Seiko

Far above us on the SE rim of the canyon, the Immaculata Church at University of San Diego was being lit by the rising sun.



The southern part of the canyon (left side heading west on the trail) is hidden from direct sun exposure and appears green and lush almost all year.



The plants are soft and fluffy

Odd native melon patch

Not so on the other side.



The steeply rising NW side receives direct scorching sun most of the day, and consequently the foliage is completely different.

At the bottom, in the center, is Tecolote Creek. At first we thought it was polluted and murky ... then in horror we realized IT WAS FROZEN. Not ice-skating-safe, but that is a thin layer of ice.



This is the shady respite provided by California Live Oak trees, native to this region. However those bright red leaves standing up above the ground are poison oak. It pays to know your plants! 





In contrast, this is a sycamore. The leaves are 10x larger.



We didn't see much wildlife, but all the birds were scratching out their breakfast and flitting around busily. I was lucky this guy was concentrating and stayed still for me.



We finally came to the raging creek, at this point it's about a mile to Mission Bay and the creek is contained by concrete. It's the only place possible to cross.



Be careful, you might have to fight for access to the Narrow Bridge. In this case I was happy to yield right-of-way and let the faster traffic go past. 

Boy, her legs look like they have spent a lot of time running this trail...

So how do you like your vegetation? 

Soft and shady?

Or Sharp and prickly?

In either case, wear your Seiko and please keep reading.

Cazalea

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