Torrey Pines, Part 1

In past recent walks I have shown our most common local trees -- live oak, sycamore, and Torrey Pines. Today we walked at the Torrey Pines Preserve, dedicated to giant specimens of this species.

There was one giant problem on our walk (and I'm not talking about my Rolex)!

We decided we had to walk fast to avoid bloodshed. But we were wrong.

Even running didn't get us out unscathed.

Here's a look at the place.

Oops, birds first. The obligatory hummer on top of a twig,

and a scrub jay, with breakfast in beak.

Here's what scrub brush looks like in Del Mar.

This is a very old path, note the wear on dirt levels and railroad tie steps.

Not as old as the Revolution though.

We climbed out of the Valley of the Mosquitos over the DAR hill

to a view of the Pacific Ocean. It's only 9am on a very gray Tuesday and the parking lots are almost filled already.

California State Bush - the Manzanita

We aren't the first to trudge up this trail, hardly able to lift our feet. But we only saw two people on our hike (both of them twice) down, around, up, down and out of the park.