You will find trip reports for the year 2002 by Lloyd Johnson here.  The most recent reports are at the top.

January 2, 2003: Black's Beach

The parking lot was damp and there was still a large mud puddle in the southwest corner of the gliderport lot.  I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board.  The kelp at the base of the trail is beginning to rot and disintegrate.  The tide had been all the way up to the base of the cliff earlier that morning and there was no dry sand on the beach.

I headed north and set up at the northern edge of Valentine Slide.  There was no wind, making it very warm, but it also means there were flies all over me.  I couldn't sit still for any amount of time.  The only peace I had from the flies was when I was walking.

I stayed until about 4:30pm.  As I left the parking lot, I could see that sunset would be soon.  I had things to do so I couldn't stay and watch.

January 1, 2003: Black's Beach

The parking lot was damp and there was still a large mud puddle in the southwest corner of the gliderport lot.  I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board.  The kelp at the base of the trail is beginning to rot and disintegrate.  The tide had been all the way up to the base of the cliff earlier that morning and there was no dry sand on the beach.

I headed north and saw a few changes in the beach on the way.  Most notably, Valentine Slide had changed.  The lower portions had been washed away by the high tide and surf.  Just north of the slide I met up with a few friends.

About noon five of us went for our New Years Day dip.  Some just got the hair wet and some of us caught a ride on a wave.

I stayed until about 4pm.

December 31, 2002: Black's Beach

The parking lot was damp and there was still a large mud puddle in the southwest corner of the gliderport lot.  I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board.  There was still a lot of kelp on the beach, especially at the trailhead.

I headed north, just north of Valentine Slide and set up my flags, an American flag and my club flag.  There I stayed until about 3pm.  It had cooled off a little before I left.  Plenty of people stayed later.

December 30, 2002: Black's Beach

The parking lot was damp and there was even a large mud puddle in the southwest corner of the gliderport lot.  I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board.  There was still a lot of kelp on the beach, especially at the trailhead.

I headed north and met up with a few friends just north of Valentine Slide.  There I stayed until about 3pm.  It had cooled off a little before I left.  Plenty of people stayed later.

I saw a mid-air collision between two remote controlled gliders.  They stuck together and fell somewhere near the top of the cliff.

December 26 & 27, 2002: Black's Beach

The parking lot was damp and there was even a large mud puddle in the southwest corner of the gliderport lot.  I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board, then headed north.

I set up in front of Valentine Slide and spent the day there until about 2:30 both days.  At just about that time it was starting to cool off.  Plenty of people stayed later.

December 23, 2002: Black's Beach

The parking lot was damp and there was even a large mud puddle in the southwest corner of the gliderport lot.

As I hiked down the Burro Trail, I could see the tide was very high.  The lifeguard mound at the base of the trail was gone.  Huge piles of seaweed covered much of the beach.  Dry sand was scarce and I occasionally found it necessary to walk in the surf.

I didn't get to relax or swim today.  Instead I kept myself busy cleaning up after the storm.  A lot of litter had washed up on the beach and a lot had been flushed down from the cliffs above.  I found an empty lobster trap.  The marker buoy for Torrey Pines Artificial Reef 2 had washed up on the beach too.

I left about 3pm.  It was still warm, but I wanted to beat the traffic.

December 1, 2002: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board and went north of Valentine Slide to set up.  The weather was nice when I first arrived, but there was very little dry sand, and only very close to the cliff.

I sat on a chair all day to keep myself off the damp sand.  Later I set up some reflectors, when the sun came out again.  My friends set up umbrellas as windbreaks by 2pm.  We all gave up on the weather and left about 3pm.

November 24, 2002: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board and went north of Valentine Slide to set up.

The weather was nice when I first arrived, but suddenly got cold about 3pm.  I had set up my reflector in preparation.  It keeps me warm for a little while longer.  My friends were not so fortunate.  I looked up to find myself surrounded by slightly familiar faces, but they were wearing clothes.  Then I realized they must be the friends I usually see nude.

The reflectors didn't keep me warm wrong very long.  I packed up and left about 3pm.

November 22, 2002: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board and went north of Valentine Slide to set up.

The weather was nice when I first arrived, but gradually turned bad.  First I saw Del Mar disappear in the fog, then Flat Rock and later the golf coarse.

A blue and white remote controlled glider crashed into Valentine Slide around 2pm.  This was one of those really big ones, with perhaps an eight foot wingspan.  I never saw a sign of the pilot coming to retrieve his property, despite assurances from pilots that nobody would abandon their aircraft to avoid responsibility.

By about 2pm I was packing for an early retreat.  There was a brief period of hot sunshine while I was going up the Burro Trail, but it was foggy and cool for most of the hike.  Shortly after I made it to the top, the fog was so thick it looked like the cliff was the edge of the world.

November 18, 2002: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board and went north just a little to set up.

I made friends with some tourists who also had children along.  It's so much easier when children find other children to play with.  Those new-found friends and my long standing friends all left by 2pm.

I saw the dolphins around 1pm.

I stayed until about 3:30.  The weather was still warm, but I knew it would cool off soon, and I wanted to beat the traffic.  I hiked up and left the parking lot about 3:45.  I barely beat the traffic.

November 17, 2002: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, which was about the same as Saturday.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead, and headed north to my usual spot.  The sand had a texture to it, dunes, that told me it was windy last night.  The sky was hazy and I could see Oceanside, but not Long Beach.  There was a rainbow helix around the sun too.

I went for one swim and shared the water with ten or so dolphins.  One of them lingered near me for what seemed a minute or two.  I could see it underwater as a fuzzy shadow.  I took a picture of that and I took several above the water too.  I rode a few good waves to shore afterward.

It started clouding up and getting cool around 3pm.  I left the parking lot about 4pm.

November 16, 2002: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, which was about the same as Friday.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead, and headed north to my usual spot.  There was some haze in the air, but it was clear enough that we could see Long Beach.

The beach had an unpleasant smell to it, probably due to all the seaweed on the shore and in the water.  There were also a few dead animals mixed in the seaweed.  I found some invertebrates I didn't recognize and a dead spider crab.

It started getting cool around 4pm.  I waited for the sunset with a friend.  As the sun was going down, we noticed some clouds that looked like feathers.  As the sun made contact with the horizon, it took on a lemon shape.  Eventually it was just a bright line on the horizon.  I left the parking lot about 5pm.

November 15, 2002: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, which was dryer than Monday.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead, and headed north to my usual spot.

The beach had an unpleasant smell to it, probably due to all the seaweed on the shore and in the water.  There were also a few dead animals mixed in the seaweed.  I found two nudibranchs, dead or nearly dead.  One was a California Sea Hare.  The other was about the same size, but more colorful.

There was some haze in the air, but it was clear enough that we could see Long Beach.  At one time we saw a very rectangular ship on the horizon.  It was really just an effect of atmospheric refraction.

It started getting cool around 4pm.  I waited for the sunset with a friend.  As the sun went down, it became a wide but flat bright spot on the horizon that lingered for what seemed a few minutes.  This must have been another effect of atmospheric refraction.  I left the parking lot about 5pm.

November 11, 2002: Black's Beach

I was sure the beach would still be damp, as it was yesterday.  I took some reflectors that could also be used as a tarp.  I also took a chair.  I used the reflectors to warm up after a swim and I sat in the chair much of the day, but the beach was dry enough that I didn't need a tarp.

I hiked down the Burro Trail, which was in the same condition as yesterday.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead, and headed north to my usual spot.  The trenches didn't seem any bigger than yesterday.

It started getting cool around 4pm.  I waited with a few friends, for the sunset.  We got cold and decided to watch the sunset on our way to the trail.  We watched the sunset, hoping to see another green flash, but it was too hazy.  I left the parking lot about 5pm.

November 10, 2002: Black's Beach

I was getting ready for a steep and slippery trail.  Then I checked in with my cell phone network and learned that the trail was fine, but there was no dry sand.  I chose to pack a few different items.  I took some reflectors that could also be used as a tarp.  I also took a chair.  I didn't bother with the hiking boots.

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  It was damp, but very solid in all the steep spots.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead, and headed north to my usual spot.  There were several trenches carved into the sand by the recent high tide.  The seasonal loss of sand had begun.  The tide had gone all the way to the cliff in most places and left the beach damp.

I reached my usual spot and set up an American flag and my new club flag.  My friends were already engaged in a classic struggle of man against nature.  One of those trenches had formed right in the middle of our area.  My friends had piled seaweed into the trench in an attempt to stop further loss of sand.  Each big wave broke through the pile and we restored it to contain the water and retain the sand.  The results were predictable; we lost.

I stayed on the beach with several friends.  I went swimming with a buddy and we caught a few waves, one very big.

It started getting cool around 4pm.  My friends waited, impatient and cold, as I packed.  We saw the sunset as we headed back to the trail.  We saw the green flash.  The hike up the trail was uneventful.

November 4, 2002: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board at the trailhead, and headed north to my usual spot.  I set up an American flag and my new club flag.  I stayed on the beach with one friend.  I left early, about 2:30pm Saturday.

November 2&3, 2002: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board at the trailhead, and headed north to my usual spot.  I set up an American flag and my new club flag.  I stayed on the beach with a few friends.  Some of my friends left earlier, but I left about 2:30pm Saturday and 3:30pm Sunday.

October 28, 2002: Black's Beach

It has been gloomy at Black's for the last three weeks.  I'm told that Sunday was a beautiful day, that I misjudged and missed out.  Today my first sunny day on the beach in a long time.

I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board at the trailhead, and headed north to my usual spot.  I set up an American flag and my new club flag.  I stayed on the beach with a few friends.  Some of my friends left earlier, but I left about 4pm.

October 20, 2002: Black's Beach and Escondido swim with Naturally California

I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board at the trailhead, and headed north to my usual spot.  I set up my new flags, two copies.

It has been gloomy at Black's for the last week.  Today was only a little better.  I wore a fleece shirt much of the day.  I was nude some of the day and it was warm enough that I slept an hour or so

About 4:30 I packed up and left.  On my way up I found that a few steps had been added.  They were there in the morning, according to the label, but I hadn't noticed. 

I went to the nude swim at the Icoplex in Escondido with Naturally California.  There were nearly twenty people there.  I swam laps.  Some walked around with pool floats.  There was a volleyball game and some simply talked in the hot tub.  Some did all of the above.

October 11, 2002: Black's Beach

On my way down the Burro Trail I found that a few steps had been added at the very end.  I set up my bulletin board and chose a spot very close to the trail.

At first it was hot enough that I needed my umbrella, but later I thought it was a waste bringing it down.  It was sunny until about 2pm.  After that there were time of sun and cloudy times too.

I put on a shirt about 3:30 and wrapped myself in a towel for warmth.  I woke up about 4:30 and it was still cloudy and cool.  I picked up and left about 5pm.

I spoke to the gliderport owner about the remote controlled gliders.  They've got their insurance back and only senior pilots are flying the really big gliders.  They don't necessarily have identification on the outside, but they do have safety checks and they do carry ID on board.

October 7, 2002: Black's Beach

I hiked down to the beach, set up my bulletin board and chose a spot very close to the trail.  It was very hot at 9:30 and I had to get in the water right away.  I got in a few more times, just to cool off.  I saw a lot of bat rays in the shallow water and I even saw a small black shark.

It was sunny until about 1pm.  The fog began rolling in and it was misty and cool for a while.  Then it was hot with a hazy sunshine.  The fog got denser and it was cool again.  I hiked up about 5pm and found myself in full sun before reaching the top of the trail.  I talked with a friend in the parking lot for a few minutes and I finally left the foggy parking lot about 5:30.

October 6, 2002: Black's Beach

When I reached the beach, I hiked north to my usual spot.  My sense of smell was assaulted by the putrefying smell of a dead animal.  I looked around and found the seal carcass.  We waited in hopes that the tide would take it out to sea.  That never happened, so I hooked it with a rake and dragged it out to sea and north of our picnic.  It beached again, so I buried it in sand.

I was on the beach from about 8:30am to 7:30pm.  We had a picnic, that was not scheduled.  I swam to the buoy, where we saw many marker buoys for the lobster traps beneath.  I stayed until sunset.  It was a repeat of yesterday.

October 5, 2002: Black's Beach

I was on the beach from about 10am to 7:30.  I swam to the buoy, where we saw many marker buoys for the lobster traps beneath.  I stayed until sunset.

As the sun got lower, we could see the haze more plainly.  But, as it touched the horizon, we could see that sharp line too.  There was dim hope among us that there would be a green flash.  We say very little distortion in the red, round sun as more of it crosses below the horizon.  The last red sliver faded slowly and there was no green flash.

Afterward, I hiked south to the Burro Trail, spotted Venus in the twilight sky and hiked up to the parking lot.

October 4, 2002: Black's Beach

There had been nearly a week of bad weather at the beach, and I even had to work, so that kept me away.  Thursday must have been an excellent day at the beach.

There wasn't a cloud in the sky.  I hiked down to the beach and headed north to sit in my usual spot north of Valentine Slide.  One friend was there ahead of me and others arrived shortly afterward.

I was busy grading papers, so I didn't get to go for a swim.  I even had to leave early, 3:00.  It was a hot climb up Burro Trail.

September 27, 2002: Black's Beach

There were clouds in the sky, but it was hot and sunny when I reached the beach.  I headed north and sat in my usual spot north of Valentine Slide.

It started sprinkling, so I moved all my stuff under my umbrella and went for a walk in the rain.  I didn't mind getting wet myself, but I didn't want to carry up a wet towel.  It stayed cool and windy for a while, so I sat in a long sleeve shirt for an hour or two.

About 3pm I figured it just wasn't going to get any better.  I packed up all my stuff, then the sun came out.  Rather than just unpacking again, I decided to hike north to the trail head and spend a few hours there.  There I stayed until about 6pm.  By that time it was getting cool again, so I was ready to go.

September 23, 2002: Black's Beach Landslide

The sky was blue, until I started down the trail.  There was fog even with the top of the cliff.  I could see the beach below but it was very hazy.  I hiked down and was surprised to find it was warm.

I hiked north and set up in my usual spot, right in front of the area taped off because of the landslide from yesterday.  A few friends joined me later and we were all wary of falling rocks behind us.

The temperature was so perfect that I fell asleep.  When I woke up, I was being scorched by the sun.

I stayed for sunset.  I saw the sun going behind some clouds and took a few photos.  Then I was distracted and missed last light.  I hiked out, taking in the orange glow in the west.  I spotted Venus before I started up the trail.  I left the parking lot about 7:30pm.

September 22, 2002: Black's Beach Landslide

I was busy setting up for the picnic and heard a landslide just before 10am.  We were all a good distance from the cliff, so we all watched the gravel and dust slide down the cliff.  Then we looked to see where it came from.  We identified a spot still in the shade, and then it happened.
More broke loose including a huge boulder.  I thought about running further from the cliff because this tumbling boulder just might make it all the way to the water.  One of my friends said, "steady," wanting to determine which way to run.  The boulder hit outcroppings of rock and broke into smaller pieces.  These smaller rocks, many as big as a man, rained down on the beach, leaving craters.  Some of them rolled after impact.  We stood there talking about it for a few minutes, and then more came down.  It was an impressive sight to see, from a safe distance.
I called the lifeguards to advise them to tape off the area.  They taped it off.  There were other, lesser slides twice through the day.  We took a few pictures just before sunset.

A wedding was performed at the beach today by Dave Cole, deputized for that specific purpose.  The bride and groom said their own vows and Dave pronounced them husband and wife.  I was the photographer and witness.  The newlyweds, Andy and Robin, spent the day sitting under paper bells.

The picnic was lightly attended, perhaps 30 people.  We served chicken, hot dogs, squash, zucchini, salmon, sweet corn, potatoes and pork.

It was hazy in the west, but the horizon was clear of thick clouds.  I saw the orange sun going down, but then was distracted until there was only about a third left.  We watched it shrink to a sliver and fade to nothing.

I hiked to the trail with the orange glow in the west.  A friend called out to me and I looked up to see Venus in the twilight sky.  Then I hiked up and left the parking lot about 7:30.

September 21, 2002: Black's Beach

I left the beach about 6:30pm.  As I hiked up the trail, I passed the reconstruction of the missing steps.  It was quite an operation with lumber, sandbags and power tools.  The sandbags were being placed to hold up the trail against the first winter storm.

I didn't expect to see the sunset, but it showed itself below some clouds.  It took on a roughly diamond shape for a moment.  Then it only showed as a half circle, with a fainter half circle below, due to refraction.  The bright half circle shrank to a sliver and disappeared then the lower, fainter half circle did the same.

September 20, 2002: Black's Beach

It was never very warm and I even wore a fleece shirt much of the day.  I watched sunset from the trail.  We saw it disappear behind clouds three times, each time thinking it was the last.

I then ate dinner in La Jolla and returned about 9pm for the drum circle.  The moon did show its face, mostly through haze, but it did clear up enough that I saw a few familiar stars and constellations.  There were over a hundred people drumming and dancing.  I tried, unsuccessfully, to play a didgeridoo.  I took a late night stroll to the mushroom house, where I saw the blue heron hunting in the surf.

I left the beach, again, at about 1:30am.

September 16, 2002: Black's Beach

I was on the beach from 11:30am-7pm.  It was sunny and hot most of the day.  I left a little before sunset.

September 15, 2002: Black's Beach

I was on the beach from 9am-5:30pm.  It was overcast and warm most of the time, and hazy sunshine for only short periods.  I left early to attend a Soaring Council meeting, because they were discussing remote controlled gliders from the cliffs above.

There might have been thirty people at our picnic.  I saw a variety of food come off the grill: chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers, sweet corn, zucchini, squash and shrimp.

September 14, 2002: Black's Beach

I was on the beach from 11am-7pm.  It was overcast and warm most of the time, and hazy sunshine for only short periods.  I saw sunset from the trail.  It went below one cloud, showed its face briefly, then went behind another.

I explored Indian Canyon a little.  There were a few small pools of stagnant water.  It was there that I saw the frogs.  They were tiny and I saw four different colors, gold, green, blue and red.

September 13, 2002: Black's Beach

I was on the beach from 10:30am-7:30pm.  It was hot and sunny most of the time, though a hazy sunshine much of the day.  I stayed for sunset, but missed it as it went behind some clouds.

Apparently that rougue group, Black's Beach Diggers, did some trail work today.  Some of the worn sandbags at the bottom had been replaced before I left.  These new sandbags didn't do anything to make the trail easier, but they will give it some resistance to the rain.  It was clearly a preparation for winter.

September 9, 2002: Black's Beach

I was on the beach from 11am-6:30pm.  It was sunny the whole time, though I did see a few clouds.  I didn't stay sunset, since I had dinner plans, but there was only a slight haze that could have obscured it.

September 8, 2002: Black's Beach

I was on the beach from 9:30am-7:30pm.  It started cloudy, turned sunny, then cleared for sunset.  We started the picnic early, about 12pm.  We cooked pork, chicken, hot dogs, sweet corn and hamburgers.  We made several new friends and brought new friends together with other new friends.

The sunset was beautiful.  The horizon was so clear that we were rewarded with a green flash following the sun.  A few minutes later, I spotted Venus between some clouds.  The clouds took on some beautiful shades of red.  Finally, I saw the thin crescent moon through some clouds.

We packed up and hiked up the trail under a twilight sky.  Then we left the parking lot about 8pm.

September 7, 2002: Black's Beach

I was on the beach from 11am-4pm.  It was only sunny in the beginning and cloudy after that.  There weren't many people and most of us left early.

Most of the sand was wet, due to the rain and very high tide of the night before. Many people were sitting on chairs, or raked spots to dry them faster.

September 6, 2002: Black's Beach

I entered the gliderport parking lot about 10:30am. It was cloudy and I did get hit with some rain on my way. After some hesitation I decided it would still be warm enough to spend the day on the beach. It started raining before I started down the trail. I decided not to go. Even if the day turned out to be mostly sunny, the rain would leave the trail in an unpredictable condition.

A friend who went later in the day told me the trail suffered no damage yet.

There is rain in the weekend forecast.

September 2, 2002, Labor Day: Black's Beach

It was hot even early in the day.  As soon as I dropped my pack in the sand, I headed for the water to cool off.  Ten minutes later, I had to get in the water again.  I went in the water several times, just to cool off.  The sand was very hot too; sandals were a must.

It was a great day for our party.  We must have had nearly a hundred at our picnic.  Two other groups had parties too.  It started out overcast and calm, but cleared early.  A wind developed from the south, but eventually died.

Finally our day was coming to an end.  As we were packing and getting dressed, Dave discovered that he'd lost his pants.  We watched the sunset and even spotted Venus in the still bright sky.  Then we finished packing and headed for the trail.  It was already getting dark.  Dave wrapped a towel around his waist and we hiked up under a twilight sky.

September 1, 2002: Black's Beach

A girl in our group was suffering from an allergic reaction.  Her body was quickly being covered in welts.  Her father brought the lifeguards over.  They were ready with emergency services, in case she got worse.  The police stopped too.  She got better on her own and they left without administering any treatment.

Paragliders landed on the beach early.  Later in the day I saw the highest hanglider ever.  There were no other gliders at the time.  I thought that was strange.  There was a blood drive at the glider port.

I saw the man in the kayak again.

I was on the beach from about 10-7:30, and it was hot most of the time.  I saw the sunset from the beach and hiked up under a twilight sky.  Eventually there was only Venus to light the path.

August 31, 2002: Black's Beach

I was on the beach from about 9:30-6:30, and it was hot most of the time.  I spent the day with different friends.  Some were there ahead of me and left early, while others arrived later and stayed after me.

I saw a man reach the beach via kayak. A wave dumped him, but it looked like he had all his stuff in dry bags. He spent a few hours on the beach. I didn't see when he left.

August 30, 2002: Black's Beach

I was on the beach from about 9:30-6:30, and it was sunny the whole time.  I spent the day with different friends.  Some were there ahead of me and left early, while others arrived later and stayed after me.

After one of my swims I returned to find a tiny lizard on my chair.  This was not the first time we had found lizards.  Perhaps there are eggs in the sand that are hatching about now.  It was far from any cover, so perhaps the babies have to make the mad dash from sand to shrub, evading seagulls.

August 26, 2002: Black's Beach

I was on the beach from about 11-6.  It was very sunny and I dozed off for some unknown time.  It was cooling off as I climbed the trail.

August 25, 2002: Naturally California Swim in Escondido

After my day at Black's, I went to the swim night at the Icoplex with Naturally California.  I got in about 7pm  Everybody undresses and showers in the women's bathroom, since it connects directly to the pool area.

I swam a mile, while others swam a few laps too.  When I finished, the hot tub was full.  Others were lounging around the pool on styrofoam noodles.

Later we posed for group photos, some underwater.  We did some with a disposable underwater camera.  We took others using Brian's digital camera and my dad's underwater video camera.  I also arranged to take some video of me swimming.

There were nearly thirty people there.

August 25, 2002: Black's Beach

I was on the beach from about 9-6.  With the exception of a brief building of overcast, it was very sunny.

Of the thousands who were on the beach, about thirty of them sat close to us and were fed from our grill.  We served hot dogs, ham, chicken, zucchini, squash and sweet corn.

August 24, 2002: Hangliding at Black's Beach

 I arrived at the gliderport about 12pm and signed up for a tandem flight, along with my father and brother.  They cost $150 for 20-30 minutes.

My dad took the first flight almost immediately.  He landed on the beach a few minutes later.  Nobody was in a hurry to do another tandem flight that would only end soon on the beach.

Eventually the wind picked up and it was my turn.  After a few minutes of instructions, we ran to the cliff edge and the wind took us.  Steve took me up and down the coast.  I could barely make out who was who.  I could only tell by their sheets and umbrellas.

Steve pointed out a cave in Indian Canyon.  I could see a few men on the cliff edge with zoom lenses, trying to get shots of people on the beach.  I took several photos with my disposable camera, scenes on the beach, the cave to voyeurs on the cliffs...

After a very smooth take off and flight, it was finally time to land.  Our landing seemed flawless to me.  The whole flight was so relaxing; Steve left no room for panic.

My brother was next, but he had to wait a while for the wind to pick up.  I arranged for a friend to do some taping from the beach below.  His flight seemed short to me and I only saw his rough landing on tape

My dad took a repeat flight, to make up for his first, short flight.  We moved to the north lot to try and get some better shots of his flight.

Later we went to the photographer to buy some professional prints of our flights.  It turned out he took a break during my flight, so I don't have any clear shots of my own flight.

I never went down to the beach, but I could see it had been a beautiful day.  We left around 4pm.

August 23, 2002: Black's Beach

 I arrived at the gliderport about 11am.  I found that some big potholes at the entrance had been filled.  I hiked down the Burro Trail and chose a spot a little north of the trail.

I spent the day with five well-known friends and made one new friend, a swimming buddy.  We swam out to the sand dollars.  Visibility was pretty good.  I also did a little body surfing, since the waves were pretty big today.

I stayed on the beach until about 7pm and hiked out without incident.

August 22, 2002: Black's Beach

 I arrived about 11am and hiked down the Burro Trail.  I found a great deal of trash at the trailhead, apparently left by campers, bottles of shampoo, body lotion, a blanket...  By the way, I gathered it together and carried it up.

I headed north and chose a spot near the trail.  I labeled envelopes, folded and stuffed newsletters.

Then I went for a swim.  The water was very clear.  I didn't see stingrays in the shallow surf, but I did see some deep under water.  I swam out to the live sand dollars and back.  The waves were kind of big, so I caught a ride on some.

I fell asleep in the shade of my umbrella for a while, what a nice day.

I had to work in the evening, so I packed up and left about 5pm.  It was still sunny, but it looked as if it might cloud up soon.  I saw people in the parking lot preparing for the drum circle tonight.

August 17-18, 2002: Black's Beach

Saturday I swam out to the sand dollars.  Just as I reached the sand dollars, I spotted a lobster.  I made a few attempts to catch it, but I ran out of air and had to surface.  I went back down to try again and found a starfish instead.  I thought about taking it back to shore to show off, but decided it would be too much trouble to get into my bag.  I thought it was strange to find one there, since I usually find them in deeper water.

It was sprinkling Sunday morning, but we had a picnic scheduled.  I arrived about 9am with my ice cream machine.  I was nude part of the day, but I wore a long sleeve shirt most of the day and I even wore long pants some of the day.

Despite our fears, a fair number of people did show up.  We served a lot of hot food from our grill, chicken, hamburgers, shrimp and sausages.  We made our two batches of ice cream, strawberry and peach, and most of it was eaten.  I ran out of dry ice before the last batch was done, so it was really peach milkshake.

A dark cloud was looming on the horizon and it started sprinkling again, so we packed up and left about 5pm.

August 15-16, 2002: Black's Beach

I was there about noon to sunset each day.  I swam to the buoy and back on Friday and I swam to the sand dollars several times each day.  I saw many sting rays.  Thursday I saw a two-foot halibut.  The water was very clear both days.

Friday I watched sunset from the trail.

August 12-14, 2002: Black's Beach

I was there about noon to sunset each day.  I swam to the buoy and back on Monday and I swam to the sand dollars several times each day.  The water was crystal clear Tuesday.

Monday, one of the paragliders landed on the beach and assembled his kite surfing equipment.  He attempted kite surfing, but there wasn't enough wind.

I was on my way to the trail Wednesday when I spotted some dirt sliding down from the cliff at the nudity boundary.  I walked over for a better look.  There were two men in a small gully, about forty feet above the beach, trying to make some steps down, and three people on the ground trying to convince them to stop.  Seeing that they couldn't make it back up, nor could they make it to the beach without injury, I called the lifeguards.  I waited for them to arrive and left it in their capable hands.

August 10 & 11, 2002: Black's Beach

Sunday we saw an osprey catch a fish so big that it couldn't lift it out of the water.  It had to let it go.  We also saw a seal in the surf.

It was a beautiful day and we made the most of it with our picnic.  We served a lot of chicken, salmon, squash and zucchini.  There was also some sweet corn going around.

There were lots of people in the water, body surfing and body boarding.  I went swimming three times, twice to the sand dollars and once to the buoy.  There were lots of little fish and sting rays.  I've also been seeing some bigger fish in the surf, yellowtail, I think.

Saturday some of our friends set up a volleyball court, and they were still playing when I left around sunset.

Sunday I stayed until after sunset.  It was getting dark as I climbed the Burro Trail with only a crescent moon and Venus to light the path.

August 6-9, 2002: Black's Beach

Tuesday we hosted an AANR youth group field trip to the beach.  We gave them a hot meal and made ice cream.  We also provided them with many beach toys, Frisbees, footballs, paddleball, body boards...

Late Tuesday and especially Wednesday we saw lots of dolphins in the surf.  Wednesday morning we also saw an osprey.

Friday there were canopies set up near the trailhead, a little north of the goat trial.  They were for a photo shoot.  Miller was sponsoring a Chargers ad.

July 29 - August 4, 2002: Black's Beach

I have spent long hours at the beach and had little time to write trip reports.  I have gone on swims to the reef, marked by the buoy.  We have hosted picnics and made ice cream.  People have entertained themselves with riding waves, throwing toys and building sandcastles.

July 29, 2002: Black's Beach

When I parked at 10:30, it looked like it would be a hot and sunny day, but it gradually clouded up and cooled off. 

There were lots of people in the water, surfing, body boarding, body surfing and swimming.  I went for one swim to the buoy, with a buddy.  The water was very clear.  I found the reef, marked by the buoy.  It's actually about 50 feet south of the buoy and 50 feet under.  There was a white starfish plainly visible there.  I also did a little body surfing late in the day.

By 6pm it had cooled off enough that I put on a shirt.  Then I took off the shirt and played Frisbee to keep warm.

I left the beach about 7pm.

July 28, 2002: Black's Beach

It was already sunny when I parked at the gliderport.  As I hiked down the Burro Trail, I took a few pictures of people in surf kayaks.

I hiked north and helped set up for our picnic.

There must have been thousands of people on the beach today.  Some of the activities I observed were: volleyball, horseshoes, Frisbee, surfing, body surfing, body boarding and swimming.  There was even some sand castle construction.

I swam to the sand dollars once.  Visibility was great.  I wanted to swim out to the buoy with my friends, but an interview kept me busy.

KMEX was on the beach today, covering Black's Beach.  They interviewed me and a few other Spanish speakers.  I don't know exactly when it will air, but I'll be in touch and post in to the main page when I know.

Our grill was very active today.  There was plenty of chicken, zucchini, squash and steaks.  There was also some sweet corn and hot dogs.

I stayed for sunset, but it went behind some clouds before reaching the ocean.  Afterward I went to a barbecue in the parking lot, finally leaving about 10:30.

July 27, 2002: Black's Beach

It was still cloudy as I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I could see people fishing from three kayaks.  I set up my bulletin board and headed north to my usual spot.  The sun came out by 10am, but there was a wind for a while.

The real crowds started showing up around 1pm.  People were playing Frisbee and volleyball.  There were a lot of people in the water too, surfing, body boarding and body surfing.  The waves weren't very good though.

I went swimming twice, both times with buddies.  First I swam out to the sand dollars.  Later I swam out to the buoy with five buddies.  Four of them left together.  Then I left and another left a few minutes after me.  We all got to the buoy about the same time.  Two of the swimmer got cramps from the long swim.

There was a fishing boat anchored near the buoy for a few hours.

The sky clouded up about 5pm and my friends were packing to leave.  About that time I got an invitation to join a sing-along up the beach.  I hung out with those friends until about 7:30, singing along with a guitar and flute.

I hiked up the Burro Trail and left the parking lot about 8pm.

July 26, 2002: Black's Beach

The sun was already out when I arrived at 10:30.  I set up my stuff just north of Valentine Slide.  There was a new buoy straight out from my spot on the beach.  It was much further out than my usual swim but not beyond my ability.  I resolved to swim to it, especially since I had some friends who had already done it.

I went for a swim, just out to the sand dollars, by myself.  Visibility was poor, less than 10 feet.  Underwater I could hear a sound, something like a squeaky merry-go-round.  I thought it might have something to do with the buoy, perhaps current whistling through some part of it.  I later swam out to the buoy with two buddies, but didn't hear the sound.  It is said that the buoy marks an artificial reef at a depth shallower than 50 feet.  I didn't reach it today, but I'll try another day when visibility is better.

By about 6pm it was cloudy and starting to cool.  It was almost 8pm when I left.

July 15, 2002: Black's Beach

I started setting up for the picnic with a few friends.  The sun came out early, by 10am.  There were clouds and it did cool off briefly around 5pm, but the sun came out again and it was warm past sunset.

I went for a swim early, since I knew I wouldn't get a chance later.  I swam out past the sand dollar bed.  I saw guitar fish and bat rays.  I went in the water to body surf a few times too.  It was necessary to cool off.

People started showing up for the picnic about 11am.  We started the grill and the ice cream about 1pm.  I lost track of what all went on the grill.  I know there was a variety of chicken recipes, hot dogs and sausages.  I was in charge of ice cream production.  First we made blueberry, then strawberry, and finally chocolate.

Afterward I had time for a swim.  About that time some ladies showed up.  I offered a sand dollar, since her shell collection was very sparse.  I thought I had some on shore, but didn't.  I went for my swim, promising to bring her back a sand dollar.  I couldn't find any.  I was resigned to coming back empty handed.  Just then I saw one, and brought it back.

We finished packing up and left after sunset.  It was 8:40 when I left the parking lot.

July 9, 2002: Black's Beach

It was a very quiet day.  I swam twice.  I saw sting rays and guitar fish.  I also heard dolphins, but they sounded far.  I did see dolphins from the shore.

I left the beach about 7pm and left the parking lot about 7:30.

July 7, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived early and, with the help of a few friends, we set up for the picnic.  Despite the cloudy weather, people really started showing up about 1pm.  That's also the time we fire up the grill.

The body painters were back, and I got painted this time. People were engaged in lots of different activities: volleyball, horseshoes, Frisbee, paddleball, swimming, surfing, body surfing, body boarding and sand sculpting. I saw dolphins occasionally through the day.  One time I was in the water, swimming with a few friends and we got kind of close.  I didn't get a good picture though. Many people left early, about 4pm.  I left the beach about 7pm.

July 6, 2002: Black's Beach

I thought it would be a cloudy day, so I wasn't in a hurry.  I monitored some weather indicators and eventually headed for the beach.  I was told it was sunny until I showed up.

There were people swimming, body surfing, surfing and body boarding.  People were playing volleyball, horseshoes and Frisbee.  There was also some body painting.

Eventually it got so cold I had to wear a long sleeve shirt.  I left about 6pm.

July 5, 2002: Black's Beach

I thought it would be a cloudy day, so I was staying home.  About 11am I checked a weather website and saw that the sun had come out.  I packed and headed for the beach.

I had to sit in the shade for a while.  Then I went for a swim.  When I got out of the water, it was cloudy.  I eventually used my umbrella to block the wind, as everybody else did.

I left the beach about 5pm.

July 4, 2002: Black's Beach

I met with some friends in the parking lot and we each carried down our heavy loads for the picnic.  The trail was challenging for us with our loads, but the trail itself is still in mostly good condition.  We arrived at our site, just north of Valentine Slide, and started setting up.

I went for a swim before the festivities began.  I could hear dolphins singing and making their scraping sound.  I looked around for them but didn't find them, even though they sounded close.  In the water it's hard to spot things, since you can only get your head above water and waves can block your view.  Finally I saw a pair of fins as they went under.  I reached for my camera and waited for them to come up again.  I didn't see them come up again.  Later a friend told me that he had gotten close to three dolphins.

There were over a thousand people on the beach and there would have been more if it had been sunnier.  There were volleyball games and horseshoes, sand castle building and body surfing.  There were people throwing footballs and others playing soccer.  There were surfers and plenty of people on body boards.  There were also some artists painting people.

We fired up the grills and started ice cream production about 1pm.  Through the day I made raspberry, vanilla, a blueberry (red, white and blue) ice cream.  I also made a batch of chocolate, but we didn't have enough dry ice to make it ice cream.  I passed around chocolate shakes instead.

I lost track of what all came off the grill.  I saw hot dogs, sausages, zucchini, sweet corn, ribs, steaks and a variety of chicken.  We had to have two grills going to meet the demand.

People left early, because of the weather, because they had plans for later in the day, or just to beat the traffic.  I didn't get to the parking lot until about 8:30.

June 30, 2002: Black's Beach

It was a beautiful day and a successful picnic.  I watched sunset from the beach.

June 29, 2002: San Onofre State Beach

I entered the parking lot at about 8:30, after paying $3 for day use.  I drove to the southern end, where I found plenty of parking.  I took trail six to the beach and turned left.  Once I crossed the wash, I was in clothing optional territory.

It was cloudy at first, and people were slow to arrive.  Eventually there were people from six different clubs at the picnic: Black's Beach Bares, Camping Bares, Friends of San Onofre, Southern California Naturist Association, Sun Raes and Paddling Bares.  There must have been 30-50 people at the picnic, and many others on the beach who didn't join us.

I went swimming twice but didn't see anything but sand, shells and sea weed.  I had to swim way out just to get into some clear water.

Others managed the grill.  I supervised the ice cream production.  We made peach and two batches of strawberry.

The sun was only out from about 1-3pm, but it was warm all day.  We left the beach about 6pm.

June 26-28, 2002: Black's Beach

I went to Black's all three days.  I got there so early and left so late that I was too tired to write a trip report each day.  There were hundreds of people there each day.  The weather was not especially sunny though.  The sun typically came out 1-5pm.  Otherwise it was mostly overcast and warm.

I swam a few times each day.  I saw lots of sting rays.  I got close to some dolphins Friday, but I didn't notice until they had passed.  I saw the dolphins from the shore almost every day, sometimes they were breaching.

The lifeguards continue to set up the cones and sawhorse sign every day.  I sometimes see it already set up when I arrive at 12pm.  I know they take it down about 6pm every day.

June 22-25, 2002: Black's Beach

I went to Black's all four days.  I got there so early and left so late that I was too tired to write a trip report each day.  There were hundreds of people there on weekdays and over a thousand on the weekend.  The weather was not especially sunny though.  The sun typically came out 1-5pm.  Otherwise it was mostly overcast and warm.

I swam, sometimes a few times in a day.  Tuesday I swam way out with a buddy.

The lifeguards have been setting up the nudity boundary cones, with the sign.  There was a landslide south of the boundary sometime between Monday night and Tuesday around noon.

Tuesday I saw some dolphins playing, or probably hunting, in the shallow surf.  I also saw the osprey hunting and took a few pictures.  None of them came out very well though.  It didn't fly close enough.

June 21, 2002: Black's Beach

I thought it was going to be the same as the past two days, but I was pleasantly surprised around noon.  I got my things together and headed for the beach.  I had no problems with parking and no problems with the trail.

On my way down the trail I saw that the lifeguards had built a mound at the base of the trail.  I later found that they had built another at Indian Canyon.  This means they plan to occupy these two sites as lifeguard stations.  I thought they would use their new camper instead.  They didn't occupy either station today.

I also noted that they had set up the orange cones and the "Nudity Boundary" sign.  I thought they weren't going to set up the sign anymore, but it has been there the last few days, including Thursday when the KMEX news crew was there.

I swam twice, once in the early afternoon and once in the late afternoon.  Visibility was better than it has been lately.  I could almost make out the bottom from 10 feet above.  There wasn't much to see though, sting rays and bat rays.

There were relatively few people on beach, probably fooled by the sudden change from previous days.  I think there were about a hundred.

I stayed until almost sunset.  I watched sunset from about half way up the trail.

June 20, 2002: Black's Beach

It was cloudy and windy.  I didn't see the sun during the short time I was there and I'm sure it didn't come out at all.

I wasn't even planning to go to the beach, but KMEX wanted to interview me, on the beach.  I did my interview in Spanish and Dave was interviewed and translated.

June 19, 2002: Black's Beach

It was mostly cloudy and windy.  The sun only came out for a few minutes at time and then disappeared behind clouds for an hour or so.

June 14-17, 2002: Black's Beach

I went to Black's three of the four days.  I got there so early and left so late that I was too tired to write a trip report.  There were hundreds of people there on weekdays and over a thousand on weekends  The weather was so good that I sometimes stayed until sunset.  I swam, sometimes a few times in a day.  One day I saw the tail of some speckled shark.  Judging from the size of the tail, I think the shark was about five feet long.

It is worth noting that the lifeguards set up the nudity boundary Monday, with the sign.

June 13, 2002: Black's Beach

Today was the day I was to show Venus in broad daylight.  Today had been chosen because Venus was so close to the moon, so the moon could be used to find it.

I set up my bulletin board with a Venus announcement and headed north.  I raised my flags and set up my stuff.  Then I raked up the seaweed that had washed up overnight and buried it.

I made a few new friends and went swimming, with a buddy.  We didn't make it out to my sand dollar marker because I heard dolphins and decided to head back, hoping for an encounter.  We didn't even see them.  I did see bat rays and a starry flounder.

Starting about 2pm I had my binoculars set up, looking for the moon and Venus.  I spent much of the day looking, but never managed to spot the moon between the clouds, nor Venus.  Good thing it was a weekday and I didn't have a line of people waiting to see.

Through the day I was joined by a few friends.  They were Gene, Jeannie, Jeannie, Mark, Mark, Mark and Sharon.

Starting about 5pm, sunshine was getting scarce.  By about 6pm we were getting dressed, one by one.  I left about 6:30.  Once home, I looked up and spotted the moon and Venus.

June 12, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived about 11am and parked at the gliderport.  The hike down was uneventful, since the trail was in good condition.  I set up my bulletin board and headed north.

I set up my flags and and umbrella, then spent some time burying some of the kelp.  Eventually we had the only seaweed-free zone on the beach.

I went swimming three times, once with a buddy.  I saw guitar fish, bat rays and sand dollars.  I heard dolphins one swim and eve spotted them, but they had already passed  heading south.

I didn't even think about getting dressed until 7pm, it was so warm.  By 7:30 I was packed and heading up the trail.  Once at the top, I got a chair out of my car and sat down to watch the sunset.  About 7:45 I found the moon and soon afterward found Venus.  Fifteen minutes later the sun set.

June 12, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived about 12:30, parked at the gliderport and hiked down the Burro Trail.  Once on the beach, I set up my bulletin board and chose a sport a little to the north.

I set up an umbrella since it was the burning time of day.  I also set up a windbreak.

I saw the osprey and the snowy egret.

I swam three times.  I saw a few bat rays and a whole school of tiny fish, perhaps sardines.  One time I heard dolphins, but I never saw them, not while I was in the water.  I did see a pod of dolphins, and they even appeared to be herding the fish so they could eat them.

About 7pm it was cold enough that I started packing an getting dressed.  I was gone by 7:30.

June 10, 2002: Black's Beach

I was sure the weather would be bad again, especially since the forecast said mostly sunny in the afternoon, but they got it right for a change.  I realized this by checking some of my weather links.

I set up my bulletin board near the trail and chose a spot a little north of the trail.  An expected friend canceled, but an unexpected friend showed up.

I went swimming once.  I spotted several bat rays, even in knee deep water.  I swam out to the outer edge of the sand dollar population and turned back.  I heard dolphins, but never saw them.  They sounded far away.  It's so difficult to see them when you can barely get your head above the water.

From the shore I spotted some interesting birds.  I saw an Osprey fly past twice.  He dove for prey in the shallow surf several times, but I didn't see hi catch anything.

More friends showed up and we watched the solar eclipse.  I dug a shallow trench in the sand and put a piece of white cardboard at what I thought would be a good angle.  One of my friends had a small pair of binoculars.  I cut holes in another piece of cardboard to match the binoculars.  Then I made a pile of sand in front of the trench and managed to use it to project the eclipse onto the white cardboard in the trench.  I had to adjust the sand pile periodically to track the sun.  Another friend showed up with filters that we could also use.  Some of us watched the eclipse from about 5:15-6:30, and we showed it to a few people passing by.

We left the beach about 6:30, even though it was still sunny.

June 9, 2002: Black's Beach

I had to use my windshield wipers to wipe off the sprinkles of rain, while I drove to the beach.  I arrived about 8:30am and met with a few friends in the parking lot.  The weather forecast called for a sunny afternoon, which meant the marine layer would never burn off.  The problem was that we advertised a picnic, so we had to be prepared just in case.

A red-tailed hawk flew over us in the parking lot and landed on the restroom sign over the port-a-potties.  I took a few pictures before it flew away.

We hiked down the trail, then north to our spot.  We set up our table and grill.  We raked some of the seaweed nearby into holes and buried it.  We even set up some umbrellas, which we used to stay dry.  It was sprinkling again.

It became clear that the sky would not clear.  And, even if it did, nobody would show.  Reasoning that it's better to go up the trail with a full stomach and empty pack, rather than the other way around, we fired up the grill, cooked and ate as much as we six could.

Then we packed up and left about 2pm.

June 8, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived about 11am.  It was cloudy and windy, but in previous days it had cleared up about 12:00.

Once I reached the beach, I set up my bulletin board and hiked north to my usual spot.  I joined my friends in setting up a windbreak and waiting for the sky to clear.  I took off my clothes, but I crawled under a blanket that I was smart enough to bring.

I fell asleep but was wakened about 2pm to find my friends packed and ready to leave.  They were planning to leave while I slept.  It would have been a good prank, if one of them wasn't so loud.

I packed up a little later and was gone from the beach by 3pm.  The sun didn't come out the whole time I was there.

June 7, 2002: Black's Beach

I knew it wouldn't be sunny early, but I had a few things that had to be done early.  I didn't expect it to be misty, but it was.

I finished my chore early, put on my long sleeve shirt, crawled under my towel and slept until about 12pm.  I was awakened by the noon sun in my face.  I set up an umbrella and sat in the shade until 2pm.

I had planned to leave at 3pm, to beat traffic, but I didn't want to hike up the trail in the sun.  It was nearly 3pm and the sun was still blazing.

I decided that was enough to justify a swim.  At one point in my swim I was surprised to find bubbles around me.  Once at the surface, I looked down and found a burst of bubbles rising toward me.  I was wondering if there might be some geologic activity that had released a burst of air from beneath the sand.  I swam down to the bottom to see if there were any signs in the sand.  I did find a circle of sand that didn't match the rest, then I swam back to the surface.

Then I saw her, a harbor seal, maybe the same one from yesterday.  She was the source of the bubbles.  She was toying with me, trying to get my attention while staying out of reach.  I reached for my camera, but she went under and I never saw her again.

I got back to shore and rinsed off.  About as soon as I dried off, the sky clouded up.  I packed up and walked south to the trail about 3:30.  I probably passed a hundred people on my wayl.  The sun did come out a little as I hiked up.

June 6, 2002: Black's Beach

I fully expected to find overcast skies at the beach, and that's what I found.  I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board at the base, undressed and headed north.

I reached my usual spot only to find it heavily occupied.  I chose a spot a little to the south, in front of the Valentine slide.

I didn't see much variety in activities, just swimming and surfing.  I took one swim.  On my way out to sea I saw a harbor seal swim under me.  I reached for my camera and surfaced.  I turned facing the shore, camera ready, waiting for her to surface and give me a good shot.  I took a picture, but it may be a while.  She was toying with me.

I started packing my things at about 6pm and left the parking lot about 6:30.

June 5, 2002: Black's Beach

It was sunny in much of San Diego, but when I reached the parking lot, I found myself under an overcast sky.  I hiked down the Burro Trail, then north meeting up with a few friends.  Despite the overcast sky, it was warm enough that I undressed as soon as I reached the beach.

I went for a swim almost immediately.  As I was walking in, I noticed a rip current forming to my left.  I walked left to catch a ride out past the waves.  It worked out and I was in the deep water in no time.  I made it to the sand dollars and even found the outer edge of the sand dollar population.  On my way back I caught two good waves.  The first gave me a good ride and the second just tossed me around a bit.

One of my friends told me there was a wounded grebe a little north of us.  It's feet seemed useless.  It was probably sick from some toxic plankton that got into the food chain recently.  It was hopeless.  I took a few pictures, since I can't otherwise get so close.  Then one of my friends picked it up and moved it out of the high traffic zone.  All we could do was help it to die in peace.  It was better to let it die in the wild than in a cage.

The wind started picking up about 4pm and I put on my long sleeve shirt.  We finally gave up about 5pm and started packing.  I left the parking lot about 6pm

June 2, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived at our spot on the beach about 8:30 and we were all busy setting up for our picnic.  People were slow to arrive.  There were very few people on the beach before 1pm.  I guess everybody was sleeping in.

We finally decided there were enough people to fire up the grill.  We cooked, chicken, salmon, hot dogs, hamburgers, sausages and sweet corn.  We had a little trouble giving it away.  People had eaten before they came to the beach, unaware of our picnic.

People were pitching horseshoes, playing Frisbee and throwing foot balls.  There were volleyball games at three courts.  I saw two people playing backgammon.

I went swimming three times.  One time I saw a shark.  It was small and black.  It was too fast to get a picture, and I didn't even see the whole thing.  Based on how much I saw, it must have been about five feet long.  On my last swim I even managed to find two swimming buddies.

There were occasional clouds starting about 3pm and people began leaving about 4pm.  We packed up and left about 6pm.

June 1, 2002: Black's Beach

It was sunny when I arrived at 10:30, but cloudiness increased starting about 1pm.  By 5pm it was clouded over completely.

There were people playing Frisbee, throwing footballs and pitching horseshoes.  There were volleyball games on two courts.  People were surfing and body boarding.  Some of my friends even built a sand castle.

Lots of people went swimming, including myself.  I only saw sting rays, guitar fish and sand dollars.  This was the first I had seen of sand dollars this year.  I also found a distinct thermocline, a sudden drop in temperature as you go deeper.  It must have been at a ten foot depth.  The current was too strong to swim against.  I exited the water way to the south of where I entered.  Also, the water was a bit murky, reminiscent of red tide.

I toughed out the cooling weather with a few friends and left early, about 5pm. 

May 27, 2002, Memorial Day: Black's Beach

It was sunny before I reached the bottom of the Burro Trail.  I reached our picnic site and found that much of the work was already done, therefore my timing was a little too early.

We saw a few dolphin from the shore.  Some seemed to be going north and others appeared to be going south.

I took one swim early, since I knew I probably wouldn't get a chance later.  I saw a little bit of life, schools of tiny fish, sting rays and guitar fish.  I picked up a sand dollar too.  I didn't manage to find any live sand dollars, even though I think I swam out far enough.

I started the ice cream process about 11am.  I filled my bucket with sea water and added rock salt.  I stirred the water until most of the salt had dissolved and dropped in a big piece of dry ice.  Ice crystals began to form much faster than I recall.  I chipped away the ice surrounding the dry ice and soon had a bucket full of slat water slurry.

I poured the ice cream mix into the inner pan and found some volunteers to crank.  It was done and gone in no time.  Three other batches were made.  The flavors, in order, were vanilla, blackberry, tropical breeze and peach passion.  Some was even made with very little help from me, yay.

The grill was fired up about 1pm.  Some of the hot food from the grill included jerked chicken, stuffed chicken breasts, hamburgers, sausages, t bone steaks, zucchini and some sort of fish that I didn't find time to identify.

There were over a thousand people on the beach, probably a hundred in our immediate area.  This must have been our biggest picnic ever.  The newlyweds were there, as well as many from the wedding party, including the drummers.  You could still read "Just Married" on the brides lower back and the groom was now wearing a white bow tie above his sunburned chest.

There were volley ball games in at least two locations.  There were lots of people in the water.  I even managed to take five people out for a long swim.  People were surfing, body boarding and body surfing, even though the waves were not very good.  There were also lots of people playing Frisbee and paddle ball.  People were throwing footballs and those whistling missiles.

There were a few kids making a sand castle, but Godzilla destroyed Tokyo before it was finished.

There was an incident with a hidden camera, but the lifeguards checked him for priors and the tape was destroyed.  We never determined what was on the tape.  The camera was in a cooler and he had a wire running out to his remote control.  People may judge the safely of our beach by negative activities like this, or they can see it by the way we react.

People began to depart about 5pm and most were gone by 6pm.  I saw sunset from the beach and was about the last to leave about 8pm.

May 26, 2002: Wedding at De Anza Springs Resort

I arrived about 9:30 and we checked in at the office, paying the special day rate of $10 each for the wedding.  I saw a lot of familiar faces from Camping Bares, Black's Beach, Naturally California, San Onofre and Swallows there.

After a quick dip in the indoor pool, we headed to the wedding site.  It was an undeveloped area, naturally shaped much like an amphitheater. Two of the drummers from the drum circle were playing.  People were sitting on rocks, some were standing and a few had brought their own chairs.

The groom waited, with a painted-on black bow tie, at the focus of the amphitheater.  The bride did her march to the beat of the drums.  She wore white tennis shoes with white lace, and a white veil.

They exchanged some vows with an emphasis on support and trust, placed rings on each other and their kiss made it official.

While the wedding party waited at a nearby movie prop house, the porch was overloaded by so many people and it collapsed.  It still made a good background for pictures.  The wedding reception was next to their volleyball court.

I spent the rest of the day between the indoor and outdoor pools.  I also took some time to look at some of the body painting.

We left about 5pm, since we had a lot to do before the Memorial Day picnic.

May 25, 2002: Black's Beach

It was cloudy when I finished work at 10am, so we weren't in a hurry to get to the beach.  We arrived about 12pm to find a sunny beach.

There were hundreds of people on the beach.  Some were surfing, Boogie boarding and body surfing.  There were volleyball games.  People were throwing Frisbees and footballs.  I saw some paddle ball games and sand castle construction.  Some people were kicking around soccer balls.  I don't recall anybody swimming except myself.

The sky clouded up about 6pm, but we didn't leave until about 7:30.

We went to La Jolla for dinner and returned to the beach about 10pm for the drum circle.  The moon never showed itself while I was there, but there was still a lot of energetic drumming and dancing.  We left about 1am.  The main gate was locked but there is another exit a little ways east, without a gate.

May 24, 2002: Black's Beach

I'm  writing this a few days after the fact, so I've forgotten some of the details.  I don't recall what the street parking was like, but it's usually full on weekdays.

I went swimming at least once.  I saw a few sting rays and guitar fish.  I caught a glimpse of something else, I think a halibut.

It was warm and sunny until about 5pm when it started to cloud up, the wind picked up and we left soon afterward.

May 18, 2002: Black's Beach

Despite the fact that it was sprinkling in the morning, I headed for the beach after work.  Even from the parking lot the weather was not very encouraging, but I saw a few familiar cars in the lot.  I met a friend in the parking lot and we hiked down together.  We met up with our friends just north of the Valentines slide.

I wore a fleece shirt all day, but my friends were nude.  It was warm enough that I dozed off much of the day, but by 3pm I admitted that it wouldn't clear.  I packed and left.

May 17, 2002: Black's Beach

I monitored the weather using some of my weather links and finally decided that it would probably be a sunny afternoon.  I arrived about 12pm and the sun came out almost immediately.  I met with a friend already on the beach and another arrived a little later.

I went for one swim.  The shallow water was very clear and it got a bit murky when I reached the deep water.  Usually it's the opposite.  I saw two very large guitarfish.  I saw other movement, but I didn't get a good look at the fish.  I returned with two sand dollars.

By about 3pm the sky got cloudy and we started packing about 4pm.  The sun did come out briefly while we packed.  The clouds covered the sun again and we hiked up the trail under a cloud covered sky.

May 10-13, 2002: Black's Beach

Sometime has passed and I've forgotten the details.  There was so much good weather and so many good friends around that it's hard to focus on one thing.

Friday I saw a fisherman reel in a 30 pound halibut.  He wouldn't let me take his picture, afraid it would ruin his fishing spot.

When I arrived Saturday around noon, I noticed that about a fourth of the parking lot was filled with new VW Beatles.

The weekend highlight was the sea lion rescue.  There were at least two rescued from Black's Saturday.  Sea World was on the beach Sunday and Monday too, but I didn't see the rescue.  I did see sea lions in the truck.  I just don't know that they were picked up from Black's.

Saturday I saw sunset from I-15.  There were a few zig-zags across the sun.  Sunday and Monday I watched sunset from the gliderport.

May 6, 2002: Black's Beach

The weather looked just like the last few days, overcast.  I decided not to go to the beach and spent some time surfing the web instead.  As I noticed the weather improving, I started checking weather indicators at the beach.  About 12pm it showed a sunlight intensity of about 65%.  I watched a little longer, while packing.  About 1:30 I arrived at the gliderport and hiked down.

It was sunny and hot, until I was set up.  Then the mostly overcast condition set in.  The sun did come out a few times.  My friend set up some windbreaks and even crawled under a blanket for  awhile.

I saw a few by-the-wind sailors and some tuna crabs washed up on the beach.

An ultra-light plane buzzed the beach.

At about 4:45 we packed up and left.  The sun came out, while we were hiking up the trail.  That's the worst time for the sun to come out.

May 5, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived about 10am, parked at the glider port and hiked down the Burro Trail.  We took a few trail pictures on our way down, then headed north to our usual spot.

It was sunny from about 11-12:30, then mostly overcast.  The wind was picking up and getting cooler.  I left about 3pm.

I saw and photographed a man windsurfing in the parking lot.

May 4, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived about 12:30, parked at the glider port and hiked down the Burro Trail.

The day was very much like yesterday, except there were more people.  Flight Fest was still going strong.  There was still a lot of tar.  The weather was still mostly overcast.

I left about 6pm.

May 3, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived about 12:30, parked at the gliderport and hiked down the Burro Trail.  I found and picked up a lot of tar as I walked north to my usual spot.  It eventually melted into one big lump, perhaps a gallon.  I also picked up a lot on the bottoms of my feet.

Today was the first day of Flight Fest 2002.  There were lots of paragliders and hanggliders overhead.  Quite a few landed on the beach too.

It was a quiet day, mostly overcast.  The sun came out for a few minutes at a time.  The wind was getting too cool so I left about 5pm.

April 29, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived about 10am.  There were no problems with parking, nor with the Burro Trail.  I chose a spot near the trail heads and set up my stuff.

I wasn't expecting any of my friends, but one showed up anyway.  Shortly after he arrived, he spotted two men coming down the cliff.  We watched them for a while to see if they were going to find a way back up.  They didn't, and one of them was trying to come down a hopelessly sheer cliff.

I called the gliderport and they called the lifeguards.  They showed up quickly and we directed them to the stranded man on the cliff.  A lifeguard climbed up the goat trail and repelled down the cliff.  Before long we had all three local news stations represented by helicopters.

I went for a swim and found live san dollars for the first time in a long time.  I also caught a glimpse of a fisk on the bottom, but it was too fast for me to get any idea what it was.

I left the beach about 6pm.  It was still sunny at that time, but the wind was getting a bit cool.

April 28, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived about 12pm.  There was still a mud puddle in the parking lot.  There were very few spaces.  People were waiting for others to leave.

I could see minor erosion damage to the burro trail.  The most significant problem was that the sand bags at the bottom were showing significant damage.

There was a cool wind all day.  Many people were using windbreaks, but I only needed one late in the afternoon.

There were hundreds of people on the beach.  Some were pitching horseshoes.  I saw a few playing Frisbee, but that didn't go well in the wind.  There were people playing volleyball.

One of my friends found a gopher snake on the beach.  He showed it off, posed for a few pictures and let it go.

A park ranger was on the beach to haul away a truckload of trash we had gathered.

There was a cliff rescue that began about 4:30 or 5:00.  The lifeguards had a helicopter spotting for them and they were preparing to repel down the cliff.  The man on the cliff, however, was not following their instruction to stay in one place and wait.  Last I saw he was directly below the lifeguards, who were preparing to repel down and rescue him.  How can they repel down if every rock they knock loose will fall straight down and hit the man?

About 5:30 I decided it had cooled off too much.  I packed up and left with a few friends.

April 20-22, 2002: Black's Beach

Each day I arrived between 10am and 12pm.  I found plenty of parking at the gliderport.  Once on the beach I headed north to my usual spot.

I swam once on Saturday and twice on Sunday.  The only living thing I saw while swimming was the sting ray I nearly stepped on in shallow water.  I saw dolphins in the surf Sunday morning and I saw them beyond the surf late Monday afternoon.

Sunday there were lots of people pitching horseshoes.  There were volleyball games too.  One if my friends practiced with his boomerang.

I spent much of Monday stuffing envelopes with Claudia, first the newsletters then her wedding invitations.

We saw a cloud of dust to the south, somewhere around the north trail.  We took a walk to investigate.  It seems somebody at the top of the cliff caused a landslide.  Much of the dust was still running down to the beach.

We left the beach about 6:45 and watched the sunset from the observation deck at the gliderport.

April 19, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived about 10am, parked at the gliderport and hiked down.  As I was setting up my bulletin board, I noticed a few people gathering around a sea lion.

We see dead seals on the beach often, but this one was still alive.  I later learned that it had been right in that same spot since yesterday, presumable without food or water.  I called 911 and they placed a call to Sea World rescue.  An hour and a half later I learned that the call had never been relayed.  I learned this from lifeguards when they arrived about 11:45.  They placed a call to Sea World.  I called a friend who looked up the number for me and I called Sea World directly.  Their rescue truck was already out on a call and they would get to our sea lion in turn.  Apparently there were several sea lion rescues today.    They finally arrived and took the still live sea lion about 1:30pm.

When the lifeguards arrived at 11:45, they set up the cones, marking the southern boundary of the nude beach.  Later in the day lifeguards brought their new toy to the beach, a four wheel drive F350 truck with a camper.  It will be the mobile lifeguard station through the summer.  They were taking it for a test drive to make sure it could reach the entire beach.  Well, it failed the test, at least at first.  They got stuck in the sand near Hully Gully because they neglected to engage the four wheel drive.  They got it out and drove around a little.  It seems to have passed the test now.

The beach was littered with the remains of many by-the-wind sailors, a small jellyfish relative.

I went swimming once.  It didn't see anything living, but I did catch a few waves.

I was on the beach until about 7pm.  The sun set during my hike up the trail, and I missed it.

April 14, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived about 11am.  The weather looked bad, but I had to at least show up, since I had advertised that I would show Venus today.  I hiked down to the beach and north to my usual hangout.

A few of my friends were already there.  I set up my stuff, including a windbreak/reflector.  I spent much of the day grading papers and sleeping.  Much of that time I was under a blanket.

I woke up to learn that there was a cliff rescue in progress.  Somebody was stuck on the North Trail.  A helicopter and the surf rescue boat were used as spotters until lifeguards could repel down to the hiker.  I left the beach before the rescue was complete.

I left about 4pm.  There was a volleyball game in progress as I left.  Even the players were starting to dress, against the cold.

April 13, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived about 11:30am.  As I started toward the trail, a swarm of bees flew by.  I just stood still as they followed the queen through the parking lot.  I hiked down and met up with a few friends.

It was overcast, but warm.  The sun did come out for a few minutes, but it didn't last.  I carried down an umbrella, but I used it to block the wind.

By about 4pm we gave up, packed and left.  There was a volleyball game in progress as I left.

April 12, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived about 11:30am, hiked down and met up with a friend.  It was overcast, but I had indicators that it would clear up.  There were very few people on the beach.  I carried down an umbrella, but I used it to block the wind.  By about 2pm we gave up, packed and left.

April 6, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived about 11:30am, but sat in my car watching the weather until almost 1pm waiting for the weather to improve.  The whole time it was cloudy but warm.  I hiked down the Burro Trail and the sky cleared by the time I made it to the beach.

There were perhaps a hundred people on the beach.  I didn't see any activities, just people soaking up the sun.  There were clouds all day, but usually didn't block the sun.  When I left about 5pm there was still some warm sunshine left.

April 5, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived about 11:30am.  It was cloudy and windy at first, but I took a chance and hiked down.  The sky began to clear almost immediately.

It was a quiet day with very few people.  I left about 4pm.

March 31, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived about 9:30, met up with a TNS videographer and hiked down the Burro Trail.  We hiked north to my usual spot and met up with a few friends.

It was somewhat cool, so we didn't get naked for quite a while.  We did undress and play some Frisbee.  That was the only way to keep warm.

Later we fired up a grill and had a little picnic.  We ate chicken and pork chops.

The weather looked hopeless, so I left about 1:30.

March 30, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived early with three friends.  We hiked down, three of us vie the Burro Trail and one by way of the Goat Trail.  Once at the bottom we planted the post and assembled the bulletin board.

We headed north to our usual spot and waited for the weather to improved.  There was a short time of perhaps thirty minutes when we could actually make out the sun.  Most of the day we laid on the beach dressed and/or under a blanket.

About 3:30 we finally admitted to ourselves that it wasn't going to clear, so we all headed up the trail.

March 29, 2002: Black's Beach

I wasn't in a hurry, since weather indicators showed it to be cloudy.  Finally at about 12pm a site showed a sunlight intensity of 56% and I decided that was good enough.  I parked at the gliderport at about 1pm and headed down the Burro Trail.

It was sunny and warm until about 4:30 when I left.  A friend buried the seal carcass while I assisted.

March 26, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived about 10:30 and found the gliderport lot nearly empty.  I took the Burro Trail, which was still in good condition, to the beach.  I headed north and set up with some friends.

I passed a cormorant sitting on a rock.  Later I tracked it down, still on the beach.  I managed to get very close to it, and even posed for a few pictures with it.  It must have been injured or it wouldn't let me get that close.  It wasn't begging for food and it looked like it knew how to use that sharp beak, so we left it to fend for itself.

I attempted and failed to find Venus again.

I went for one short swim.  I rode a rip current out and swam back between rips.  I found a dead sand dollar, which I turned over to a girl collecting shells.  The water had a putrid smell to it, much like the seal carcass, so I was anxious to get out.

I was on the beach until about 5:30 and reached the top of the cliff with a few minutes to spare before sunset.  I was trying to spot Venus before sunset, but didn't see it.  Only a few minutes after sunset I found Venus exactly where I knew it was.  I took some time to make sure a few tourists in the parking lot saw Venus.  Before I left I spotted Jupiter directly overhead and pointed it out too.

March 25, 2002: Black's Beach

I attempted to spot Venus, as practice for April 14th, and failed.

March 23, 2002: Black's Beach

It rained that morning and was very cloudy.  I left home for work about 7:30am, wondering if I was wasting the effort packing for a day at the beach right afterward.  I finished work about 11am and received a call from a friend in the parking lot telling me it was sunny.  I had my doubts, but who am I to argue with someone who's right there.

I was at the gliderport parking by about 11:30 and the sky was beautiful.  I hiked down and met with a few friends.  It was sunny and warm, and there were about a hundred people on the beach.

I spent some time picking up the little patches of tar.  I'm sure I didn't get it all, so watch your step.  Baby oil will take it off.

I don't think I've ever seen so many paragliders in the air at the same time.  I counted a dozen to the north, then turned my head a saw at least a dozen to the south.

Late in the afternoon the clouds began to build.  I left the beach about 5pm.

March 22, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived about 11am, and found the gliderport was almost empty.  It was cloudy and looked hopeless.  I made other plans and left.  Later a friend told me it turned out to be a nice day after 1pm.

March 18, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived about 11am, and found plenty of parking at the gliderport.  I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up a little to the north.  There was a light wind, so I set up my windbreaks.

It was a very quiet day and I left about 5pm.

March 15, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived about 10:30, and the gliderport lot was practically empty.  The hike down was uneventful.  It was windy and cool at first.  I hiked north just a little ways and set up.  It was a struggle setting up my windbreaks against the strong wind.

Soon afterward a friend arrived and we added another windbreak to our setup.  By about 12pm the wind had died down and it was getting hot.

Clouds started to appear around 4pm and about 5pm we decided it was time to call it a day.

March 10, 2002: Naturally California Whale Watch and San Onofre

I arrived at the Oceanside harbor about 8:30am and met with other members while waiting for others to arrive.  The ship left at the appointed time, 9am.  Initially it was very cold, but eventually it was warm enough to undress.  There must have been forty or fifty naked people looking for whales.

There were a few anxious reports of whale spouts, which turned out to be pelicans making a splash when they made a dive.  Many of us also spotted a purple jellyfish.

Eventually we did spot one and we ran parallel to it for a while, watching it surface six or seven times.  I think it was only one whale seen over and over again.  I doubt if I got any good pictures, since it was never at the surface very long.

Time was running out and our captain took us back to the docks, pausing at a buoy populated with sea lions.  I took a few pictures of the sea lions on the buoy and some in the water.  We were back on land at 11am making plans to meet at San Onofre.

I arranged to ride with a friend and we were parking by 12:00.  There were lots of spaces.  The trail was in good condition.

There were dozens of people on the beach.  There was a cool breeze from the north and most people had wind brakes set up.  A few from our group were there ahead of us, and others arrived soon after us.

There were people playing a golf-like game, using a tennis ball.  A little later a group of volleyball players arrived.  Some of our group joined the game.

By about 4pm it was getting cold and we left almost all at once.

March 9, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived about 11:30, saw that the lot looked full and chose to park on the street.  On my way down the Burro Trail I noted some recent trail improvements, still not fixing the one steep spot.  There was still some mud and mud flows on the trail, though minimal.

I set up my bulletin board and settled in my usual spot, north of last year's landslide.  Some of my friends were there already and other arrived soon afterward.

It was warm and sunny all day.  There were hundreds of people there.  Some were playing Frisbee.  Some pitched horseshoes.  There were people playing volleyball too.

A friend arrived somewhat late and we watched the sunset from the beach.  We climbed up the Burro Trail in twilight and I pointed out a few stars and planets from the parking lot and street.

Afterward I had car trouble and had to wait for a tow truck.  I noted that a Pinkerton patrol locked the gate to the gliderport lot at 8:50.

March 2-4, 2002: Black's Beach

Friday was cloudy and I stayed home.  Saturday I arrived about 11:30 and parked had to park on the street.  The gliderport lot was full.  The north lot has been blocked off for the last few weekends, because the runway has been in use.  They have been opening some of the east lot to our use.  Sunday I arrived about 10am and found plenty of parking in the gliderport west lot.  Monday I arrived about 11am and found plenty of parking in the west lot.

Visibility was great, especially Sunday.  Not only could I see La Jolla clearly from the top of the cliff, I could see Long Beach and the San Gabriel mountains to the north.  Sunday morning I could even see islands to the west and northwest.  They must have been San Clemente and Catalina.  I was kicking myself for not bringing my good camera.

I followed the Burro Trail down.  Saturday is when I noticed that one of the vandalized steps had been replaced.  I also noticed that one particularly steep, slippery and high step had been improved.  It still needs some work though.  This one spot with high, narrow, slippery steps remains the most challenging area of the trail.

There were people playing volleyball.  Some played Frisbee.  Others pitched horseshoes.  There were a few surfers, but the waves looked mostly dead.

I went swimming Sunday and Monday.  The water was exceptionally clear.  There just wasn't anything to see but sand, seaweed and a few broken shells.  Monday I heard dolphins and eventually spotted them, while in the water.  I took one picture, but I doubt it was any good.  Those dolphins never pose.

I stayed for sunset Sunday.  We were expecting to see the green flash.  We could see a few clouds far out at sea.  They were probably hovering over San Clemente and Catalina.  I didn't see the green flash.

February 15, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived about 11am and parked at the gliderport.  I followed the Burro Trail down, noticing an unusual amount of trash.  I also noticed a few steps had been ripped out of the trail, leaving metal spikes sticking out of the ground in dangerous places.  I removed a few of the spikes, but the others were too secure.

Reaching the bottom, what a surprise, somebody had camped right at the foot of the trail.  There I found a smoldering fire pit with the remains of the steps, dozens of beer cans, the cardboard box for the beer, a fleece blanket and other miscellaneous litter.  I cleaned up the best I could, but I had to wait for the lifeguards to show up with a bucket and douse the hot coals.

I settled in a spot a little south of that fire pit.  It was warm at first.  The sun was peeking between the clouds much of the time.  It soon began to cool and a friend arrived we set up our reflectors and enjoyed the warmth of the sun.

By about 2pm it clouded over and the chances of more sun looked hopeless, so we packed up and left soon afterward.  We left the parking lot about 3pm.

February 9, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived about 9am.  There was a short line of cars to get into the lot.  When I reached the front, I simply said I was going to the beach and they directed me to the west lot.  There were many spaces at that early hour.  Some of my friends, who arrived much later, said that they only found a space because somebody had just left.

The Burro Trail was in the shade and the ground was cold.  I found myself wishing I'd worn shoes.  Reaching the bottom I found that much of the beach was wet from high tide and the beach to my left was mostly covered in fist sized rocks.

I went to my usual spot and met up with several friends.  We played Frisbee.  We took pictures of some birds for a future web site.  We also took pictures of dolphins.  Some of my friends flew kites.

I went swimming three times and had a friend taking pictures of me riding waves.  I saw a corbina in the surf and I saw a bat ray in about chest deep water.  I heard dolphins during one swim, but I only saw them from the shore.

There were men surf fishing.  The people that usually pitch horseshoes set up a golf course instead.  Other people were playing volleyball.  There were people surfing.

I could see a cloud of smoke far to the north.  I learned later that there were some fires in Orange County.

The beach was getting cool, so I packed and started up the Burro Trail.  I could see that the sun would set before I reached the top.  I stopped at a good viewpoint and watched with two others.  We could see dolphins playing in the sparkling orange surf.  They were distracting from the spectacle of the sunset.  Finally the sun went down and I was disappointed that there was no green flash.  Then I saw the sky glow above the now gone sun.  That glow flickered a few times before it finally faded.  It wasn't my imagination.  The other two saw it too.  It must have been a combination of reflections off the water and atmosphere.

I left the parking lot about 5:40.  There were no traffic problems.

February 9, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived about 11:30.  There was one car ahead of me.  When I reached the front of the line, I told the Buick Invitational staff that I was going to the beach and she directed me to the glider port lot.  Parking was scarce, but I took a place at the end of a row of cars.  As I prepped my pack, I saw cars leave and other cars take their spaces.

I met up with friends in our usual spot.  Almost immediately we noticed the smell of a brushfire and it didn't take long for us to spot the smoke.  It looked like it might be coming from the golf course or the north parking lot.  We monitored the radio and heard that it was a brushfire near the 805/5 merge.  We even saw some ash reach the beach.

We played Frisbee for a while, until the wind made it difficult to control.  Then we had a can race.  That means we let aluminum cans blow from a starting line to a finish line.  It was hard to tell who won.  There was evidence of can tampering.

I went swimming, twice.  I didn't see any life in the water and the surf was really rough.  There were some waves over six feet high.  I caught a ride on a few and hopefully I was caught on film by a friend on the beach with a telephoto lens.

There were people pitching horseshoes and others playing volleyball.

The city lifeguards were patrolling the beach.  I saw two Sand Diego police officers pass by on ATVs.  Fist they passed going south, then they passed returning north.  The next day I learned that they on the beach because of a case of road rage way north at Torrey Pines.

About 3pm the winds became gusty and they were blowing sand across the beach.  Sand drifts were forming.  Lots of sand accumulated on all our towels.

We toughed it out for a while, but packed up and left about 4:30.  We hiked up the trail and watched the sunset from the glider port.

February 8, 2002: Black's Beach

At 10:30 there was a traffic jam leading to the gliderport.  There were signs saying no public parking, but I knew better.  When I finally got to the front, I simply said I was going to the beach and they directed me to the lot to the west.  There were still a few empty spaces, but the lot occupied by many golf fans.

The sky was clouded over, but I had high hopes that it would clear soon.  I waited in the parking lot until 12:00, then left.  At 12:15 the sky suddenly cleared.  I turned around and returned to the gliderport lot.  This time there was no traffic jam to enter the lot.

I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my board and headed north to meet up with friends.  I played Frisbee with my friends and went for a swim by myself.  The water temperature was exhilarating, and I didn't see any life there.

Soon after I got out of the water we noted that a wall of clouds was about to block the sun.  We set up some reflectors and windscreens to try and keep warm, but it was pointless.

We packed up and hiked up the Goat Trail.  We started our engines at about 4:15 and finally got out of the parking lot 15 minutes later.  It was quite a traffic jam.  Another 40 minutes later I finally reached the freeway.

February 4, 2002: Black's Beach

The street was marked as a no parking zone, for the Buick Invitational.  The lot East of the glider port was separated by cones, sawhorses and signs.  It was set apart as parking for the golf tournament.  I simply entered the lot and turned left.

The hike down the Burro Trail was uneventful, except for the heavy equipment I saw from the trail.  When I reached the beach, I could see that they were taking sand from one spot on the beach and loading it into a dump truck.  They were likely using the sand to restore the access road.

I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead, headed north and met up with a few friends.  There were only a few dozen people on the beach.  Not many people seemed to be doing anything.  We spent the day soaking up the sun.

We saw dolphins playing almost all day.  We even saw them breach a few times.  About the only time we didn't see dolphins was when I went swimming.

I went swimming twice.  I had heard the night before that the water temperature was at a record low.  The only life I saw was fish I spotted from knee deep water.  It was probably corbina.  There were surf fishermen on the beach earlier.

I left the beach about 5pm and watched the sunset from the parking lot.

February 3, 2002: Black's Beach

I met a friend in the gliderport lot and we hiked down on different trails, me on the Burro and he on the Goat.  I took pictures of him across the canyon, for later use on my "routes" page.

We reached the beach, set up my bulletin board and headed north to our usual spot.  It was a while before we undressed, since much of the beach was still in the shade.  We were in the sun by 9am and could then undress.

The waning gibbous moon was very visible, so I took a few pictures of the moon above the ocean.  I also used my telephoto lens to photograph passing dolphins and a few birds.  I intend to add  a page featuring birds of Black's Beach.

A few of us played some Frisbee to warm up.  We tried again later, but it was just too difficult in the stronger wind.

By about 12:00 lifeguards had set up the nudity boundary, for the first time in months.  Unfortunately, they put it on the wrong place, pushing nudists north by about 100 meters.  I headed south to politely point out their error, but they took a long time to return.  Before their return one of my friends moved the markers.  Soon afterward I spotted the lifeguards.  I headed south to intercept them and educate them on the boundary.  But, before I reached them, another man told them exactly what I had in mind.  It was as I suspected.  They were new and didn't really know where the boundary was.

The days started out calm and warm, and the flies were all over me.  Later the wind picked up and many of us set of wind breaks.  It was sunny and clear the whole day.

I left the beach about 4:30 and hiked up the Burro Trail.

February 1, 2002: Black's Beach

The weather looked hopeless when I got off work at 9am, but I decided to try anyway.  I parked at the gliderport, where there were a few mud puddles.  I dressed in long pants and shoes for a change, since it was a bit cold.   I hiked down the Burro Trail at about 9:45, finding minimal damage from the recent storm.  I set up my bulletin board, hiked north at met up with my friends in our usual spot.

I didn't undress for a while, since it wasn't exactly warm.  Eventually I did undress and I had to put on a fleece shirt once in a while to keep warm.

I played Frisbee with my friends.  I didn't get in the water, but it looked very clear.  I didn't see any other activities going on.

I left about 2pm and hiked up the Goat Trail for the first time ever.  Pictures will be posted on my "routes" page page soon.  I found it very passable.  Only one spot was really challenging, mostly due to the way I carry my gear.  I carry bags at each side, making me too wide for that trail.  A backpack would have been a much more suitable way to carry gear on that trail. 

January 27, 2002: Black's Beach

I monitored the weather through my website.  I checked the Scripps Pier cam and it showed cloudy.  I periodically checked Scripps water and it showed a sunlight intensity that reached 29%.  These were enough to convince me to stay home.  I even checked the west coast radar loop and it showed a storm headed our way.  Sometimes they hit Los Angeles and miss us though.

January 26, 2002: Black's Beach

I wasn't sure about the weather.  I thought about staying home, but I took a chance and headed for the beach.  It seemed warm enough in the parking lot, so I headed down to the beach.  I headed north and stopped at a frequent spot of mine just north of last year's landslide.

The temperature was fairly warm much of the day.  When it did get a little cool,  I kept warm by playing Frisbee with a few friends.  I never bothered setting up my reflector or windbreak, but I saw that many other had.

I didn't go swimming, but the water looked very clear.  The waves seemed small.

I talked to three geologist from UC Santa Barbara.  They were studying last year's landslide.

There were volleyball games to the north and south of me.

I left about 3:30.

January 25, 2002: Black's Beach

On my way down the trail, I saw dolphins in the surf.  I setup my bulletin board and was harassed by some teenage surfers.  The words didn't hurt and neither did the rock they threw at me from the trail, since it missed.

I set up just north of last year's landslide.  There was no wind at first and the flies wouldn't leave us alone.  Later a gentle breeze picked up and the flies left us alone.

I went swimming twice.  Visibility was good, but the surf was small.  I still managed to catch a ride back to shore.  The water temperature was about 57.  The only life I saw was one stingray, under about eight feet of water, and lots of tiny shellfish.

I was cloudy and cool for a few minutes at a time.  We played Frisbee to warm up.

I left about 3:30 and made an uneventful climb back to the gliderport. 

January 17-21, 2002: Black's Beach

I went to Black's all those days and all the trip reports will read about the same.  I arrived at the glider port about 10am and found plenty of parking at the glider port.  The street parking was full Thursday and Friday.  In fact, it had overflowed into the glider port lot.  As I left Saturday and Sunday, I saw that cars extended far out into the lot, indicating that the lot was nearly full at one point.

I hiked down the Burro Trail, which was in mostly good condition.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and spread out my own stuff.  I set up my stuff in three different places over these five days.  Weekdays there were dozens of people on the beach and there were over a hundred over the weekend.

I swam some of those days.  The surf was rough and the current carried me south.  I found areas of good visibility, but I saw very little life.  There were only tiny shells.  I did manage to catch a few good rides.  I think the water temperature was about 58 Fahrenheit.  I found it exhilarating.

I also played some Frisbee.  One friend practiced with his boomerang.  I saw people pitching horseshoes and others playing volleyball.  There were lots of surfers, all wearing wetsuits.

Life guards were present all five days, but they didn't set up the boundary marker even one day.  Come to think of it, I haven't seen them set it up in a long time.

Rangers were also on the beach Sunday and Monday.  Sunday seemed like a non-issue.  There was only one, in a white jeep marked lifeguard.  He passed us going north, and returned south soon after.  Monday was different.  They showed up in two different vehicles.  One was marked K-9 unit, but I didn't see a dog.  They spent a lot of time up north around Mussel Rocks.

It was warm much of each day.  Sometimes is was windy, but with the help of windscreens and reflectors, I was able to stay warm until about 4pm each day.

The hike up the trail was uneventful, except Monday.  I reached the top of the trail with a friend, just in time to watch the sunset.  We watched the sun pass behind a narrow cloud near the horizon, then emerge into a clear band below the cloud.  As the sun went down, I saw a brief sparkle of green light, like a star, at the top edge of the sun.  It was the green flash, seen through a tiny gap in the clouds.

January 13, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived at the glider port about 9:10 and found plenty of parking.  I rushed down the Burro Trail, since I was late for our beach cleaning mission.  The trail was in mostly good condition.  The waves were so high they were reaching the cliffs in a few places.   I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and headed north.  I took the high ground over the landslide and I was still walking through the surf.

I set my stuff on high ground and joined the cleaning crew.  We were gathering large items of debris for the ranger to pick up in a truck today.  We collected rusty car parts, a tire, lots of bottles, a few signs...

We raked a section of beach to soften the sand and speed the drying process.  There was only hazy sunshine and the whole beach was steaming.  We could see far to the north, but to the south we couldn't even see La Jolla.  Eventually it did clear up enough to see Scripps Pier.

I went swimming twice.  The water was exhilarating, making the first swim very short.  The second swim was longer than I had intended.  I got caught in a rip and I was making no progress swimming back.  I've swam back against a rip before, but that was in warmer water.  I decided to swim parallel to shore, as you're supposed to.  But then a big wave came along and I took it for a ride.  Then I caught another and made it to shore.  There were a few others playing in the surf, but they were staying in waist deep water.

I played Frisbee with some friends a few times.  I saw others pitching horseshoes.  There were volleyball games at two courts.  There were lots of surfers, but they all wore wetsuits.  There were hundreds on the beach today.

Two rangers showed up, as per our cleanup arrangement.  Before reaching us, they stopped to talk to one man.  It looked like they issued him a citation, probably camping, littering or his campfire.  We loaded up his truck and he patrolled the beach a bit and turned back south.  They stopped in front of the landslide and appeared to be issuing another citation.  Somebody suggested that a glass bottle was the problem.

One of my friends noticed another buoy in the surf.  We suspected, from recent experience, that it was probably a lobster trap.  And, it was probably full.  We pulled it in and sure enough there were six lobsters inside.  We released them, but then had a better idea.  We caught them and measured them.  Three were legal size.  I took two and a friend took one, for dinner.

I left the beach before sunset.  The parking lot looked as if it was very full at one time today.  I rarely know, since I arrive early.

January 12, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived at the glider port about 10:15 and found plenty of parking.  I hiked down the Burro Trail, which was in mostly good condition.  There is one small, steep, slippery spot near the bottom where I slipped and fell, scraping my side a few days ago.  The waves were so high they were reaching the cliffs in a few places.   I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and headed north.  I had to walk through the surf in order to pass the landslide.

I stopped just north of the landslide and set up with a few friends.  I was cautious about getting too much of my stuff out right away, just in case I had to run from a wave.

I quickly went for a very short swim and came back feeling an ice cream headache.  The water temperature was exhilarating.  Still, I went swimming two more times.  Each time it was a little easier to tolerate the water temperature.  At the end of one swim, I found a buoy in the surf.  I called a friend over and together we hauled in the lobster trap attached.  There were four lobsters inside, which we set free.

I spotted dolphins from the shore.

I played Frisbee a few times.  I saw people playing volleyball and others pitching horseshoes.  A friend of mine was practicing with his boomerang.

It was sunny and warm.  There were hundreds of people on the beach today.

The lifeguards drove back and forth several times today, but I never saw that they set up the cones and sign marking the nudity boundary.  They did haul away the lobster trap for us.

I stayed until sunset, but I did get dressed just a few minutes before.

January 11, 2002: Black's Beach

I arrived at the glider port about 10:15 and found plenty of parking.  I hiked down the Burro Trail, which was in mostly good condition.  There is one small, steep, slippery spot near the bottom where I slipped and fell, scraping my side a few days ago.  The tide had not been as high as I expected.  I was surprised to find the sand relatively dry.  It was all damp, but not soaked.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and headed a little south.

The wind was calm so the temperature was warm.  Unfortunately that also meant that there were lots of flies.  I must have killed dozens of flies before the wind suddenly picked up at 1pm.  This drove away the flies, but forced me to wear a shirt for a while.  Later the wind died and the flies returned.

There were dozens of people on the beach, mostly men.  The water was very cold and I didn't go for a swim.  Lifeguards passed only a few times while I was on the beach.  They did not set up the cones marking the city beach/clothing compulsive boundary.

A little after 3pm I packed and hiked up the trail with a friend.  We stopped twice for the view.  At one stop I spotted water spouts way out in the water.  My friend even saw something come out of the water.  It must have been whales.  We stopped and watched for a few minutes.