbee, body surfing, RC gliders |
| Water | The water temperature was cold. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, wimbrels, marbled godwits, western gulls, curlews, pelicans, ring-billed gulls |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | I didn't see that the lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
I saw lifeguards in yellow trucks. |
The parking lot was damp and there was still a large mud puddle in the southwest corner of the gliderport lot. I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board. The kelp at the base of the trail is beginning to rot and disintegrate. The tide had been all the way up to the base of the cliff earlier that morning and there was no dry sand on the beach.
I headed north and set up at the northern edge of Valentine Slide. There was no wind, making it very warm, but it also means there were flies all over me. I couldn't sit still for any amount of time. The only peace I had from the flies was when I was walking.
I stayed until about 4:30pm. As I left the parking lot, I could see that sunset would be soon. I had things to do so I couldn't stay and watch.
| Parking at 10:30am | street parking, plenty
glider port, a little muddy but plenty of spaces |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition
very little mud from recent rain some slippery rocks in narrow ravine |
| Climate | sunny all day
windy and cool mid-day, otherwise warm I did set up a reflector to keep warm mid-day and took it down later. |
| People | about a hundred |
| Activities Observed | surfing, paragliding, Frisbee, body surfing, swimming, RC gliders |
| Water | The water temperature was exhilarating, but I did get in twice for a little body surfing and swimming. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, wimbrels, marbled godwits, curlews, pelicans, ring-billed gulls, terns, osprey |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | I didn't see that the lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
I saw lifeguards in yellow trucks. |
The parking lot was damp and there was still a large mud puddle in the southwest corner of the gliderport lot. I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board. The kelp at the base of the trail is beginning to rot and disintegrate. The tide had been all the way up to the base of the cliff earlier that morning and there was no dry sand on the beach.
I headed north and saw a few changes in the beach on the way. Most notably, Valentine Slide had changed. The lower portions had been washed away by the high tide and surf. Just north of the slide I met up with a few friends.
About noon five of us went for our New Years Day dip. Some just got the hair wet and some of us caught a ride on a wave.
I stayed until about 4pm.
| Parking at 10:30am | street parking, plenty
glider port, a little muddy but plenty of spaces |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition
very little mud from recent rain some slippery rocks in narrow ravine |
| Climate | clouds visible all day, but sun on the beach until 3pm
mostly warm, but I did set up a reflector to keep warm in the afternoon |
| People | a few dozen |
| Activities Observed | surfing, paragliding, paddleball, Frisbee, body surfing, bubble blowing, bubble chasing |
| Water | The water temperature was exhilarating, but I only got in enough to rinse off the bubble stuff. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, wimbrels, marbled godwits, curlews, pelicans, ring-billed gulls, terns |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | I didn't see that the lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
I saw lifeguards in two yellow trucks and I saw state rangers in two different white vehicles. |
The parking lot was damp and there was still a large mud puddle in the southwest corner of the gliderport lot. I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board. There was still a lot of kelp on the beach, especially at the trailhead.
I headed north, just north of Valentine Slide and set up my flags, an American flag and my club flag. There I stayed until about 3pm. It had cooled off a little before I left. Plenty of people stayed later.
| Parking at 10am | street parking, plenty
glider port, a little muddy but plenty of spaces |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition
very little mud from recent rain some slippery rocks in narrow ravine |
| Climate | sunny all day
mostly warm, but I did set up a reflector to keep warm in the afternoon |
| People | a few dozen |
| Activities Observed | surfing, paragliding, paddleball, Frisbee, body surfing |
| Water | The water temperature was exhilarating, but I did get in and do a little body surfing. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, wimbrels, marbled godwits, curlews, pelicans, ring-billed gulls, terns |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | I didn't see that the lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
I saw lifeguards in two yellow trucks and an ATV going up and down the beach. |
The parking lot was damp and there was even a large mud puddle in the southwest corner of the gliderport lot. I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board. There was still a lot of kelp on the beach, especially at the trailhead.
I headed north and met up with a few friends just north of Valentine Slide. There I stayed until about 3pm. It had cooled off a little before I left. Plenty of people stayed later.
I saw a mid-air collision between two remote controlled gliders. They stuck together and fell somewhere near the top of the cliff.
| Parking at 12pm | street parking, plenty
glider port, a little muddy but plenty of spaces |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition, despite recent rain |
| Climate | warm and sunny starting about 11am
smog visible offshore and especially north on Friday |
| People | a few dozen |
| Activities Observed | surfing, paragliding, volleyball |
| Water | The water temperature was cold, meaning I didn't get in.
It looked very clear. The surf looked good too. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls, wimbrels, marbled godwits, curlews, pelicans, ring-billed gulls, osprey, terns |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | I didn't see that the lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
A lifeguard was going up and down the beach in a yellow truck in the afternoon. |
The parking lot was damp and there was even a large mud puddle in the southwest corner of the gliderport lot. I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board, then headed north.
I set up in front of Valentine Slide and spent the day there until about 2:30 both days. At just about that time it was starting to cool off. Plenty of people stayed later.
| Parking at 10:30am | street parking, plenty
glider port, a little muddy but plenty of spaces |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition, despite recent rain
Some sandbags were shredded by the torrential river that funnels through the narrow ravine. They once held sand, but only the fist sized gravel remained. The sandbags were falling apart, but they served their purpose of slowing erosion. There were some Black's Beach Diggers there talking about replacement. |
| Climate | There were clouds along the western and southern horizon, but it was warm and sunny all day. |
| People | a few dozen |
| Activities Observed | surfing, paragliding |
| Water | The water temperature was cold, meaning I didn't get in.
It looked very clear. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls, wimbrels, marbled godwits, curlews, pelicans, squirrels |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | I didn't see that the lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
A lifeguard was going up and down the beach in a yellow truck in the afternoon. |
The parking lot was damp and there was even a large mud puddle in the southwest corner of the gliderport lot.
As I hiked down the Burro Trail, I could see the tide was very high. The lifeguard mound at the base of the trail was gone. Huge piles of seaweed covered much of the beach. Dry sand was scarce and I occasionally found it necessary to walk in the surf.
I didn't get to relax or swim today. Instead I kept myself busy cleaning up after the storm. A lot of litter had washed up on the beach and a lot had been flushed down from the cliffs above. I found an empty lobster trap. The marker buoy for Torrey Pines Artificial Reef 2 had washed up on the beach too.
I left about 3pm. It was still warm, but I wanted to beat the traffic.
| Parking at 10am | street parking, plenty
glider port, a little muddy but plenty of spaces |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition, despite recent rain |
| Climate | high clouds, but mostly sunny, windy and cool
cloudy about 11am-1pm |
| People | about a hundred |
| Activities Observed | surfing, fishing, remote controlled gliding, paragliding, hang-gliding, volleyball |
| Water | The water temperature was cold, meaning I didn't get in.
It looked very clear. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls, wimbrels, marbled godwits, curlews, pelicans, ring-billed gulls, dolphins |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
A lifeguard was going up and down the beach in a yellow truck. I also saw a ranger in a white truck. |
I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board and went north of Valentine Slide to set up. The weather was nice when I first arrived, but there was very little dry sand, and only very close to the cliff.
I sat on a chair all day to keep myself off the damp sand. Later I set up some reflectors, when the sun came out again. My friends set up umbrellas as windbreaks by 2pm. We all gave up on the weather and left about 3pm.
| Parking at 11am | street parking, plenty
glider port, plenty |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition |
| Climate | high clouds, but hot and sunny
cloudy starting about 3pm |
| People | about a hundred |
| Activities Observed | surfing, fishing, remote controlled gliding, paragliding, hang-gliding, volleyball |
| Water | The water temperature was cold, meaning I didn't get in.
It looked very clear. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls, wimbrels, marbled godwits, curlews, pelicans, ring-billed gulls, osprey |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
I didn't see any city lifeguards, but I did see a ranger and a state lifeguard in a white Jeep Wrangler. |
I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board and went north of Valentine Slide to set up.
The weather was nice when I first arrived, but suddenly got cold about 3pm. I had set up my reflector in preparation. It keeps me warm for a little while longer. My friends were not so fortunate. I looked up to find myself surrounded by slightly familiar faces, but they were wearing clothes. Then I realized they must be the friends I usually see nude.
The reflectors didn't keep me warm wrong very long. I packed up and left about 3pm.
| Parking at 11am | street parking, full
glider port, plenty |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition |
| Climate | high clouds early, but hot and sunny
fog starting about 2pm |
| People | a few dozen |
| Activities Observed | surfing, fishing, remote controlled gliding, paragliding |
| Water | The surf was often flat, but I sometimes saw four foot waves
too.
The water temperature was cold, meaning I didn't get in. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls, wimbrels, marbled godwits, curlews, pelicans, ring-billed gulls |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were going up and down the beach in a yellow truck. They had to weave their way along the beach because of flooded spots and trenches carved by tides. |
I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board and went north of Valentine Slide to set up.
The weather was nice when I first arrived, but gradually turned bad. First I saw Del Mar disappear in the fog, then Flat Rock and later the golf coarse.
A blue and white remote controlled glider crashed into Valentine Slide around 2pm. This was one of those really big ones, with perhaps an eight foot wingspan. I never saw a sign of the pilot coming to retrieve his property, despite assurances from pilots that nobody would abandon their aircraft to avoid responsibility.
By about 2pm I was packing for an early retreat. There was a brief period of hot sunshine while I was going up the Burro Trail, but it was foggy and cool for most of the hike. Shortly after I made it to the top, the fog was so thick it looked like the cliff was the edge of the world.
| Parking at 11am | street parking, full
glider port, plenty |
| Burro Trail | mostly dry
mostly good condition |
| Climate | hot and sunny |
| People | maybe a hundred |
| Activities Observed | surfing, swimming, Frisbee, horseshoes, spear fishing |
| Water | The water was cleaner than previous days.
I went swimming once and did a little shell collecting for some kids. The surf was good, maybe six foot curls. I caught a few waves on my way back to shore. The water temperature was ...refreshing. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls, wimbrels, marbled godwits, curlews, pelicans, dolphins, ring-billed gulls |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were going up and down the beach in a yellow truck. |
I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board and went north just a little to set up.
I made friends with some tourists who also had children along. It's so much easier when children find other children to play with. Those new-found friends and my long standing friends all left by 2pm.
I saw the dolphins around 1pm.
I stayed until about 3:30. The weather was still warm, but I knew it would cool off soon, and I wanted to beat the traffic. I hiked up and left the parking lot about 3:45. I barely beat the traffic.
| Parking at 10am | street parking, plenty
glider port, plenty |
| Burro Trail | mostly dry
mostly good condition |
| Climate | hazy sunshine most of the day
hot until 3pm |
| People | maybe two hundred |
| Activities Observed | surfing, swimming, paddleball, Frisbee, volleyball, horseshoes. kayaking, spear fishing |
| Water | The water was cleaner than previous days, although there was
still seaweed, chopped up in the surf.
I went swimming once and had the fortune of getting close to some dolphins. The surf was good. I caught a few waves after my dolphin swim. The water temperature was ...refreshing. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls, wimbrels, marbled godwits, terns, curlews, pelicans, dolphins, cormorant, ring-billed gulls |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were going up and down the beach in a yellow truck. I also saw a state lifeguard in a white jeep. |
| I hiked down the Burro Trail, which was about the same as Saturday. I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead, and headed north to my usual spot. The sand had a texture to it, dunes, that told me it was windy last night. The sky was hazy and I could see Oceanside, but not Long Beach. There was a rainbow helix around the sun too. | |
I went for one swim and shared the water with ten or so dolphins. One of them lingered near me for what seemed a minute or two. I could see it underwater as a fuzzy shadow. I took a picture of that and I took several above the water too. I rode a few good waves to shore afterward.
It started clouding up and getting cool around 3pm. I left the parking lot about 4pm.
| Parking at 10:30am | street parking, plenty
glider port, plenty |
| Burro Trail | damp in a few places
mostly good condition |
| Climate | sunny and warm all day |
| People | maybe four hundred |
| Activities Observed | paragliding, surfing, swimming, paddleball, Frisbee, volleyball, horseshoes |
| Water | The water was filled with seaweed, chopped up in the surf.
I still went swimming once. It was nice once I got past the seaweed, but I still had to return through the seaweed. The beach and water was free of seaweed north of Indian Canyon. The surf was mediocre, maybe three foot curls. The water temperature was ...refreshing |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls, wimbrels, marbled godwits, terns, curlews, pelicans, seal, cormorant |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were going up and down the beach in a yellow truck. I also saw a state lifeguard in a white jeep. |
I hiked down the Burro Trail, which was about the same as Friday. I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead, and headed north to my usual spot. There was some haze in the air, but it was clear enough that we could see Long Beach.
| The beach had an unpleasant smell to it, probably due to all the seaweed on the shore and in the water. There were also a few dead animals mixed in the seaweed. I found some invertebrates I didn't recognize and a dead spider crab. |  |
 |
| It started getting cool around 4pm. I waited for the sunset with a friend. As the sun was going down, we noticed some clouds that looked like feathers. As the sun made contact with the horizon, it took on a lemon shape. Eventually it was just a bright line on the horizon. I left the parking lot about 5pm. |  |
| Parking at 9:30am | street parking, full
glider port, plenty |
| Burro Trail | damp in a few places
mostly good condition |
| Climate | sunny and warm all day |
| People | maybe two hundred |
| Activities Observed | paragliding, surfing, swimming, paddleball, Frisbee, spear fishing |
| Water | The water was filled with seaweed, chopped up in the surf.
I still went swimming once. It was nice once I got past the seaweed, but I still had to return through the seaweed. The surf was mediocre, maybe three foot curls. The water temperature was ...refreshing |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls, wimbrels, marbled godwits, terns, curlews, pelicans, dolphins, nudibranchs, cormorant |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were going up and down the beach in a yellow truck. I also saw a state lifeguard in a white jeep. |
I hiked down the Burro Trail, which was dryer than Monday. I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead, and headed north to my usual spot.
| The beach had an unpleasant smell to it, probably due to all the seaweed on the shore and in the water. There were also a few dead animals mixed in the seaweed. I found two nudibranchs, dead or nearly dead. One was a California Sea Hare. The other was about the same size, but more colorful. | 
 |
There was some haze in the air, but it was clear enough that we could see Long Beach. At one time we saw a very rectangular ship on the horizon. It was really just an effect of atmospheric refraction.
It started getting cool around 4pm. I waited for the sunset with a friend. As the sun went down, it became a wide but flat bright spot on the horizon that lingered for what seemed a few minutes. This must have been another effect of atmospheric refraction. I left the parking lot about 5pm.
| Parking at 10am | street parking, plenty
glider port, plenty mud puddles in glider port lot |
| Burro Trail | wet from recent rain
mostly good condition |
| Climate | sunny and warm all day |
| People | maybe a hundred |
| Activities Observed | paragliding, hang-gliding, surfing, swimming, paddleball, Frisbee |
| Water | I went swimming once, with a buddy and we rode a few waves.
The surf was mediocre, maybe four foot curls. The water temperature was ...refreshing |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls, wimbrels, marbled godwits, terns, curlews |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
One was going up and down the beach on an ATV. Others were in a yellow truck. |
I was sure the beach would still be damp, as it was yesterday. I took some reflectors that could also be used as a tarp. I also took a chair. I used the reflectors to warm up after a swim and I sat in the chair much of the day, but the beach was dry enough that I didn't need a tarp.
I hiked down the Burro Trail, which was in the same condition as yesterday. I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead, and headed north to my usual spot. The trenches didn't seem any bigger than yesterday.
It started getting cool around 4pm. I waited with a few friends, for the sunset. We got cold and decided to watch the sunset on our way to the trail. We watched the sunset, hoping to see another green flash, but it was too hazy. I left the parking lot about 5pm.
| Parking at 10:30am | street parking, plenty
glider port, plenty mud puddles in glider port lot |
| Burro Trail | wet from recent rain
muddy and slippery in one, nearly level spot mostly good condition |
| Climate | sunny and warm until about 4pm |
| People | maybe a hundred |
| Activities Observed | paragliding, hang-gliding, RC glider flying, surfing, swimming, geology class, beach reclamation, paddleball, Frisbee |
| Water | I went swimming once, with a buddy and we rode a few good
waves.
The surf was big, maybe ten foot curls. The water temperature was ...refreshing |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls, wimbrels, marbled godwits, terns, curlews, ring billed gulls |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | I didn't notice if the lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
One was going up and down the beach on an ATV. Others were in a yellow truck. There were two state park rangers on the beach too. |
I was getting ready for a steep and slippery trail. Then I checked in with my cell phone network and learned that the trail was fine, but there was no dry sand. I chose to pack a few different items. I took some reflectors that could also be used as a tarp. I also took a chair. I didn't bother with the hiking boots.
I hiked down the Burro Trail. It was damp, but very solid in all the steep spots. I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead, and headed north to my usual spot. There were several trenches carved into the sand by the recent high tide. The seasonal loss of sand had begun. The tide had gone all the way to the cliff in most places and left the beach damp.
| I reached my usual spot and set up an American flag and my new club flag. My friends were already engaged in a classic struggle of man against nature. One of those trenches had formed right in the middle of our area. My friends had piled seaweed into the trench in an attempt to stop further loss of sand. Each big wave broke through the pile and we restored it to contain the water and retain the sand. The results were predictable; we lost. | 
|
I stayed on the beach with several friends. I went swimming with a buddy and we caught a few waves, one very big.
It started getting cool around 4pm. My friends waited, impatient and cold, as I packed. We saw the sunset as we headed back to the trail. We saw the green flash. The hike up the trail was uneventful.
| Parking at 9:30am | street parking, full
glider port, plenty |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition |
| Climate | hazy sunshine and calm early
sunny and windy later |
| People | a few dozen |
| Activities Observed | paragliding, RC glider flying, surfing |
| Water | I only got my feet wet.
The surf looked flat. There was a lot of seaweed in the surf. The water temperature was cold. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls, wimbrels, marbled godwits, terns, curlews, dead seal, osprey with a kill, ring billed gulls |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
One was going up and down the beach on an ATV. There were two state park rangers on the beach too. |
I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board at the trailhead, and headed north to my usual spot. I set up an American flag and my new club flag. I stayed on the beach with one friend. I left early, about 2:30pm Saturday.
| Parking at 10am | street parking, plenty
glider port, plenty |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition |
| Climate | hazy sunshine, windy and cool Saturday
hot and sunny Sunday |
| People | a few dozen |
| Activities Observed | paragliding, RC glider flying, surfing, swimming, volleyball, kayaking |
| Water | Sunday I went swimming to the sand dollars.
The surf looked flat both days. There was a lot of seaweed in the surf. The water temperature was refreshing. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls, wimbrels, marbled godwits, terns, curlews, dead seal, sand dollars |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were involved in a cliff rescue Sunday. One was going up and down the beach on an ATV. There were two state park rangers on the beach too. |
I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board at the trailhead, and headed north to my usual spot. I set up an American flag and my new club flag. I stayed on the beach with a few friends. Some of my friends left earlier, but I left about 2:30pm Saturday and 3:30pm Sunday.
It has been gloomy at Black's for the last three weeks. I'm told that Sunday was a beautiful day, that I misjudged and missed out. Today my first sunny day on the beach in a long time.
| Parking at 10:30am | street parking, full
glider port, plenty |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition
no sign of rain damage |
| Climate | hot and sunny until 4pm |
| People | a few dozen |
| Activities Observed | paragliding, hang-gliding, surfing |
| Water | I only got my feet wet, and it was cold.
The surf was looking good. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls, wimbrels, marbled godwits, terns, curlews, osprey, dead seal |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were practicing for cliff rescues in two places. One was going up and down the beach on an ATV. |
I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board at the trailhead, and headed north to my usual spot. I set up an American flag and my new club flag. I stayed on the beach with a few friends. Some of my friends left earlier, but I left about 4pm.
| Parking at 9:30am | street parking, full
glider port, plenty |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition
new steps added |
| Climate | windy
often cloudy and cool hazy sunshine sometimes, especially 12-2 |
| People | a few dozen |
| Activities Observed | paragliding, remote controlled gliders, Frisbee, volleyball |
| Water | I only got my feet wet, and it was cold.
The surf was looking good. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls, wimbrels, marbled godwits, terns, curlews |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were back and forth in yellow trucks. They even had their camper and jetski. I also saw a state ranger in a white truck. |
I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board at the trailhead, and headed north to my usual spot. I set up my new flags, two copies.
It has been gloomy at Black's for the last week. Today was only a little better. I wore a fleece shirt much of the day. I was nude some of the day and it was warm enough that I slept an hour or so
About 4:30 I packed up and left. On my way up I found that a few steps had been added. They were there in the morning, according to the label, but I hadn't noticed.
I went to the nude swim at the Icoplex in Escondido with Naturally California. There were nearly twenty people there. I swam laps. Some walked around with pool floats. There was a volleyball game and some simply talked in the hot tub. Some did all of the above.
| Parking at 10:30am | street parking, full
glider port, plenty |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition
new steps added only a few feet above the beach |
| Climate | high clouds all day
sunny and warm sometimes cloudy and cool other times |
| People | a few dozen |
| Activities Observed | hangliding, paragliding, remote controlled gliders, Frisbee |
| Water | I only got in a few times to cool off.
The surf was dead. It may have been as warm as 67. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls, wimbrels, marbled godwits, terns, curlews, pelicans |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were back and forth in yellow trucks. I also saw a state ranger in a white truck. |
On my way down the Burro Trail I found that a few steps had been added at the very end. I set up my bulletin board and chose a spot very close to the trail.
At first it was hot enough that I needed my umbrella, but later I thought it was a waste bringing it down. It was sunny until about 2pm. After that there were time of sun and cloudy times too.
I put on a shirt about 3:30 and wrapped myself in a towel for warmth. I woke up about 4:30 and it was still cloudy and cool. I picked up and left about 5pm.
I spoke to the gliderport owner about the remote controlled gliders. They've got their insurance back and only senior pilots are flying the really big gliders. They don't necessarily have identification on the outside, but they do have safety checks and they do carry ID on board.
| Parking at 9:30am | street parking, full
glider port, plenty |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition
handrail still missing |
| Climate | hot and sunny early
hazy sunshine and hot early afternoon foggy and cool later |
| People | maybe a hundred |
| Activities Observed | body boarding, fishing, spear fishing, Frisbee |
| Water | I only got in a few times to cool off.
The surf was dead. It may have been as warm as 67. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls, wimbrels, marbled godwits, terns, curlews, squirrels, pelicans, sting rays, bat rays, small black shark (probably a baby leopard) |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were back and forth in yellow trucks. |
I hiked down to the beach, set up my bulletin board and chose a spot very close to the trail. It was very hot at 9:30 and I had to get in the water right away. I got in a few more times, just to cool off. I saw a lot of bat rays in the shallow water and I even saw a small black shark.
It was sunny until about 1pm. The fog began rolling in and it was misty and cool for a while. Then it was hot with a hazy sunshine. The fog got denser and it was cool again. I hiked up about 5pm and found myself in full sun before reaching the top of the trail. I talked with a friend in the parking lot for a few minutes and I finally left the foggy parking lot about 5:30.
| Parking at 8:30am | street parking, plenty
glider port, plenty |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition
handrail still missing |
| Climate | hot and sunny all day
slight haze light wind |
| People | hundreds |
| Activities Observed | body boarding, paragliding, hangliding, fishing, paddleball, volleyball, Frisbee, swimming, kayaking, horseshoes |
| Water | I went swimming twice, once to the buoy with a buddy.
The surf was dead, bad news for surfers, good news for swimmers. There was a mucky band of seaweed near shore, but it was very clear beyond that. There were cells of warm and cool water between shore and the buoy. It was also much cooler five feet under. It may have been as warm as 67. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls, wimbrels, marbled godwits, terns, curlews, squirrels, pelicans, sting rays, bat rays, leopard shark, two seals (one live, one dead) |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were back and forth in yellow trucks. They occupied the mound at Indian Canyon as their base. They also had the camper and jetski on the beach. There were also park rangers on the beach. |
When I reached the beach, I hiked north to my usual spot. My sense of smell was assaulted by the putrefying smell of a dead animal. I looked around and found the seal carcass. We waited in hopes that the tide would take it out to sea. That never happened, so I hooked it with a rake and dragged it out to sea and north of our picnic. It beached again, so I buried it in sand.
I was on the beach from about 8:30am to 7:30pm. We had a picnic, that was not scheduled. I swam to the buoy, where we saw many marker buoys for the lobster traps beneath. I stayed until sunset. It was a repeat of yesterday.
| Parking at 9:30am | street parking, plenty
glider port, plenty |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition
handrail still missing new staircase handrail recently painted |
| Climate | hot and sunny all day
slight haze light wind |
| People | hundreds |
| Activities Observed | body boarding, paragliding, hangliding, fishing, kayaking, paddleball, volleyball, Frisbee, swimming, horseshoes |
| Water | I went swimming twice, once to the buoy with two buddies.
The surf was dead, bad news for surfers, good news for swimmers. There was a mucky band of seaweed near shore, but it was very clear beyond that. The water was also cooler near shore and warmer beyond. It was also much cooler five feet under. It may have been as warm as 67. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls, wimbrels, marbled godwits, terns, curlews, squirrels, pelicans, two ospreys, sting rays, bat rays, dolphins |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were back and forth in yellow trucks. They occupied the mound at Indian Canyon as their base. They also had the camper and jetski on the beach. There was also a park ranger on the beach. |
I was on the beach from about 10am to 7:30. I swam to the buoy, where we saw many marker buoys for the lobster traps beneath. I stayed until sunset.
As the sun got lower, we could see the haze more plainly. But, as it touched the horizon, we could see that sharp line too. There was dim hope among us that there would be a green flash. We say very little distortion in the red, round sun as more of it crosses below the horizon. The last red sliver faded slowly and there was no green flash.
Afterward, I hiked south to the Burro Trail, spotted Venus in the twilight sky and hiked up to the parking lot.
There had been nearly a week of bad weather at the beach, and I even had to work, so that kept me away. Thursday must have been an excellent day at the beach.
| Parking at 10:30am | street parking, full
glider port, plenty |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition
handrail still missing |
| Climate | hot and sunny all day
very little wind |
| People | maybe a hundred |
| Activities Observed | surfing, body boarding, paragliding, hangliding, fishing |
| Water | I only got in to cool off before leaving. It didn't seem too cold for a swim. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls, wimbrels, marbled godwits, terns, curlews, squirrels, pelicans |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were back and forth in yellow trucks. |
There wasn't a cloud in the sky. I hiked down to the beach and headed north to sit in my usual spot north of Valentine Slide. One friend was there ahead of me and others arrived shortly afterward.
I was busy grading papers, so I didn't get to go for a swim. I even had to leave early, 3:00. It was a hot climb up Burro Trail.
| Parking at 11am | street parking, full
glider port, plenty |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition
handrail still missing |
| Climate | mostly cloudy and warm
cool at times hot and sunny for brief periods windy at times sprinkled at least twice |
| People | a few dozen |
| Activities Observed | surfing, body boarding, paragliding, hangliding, fishing |
| Water | I didn't even get my feet wet. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls, wimbrels, marbled godwits, terns, curlews, squirrels, pelicans |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were back and forth in yellow trucks. |
There were clouds in the sky, but it was hot and sunny when I reached the beach. I headed north and sat in my usual spot north of Valentine Slide.
It started sprinkling, so I moved all my stuff under my umbrella and went for a walk in the rain. I didn't mind getting wet myself, but I didn't want to carry up a wet towel. It stayed cool and windy for a while, so I sat in a long sleeve shirt for an hour or two.
About 3pm I figured it just wasn't going to get any better. I packed up all my stuff, then the sun came out. Rather than just unpacking again, I decided to hike north to the trail head and spend a few hours there. There I stayed until about 6pm. By that time it was getting cool again, so I was ready to go.
| Parking at 11am | street parking, full
glider port, plenty |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition
handrail still missing More steps and a handrail had been added to the construction project. The project was still incomplete. |
| Climate | foggy and warm morning
hot and hazy sunshine in the afternoon |
| People | dozens |
| Activities Observed | surfing, body surfing, body boarding, paragliding, fishing, volleyball, Frisbee, kayaking, swimming |
| Water | I went swimming one time, to the sand dollars.
Visibility was pretty good past the surf, about ten feet. The water temperature must have been in the mid sixties. It was warmer beyond the surf. I caught some good waves body surfing. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls, wimbrels, marbled godwits, terns, curlews, squirrels, pelicans, bat rays, sand dollars, hermit crab |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were back and forth in yellow trucks. |
The sky was blue, until I started down the trail. There was fog even with the top of the cliff. I could see the beach below but it was very hazy. I hiked down and was surprised to find it was warm.
I hiked north and set up in my usual spot, right in front of the area taped off because of the landslide from yesterday. A few friends joined me later and we were all wary of falling rocks behind us.
The temperature was so perfect that I fell asleep. When I woke up, I was being scorched by the sun.
I stayed for sunset. I saw the sun going behind some clouds and took a few photos. Then I was distracted and missed last light. I hiked out, taking in the orange glow in the west. I spotted Venus before I started up the trail. I left the parking lot about 7:30pm.
| I was busy setting up for the picnic and heard a landslide just before 10am. We were all a good distance from the cliff, so we all watched the gravel and dust slide down the cliff. Then we looked to see where it came from. We identified a spot still in the shade, and then it happened. |  |
| More broke loose including a huge boulder. I thought about running further from the cliff because this tumbling boulder just might make it all the way to the water. One of my friends said, "steady," wanting to determine which way to run. The boulder hit outcroppings of rock and broke into smaller pieces. These smaller rocks, many as big as a man, rained down on the beach, leaving craters. Some of them rolled after impact. We stood there talking about it for a few minutes, and then more came down. It was an impressive sight to see, from a safe distance. |  |
| I called the lifeguards to advise them to tape off the area. They taped it off. There were other, lesser slides twice through the day. We took a few pictures just before sunset. |  |
| Parking at 9am | street parking, plenty
glider port, plenty |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition
There was a big rock in the middle of the trail, which many people thought had fallen from above. In fact, that rock had been an obstacle in that part of the trail. Apparently somebody had broken it loose and left it there. handrail still missing Last night's construction project left the trail far better, but it was clear that the project was incomplete. |
| Climate | hot and sunny all day |
| People | maybe a thousand |
| Activities Observed | surfing, body surfing, body boarding, paragliding, fishing, volleyball at two courts, Frisbee, kayaking, swimming |
| Water | I went swimming three times, twice to the sand dollars and
once with buddies.
Visibility was pretty good past the surf, about twenty feet. The water temperature must have been in the mid sixties. It was warmer beyond the surf. I caught some good waves body surfing. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls (I think), wimbrels, marbled godwits, terns, curlews, squirrels, pelicans, bat rays, croaker, sand dollars |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They taped off the landslide zone. They were back and forth in yellow trucks. They set up their station on the mound at Indian Canyon and parked their camper there. |
A wedding was performed at the beach today by Dave Cole, deputized for that specific purpose. The bride and groom said their own vows and Dave pronounced them husband and wife. I was the photographer and witness. The newlyweds, Andy and Robin, spent the day sitting under paper bells.
The picnic was lightly attended, perhaps 30 people. We served chicken, hot dogs, squash, zucchini, salmon, sweet corn, potatoes and pork.
It was hazy in the west, but the horizon was clear of thick clouds. I saw the orange sun going down, but then was distracted until there was only about a third left. We watched it shrink to a sliver and fade to nothing.
I hiked to the trail with the orange glow in the west. A friend called out to me and I looked up to see Venus in the twilight sky. Then I hiked up and left the parking lot about 7:30.
| Parking at 11:30am | street parking, plenty
glider port, plenty |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition
handrail still missing The spot where three steps were missing was under construction in the evening. |
| Climate | overcast much of the time
also a lot of hazy sunshine warm all day |
| People | hundreds |
| Activities Observed | surfing, paragliding, fishing, volleyball at two courts, trail construction, body painting |
| Water | I did get my feet wet, but I didn't go swimming.
The water temperature must have been in the upper sixties. The surf didn't seem to be any good. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls (I think), wimbrels, marbled godwits, terns, curlews, squirrels, dolphins |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were back and forth in yellow trucks. They set up their station on the mound at Indian Canyon and parked their camper there. |
I left the beach about 6:30pm. As I hiked up the trail, I passed the reconstruction of the missing steps. It was quite an operation with lumber, sandbags and power tools. The sandbags were being placed to hold up the trail against the first winter storm.
I didn't expect to see the sunset, but it showed itself below some clouds. It took on a roughly diamond shape for a moment. Then it only showed as a half circle, with a fainter half circle below, due to refraction. The bright half circle shrank to a sliver and disappeared then the lower, fainter half circle did the same.
| Parking at 11:30am | street parking, full
glider port, plenty |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition
handrail still missing three consecutive steps missing near bottom |
| Climate | mostly overcast and cool
brief periods of hazy sunshine |
| People | about a hundred |
| Activities Observed | surfing, paragliding, fishing, spear fishing, swimming, body surfing, kayaking |
| Water | I didn't even get my feet wet |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls (I think), wimbrels, marbled godwits, terns, curlews, squirrels, dolphins, blue heron |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were back and forth in yellow trucks. |
It was never very warm and I even wore a fleece shirt much of the day. I watched sunset from the trail. We saw it disappear behind clouds three times, each time thinking it was the last.
I then ate dinner in La Jolla and returned about 9pm for the drum circle. The moon did show its face, mostly through haze, but it did clear up enough that I saw a few familiar stars and constellations. There were over a hundred people drumming and dancing. I tried, unsuccessfully, to play a didgeridoo. I took a late night stroll to the mushroom house, where I saw the blue heron hunting in the surf.
I left the beach, again, at about 1:30am.
| Parking at 11am | street parking, full
glider port, plenty |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition
handrail still missing three consecutive steps missing near bottom |
| Climate | mostly sunny
very few clouds |
| People | about a hundred |
| Activities Observed | surfing, paragliding, fishing, spear fishing, swimming, body surfing |
| Water | I swam once, with a buddy, out to the sand dollars.
The water was a still kind of warm, probably upper sixties. The water was very murky in some spots, but much better in some places. Because the particles were large, I could see the particles, but I could also see better than ten feet in some places. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls (I think), wimbrels, marbled godwits, terns, curlews, sting rays, sand dollars, little black shark (probably a baby leopard), blue belly lizard, squirrels |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were back and forth in yellow trucks. |
I was on the beach from 11:30am-7pm. It was sunny and hot most of the day. I left a little before sunset.
| Parking at 9am | street parking, empty
glider port, plenty |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition
handrail still missing three consecutive steps missing near bottom new sandbags at the bottom |
| Climate | overcast and cool until about 12pm
mostly overcast and warm some hazy sunshine |
| People | hundreds |
| Activities Observed | surfing, hangliding, paragliding, Frisbee, volleyball at two courts, horseshoes, fishing, spear fishing, swimming, body boarding, body surfing, sand castle building |
| Water | I swam once, out to the sand dollars.
The water was a still kind of warm, probably upper sixties. The water was very clear. I could make out individual sand dollars from 15 feet above. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls (I think), wimbrels, terns, curlews, bat rays, sand dollars |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were back and forth in yellow trucks. They occupied their mound at Indian Canyon, as a station. They also had their camper and jetski. |
I was on the beach from 9am-5:30pm. It was overcast and warm most of the time, and hazy sunshine for only short periods. I left early to attend a Soaring Council meeting, because they were discussing remote controlled gliders from the cliffs above.
There might have been thirty people at our picnic. I saw a variety of food come off the grill: chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers, sweet corn, zucchini, squash and shrimp.
| Parking at 11am | street parking, plenty
glider port, plenty |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition
handrail still missing three consecutive steps missing near bottom new sandbags at the bottom |
| Climate | mostly overcast and warm
some hazy sunshine |
| People | hundreds |
| Activities Observed | surfing, paragliding, Frisbee, volleyball at two courts, horseshoes, fishing, swimming, body boarding, body surfing, sand castle building |
| Water | I swam twice, once with a buddy, and caught a few waves, but
none of them were very good.
The water was a bit warmer than last week, but not as warm as the week before, probably upper sixties. The water was cold and murky in the surf, but warmer and very clear beyond the surf. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls (I think), wimbrels, curlews, bat rays, sand dollars, small black shark (maybe a baby leopard), frogs |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were back and forth in yellow trucks. They occupied their mound at Indian Canyon, as a station. They also had their camper and jetski. |
I was on the beach from 11am-7pm. It was overcast and warm most of the time, and hazy sunshine for only short periods. I saw sunset from the trail. It went below one cloud, showed its face briefly, then went behind another.
I explored Indian Canyon a little. There were a few small pools of stagnant water. It was there that I saw the frogs. They were tiny and I saw four different colors, gold, green, blue and red.
| Parking at 10:30am | street parking, full
glider port, plenty |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition
handrail still missing three consecutive steps missing near bottom Some sandbags at the bottom had been replaced between my arrival and departure. |
| Climate | started out cloudy
became hazy sunshine very sunny for a few hours |
| People | hundreds |
| Activities Observed | surfing, paragliding, Frisbee, volleyball, horseshoes, fishing, swimming, body boarding, body surfing |
| Water | I swam twice and caught good waves both times.
The water was a bit warmer than last week, but not as warm as the week before, probably upper sixties. The water was cold and murky in the surf, but warmer and very clear beyond the surf. I was fortunate to catch one good wave, but the waves were mostly poor. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls (I think), wimbrels, curlews, terns, bat rays, sting rays, sand dollars |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were back and forth in a yellow truck. They did not occupy their mound as a station and I did not see their camper or jetski. There were also game wardens on the beach in a green Dodge Ram. |
I was on the beach from 10:30am-7:30pm. It was hot and sunny most of the time, though a hazy sunshine much of the day. I stayed for sunset, but missed it as it went behind some clouds.
Apparently that rougue group, Black's Beach Diggers, did some trail work today. Some of the worn sandbags at the bottom had been replaced before I left. These new sandbags didn't do anything to make the trail easier, but they will give it some resistance to the rain. It was clearly a preparation for winter.
| Parking at 11am | street parking, full
glider port, plenty |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition
handrail still missing three consecutive steps missing near bottom |
| Climate | mostly sunny
few clouds clear sunset |
| People | hundreds |
| Activities Observed | surfing, paragliding, Frisbee, volleyball, hangliding, horseshoes, fishing, spear fishing, swimming, body boarding, body surfing |
| Water | I swam twice and caught good waves both times.
There was a strong current that carried me way north. The water was a bit warmer than last week, but not as warm as the week before, probably upper sixties. There were waves with swells of about five feet and a smooth face. Visibility was about ten feet, once you get past the surf. |
| Wildlife Observed | heermann's gulls, western gulls (I think), wimbrels, curlews, terns, guitar fish, sand dollars |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards were conducting a cliff rescue exercise above
the Burro Trail.
Later they set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity boundary. They were back and forth in a yellow truck. There were also two Rangers on the beach, each in a white truck. |
I was on the beach from 11am-6:30pm. It was sunny the whole time, though I did see a few clouds. I didn't stay sunset, since I had dinner plans, but there was only a slight haze that could have obscured it.
| Parking at 9am | street parking, plenty
glider port, plenty |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition
handrail still missing three consecutive steps missing near bottom |
| Climate | overcast early
gradually became sunny peaked about 4pm and started clouding up again clear sunset |
| People | hundreds |
| Activities Observed | surfing, paragliding, Frisbee, volleyball at two locations, hangliding, horseshoes at two locations, missile throwing, sand castle building, fishing, spear fishing, swimming, body boarding, body surfing, kayaking |
| Water | I swam out to the sand dollars twice and I went body surfing
once.
The water was a bit warmer than last week, probably near 70. I caught one very nice wave. Visibility was about eight feet, once you get past the surf. |
| Wildlife Observed | a variety of seagulls, wimbrels, curlews, terns, bat rays, guitar fish, sand dollars |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were back and forth in a yellow truck and an orange truck. They also had their camper and jetski. There was also a Ranger on the beach in a white truck. I saw lifeguards confiscate glass bottles on two occasions. They emptied the contents into the sand and took the empty bottles. |
I was on the beach from 9:30am-7:30pm. It started cloudy, turned sunny, then cleared for sunset. We started the picnic early, about 12pm. We cooked pork, chicken, hot dogs, sweet corn and hamburgers. We made several new friends and brought new friends together with other new friends.
The sunset was beautiful. The horizon was so clear that we were rewarded with a green flash following the sun. A few minutes later, I spotted Venus between some clouds. The clouds took on some beautiful shades of red. Finally, I saw the thin crescent moon through some clouds.
We packed up and hiked up the trail under a twilight sky. Then we left the parking lot about 8pm.
| Parking at 10am | street parking, plenty
glider port, plenty |
| Burro Trail | a few muddy spots in the morning
still in mostly good condition, even after rain handrail still missing three consecutive steps missing near bottom |
| Climate | sunny until 11am
cloudy and cool after 11am |
| People | maybe one hundred |
| Activities Observed | surfing, paragliding, Frisbee, volleyball, hangliding, smashball, horseshoes at two locations, missile throwing, sand castle building |
| Water | The water was much colder than previous weeks.
The surf seemed very dead. |
| Wildlife Observed | a variety of seagulls, wimbrels, curlews, terns |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were back and forth in a yellow truck. They also had their camper and jetski. There was also a Coast Guard helicopter, a police helicopter and a harbor patrol in a red boat. |
I was on the beach from 11am-4pm. It was only sunny in the beginning and cloudy after that. There weren't many people and most of us left early.
Most of the sand was wet, due to the rain and very high tide of the night before. Many people were sitting on chairs, or raked spots to dry them faster.
I entered the gliderport parking lot about 10:30am. It was cloudy and I did get hit with some rain on my way. After some hesitation I decided it would still be warm enough to spend the day on the beach. It started raining before I started down the trail. I decided not to go. Even if the day turned out to be mostly sunny, the rain would leave the trail in an unpredictable condition.
A friend who went later in the day told me the trail suffered no damage yet.
There is rain in the weekend forecast.
| Parking | street parking, plenty at 9am
glider port, already filling at 9am People told me that parking was very scarce later in the day; all the lots filled. |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition
handrail still missing three consecutive steps missing near bottom |
| Climate | hot and sunny all day
windy at times |
| People | several thousand
It was a very crowded day at the beach. |
| Activities Observed | swimming, snorkeling, surfing, body boarding, body surfing, paragliding, Frisbee, fishing, volleyball, hangliding, smashball, horseshoes at two locations, missile throwing, sand castle building |
| Water | The water was much colder than previous weeks.
Underwater visibility was about ten feet. There was some decent surf for body surfing. |
| Wildlife Observed | sting rays, guitar fish, a variety of seagulls, wimbrels, curlews, terns, sand dollars
Someone told me she saw a sand shark. |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were back and forth in a yellow truck. They also had their camper and jetski. Rangers were also present. They drove the two white Ford Rangers. |
It was hot even early in the day. As soon as I dropped my pack in the sand, I headed for the water to cool off. Ten minutes later, I had to get in the water again. I went in the water several times, just to cool off. The sand was very hot too; sandals were a must.
It was a great day for our party. We must have had nearly a hundred at our picnic. Two other groups had parties too. It started out overcast and calm, but cleared early. A wind developed from the south, but eventually died.
Finally our day was coming to an end. As we were packing and getting dressed, Dave discovered that he'd lost his pants. We watched the sunset and even spotted Venus in the still bright sky. Then we finished packing and headed for the trail. It was already getting dark. Dave wrapped a towel around his waist and we hiked up under a twilight sky.
| Parking | street parking, plenty at 10am
glider port, already filling at 10am People told me that parking was very scarce later in the day; all the lots filled. |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition
handrail still missing three consecutive steps missing near bottom |
| Climate | hot and sunny all day
windy at times |
| People | several thousand
It was a very crowded day at the beach. |
| Activities Observed | swimming, surfing, body boarding, body surfing, paragliding, Frisbee, spear fishing, fishing, volleyball, hangliding, kayaking |
| Water | The water was much colder than previous weeks.
Underwater visibility was about five feet. There was some decent surf for body surfing. |
| Wildlife Observed | sting rays, guitar fish, a variety of seagulls, wimbrels, curlews, terns, sand dollars |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were back and forth in a yellow truck. They also had their camper and jetski. The lifeguards responded to a medical emergency of a girl with an allergic reaction. The city police were on the beach, patrolling up and down the coast. They stopped to assist the lifeguards with the medical emergency. They may have made an arrest; I saw them loading a bicycle and other gear into their truck. Perhaps they belonged to the defendant already in the truck. |
A girl in our group was suffering from an allergic reaction. Her body was quickly being covered in welts. Her father brought the lifeguards over. They were ready with emergency services, in case she got worse. The police stopped too. She got better on her own and they left without administering any treatment.
Paragliders landed on the beach early. Later in the day I saw the highest hanglider ever. There were no other gliders at the time. I thought that was strange. There was a blood drive at the glider port.
I saw the man in the kayak again.
I was on the beach from about 10-7:30, and it was hot most of the time. I saw the sunset from the beach and hiked up under a twilight sky. Eventually there was only Venus to light the path.
| Parking at 9am | street parking, plenty
glider port, plenty fresh dirt added to entry to fill potholes recently |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition
handrail still missing three consecutive steps missing near bottom |
| Climate | sometimes overcast and warm
sometimes hazy sunshine and hot |
| People | thousands |
| Activities Observed | swimming, surfing, body boarding, body surfing, paragliding, Frisbee, spear fishing, fishing, volleyball |
| Water | The water was much colder than previous days.
Underwater visibility was crystal clear. The surf was poor, but I did some body surfing anyway. |
| Wildlife Observed | sting rays, guitar fish, a variety of seagulls, red-tailed
hawk, wimbrels, curlews, terns, sand dollars
I think I saw a seal, but I didn't see it surface a second time. |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were back and forth in a yellow truck. They also had their camper and jetski. |
I was on the beach from about 9:30-6:30, and it was hot most of the time. I spent the day with different friends. Some were there ahead of me and left early, while others arrived later and stayed after me.
I saw a man reach the beach via kayak. A wave dumped him, but it looked like he had all his stuff in dry bags. He spent a few hours on the beach. I didn't see when he left.
| Parking at 9:30am | street parking, nearly full
glider port, plenty fresh dirt added to entry to fill potholes recently |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition
handrail still missing three consecutive steps missing near bottom |
| Climate | sunny all day |
| People | hundreds |
| Activities Observed | swimming, surfing, body boarding, body surfing, paragliding, Frisbee, spear fishing |
| Water | The water was much colder than previous days.
I saw sting rays in the surf, as well as some other fish, croaker I think. Underwater visibility was about five feet. The surf was poor, but I did some body surfing anyway. I saw dolphins in the water, repeatedly through the day. I went swimming twice but didn't get near the dolphins. |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were back and forth in a yellow truck. They also had their camper and jetski. |
I was on the beach from about 9:30-6:30, and it was sunny the whole time. I spent the day with different friends. Some were there ahead of me and left early, while others arrived later and stayed after me.
After one of my swims I returned to find a tiny lizard on my chair. This was not the first time we had found lizards. Perhaps there are eggs in the sand that are hatching about now. It was far from any cover, so perhaps the babies have to make the mad dash from sand to shrub, evading seagulls.
| Parking at 11am | street parking, full
glider port, plenty fresh dirt added to entry to fill potholes recently |
| Burro Trail | mostly good condition
handrail still missing two consecutive steps missing near bottom |
| Climate | sunny all day |
| People | a hundred |
| Activities Observed | swimming, surfing, body boarding, body surfing, paragliding, Frisbee |
| Water | The water was much colder than previous days.
I didn't see, but felt a sting rays in the surf. The water was murky with sand and seaweed. The surf was good. I did some body surfing. I went under a wave that was about to come down on me, and it still slammed me against the bottom. |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were back and forth in a yellow truck. They also had their camper and jetski. One ranger was also on the beach. I saw him stop a spear fisherman and check his license. |
I was on the beach from about 11-6. It was very sunny and I dozed off for some unknown time. It was cooling off as I climbed the trail.
After my day at Black's, I went to the swim night at the Icoplex with Naturally California. I got in about 7pm Everybody undresses and showers in the women's bathroom, since it connects directly to the pool area.
I swam a mile, while others swam a few laps too. When I finished, the hot tub was full. Others were lounging around the pool on styrofoam noodles.
Later we posed for group photos, some underwater. We did some with a disposable underwater camera. We took others using Brian's digital camera and my dad's underwater video camera. I also arranged to take some video of me swimming.
There were nearly thirty people there.
| Parking at 9am | street parking, plenty
glider port, plenty fresh dirt added to entry to fill potholes recently |
| Burro Trail | same as Friday
one more step missing on my way up |
| Climate | sunny all day |
| People | thousands |
| Activities Observed | swimming, surfing, body boarding, body surfing, hangliding, paragliding, Frisbee, snorkeling, horseshoes, bocce can, volleyball |
| Water | The water was much colder than previous days.
It was much colder six feet under. I didn't see sting rays in the surf. The water was murky with sand and seaweed. The surf was good. I did some body surfing and body boarding. I swam out beyond the surf twice, but didn't reach any of my usual markers. |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were back and forth in a yellow truck. They also had their camper and jetski. One ranger was also on the beach. |
I was on the beach from about 9-6. With the exception of a brief building of overcast, it was very sunny.
Of the thousands who were on the beach, about thirty of them sat close to us and were fed from our grill. We served hot dogs, ham, chicken, zucchini, squash and sweet corn.
| Parking at 11am | street parking full
glider port empty fresh dirt added to entry to fill potholes |
| Trail | probably the same as yesterday |
| Climate | cloudy and warm until 1pm sunny after that |
| People | thousands |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | I could only distinguish that they occupied their mound at Indian Canyon. |
I arrived at the gliderport about 12pm and signed up for a tandem flight, along with my father and brother. They cost $150 for 20-30 minutes.
My dad took the first flight almost immediately. He landed on the beach a few minutes later. Nobody was in a hurry to do another tandem flight that would only end soon on the beach.
Eventually the wind picked up and it was my turn. After a few minutes of instructions, we ran to the cliff edge and the wind took us. Steve took me up and down the coast. I could barely make out who was who. I could only tell by their sheets and umbrellas.
Steve pointed out a cave in Indian Canyon. I could see a few men on the cliff edge with zoom lenses, trying to get shots of people on the beach. I took several photos with my disposable camera, scenes on the beach, the cave to voyeurs on the cliffs...
After a very smooth take off and flight, it was finally time to land. Our landing seemed flawless to me. The whole flight was so relaxing; Steve left no room for panic.
My brother was next, but he had to wait a while for the wind to pick up. I arranged for a friend to do some taping from the beach below. His flight seemed short to me and I only saw his rough landing on tape
My dad took a repeat flight, to make up for his first, short flight. We moved to the north lot to try and get some better shots of his flight.
Later we went to the photographer to buy some professional prints of our flights. It turned out he took a break during my flight, so I don't have any clear shots of my own flight.
I never went down to the beach, but I could see it had been a beautiful day. We left around 4pm.
| Parking at 12pm | street parking full
glider port empty fresh dirt added to entry to fill potholes |
| Trail | Burro Trail in mostly good condition
handrail missing in one spot, probably in preparation for replacement step near the bottom still missing |
| Climate | sunny and hot most of the day
some clouds after 5pm |
| People | hundreds |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones and sign at the nudity
boundary.
They were back and forth in a yellow truck. They also had their camper and jetski. Two ranger vehicles were also on the beach. |
I arrived at the gliderport about 11am. I found that some big potholes at the entrance had been filled. I hiked down the Burro Trail and chose a spot a little north of the trail.
I spent the day with five well-known friends and made one new friend, a swimming buddy. We swam out to the sand dollars. Visibility was pretty good. I also did a little body surfing, since the waves were pretty big today.
I stayed on the beach until about 7pm and hiked out without incident.
| Parking at 11am | street parking full glider port empty |
| Trail | Burro Trail in mostly good condition
handrail missing in one spot, probably in preparation for replacement step near the bottom still missing |
| Climate | sunny and hot all day
some clouds, but none came between the sun and I |
| People | hundreds |
| Lifeguards and Law Enforcement | The lifeguards set up the orange cones at the nudity
boundary. I didn't notice if they put up the sign too.
They were back and forth in a yellow truck. They also had their camper and jetski. |
I arrived about 11am and hiked down the Burro Trail. I found a great deal of trash at the trailhead, apparently left by campers, bottles of shampoo, body lotion, a blanket... By the way, I gathered it together and carried it up.
I headed north and chose a spot near the trail. I labeled envelopes, folded and stuffed newsletters.
Then I went for a swim. The water was very clear. I didn't see stingrays in the shallow surf, but I did see some deep under water. I swam out to the live sand dollars and back. The waves were kind of big, so I caught a ride on some.
I fell asleep in the shade of my umbrella for a while, what a nice day.
I had to work in the evening, so I packed up and left about 5pm. It was still sunny, but it looked as if it might cloud up soon. I saw people in the parking lot preparing for the drum circle tonight.
| Parking | Trail | Climate | People |
|
street parking, plenty of spaces gliderport, plenty of spaces |
Burro Trail in mostly good condition
recent improvement near bottom falling apart in another spot near bottom |
mostly overcast and warm Saturday
cloudy, windy, cool and even some sprinkles Sunday |
hundreds |
| Law Enforcement and Lifeguards: Lifeguards set up
the orange cones marking the nudity boundary at the city beach. They
were back and forth all day in an orange truck and occupied their mound
at Indian Canyon. They also had their camper and jet-ski.
City police were on the beach Saturday on ATVs. I saw a beer vendor in handcuffs and he was arrested This was the same man who was cited the day before and I heard he was cited the two days before that too. A ranger was on the beach too. He stopped to watch the ice cream operation, but he didn't eat any. I don't think he issued any citations. |
Saturday I swam out to the sand dollars. Just as I reached the sand dollars, I spotted a lobster. I made a few attempts to catch it, but I ran out of air and had to surface. I went back down to try again and found a starfish instead. I thought about taking it back to shore to show off, but decided it would be too much trouble to get into my bag. I thought it was strange to find one there, since I usually find them in deeper water.
It was sprinkling Sunday morning, but we had a picnic scheduled. I arrived about 9am with my ice cream machine. I was nude part of the day, but I wore a long sleeve shirt most of the day and I even wore long pants some of the day.
Despite our fears, a fair number of people did show up. We served a lot of hot food from our grill, chicken, hamburgers, shrimp and sausages. We made our two batches of ice cream, strawberry and peach, and most of it was eaten. I ran out of dry ice before the last batch was done, so it was really peach milkshake.
A dark cloud was looming on the horizon and it started sprinkling again, so we packed up and left about 5pm.
| Parking | Trail | Climate | People |
|
street parking, full gliderport, plenty of spaces |
Burro Trail in mostly good condition
recent improvement near bottom falling apart in another spot near bottom |
mostly hazy sunshine | hundreds |
| Law Enforcement and Lifeguards: Lifeguards set up
the orange cones marking the nudity boundary at the city beach, but not
every day. They
were back and forth all day in an orange truck and occupied their mound
at Indian Canyon. They also had their camper and jet-ski.
Lifeguards apparently cited a man for vending on the beach. They also searched his area of the beach and confiscated his supplies. Lifeguards were engaged in a cliff rescue exercise Thursday. They set up a rig to keep their ropes from rubbing the cliff edge and descended to the beach. They also lowered a stretcher. |
I was there about noon to sunset each day. I swam to the buoy and back on Friday and I swam to the sand dollars several times each day. I saw many sting rays. Thursday I saw a two-foot halibut. The water was very clear both days.
Friday I watched sunset from the trail.
| Parking | Trail | Climate | People |
|
street parking, full gliderport, plenty of spaces |
Burro Trail in mostly good condition
recent improvement near bottom falling apart in another spot near bottom |
sunny Monday and Tuesday mostly overcast Wednesday, some sun |
hundreds |
| Law Enforcement and Lifeguards: Lifeguards set up
the orange cones marking the nudity boundary at the city beach, but not
every day. They
were back and forth all day in an orange truck and occupied their mound
at Indian Canyon. They also had their camper and jet-ski.
Lifeguards were engaged in a cliff rescue around 7:30pm Wednesday. They had spotters on the beach and a helicopter. Others were about to descend from the cliffs using mountain climbing gear. |
I was there about noon to sunset each day. I swam to the buoy and back on Monday and I swam to the sand dollars several times each day. The water was crystal clear Tuesday.
Monday, one of the paragliders landed on the beach and assembled his kite surfing equipment. He attempted kite surfing, but there wasn't enough wind.
I was on my way to the trail Wednesday when I spotted some dirt sliding down from the cliff at the nudity boundary. I walked over for a better look. There were two men in a small gully, about forty feet above the beach, trying to make some steps down, and three people on the ground trying to convince them to stop. Seeing that they couldn't make it back up, nor could they make it to the beach without injury, I called the lifeguards. I waited for them to arrive and left it in their capable hands.
| Parking | Trail | Climate | People |
|
street parking empty gliderport, plenty of spaces |
Burro Trail in mostly good condition
recent improvement near bottom falling apart in another spot near bottom |
Saturday, overcast all day Sunday, sunny all day |
thousands |
| Law Enforcement and Lifeguards: Lifeguards set up
the orange cones marking the nudity boundary at the city beach. They
were back and forth all day in an orange truck and occupied their mound
at Indian Canyon. They also had their camper and jet-ski.
It seems that people were cited for camping early Sunday morning. It's unclear to me which law enforcement agency did this. Rangers were patrolling the beach around sunset. |
Sunday we saw an osprey catch a fish so big that it couldn't lift it out of the water. It had to let it go. We also saw a seal in the surf.
It was a beautiful day and we made the most of it with our picnic. We served a lot of chicken, salmon, squash and zucchini. There was also some sweet corn going around.
There were lots of people in the water, body surfing and body boarding. I went swimming three times, twice to the sand dollars and once to the buoy. There were lots of little fish and sting rays. I've also been seeing some bigger fish in the surf, yellowtail, I think.
Saturday some of our friends set up a volleyball court, and they were still playing when I left around sunset.
Sunday I stayed until after sunset. It was getting dark as I climbed the Burro Trail with only a crescent moon and Venus to light the path.
| Parking | Trail | Climate | People |
|
street parking full gliderport, plenty of spaces |
Burro Trail in mostly good condition
recent improvement near bottom falling apart in another spot near bottom |
Tuesday and Wednesday, sunny Thursday and Friday, mostly overcast and warm |
hundreds |
| Law Enforcement and Lifeguards: Lifeguards set up
the orange cones marking the nudity boundary at the city beach. They
were back and forth all day in an orange truck and occupied their mound
at Indian Canyon. They also had their camper and jet-ski.
Friday I saw a hang glider clinging to the cliff-side, near the top. I called the lifeguards. I was shocked to see them lingering around a Miller photo shoot so long after I'd made an urgent call. The man did make his way to safety with the help of three people from above. His footing was not very secure; we could see dirt falling from under his feet. Later in the day there were a few falling rocks from that area of the cliff face, which might have been loosened by his climb to safety. |
Tuesday we hosted an AANR youth group field trip to the beach. We gave them a hot meal and made ice cream. We also provided them with many beach toys, Frisbees, footballs, paddleball, body boards...
Late Tuesday and especially Wednesday we saw lots of dolphins in the surf. Wednesday morning we also saw an osprey.
Friday there were canopies set up near the trailhead, a little north of the goat trial. They were for a photo shoot. Miller was sponsoring a Chargers ad.
| Parking | Trail | Climate | People |
|
street parking, full on weekdays, plenty on weekends gliderport, plenty of spaces |
Burro Trail in mostly good condition
recent improvement near bottom falling apart in another spot near bottom |
mostly overcast and warm |
hundreds on weekdays, thousands on weekends |
| Law Enforcement and Lifeguards: Lifeguards set up the orange cones marking the nudity boundary at the city beach. They were back and forth all day in their yellow truck and occupied their mound at Indian Canyon. They also had their camper and jet-ski. |
I have spent long hours at the beach and had little time to write trip reports. I have gone on swims to the reef, marked by the buoy. We have hosted picnics and made ice cream. People have entertained themselves with riding waves, throwing toys and building sandcastles.
| Parking at 10am | Trail | Climate | People |
|
street parking, full gliderport, plenty of spaces |
Burro Trail in mostly good condition
recent improvement near bottom falling apart in another spot near bottom |
sunny early, otherwise mostly overcast |
hundreds |
| Law Enforcement and Lifeguards: Lifeguards set up
the orange cones marking the nudity boundary at the city beach. They
were back and forth all day in their yellow truck and occupied their mound
at Indian Canyon. They also had their camper and jet-ski.
San Diego City Police made a circuit of the beach, enforcing a non-existent law. They challenged at least two women over their possession of beer. They demanded of one lady that she pour out her beer or get cited. She complied, even though she should not have. I spoke with a Torrey Pines ranger and he told me that the consumption of alcohol is legal on the state beach. I'm advising people to refuse to pour it out and take the citation. It's not illegal. They are harassing. Ignorance of the law is no excuse, especially if they are officers of the law. |
When I parked at 10:30, it looked like it would be a hot and sunny day, but it gradually clouded up and cooled off.
There were lots of people in the water, surfing, body boarding, body surfing and swimming. I went for one swim to the buoy, with a buddy. The water was very clear. I found the reef, marked by the buoy. It's actually about 50 feet south of the buoy and 50 feet under. There was a white starfish plainly visible there. I also did a little body surfing late in the day.
By 6pm it had cooled off enough that I put on a shirt. Then I took off the shirt and played Frisbee to keep warm.
I left the beach about 7pm.
| Parking at 9am | Trail | Climate | People |
|
street parking, empty gliderport, plenty of spaces |
Burro Trail in mostly good condition
recent improvement near bottom falling apart in another spot near bottom |
sunny all day |
thousands |
It was already sunny when I parked at the gliderport. As I hiked down the Burro Trail, I took a few pictures of people in surf kayaks.
I hiked north and helped set up for our picnic.
There must have been thousands of people on the beach today. Some of the activities I observed were: volleyball, horseshoes, Frisbee, surfing, body surfing, body boarding and swimming. There was even some sand castle construction.
I swam to the sand dollars once. Visibility was great. I wanted to swim out to the buoy with my friends, but an interview kept me busy.
KMEX was on the beach today, covering Black's Beach. They interviewed me and a few other Spanish speakers. I don't know exactly when it will air, but I'll be in touch and post in to the main page when I know.
Our grill was very active today. There was plenty of chicken, zucchini, squash and steaks. There was also some sweet corn and hot dogs.
I stayed for sunset, but it went behind some clouds before reaching the ocean. Afterward I went to a barbecue in the parking lot, finally leaving about 10:30.
| Parking at 9am | Trail | Climate | People |
|
street parking, empty gliderport, plenty of spaces |
Burro Trail in mostly good condition
recent improvement near bottom falling apart in another spot near bottom |
sunny 10-5, windy 10-2 |
over a thousand |
It was still cloudy as I hiked down the Burro Trail. I could see people fishing from three kayaks. I set up my bulletin board and headed north to my usual spot. The sun came out by 10am, but there was a wind for a while.
The real crowds started showing up around 1pm. People were playing Frisbee and volleyball. There were a lot of people in the water too, surfing, body boarding and body surfing. The waves weren't very good though.
I went swimming twice, both times with buddies. First I swam out to the sand dollars. Later I swam out to the buoy with five buddies. Four of them left together. Then I left and another left a few minutes after me. We all got to the buoy about the same time. Two of the swimmer got cramps
