You will find trip reports by Lloyd Johnson here.  The most recent reports are at the top.  Gaps in coverage sometimes indicate bad weather.  I generally don't notice currents unless they are very strong.

October 2, 2008: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  There I raised my club flag and set up another bulletin board.

I set up my own stuff, an umbrella and a sheet.  It was very hot and I tried to stay in the shade much of the time.  The sand was also too hot for my bare feet.

I went swimming three times, first to the reef and twice for some body surfing.  There were several lobster trap markers at the reef.  I did three dives there.

Much later in the day.  I dressed, packed and waited for sunset.  Afterward, I headed to the trail.  I collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot after 7pm.

September 28, 2008: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  Flags were already flying, an American flag and my club flag.  I set up another bulletin board.

I set up my own stuff, an umbrella and a sheet.  I didn't sit under the umbrella.  It just wasn't warm enough.  I used the umbrella to hang my food out of squirrel reach.

Eventually, I had to put on a shirt to keep warm.  The sun did come out, but only for a short time.

Much later in the day.  I dressed, packed and headed to the trail.  I collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 7pm.

September 27, 2008: Black's Beach

This was another dive trip.  We dove off-shore and never swam to the beach.  I could see the lifeguard truck and camper.  There were only dozens of people on the beach.  The weather was cloudy and cool.  We were only nude long enough to change into wetsuits.

We went straight to Reef 2, using GPS coordinates.  There were many lobster trap markers on the surface, and the one that has been there all summer.  We knew we were in the right place  We chose a lobster line and followed it to the bottom.  Four of us found the reef and explored it.  I found a sculpin right away.  I also saw a lot of other fish, a few lobster, lots of spined stars and keyhole limpets.

A lifeguard approached on a jetski as our last diver was finishing his safety stop.  We chatted a little.  He wanted to know how to find the reef.  Apparently he had tried before.

September 25, 2008: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.

I raised my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.  I set up my own stuff, an umbrella and a sheet.  The sand was hot enough that I wished I had brought my sandals.

I took three swims, twice to the sand dollars.  I had some dolphin encounters.  I also paddled out on a surf board hoping to meet up with dolphins and take some pictures, no such luck

Much later in the day.  I packed and headed to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 6pm.

September 20, 2008: Black's Beach

This was a dive trip.  We dove off-shore and never swam to the beach.  I could see the lifeguard truck and camper.  There were dozens of people on the beach, maybe a hundred.  The weather didn't seem hot and sunny, maybe warm and sunny.  We were warm on the boat and it was often sunny.  Some of us were nude as quickly as we left Mission Bay.

We were planning to dive Torrey Pines Reefs 1 and 2.  We circled the GPS coordinates of Reef 1, watching the depth finder for signs of the reef.  There was a fisherman there in a kayak.  We anchored and started our dive.  We were directly west of the lifeguard mound.

We started our dive about 12:30pm.  I felt a brief panic as I was descending into the murky abyss.  Once I could see the bottom, I relaxed.  I immediately started photographing sand stars and sea pens.  I waited a little for the other divers.  Then I spotted fish, and fish mean reef.  I followed the fish and soon saw a darkness ahead, the reef.

It was a small reef, about 500 square feet.  I found many nudibranchs and cowries.  There were also anemonies, lincod and tubeworms. I found another reef within sight of the first.  I found much the same life.  I even found a few lobster and a rainbow star. I saw I was down to 700psi, meaning I was overdue to begin my ascent.  I did a 3 minute safety stop at 15' and surfaced.

Once on the boat I learned that the other two divers never found the reef, and one of them surfaced too fast.  After some rest we paid Reef 2 a visit, but skipped the planned scuba dive and headed back to Mission Bay.

September 21, 2008: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.

I raised an American flag and my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.  I set up a few things for the picnic.  Then I set up my own stuff, an umbrella and a sheet.

I took three swims, twice to the sand dollars and once to the reef.  I only managed one dive at the reef.

While on shore I saw a whale surface for air.  It was very close to shore, just beyond the surf.  I saw the spout.  I saw the back, without a dorsal fin.  I shouted "whale" and everybody looked.  Later there were doubts of what I saw.  A few people saw spouts farther south, but couldn't say for sure what they saw.  I know I saw a whale, not a dolphin.

Much later in the day.  I packed, dressed and headed to the trail.  I collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 7pm.

September 18, 2008: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.

I raised my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.  Then I set up my own stuff, an umbrella and a sheet.

I saw a dive flag on a boat at the reef.  There were three boats together and at least four people on board.  I swam to the reef as fast as I could, to compare notes with them.  By the time I was half way, I couldn't find the boats.  I didn't think they could get so far away so fast, but they did.  I did two dives to the reef and swam back.

Much later in the day.  I packed and headed to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot before 7pm.

September 14, 2008: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.

I raised an American flag and my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.  Then I set up my own stuff, an umbrella and a sheet.

We set up umbrellas for others we expected.  We set up grills and lit the coal.

I did two swims, both to the sand dollars.  I also went out twice, just to body surf.  It was for a photo shoot for Nude and Natural.

We gathered the Naturist Society for a group photo around the flag.

I packed and headed to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot before 7:30pm.

September 9, 2008: Black's Beach

From the trail I could see strong rip currents, even a whirlpool.  I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.

I raised my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.  Then I set up my own stuff, an umbrella and a sheet.

I did two swims, one to the reef and once to the sand dollars.  At the reef I did three dives, one to 47' where I picked up a cowerie shell.  There was some good surf and I caught some big waves.  I also went out twice, just to body surf.

I packed and headed to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot before 7:30pm.

September 7, 2008: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.

I raised two of my club flags, and set up another bulletin board.  Then I set up my own stuff, an umbrella and a sheet.

I did two swims, one to the reef and once to the sand dollars.  There was small surf and I managed to catch a few rides in.  I also did some body boarding.

I packed and headed to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot before 7:30pm.  I noticed the Salk exit was closed, but not locked.

September 6, 2008: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.

I raised my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.  Then I set up my own stuff, an umbrella and a sheet.

I did three swims, once to the reef and twice to the sand dollars, once with buddies.  The current was so strong and had to swim at quite an angle to reach the reef.  I had to swim north between dives, and I missed the reef my last dive.  There was small surf and I managed to catch a few rides in.

I packed, dressed and headed to the trail.  I collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot before 7:30pm.  I noticed the Salk exit was closed, but not locked.

September 4, 2008: Black's Beach

I checked the alternate exits as I arrived.  The one was still blocked by concrete and the other, Salk parking, was guarded.

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.

I raised my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.  Then I set up my own stuff, an umbrella and a sheet.

I did two swims, once to the reef and once to the sand dollars.  My marker flag was back up, so I had no trouble finding the reef.

I packed and headed to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I barely left the parking lot before 7pm.  I noticed the Salk exit was open.

September 2, 2008: Black's Beach

I checked the alternate exits as I arrived.  The one was still blocked by concrete and the other, Salk parking, was guarded.

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.

I raised my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.  Then I set up my own stuff, an umbrella and a sheet.

I did three swims, once to the reef and twice to the sand dollars.  I had a buddy for my reef swim and two buddies for my sand dollar swims.

I packed and headed to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I barely left the parking lot before 7pm.  I didn't notice the other exits.

September 1, 2008: Black's Beach

I checked the alternate exits as I arrived.  The one was still blocked by concrete and the other, Salk parking, was closed and chained.

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up two bulletin boards near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.

I raised an American flag and two of my club flags, and set up another bulletin board.  I joined the effort to set up for the picnic.

There were two grills set up for the picnic.  Some of the hot food included sweet corn, hot dogs, bratwurst, chicken and salmon.

I did three swims, once to the reef and twice to the sand dollars.  I had six buddies for one of my sand dollar swims.  I also did some body boarding.

I packed, dressed and headed to the trail.  I collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I barely left the parking lot before 8pm.  The guard was there locking up.

August 31, 2008: Black's Beach

Parking at 10am	street parking: plenty gliderport: plenty of spaces
Visibility	I could see beyond Flatrock.
Burro Trail	good condition, except for the very bottom
Climate	mostly overcast and warm, some sunshine, wind from northwest
People	maybe a thousand
Activities Observed	surfing, body surfing, body boarding, swimming, paragliding, RC gliding, volleyball, fishing, Frisbee, sand castle building, paddleball, horseshoes, blongoball
Water	surf: 5' tide: It was highest just about the time I arrived, and way out most of the day. temperature: 73º current: I didn't notice any. visibility: 20'
Wildlife Observed	crows, western gulls, Heermann's gulls, cormorant, terns, whimbrels, willets, marbled godwits, pelicans, squirrels, sand dollars, garibaldi, kelp bass, star fish, keyhole limpet, tunicates, bat rays, sting rays
Lifeguards and Law Enforcement	There were a lot of different law enforcement agencies on the beach today, lifeguards, rangers, police, fire and rescue.  There were trucks, ATVs, jetskis, boats and helicopters.

I checked the alternate exits as I arrived.  The one was still blocked by concrete and the other, Salk parking, was closed but not locked.

I did three swims.  Two swims were to the sand dollars and one was to the reef.  One of my markers was missing and I had trouble finding the reef.

We were all a bit crowded, due to the recovery effort.  We had our barbecue, serving hot dogs, sweet corn, chicken, bratwurst, hamburgers and pineapple.

I dressed and packed up about 7pm.  At the trail I collected my bulletin boards.  I left the parking lot about 7:30pm.  The gate was still open, but the Salk gate looked locked.

August 30, 2008: Black's Beach

I checked the alternate exits as I arrived.  The one was still blocked by concrete and the other, Salk parking, was closed but not locked.

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised an American flag and my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.

I set up an umbrella for myself.  I needed sandals for the hot sand.

I did three swims and went body boarding a few times.  Two swims were to the sand dollars and one was to the reef.  There was a fishing boat there and I talked with the fishers about the reef and the fish down there.

I took a few friends fossil hunting.  We also stopped to look at the squirrel carnival.

I packed up and left about 7pm.  I dressed at the trail and collected my bulletin boards.  I left the parking lot about 7:30pm.  The gate was still open.

August 24, 2008: Black's Beach

I checked the alternate exits as I arrived.  The one was still blocked by concrete and the other, Salk parking, was closed but not locked.

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised an American flag and my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.

I set up two umbrellas for myself.  I had sandals, but never needed them.

The water looked rough and murky.  I didn't do any swims.  I did do a little body boarding.  I caught many good waves.

A paraglider landed in the surf.  It was only ankle deep, but he dropped his sail in the water and the surf was dragging him out.  I saw it all coming and ran to help right away.  I got a hold of his sail and stopped it from dragging him out.  Some friends saw he was in danger and came to help too.  The sail was holding a lot of water, so we had to wait for it to drain, then pull.  We managed to pull him and his sail to safety, then left him to pack it up.

Fox Sports, channel 5, was there for a story on naked volleyball.  They interviewed a few people and taped some volleyball.

There was a lot of variety cooked on the grill.  There were hot dogs, shrimp, sweet corn, veggie burgers, pork, chicken and pineapple.

I packed and left about 7pm.  There were still people playing volleyball.

August 23, 2008: Black's Beach

I checked the alternate exits as I arrived.  The one was still blocked by concrete and the other, Salk parking, was closed but not locked.

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised an American flag and my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.

I set up two umbrellas for myself.  The sand was so hot I needed my sandals.

I swam to the reef once and to the sand dollars twice.  There was a fishing boat drifting across the reef.  I did five dives to the reef.   I did some body surfing too.  I got one great ride.

A ranger was on the beach with a camera crew, Beach Patrol.  It seems they made an arrest for lewd conduct.

I packed and left about 7pm.  There were still people playing volleyball.

August 22, 2008: Black's Beach

I checked the alternate exits as I arrived.  The one was still blocked by concrete and the other, Salk parking, was open.

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.

I set up an umbrella for myself.  The sand was so hot I needed my sandals.

I swam to the reef once and to the sand dollars twice.  I did three dives to the reef.   I did some body surfing too.  I got two good rides.

I packed and left about 6:30pm.  There were still people playing volleyball.

August 21, 2008: Black's Beach

I checked the alternate exits as I arrived.  The one was still blocked by concrete and the other, Salk parking, was open.

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.

I set up an umbrella for myself.  The sand was so hot I needed my sandals.

I swam to the reef once and to the sand dollars once.  The water was choppy.  I did three dives to the reef  I did some body surfing on the way to shore.

I packed and left about 6pm.  There were still people playing volleyball.  The ranger had stopped a group of people with a dog.  I think he wrote them a citation.

August 19, 2008: Black's Beach

I checked the alternate exits as I arrived.  The one was still blocked by concrete and the other ,Salk parking, was open.

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.

I set up two umbrellas for myself, one for right away and one to shade me later in the day.  The sand was so hot I needed my sandals.

I swam to the reef once and to the sand dollars twice.  I did some body surfing on the way to shore.

I packed and left about 6pm.

August 17, 2008: Black's Beach

I checked the alternate exits as I arrived.  The one was still blocked by concrete and the other was still locked.  There was only the one way in and out.

I parked in the west lot and hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised an American flag and my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.

I set up two umbrellas for myself, one for right away and one to shade me later in the day.  The sand was so hot I needed my sandals.

I went swimming three times, once to the reef and twice to the sand dollars.  I had buddies for two swims.  On our way to the reef I found a needlefish coiled around some kelp.  There was a boat at the reef.  As we got closer we could make out two divers getting ready for a dive.  They went under just as we were arriving.  Both my buddies were able to dive to the reef.  I did three dives to the reef, each time hoping to spot the scuba divers and poke some fun at them for needing all the gear.

I packed up, dressed and headed to the trail about 7pm.  At the trailhead I collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  The sun set while I was in the parking lot.  I saw a green flash.  I left the parking lot just before 8pm.

August 16, 2008: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised an American flag and my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.

I set up two umbrellas for myself, one for right away and one to shade me later in the day.  The sand was so hot I needed my sandals.

I went swimming three times, once to the reef and twice to the sand dollars.  I had a buddy for my reef swim and one swim to the sand dollars.  I did four dives to the reef.

News reached me of a police force in the parking lot.  Also the secondary and tertiary exits were locked.  I knew I had to get out the primary exit before 8pm.  Tonight was to be the full moon party and the police were there because last month a man was stabbed.  They were there to enforce parking regulations, as well as bans on alcohol, glass bottles, fires and smoking.

I packed up and headed to the trail about 6:30pm.  At the trailhead I collected my bulletin boards, dressed and hiked up.  Once in the parking lot, I could see the twenty or so police vehicles, some of them vans.  I left the parking lot about 7pm, noting that the secondary exit was locked and the tertiary exit was blocked by concrete dividers.

August 12, 2008: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, put on sandals, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.

I set up an umbrella for myself, for hanging my food.  The sand was so hot I needed my sandals.

I went swimming three times, once to the reef and twice to the sand dollars.  I took my float again, trying to stay warm until I was ready to dive.  I paddled out backwards, as my float slowly leaked.  I had to add air twice.  I did two dives to the reef.  It was dark and murky, so I headed back.  I was sinking again, but didn't stop to add air.  I lost the benefit of being mostly out of the water and warm.

I dozed off and woke up to sunshine.  It only lasted from about 4-5pm.

I packed up and headed to the trail about 6pm.  At the trailhead I collected my bulletin boards, dressed and hiked up.

August 10, 2008: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, put on sandals, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised an American flag and my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.

I set up an umbrella for myself, for shade and for hanging my food.  The sand was so hot I needed my sandals.

I went swimming three times, once to the reef and twice to the sand dollars.  I did three dives to the reef.  There was a thick layer of particles I had to pass through, but once I did, it was clear.

It was never apparent when the surf festival was.  I asked Geoff a few times, and he didn't answer.  I saw him taking pictures of surfers, so I got my video camera going.  There was no talk of judges or prizes either.  The surf wasn't very good, so I suppose he just let it go.  He did provide three surf boards for people to use.

There was a lot of food from the grill, hot dogs, hamburgers, sweet corn, shrimp, zucchini, pineapple, chicken, bratwurst and salmon.

It was about 7pm when I finally finished packing.  I dressed and headed to the trail.  I collected my bulletin boards and started up.  The sun set as I hiked up.  I stopped in a few places to watch a little then hiked a little further.  I left the parking lot about 7:54.  I got out just before the guard locked the gate.

August 9, 2008: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, put on sandals, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised an American flag and my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.

I set up an umbrella for myself, for shade and for hanging my food.  The sand was so hot I needed my sandals.

I went swimming three times, once to the reef and twice to the sand dollars.  I tried something different for my swim to the reef.  I towed my float and tied it to a marker near the reef.  I towed it and tied it using a surf leash.  The marker buoy is small and covered in moss.  I've followed the rope to the bottom.  It's tied to an old lobster trap, half buried in the sand.

This gave me a few advantages. 1) I could to the swim with my goggles instead of my dive mask.  2) I had my dive mask handy when I was ready for a dive.  3) I could relax on the float between dives and warm up.  4) I could do more dives.  5) I could relax in the sun without getting hot, while drifting to shore.

It didn't all work out.  The marker buoy is about 100 feet west of the reef and the current was carrying me east, so it took some effort to swim to the float after each dive.  I also had to swim from the float to the reef for each dive.  So I didn't swim back to the float after each dive.  I think I got in ten dives.  I told my friends not to expect me back until 2:30.  I didn't drift back fast enough, so I paddled some, in order to be visible by 2:30.

It was still warm when I packed about 7pm. I headed to the trail.  At the trailhead I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot at 7:30pm.  The main gate was still open.

August 8, 2008: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, put on sandals, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.

I set up an umbrella for myself, for shade and for hanging my food.  The sand was so hot I needed my sandals.

I went swimming four times, once to the reef, twice to the sand dollars and once just to float beyond the waves.  I did four dives at the reef.  Once, on my way to the sand dollars, I found a school of corbina.  They rushed by so fast that it sounded like rushing water.  While floating beyond the surf, three friends joined me on body boards.  A lifeguard approached us on a jetski to see that we were ok.

It was still warm when I packed about 7pm. I headed to the trail.  At the trailhead I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot at 7:30pm.  The main gate was still open.

August 3, 2008: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised an American flag and my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.

I set up an umbrella for myself, for shade and for hanging my food.  Today turned out to be the best weather I've seen in a month, sunny with a gentle breeze, lasting until sunset.

I went swimming three times, once to the reef, twice to the sand dollars.  I did four dives at the reef.  I also did some body surfing and body boarding.  The waves were great for body boarding.

It was still warm when I packed about 7:30pm. I headed to the trail.  At the trailhead I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot at 8:05pm.  The main gate was already locked, so I used the secondary exit.

August 2, 2008: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised an American flag and my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.

I set up an umbrella for myself, just for hanging my food.

I went swimming twice, once to the reef, once to body surf and once body boarding.  I did four dives at the reef.

The weather turned overcast and cool about 6pm.  About 6:30pm I packed, dressed and headed to the trail.  At the trailhead I collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.

August 1, 2008: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.

I set up an umbrella for myself, for shade and for hanging my food.

I went swimming three times, twice to the sand dollars, both times with buddies, and once to the reef.  I did three dives at the reef.

The weather turned overcast and cool before 5pm.  About 6:30pm I packed, dressed and headed to the trail.  At the trailhead I collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.

July 27, 2008: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised an American flag and my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.

I set up an umbrella for myself, for shade and for hanging my food.  It turned out that I only needed the shade for a short time.  It was overcast all afternoon.

I went swimming three times, twice to the sand dollars and once to the reef, with a buddy.  I did two dives at the reef, but missed it the first time, finding only the sandy bottom.

We had three grills going, one exclusively for vegetables.  Some of the food I saw and/or sampled included, hot dogs, sweet corn, chicken and  carne asada.

I packed, dressed and headed to the trail about 6:30pm.  At the trailhead I collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.

July 26, 2008: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised an American flag and my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.

I set up an umbrella for myself, for shade and for hanging my food.

I went swimming three times, once nearly to the sand dollars, once to the reef and once about half way to the reef.  I did three dives at the reef and took pictures.

I packed, dressed and headed to the trail about 7pm.  At the trailhead I collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.

July 25, 2008: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.

I set up an umbrella for myself, for shade and for hanging my food.

I went swimming three times, once to the sand dollars, once to the reef and once about half way to the reef.  I did four dives at the reef and took pictures.

I packed, dressed and headed to the trail about 7pm.  At the trailhead I collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.

July 13, 2008: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised an American flag and my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.

I set up an umbrella for myself, and used it for shade.  It was still hot, even when cloudy.

I went swimming twice to the sand dollars, and once to the reef.  I did three dives to the reef and took pictures.

We had three hot grills from about 12-6.  People were cooking sweet corn, chicken, shish kabobs, hot dogs, pineapple and hamburgers.

I packed, dressed and headed to the trail about 7pm.  At the trailhead I collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I knew today was a Catalina sunset, but I didn't want to wait.

July 12, 2008: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised an American flag and my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.

I set up an umbrella for myself, and used it for shade.  It was still hot, even when cloudy.

A man speared a spotfin croaker.  It was about 2 feet long or so.

I went swimming twice to the sand dollars.  I also when out on my pool lounge.  I just paddled out past the surf and drifted.

I packed, dressed and headed to the trail about 7pm.  At the trailhead I collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I knew today was a Catalina sunset, but I didn't want to wait.

July 6, 2008: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised an American flag and two of my club flags, and set up another bulletin board.

I set up an umbrella for myself, but never used it for shade, since I couldn't find a shadow.  I did use it to hang food and for hanging things to dry.

I went swimming three times to the sand dollars.  Something bumped my ankle while I was threading water.  I looked down and it was a big bat ray.

The sun came out for an hour or so around noon.  Otherwise it was overcast and warm, until about 5pm.  I was cold enough to put on my fleece shirt.

I packed, dressed and headed to the trail about 6:30pm.  At the trailhead I collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.

July 5, 2008: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised an American flag and my club flag, and set up another bulletin board.

I set up an umbrella for myself, but never used it for shade, since I couldn't find a shadow.  I did use it to hang food and for hanging things to dry.

I went swimming three times beyond the sand dollars.  I had a close encounter with a pair of dolphins, but couldn't reach my camera fast enough.  I caught a great wave.  I also caught a hermit crab and brought it to shore for children to see and throw back.

The ranger was giving citations for alcohol.  I know at least two people were cited.  There were claims that he had an alcohol detecting device, but I saw no evidence of that.

It cooled off enough that I put on a fleece shirt for a while, sometime around 5:30pm.  I left about 6:30pm.  I dressed, gathered my things and hiked up.

July 4, 2008: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised an American flag on a tall aluminum pole and two of my club flags, and set up another bulletin board.

I set up an umbrella for myself, but never used it for shade, since I couldn't find a shadow.  I did use it to hang food and for hanging things to dry.

I went swimming four times to the sand dollars, once with a buddy.  I rejected the idea of swimming to the reef.  With the fog, there was no way I could see my markers to find it.

The grill was hot from about 11am to 6pm.  I cooked and passed around sweet corn.  Others shared hot dogs, chicken, venison, pork ribs, beef ribs, bell peppers, mushrooms, pineapple, potatoes and zucchini.  I think I saw some salmon too.

It was still warm when I left at 7:30pm.  I dressed, gathered my things and hiked up.  I decided not to stay for fireworks this year.  I was convinced the haze would ruin the show.  I left the parking lot a little after 8pm.  I was surprised to find the gate locked.  I expected the city to give a little and let people watch fireworks.  I drove to the other gate and out.

July 2, 2008: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised my club flag and set up another bulletin board.

I set up an umbrella for myself, but only for hanging things to dry.  I didn't wear any sunblock or sit in the shade, since I couldn't even find a shadow.

I went swimming once, and that was to the sand dollars.  The water temperature had taken a dramatic drop since my last visit.

I wanted to leave earlier, but I didn't want to get stuck in traffic.  About 6pm I packed and headed to the trail.  At the trail I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.

June 29, 2008: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I reached the bottom, undressed and set up a bulletin board near the trailhead.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised my club flag, and an American flag, and set up another bulletin board.

I set up an umbrella for myself.  I eventually had to move back from the rising tide.  Volleyball games moved from the yellow court near the water, to the green court closer to the cliff.

I swam to the reef once, and three times just beyond the san dollars.  I buddies for two swims.  At the reef, there was a cormorant swimming nearby.  It must have been diving for fish there.  I was surprised that he didn't move further from me.  I made three dives to the reef.

The tide was coming up high and fast.  Several people, including me, had to move back.  A volleyball court was completely underwater.

About 6:30pm the tide was very high and I was done for the day, so I packed, dressed and headed to the trail.  At the trail I collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 7:30pm.

June 28, 2008: Black's Beach