Weekend in San Diego, CA

Back in late winter when Seattle was consistently dark and rainy, Craig and I were California dreamin'. Needing some sunshine to look forward to, we booked a weekend trip to a place with arguably some of the best weather in the country--San Diego!

Who is that fly girl with the cool sunglasses and animal cookies?

Although we only had a few days, it was enough time to get a lot of sun, beaches, and a glimpse of the southern California state of mind. The people watching was priceless. It was not uncommon to see a group of girls dressed to the nines with high heels and expensive clothes only to be followed up by shoeless, shirtless skateboarders. The contrasts were extreme.

Speaking of extreme, the bluff erosion was the worst I've seen. In contrast to many of the common basalt cliffs in the Pacific Northwest, San Diego's bluffs are composed of soft sedimentary rock. The deep scours on the bluff face and along the toe was a strong reminder that these landforms are being attacked from many fronts. Rain, wind, and waves carve away little bits of the cliff every day. The imminent danger posed to the quickly approaching homes, roads, and infrastructure is an obvious and loud reminder of how dynamic this environment truly is.

Getting a first glimpse of the rapidly eroding cliffs.

The sea and me

Wave undercutting

Craig is like a sedimentary rock--he's got a lot of layers. Get it? Get it?!

The lonely boulder

San Diego coastline near Point Loma

While at Point Loma, we unexpectedly walked through the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. With over 100,000 gravesites overlooking the sea, it was a quite a spectacle

Sunset Cliffs living up to its name.

 Sunset Cliffs living up to its name. Oh, and check out all that erosion!

Sunset Cliffs living up to its name.

The Jenga master. Other things I am include the palest person in the room. 

 Craig getting defeated!

 Drinking beers and listening to Coachella streamed live at Culture Brewing

I think the dogs might have outnumbered the people at the dog beach section of Ocean Beach.

Seastack

Big waves trying to take out some not-so-very-smart-spectators.

Well done, San Diego. You provided just the change in scenery (and weather) we needed for the weekend!

An Afternoon at Bonita Cove

The Golden Gate was one of my favorite places to visit while living in the San Francisco Bay Area. As the straight that connects the Bay to the Pacific Ocean, it's a dynamic and energetic coastal environment characterized by deep waters, powerful currents, and frequent fog. Steep bluffs tower on both sides of the inlet, providing spectacular views of the surrounding area and forming a protective fortress that largely shelters the Bay. Due to this advantageous location, the Marin headlands (to the north of the inlet) became the site of many military fortifications, batteries, and bunkers. Although now decommissioned, many of these structures are still in place and preserved as historical sites.

Below are photos from one of the many afternoons we found ourselves at the headlands. This time Craig and I were accompanied by our pal, Mark, who was visiting for the weekend from Reno, Nevada. Determined to get to a small pocket beach at the bottom of one of the cliffs, we snaked our way along the least steep route we could find. Although we made it to the beach and had a great time relaxing and exploring the water's edge, the three of us ended up with poison oak a few days later!

Craig inside Battery Rathbone with San Francisco in the background

View of the Golden Gate

We make our way down the steep headland

...almost there

Craig playing on the rocks

Mark explores a crack in the cliff.

Watching the waves roll in

Me, Craig, and the California hat

Looking SW toward San Francisco

San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge

Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Park

Some photos from our recent trip to Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Park, California.

a view looking into the canyon

Craig and Kings River

so many folds!

triangles are my favorite shape

the crew

The trees were so busy hogging the lens they didn't even notice Craig down below

Me lagging behind 

 

she's got a big gap in her smile

Craig just had to crawl in the burnt tree :)

H(e)art tree

wildlings

granite and greenery

Mountain biking at Lake Tahoe

Below are a few scenes from our fantastic bike ride along the Flume Trail, located on the east side of Lake Tahoe. The trail was 14 miles at 7000-8000 ft of elevation, which I definitely was feeling during the steep ascent at the beginning of the ride; it's tough coming from sea level! The ride started with a cruise through meadows and aspens, which eventually transitioned into a steep climb up Lake Tahoe's flanks to finally reveal the blue beauty on the other side. Looking down at the massive body of water, it was sometimes difficult to convince yourself that it was a lake and not the sea. The winds were howling on this day so even though it was Labor Day, there were very few people on the water, which probably strengthened this illusion. 

Ms. Tahoe and me

Beach for ants

Craig hoisting up Gary F. for a view

Taking in the sights

Lake Tahoe making it hard to keep my eyes on the road

Nearing the end of the ride

The writing on the wall

Last weekend, Craig and I got started on one of our Bay Area goals--visit some of Oakland's impressive street murals. The detail these street artists are able to capture is phenomenal. The longer you stare at one of the murals, the more illuminated hidden images and messages start to become. We've only scratched the surface here, but it is a start. 

'Four Guardians' was our favorite. We had to cross through a broken fence into a train yard to see this one. It's a shame something this rad isn't on display for more people to see. 

San Francisco on the left, Oakland on the right

Wish I could decipher graffiti writing 

We found these gems in East Oakland where not a building (and sometimes car) went without being tagged. Most of it appeared to be gang-related or just punks, but there were some pretty creative pieces in the mix too.

For scale of how large these paintings typically are

Any mural with a squirrel letting some magic out of the bag is ok with me.

This one is brand new. It's an Oakland Palestine Solidarity Mural. Each panel is a different tree created by artists to show their support for Palestinians in Gaza. 

This is one of series of 'Water Writes' pieces displayed around the world. Each mural highlights the importance of water issues to the local region.