On one of the many spur trails in the southern section of the park below Point Loma Nazarene University.
Archive for the ‘Water’ Category
Sunset Cliffs Natural Park
Posted by George J Janczyn on March 5, 2023
Posted in Environment, San Diego Places & Things, Water | 1 Comment »
Understanding California’s relationship with the Colorado River
Posted by George J Janczyn on February 12, 2023
“After decades of drought and overuse, the Colorado River system is on the verge of collapse. To prevent that, every state that draws water from the river must significantly cut back on what it takes in the coming years. How much that affects California, which receives by far the largest portion of any state, will depend on how we fare in a battle now being waged between states, Native American tribes, agricultural giants and the federal government.”
Full story here: https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/california-relationship-with-colorado-river-17762725.php
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Wednesday photos: Rancho La Costa Preserve
Posted by George J Janczyn on February 8, 2023

Today in San Diego the weather was perfect for a morning hike and my wife and I were in the mood for a place we hadn’t hiked before, so we headed up the coast to the Rancho La Costa Preserve in Carlsbad.
There are several trailheads to choose from and we selected the one on Corte Romero, just east of Rancho Santa Fe Road, where there was plentiful street parking. A good ways up the trail we came upon a rocky outcrop where we took this photo looking northwest.
In the distance at the the ocean you can just make out Batiquitos Lagoon which has a nice nature trail that’s also nice for morning walks. To see it you might need to squint, zoom the photo, or open the photo in a new tab on your browser for an enlarged version. :-)
The photo below is looking south, where the pointed peak on the horizon to the left is Black Mountain. If you have a really good eye, along the horizon toward the right you can make out the tall buildings near University Towne Center and also Mount Soledad.

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Del Mar’s new civic center
Posted by George J Janczyn on July 14, 2018
The recently-opened Del Mar Civic Center welcomes the public with attractive design and hangouts with a view.
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Viewing the Pine Valley Creek Bridge from the Secret Canyon Trail
Posted by George J Janczyn on January 17, 2018
If you’ve driven on Interstate 8 east as far as Pine Valley you’ve almost certainly taken notice while driving over the high-altitude Pine Valley Creek Bridge just before the Pine Valley exit. Formally known as the Nello Irwin Greer Memorial Bridge it is considered one of the highest bridges in the U.S. (450 feet high).
Looking to get some photos of the bridge we learned that the Secret Canyon Trail goes beneath it. We found the trailhead by getting on Old Hwy 80 in Pine Valley and driving a few miles west to Pine Valley-Las Bancas Road where there’s a big Cleveland National Forest sign announcing the “Pine Creek Trailhead” on the south side of the road.
It’s a short drive south to the end of the road where there’s ample parking and restrooms. A US Forest Service Adventure Pass must be displayed in the windshield in order to park here. A sign marks the beginning of the trail just south of the restrooms.
The trail starts on the west side of the canyon and quickly drops to make a crossing at Pine Creek. If it has rained recently you may not feel like trying to cross, but when we went it was about 3 weeks since the last significant rain and there was just a moderate flow. It’s usually pretty easy to cross as long as the water isn’t running too deep. We’ve hiked the trail a number of times over the years and only once did we have to turn back because of unexpected high water.
The trail continues south above the east bank, sometimes gaining elevation in the canyon above the creek, sometimes descending to creek level. It’s an attractive and pleasant trail with oak and willow trees, manzanita groves, and numerous other plants. It’s approximately 2 miles (one-way) to the bridge and I’d classify the trail as moderately difficult because of the elevation gain and loss which is about 600 feet according to various trail guides. You can always take it more slowly to make it easier, it’s not that far.
Here are the photos (click images for an enlargement to open in a separate browser tab).

This was the same crossing on another day when a decision was required about getting wet up to the knees!

We hiked another 1/4 mile further south beyond the bridge so we could get this clear view of the whole thing (looking north).
As you can see from that last picture, once you cross south of the bridge the trees pretty much disappear and the trail gets hot and dry so unless you’ve planned a much longer hike it’s a good place to turn around.
Posted in Water | Tagged: Pine Valley Creek, Pine Valley Creek Bridge, Secret Canyon | Leave a Comment »
A stroll in Pacific Beach down Garnet Ave from Ingraham St to Crystal Pier and back again
Posted by George J Janczyn on December 31, 2017
A slideshow of photos taken on December 22, 2017.
Posted in Water | Tagged: Pacific Beach, San Diego | Leave a Comment »
Here’s what bicycling in San Diego should be like
Posted by George J Janczyn on July 1, 2017
During our recent visit to Canada we saw a considerable number of bicycle commuters in downtown Montreal and Vancouver, far more than we ever do in downtown San Diego and vicinity. I think their street accommodations and strategic use of one-way streets might have something to do with it!

Vancouver is a role model for what support for bicycling can do. In 2015 the city reported 131,000 bicycle trips (http://www.straight.com/life/705251/vancouver-records-spectacular-increases-cycling-trips)
Posted in Water | Tagged: Bicycle lanes, Canada | Leave a Comment »
Lake Hodges Dam
Posted by George J Janczyn on November 11, 2016
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