Weekend Wanderings (1) : Hiking, Birding, Tidepooling and Surfing Photography

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Light Hiking on top of the Bluffs @ Torrey Pines Gliderport and Scripps Coastal Biodiversity Reserve ( The Knoll )

We started our day early by hiking on top of the bluffs at Gliderport and The Knoll. We had two purposes: 

1. Hoping to catch hawks and peregrine falcons in their early morning breakfast hunt. It was a success, :) , NO!

2. Checking if hundreds of leopard sharks are swimming close to the shore, if we spot them, our plan was to go snorkeling. We did not see leopard sharks, just some dolphins busy feeding far from the shore, so, we decided instead to enjoy low tide first by tidepooling below.

Tidepooling @ La Jolla Shores

After tidepooling, we went to Ocean Beach, hoping to photograph some surfers and big waves. On our way to Ocean Beach, I saw from the car two ospreys perched on top of the pole by San Diego River Bridge, so, we decided to stop over first at Robb's Field. Robb's Field is a park adjacent to San Diego River Estuary. There are ample free parking spaces in the park, and from there, we could take a walk towards the bridge. Thankfully, when we got to the bridge, the ospreys were still there. 

Birds @ San Diego River Estuary ( bottom two are the ospreys )

San Diego River Estuary is one of the popular places in San Diego for birding. You can find my previous posts of San Diego River birds here ( white pelicans ), here (other birds) and here (ospreys ). My favorite shot here of the day at Robb's Field was not mine, but hubby's, a flying osprey.

Osprey in Flight ( shot by hubby )

When the osprey finally left us, we walked back to our car, but of course, I can't help to take pictures of other birds, despite I have lots of pictures of them already from before. :)

From Robb's Field, we went to Ocean Beach, target: surfing photography. It was a little bit past lunch time when we got there, so we decided to have lunch first at The Shades Oceanfront Bistro. It is a family friendly restaurant facing Ocean Beach. Though it was already past 12 noon, but they still serve breakfast menu, so I had calamari benedict (breakfast menu), while hubby had grilled chicken sandwich with baked potatoes ( lunch menu). 

Calamari Benedict and Grilled Chicken Sandwich

Their food was good, and they are not that expensive for an oceanfront restaurant. After lunch, we walked along the beach, then, to the pier, to enjoy the big waves, and take some surfing photos. 

Surfing and Waves @ Ocean Beach ( from OB Pier )

My favorite shot here is that of the Wave Curl.

My Favorite Shot of the Day for Waves ( at Ocean Beach )

We got impatient at Ocean Beach Pier taking photos of surfers, who seemed to have the wrong timing to ride the waves, haha, so, we did not stay long. From Ocean Beach, we went to Windansea Beach in La Jolla, where we enjoyed photographing surfers more who seemed to be more comfortable riding big waves.

Surfing at Windansea Beach (photos by hubby )

Hubby focused more on catching wave curls and barrels, while I focused more on videos. :) Here is a sample of surfing videos I took. 

We stayed until sunset.

After sunset, maybe it was the long day of wandering that I craved for some pizza, so we stopped by for pizza to go. 

We ended our Saturdate with pizza, onion rings and "very berry" smoothie. The very berry smoothie is how I call my own version of a mix of all fresh fruits such as: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, pineapple, pear and lemon. 

It definitely was a long fun Satur-date for us. From early morning hiking, to tidepooling, to birding, to ocean surf photography, to sunset. Others ask if we don't get tired at all, somehow, I believe those who are familiar with outdoors and physical activities would know that they are our body's way actually of relieving ourselves from tiredness. Physical activities out of the doors is our most powerful way of de-stressing from a week's mostly mental work. Knowing that, we always put it in our priority on weekends to rest and relax with nature, where exercise, fun, and rejuvenation are all one so we could start Monday's work with renewed energy and so much passion.

'til the next weekend wanderings, here in San Diego. 

♥♥