My Weekend Heaven

Me on top of Bluffs ( picture taken by cellphone )

A whole day affair at the Safari Park Saturday, 

Fall Colors at Safari Park

Mom with her 2 young Elephants @ Safari Park

and then, hiking and the ocean Sunday. Though maybe physically exhausted, but emotionally and spiritually inspired by our wonderful and beautiful world. We started from the bottom of the cliffs by the beach side....

Willet at the Beach

walked on the beach from Del Mar to Torrey Pines...

North Torrey Pines State Beach

climbed up and down the cliffs several times to be on top of the bluffs 450- 500 ft above sea level overlooking the sparkling blue sea to the North,

Surfers and Dolphin

the eroded cliffs masterfully sculpted by nature, 

Steep Eroded Cliffs Looking North of Torrey Pines Bluffs

vertical wall of eroded cliffs looking South to La Jolla 

and the red tide phenomenon to the South, which is very unique for us since it is unusual for us to see ocean water with tint of red. 

Surfers and Dolphins in Red Tide Water (photo taken by ktl)

The recent red tide phenomenon brought about explosion of algae and krill that blue whales feast on. Blue whales are the largest mammals on Earth, and they were the reason why we were moving up and down from bluffs to bluffs.  Last Friday, pod of blue whales had been seen so close to the coast of San Diego from Del Mar to La Jolla, that we were hoping more pods of blue whales would come close to the coast again. Though we can take whale watching tour by a boat, but we never saw whales from the coast since whales are known to be at least 7 miles from the shore. However, Friday was one of those rare days that blue whales came very close to the coast. 

happy dolphins rejoicing in nutrient rich red tide ocean water ( photo taken by ktl)

click the picture to enlarge, the leftmost dolphin shows happy face :)

We were not very lucky seeing whales Sunday, but nevertheless, the sights and peacefulness brought by hiking and the ocean still was very calming and inspiring for us. The dolphins seemed to accompany us in our hike from Del Mar to Torrey Pines, it's always a joy seeing them because they are such friendly creatures. Anyway, here is a video of blue whales seen from the coast of San Diego ( La Jolla- Del Mar). 

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

♥♥