cazalea[Seiko Moderator]
19471
Blazing a Bayside Trail
Well it's raining now, as predicted by my friends on this site who live in Northern California. I'll have some tea and wait it out. Rain rarely lasts more than a few hours around here.

It's not raining 90 minutes later when we do venture out. My titanium Seiko diver should have no problems. I noticed today for the first time that it has the same movement as the green Seiko I wore the other day (the one with missing lume).
No rain but the fog is quite thick as we head southwest towards the tip of Point Loma.

Our lighthouse is one of the most-visited national monuments; a popular destination for first-time visitors to San Diego.

The rain, fog, or dew left diamonds sparkling on the branches around us.


This particular national monument can sometimes be a bit preachy in its signage. Anti-people, and pro-native plants and animals.

We had decided on the Bayside Trail as our destination today.

No water, no restrooms, no souvenir stands, no pets, no smoking. Sweating, huffing and puffing are encouraged.

You can just make out the ghost cruise ship that's been sitting out there for several months.

As we were descending the trail, the fog began to lift, and my wife said "There's a white bird on the cliffs down there." I fired up the Sony camera and went to full zoom.

She was right - in fact there were two different white birds on the cliff edge.

About time the sun came out!
We looked behind us and could just see the tip of the lighthouse. That's why it's a monument; it's too high on the hill for ships in the fog to see!

Besides birds there were few signs of animal life. Just plants and dirt.

Oh, and a few reminders of the Naval presence here for last century, as the Southwestern-most point of defense for the USA



Scanning back down the hill I saw some more birds.

including this massive pelican over a sparkling sea

Look at his wingspan!

Another pair of "birds" flew over so quickly I could only capture one of them...

There's that lighthouse again!

In the foreground is Ballast Point, the formal entry point to San Diego harbor. The USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) is entering the bay. She was commissioned in 1998 and San Diego has been her home port since 2018. North Island Naval Air Station is behind her, and San Diego's downtown is in the background.
Technical Note: Ballast Point Station which you see below operates a "degaussing station" which de-magnetizes the hull of steel ships crossing its path. I can't say whether it degausses a watch on a ship.

As we get to the top of the trail again there's a dip in the hill and we can peek over at the ocean.

We are about ready to leave when I spot this beautiful blue Porsche. Why can't I have a fun blue car like this instead of my boring white Chevy?
Smiling, my wife gives me a smack upside the head, and we hum quietly past in our boring white Chevy Volt which we both like.
The fog is gone on the west side of the hill, as a beautiful sailboat is working its way southward.
Cazalea