La Jolla Shores and Beyond

Today, Gail and I loaded up the snorkeling gear and headed down to La Jolla Shores to see if we could see the Leopard Sharks that spawn there.

Although I grabbed this picture off of the internet, we did see dozens of Leopard Sharks up close in water about four feet deep.  They are harmless to humans, and eat little crustaceans.  They gather at this spot to spawn during the summer and fall, and can reach seven feet in length. 

After getting some great lunch, we headed down the coast.  Here we stopped at WindanSea, which is one of the better surf spots in San Diego.  I remember drooling over pictures of the place as a teenager!

This is the palm hut that I remember seeing on a surf trip in the sixties!  It was the hangout of the WindanSea Surf Club - famous at that time.

We next headed south to the Sunset Cliffs area where we walked on the beach.  As we climbed to the top of the cliff  we noticed some rare birds in this tree? Can anyone ID them?

Nora's Birthday Weekend

Nora turned 7 this past Sunday, and I buzzed up to Monterey for the family birthday party  She had her "kids" party the day before with a full Star Wars theme.

Andria getting Susanna ready for the big event.

Nora blowing out her 7 candles while Soren looks on.

Nick gave Nora the nifty Darth Vader doll.

Nick has taught Rocket several tricks, including "roll over".

Susanna naps as we set out for a nature walk down to the Estero slough.

A project to be proud of! Jabba the Hutt's Castle has over 700 parts, and Nora did practically the whole thing while Soren and I looked on.  Several hours of concentration!

Kayaking, Bellies, and Body Whomps

Sunday, we headed up to Newport Beach to do a little kayaking with a group led by a member of the Newport Back Bay Conservancy. 

We were a group of about 18, led by Bob (white hat) who told us about the workings of this saltwater estuary and the animals that depend on it.

The first stop was this osprey nest, which had to be relocated to this platform after a hotel was built next to his old nest.  Several ospreys live around the estuary year round.  A few minutes later, an osprey was flying above us, circling the group several times.

The bay is quite large, with good sized mullet frequently leaping out of the water.  The back part of the bay is off limits to people, as it is an important bird sanctuary.

The buoy ahead had several double crested cormorants drying their feathers.  It also marked the end of  public access.

Signs on the buoy explained about the most endangered residents, the light footed clapper rail, and least terns.

In order to hear Bob, we had to hang on to each other to avoid being carried off by the wind and current.

We worked up quite an appetite which was remedied at The Big Belly Deli in Huntington Beach - another good find!

On the way home we stopped for a swim and a little body whomping at one of our new favorite beaches - Crescent Bay.  The surf was pretty strong, and dumping hard.  We ended up bringing home a lot of sand in our swimsuits and body crevices!

After our trip through the rinse cycle, we headed home.

Snake Incident

It started out innocently enough, just another evening of letting Gail's pet snakes crawl on the kitchen counter.

Gail posed with one of her favorites...

and I thought I would do the same.  Big mistake!  Not realizing I had picked up a San Onofre Coral Snake, I was bitten severely on the nose.  The venom of this snake has a powerful epidermal toxin that left my face disfigured, or improved, I don't know...

Poor me.

Our Bikes

Below, is our growing bike collection, rolled out for a group shot.

The black bike is a 1954 Raleigh that Aunt Freda bought new.  She recently gave it to us, knowing we have an appreciation for old bikes. 

Gail's chrome/blue bike is a mid 60's Sears Spaceliner, and her red bike is a Schwinn Varsity.  The yellow his and hers bikes are 1974 Schwinn Collegiates that my parents bought new in 1974 and are our daily riders. 

Biking is big in this area, and we get passed all day long by the titanium/spandex crowd.  No problem, we have our own leisurely style.

Casper One Year Later

"Hi! Nipper here.  I am excited to report that I was invited along on my first trip.  Not any trip, but Bob's and Gail's first anniversary return to Casper Wilderness Park!"

 

"After watching B and G set up the tent in 100 degree sunshine, I was rushed to the cool air of the coast.  I had been hearing for months about Husky Boy Burgers in Laguna Beach, and about the great counter man who let B and G in on a wonderful 'secret beach' - Shaw's Cove.  They were told to go there holding a Husky Boy bag, and there would be no trouble."

 

 

"What a splendid cove, with clear water, and a great place to snorkel at the north end.  B and G donned their wetsuits, masks, and snorkels, and headed out along a rock reef.  Being a freshwater croc, I stayed onshore.  I should have gone, though, because it turned out B and G had seen garibaldi, leopard sharks, colorful schools of fish, beds of purple sea urchins, and waving sea grass."

 

"Later in the afternoon, monsoonal moisture and heat caused gusty winds and thunderclouds to form.  B and G left me in Blue while they decided to bike around the Dana Point harbor.  When they showed me this picture of the overturned sail boat with 4 teen girls, and a father clinging to it, I thought, dang, that would have been an easy meal!  Ha, ha, just kidding!  They were rescued a short time later by the harbor sheriff."

 

"Here I am, feeling mighty fine!  The sun is setting, the air is cooler, I'm getting some G-luv, and look at our 40 year old tent - you don't see those around anymore!  We were almost the only ones in the whole campground, too!"

 

"After a margarita, we all watched the sunset.  This cactus produced a spectacular yellow flower the next morning.  We also saw a family of acorn woodpeckers come flying into a sycamore tree, and disapear into a cluster of holes in the trunk.  Their soft cackling sounds made me hungry!  Moments later, I became nervous when a great horned owl landed on a dead branch nearby."

 

 

"I don't know what B and G were thinking when they told me they were going on a night hike up some spooky canyon.  They should have brought me along for protection!  I think they said they went for almost two hours, hardly using their lights in the nearly full moonlight."

 



"I don't know how B spotted this scorpion on the trail guarding a penny, but he did!"

 

"And then he did it again, saying that he spotted a black shadow about twenty feet off the trail that looked bigger than the flower shadows in the area.  Bingo -  a large tarantula! A little while later B and G spied a pair eyes trotting up the trail towards them.  A grey fox, moved cat-like into the bushes - another amazing animal!"

 

"The next day, we headed over to the coast again.  I was left to guard Blue while B and G went for a bike ride.  They found this beautiful cove named Crescent Bay.  Shaw's Cove is just around the point in the distance."

 

"That beautiful clear water reminds me of the Everglades!  After their bike ride, B and G went snorkeling around those rocks sticking out of the water.  I whipped my tail when I heard that G saw two small manta rays!  There were many more baby leopard sharks there, also."

 

"Ah, the trusty old Schwinns looking elegant at the little Crescent Bay Park on the point.  By now, you are probably wondering where Paco is.  Well, Paco is my homie.  We have each other's backs.  Therefore, I persuaded B and G to leave him home, where he could stay hydrated. I didn't tell them my other reason - more Tofurkey for me, The Nipster!"

 

"B and G took a lap on the FREE beach trolley - a pleasant way to get around in Laguna Beach!"

 

"Later in the afternoon, we all drove down the coast to a beach overlook near Dana Point.  We spread out treats on a table, relaxed, and G recreated her impression of snorkeling earlier at Crescent Bay.  A couple walking toward us pointed out some areas where they were seeing whales - Humpbacks!  We spotted two who surfaced and dove several times."

 

"Okay, what I'm about to tell you scared this trembling croc to the bottom of his sleeping hole.  Around 2:00 a.m., there was a blood curdling scream that resounded through the campground.  B described it perfectly when he said it sounded like a woman being murdered.  B and G bolted up and heard another scream or two, followed by a coyote uproar.  The screams continued every couple minutes and were progressing down the dry river bed alongside our campsite.  After about 10 long minutes they stopped.  After we got home, B and G did internet searches on different animal sounds.  They believe that it was either a mountain lion, possibly in heat, or a grey fox.  I think it was a mountain lion because it was so loud!  We tried to find tracks in the sandy parts of the river bed, but no cat tracks."

 

"The next morning, B and G took a hike up the Oak Trail.  This part looks very deserty to me!"

 

"The dried flowers and cactus were striking!"

 

"About a mile up the trail and about 2 miles from our tent, B and G spotted mountain lion tracks on the trail."

 

"More mountain lion tracks.  They measured 3 and a half inches wide."

 

"Oak Trail is well named.  This live oak is immense and stunning!"

 

"Give me a waterhole anyday, but I have to admit the desert has its own beauty."

 

"Oh smart, now they're going to branch off onto the Cougar Pass Trail!  Are they nuts!" 

 

"G giving reference to the size of this mountain lion scat - on Cougar Pass. Nuff said."

 

"The contents of B's camera, found near the end of Bell Canyon Trail, ended with this picture of a mountain lion track. That is a quarter next to the track. B and G have yet to be found.  Ha, ha, -  just another croc joke!  There were a number of  tracks in this area- about  a mile from the first tracks seen."

 

 

 

"Well, its great to be home in my native habitat!  No more stinking desert for me!  B and G, however, claim this was a beautiful trip with many discoveries.  Hmmppff."

 

Yours,

Nipper