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

December 17, 2003: Black's Beach

I set up my bulletin board and undressed immediately. I then headed north to my usual spot beyond Valentine Slide and raised my flag.

I set up wind breaks and reflectors to keep warm. I had to put on a fleece shirt occasionally.

I went swimming once. Most of the waves were small, but sets of larger waves came in at intervals. I caught one wave that carried me 5' above the water.

The tide was way out at first, and kept rising.

It was starting to cool off, but it was still warm when I left about 3pm.

December 15, 2003: Black's Beach

I set up my bulletin board and undressed immediately. I then headed north, to my usual spot beyond Valentine Slide, and raised my flag.

The tide was kind of high, and kept getting higher. The beach had been carved into little peninsulas of high ground. Between the low ground and seaweed, there was often room for only one. I set up on a peninsula, barely within earshot of a friend on the next peninsula.

I set up reflectors, and that is what kept me warm most of the day. I found it necessary put on a fleece shirt about 3pm.

I went for one swim, with buddy, and rode a few waves. The water was clear enough that I found a sand dollar under the surf. We washed up a ways south of our entry point.

I left about 4pm. The sky was so clear that sunset must have given a green flash, but I didn't stay to see.

December 12, 2003: Black's Beach

I was surprised that there was hardly any mud in the parking lot, or on the trail. I was sure the rain would have left them both a mess.

I set up my bulletin board and took off my pants. It was a while before I was warm enough to take off my shirt too. I headed north and joined some friends.

The tide had been very high and left the whole beach wet. The beach was narrow and wet, due to high tide earlier. The only dry places to sit were against the cliff.

I set up far from the cliff, on wet sand. Fortunately, I had brought a waterproof sheet and a chair. I set up reflectors, but did not raise the flag. I thought it would cool off soon and I would leave early.

I left about 3pm, and noticed the handrail brace that was not there on my way down.

December 8, 2003: Black's Beach

I set up my bulletin board then headed south and set up near the City beach boundary. Once there, I undressed and raised my flag.

I set up reflectors, just in case it wasn't warm enough.

The flies were a bit of a problem. They didn't bother me so much.

The tide was way out all day. The tide had been very high and left much of the beach wet. There were trenches carved into the beach by waves removing sand.

I left about 3pm, even though it was still warm.

December 6, 2003: Black's Beach

I undressed immediately and set up my bulletin board. I then headed north to my usual spot beyond Valentine Slide and raised my flag.

I set up wind breaks and reflectors. They kept me warm until about 2:30pm. The flies were a bit of a problem. The tide was way out at first, but it was definitely rising.

I left about 3pm, because it was getting cloudy. The sun came out a little during my climb up the trail.

December 5, 2003: Black's Beach

I undressed immediately and set up my bulletin board. I then headed north to my usual spot beyond Valentine Slide and raised my flag. I set up wind breaks and reflectors.

The flies were a problem, since there was little wind. The tide was way out all day. I did find it necessary to put on a fleece shirt for a short time in the afternoon.

I left about 3:30pm.

November 30, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down with long pants and shoes. Those turned out to be excessive on the beach, so I took them off right away.

Dave was there ahead of me and had already setup his bulletin board at the trailhead. I headed north to my usual spot and found that Dave had set up flags too.

Since there was very little wind, the flies were pretty bad. It's time to start bringing fly repellent. I set up reflectors, but it was too warm for me.

I left about 4pm, before sunset. 

November 23, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down in long pants and shoes, which is unusual for me. I set up my bulletin board and took off my pants. I then headed north to my usual spot beyond Valentine Slide and raised my flag.  I soon took off my shirt too.

The tide had been very high and left most of the sand wet. I raked some sand to soften and dry a spot. I also set up some reflectors to have a warm spot later in the day.

The NCEX staff were removing their equipment throughout the day, as they were yesterday.  I saw them tow away one of their trailers.  There was still much to be removed.

I was glad to have the reflectors, long pants and shoes at the end of the day. Otherwise, I would have been cold.

I left the beach about 4:30, then waited in the parking lot for sunset. I saw an inversion layer separate a piece of the sun. Then I saw it turn a pale green. 

November 22, 2003: Black's Beach

I found that a friend had already set up my bulletin board.  I took off my pants, then headed north to my usual spot beyond Valentine Slide and raised my flag.

The tide had been very high and left very little dry sand, and only near the cliffs.  I chose to sit in a chair on the hard, damp sand.

I only took off my shirt for a short time. I even put on a fleece shirt later in the day. I set up wind screens and reflectors to keep warm.  It was barely enough.

I packed before sunset and stopped to watch sunset on my way to the trail.  I could see a greenish tint to the top of the sun, but it wasn't quite a green flash.  I hiked up the trail and left the parking lot about 5pm.

November 17, 2003: Black's Beach

I undressed immediately and set up my bulletin board. I then headed north to my usual spot beyond Valentine Slide and raised my flag.

I went swimming and did a little body surfing. Visibility was poor until I got a ways past the huge surf. Eventually I found very clear water, but there was only sand a seaweed. I caught a great wave. I was on top of a six foot wave. Then it threw me ahead and the wave crashed down on me. It gave me quite a tumble and it was kind of hard to reach the surface again.

I could see the sand burm north of me.  My friends had told me about this barricade meant to contain the sewage spill of November 7.  I'm told much of the sewage is still contained within those sand walls.  I felt no desire to get any closer.

About 2pm I moved next to some reflectors I'd set up earlier, because it was getting a little cool. I stayed on the beach until about 4pm. Then packed up and made my way south to the trail.

About 4:45 I paused at the trailhead to watch sunset. The sun went down behind a cloud about one degree above the horizon and I saw a green outline on the clouds.

November 15, 2003: Black's Beach

I set up my bulletin board and headed north to my usual spot beyond Valentine Slide.  The weather didn't look very promising, so I didn't take the time to raise my flag.

I took off my pants, but kept my shirt on.  In fact, I even put on a fleece shirt to keep warm.  Just a little later I felt a mist.  I looked west and saw the rain over the ocean.

I packed up and left about 1:30pm.  Once in the parking lot, I looked back and it was getting sunny.

November 14, 2003: Black's Beach

I undressed immediately and set up my bulletin board. I then headed south and set up near city beach boundary. I raised my flag and a few friends joined me shortly

I left about 4pm.

October 26, 2003: Black's Beach

As I walked down the trail, I saw a vein of ash in the water.  I undressed immediately and set up my bulletin board.  I then headed north to my usual spot beyond Valentine Slide.  When I got there, I found that Dave had already raised our flags.

Few people were on the beach.  Some I know were watering down their front yards.  One I know could not get home.  We occasionally heard news about closed freeways.

There were ashes falling everywhere, like a very light snow.  Throughout the day, there were more ashes on my sheet than sand.

I left about 5pm.  I chose to avoid freeways I knew or suspected were closed.  I took the long way home.

October 25, 2003: Black's Beach

I undressed immediately and set up my bulletin board. I then headed north to my usual spot beyond Valentine Slide and raised my flags.

It was cooling off, so I left about 5:30pm.

October 24, 2003: Black's Beach

I undressed immediately and set up my bulletin board. I then headed north to my usual spot beyond Valentine Slide and raised my flag. Once sitting down I noticed marker buoys for lobster traps, way beyond the surf.

I could see NCEX setting up more equipment throughout the day.

I left about 3:30pm, because it was getting a bit cool. Once up to the parking lot, I looked back and thought it might clear after all. But, it was too late for me. I went to see a movie until traffic lightened.

October 22, 2003: Black's Beach

I undressed immediately and set up my bulletin board. I then headed north to my usual spot beyond Valentine Slide and raised my flag. On the way I passes NCEX setting up a fence and a panel inside, not high enough to keep people out though.

I was able to see a large group of sunspots through the haze.

Fog rolled in while I was swimming at about 2pm. I packed up and left about 3pm.

October 19, 2003: Black's Beach

Parking at 10:30am	street parking, plenty of spaces gliderport, plenty of spaces
Burro Trail	The trail was in mostly good condition.
Climate	hazy until 2pm, hot and sunny after 2pm, no wind until 3:30pm
People	maybe two hundred
Activities Observed	surfing, swimming, body surfing, body boarding, volleyball
Water	temperature: cool  surf: 5', but I couldn't catch any. visibility: less than 2 feet, red tide, reddish brown water, yellow foam
Wildlife Observed	western gulls, ring billed gulls, heerman's gulls, curlews, squirrels, rabbit, purple jellyfish, wimbrels, pelicans, raven, blue heron, shearwater gull
Lifeguards and Law Enforcement	I saw city lifeguards in their white trucks and yellow truck with white camper.

I undressed immediately and set up my bulletin board.  I then headed north to my usual spot beyond Valentine Slide and raised my flags.

In the morning I heard what I thought were several sonic booms, but one of my friends didn't think that was it.  We saw a few sundogs in the afternoon.  Some of them were very colorful and I took a few pictures.

Several people were hit by a rouge wave, including myself.  It came out of nowhere and went as far back as the sandbags surrounding the NCEX trailers.  Don't they realize that the 7.2' high tides next weekend will destroy that facility?

I noticed a lot of new rocks on the beach, more from the slide of last fall.  Dave said he saw a little more slide activity about 4:50pm.  I only saw the dust.

We found a shearwater gull flopping around in the surf.  It was captured and given a chance to recover.  It attempted to fly, but wound up back in the surf.  It washed up soon after and we just left it to its own fate.

I watched sunset from the beach.  It was very red and left a lot of colorful clouds behind.

October 17, 2003: Black's Beach

I undressed immediately and set up my bulletin board. I then headed north to my usual spot beyond Valentine Slide and raised my flag. I noticed that the NCEX trailers had been rearranged.

I could see the white buoys that mark lobster traps.  I was very familiar with where they were.  It looked like my usual sand dollar swim distance.  I know it's about 200 meters off shore and the sandy bottom is 5 meters down.  I couldn't see them later in the day, since the angle of sunlight was no longer favorable.

I left about 5:30pm.  I could see the sun disappearing into the clouds about ten degrees above the horizon.

October 13, 2003: Black's Beach

I undressed immediately and set up my bulletin board. I then headed north to my usual spot beyond Valentine Slide and found that my friends had already raised our flag.

It was warm most of the time and even hot sometimes, but the sun never quite came out. So, I left about 3pm.

October 12, 2003: Black's Beach

I had a little trouble going from North Torrey Pines to Torrey Pines Scenic, due to a bike race that blocked traffic for a few seconds. 

I took a few pics of the Scripps relay station and set up my bulletin board.  Then I undressed and took more pics of the tide research setup, a sign in the surf and some mobile buildings that weren’t there two weeks ago.  They were on the south side of Valentine Slide.

Then I headed north to my usual spot North of Valentine Slide and raised my flags.  The tide had been high enough that most of the sand was either wet or packed hard.

I swam twice.  One time I made it to the san dollars.  I thought I swam far enough the second time, but I didn't see them.

I packed up about 6pm, but stopped at the trailhead to watch sunset.  I saw a green flash as one piece of the sun separated at an inversion layer.  Then I saw a green flash again just as the sun disappeared over the horizon.

September 21, 22, 28 and 29, 2003: Black's Beach

On my way down the trail Sunday the 21st, I saw a sign posted.  Upon reaching the beach I set up my bulletin board and went to see what it was about.  It was a sign advising that Scripps Institute would be conducting an experiment through December.  I've asked since then and learned that they are studying the relationship between wave action and sand movement.  There were several monitoring stations in the surf.

Monday the 22nd, Sunday the 28th and Monday the 29th there were three trucks and several people in wetsuits.  They were moving more monitoring stations out into the surf.  Most of the monitoring stations were posts standing in eight feet of water.  There were also a few tripods set up in the surf.  Sunday the 28th is when I first saw the relay station set up at the based of the Burro Trail.  It stands on four legs, includes several gray cases and an antenna aimed at Scripps Pier.

I headed north to my usual spot and raised my flag.  I set up for the picnic Sundays.  Sunday the 21st was the big picnic with The Naturist Society.  Dave brought fifteen people on a bus.  About fifteen others came from the gathering, using their own transportation.  Nicky Hoffman, Judi Ditzler, Bob Morton and Challes Harris were there, to name a few.

I kept busy making ice cream, Sunday the 21st.  I made four batches, two banana flavor, one blackberry and one mint and chip.

Others in my group managed the grill.  I know I ate some hot dogs, chicken and bites of steak.

Both Sundays I left about 6:30pm.  Monday the 22nd I left early, about 3pm.  Monday the 29th, I left about 6pm.

September 19 and 20, 2003: The Naturist Society Gathering at De Anza Springs Resort

Friday I arrived about 12pm and Saturday about 1pm.  I was greeted by friends, Dave Cole and Alan Baylis, before I could get to the office and pay my fees.  I parked an joined in discussions as quickly as I could.

I joined the "How to Get Published in N" discussion.  I listened to the "Creating a Naturist-Positive Environment" talk.  I led my "Chivalry is a Must" discussion.  And I had a few things to add to the "TNS Town Hall Meeting."

I got a free meal from Camping Bares then headed for the hot tub.  I saw a few bats during twilight, then headed home.

Sunday I listened to "A History of California Nude" then attended the "Naturist Group/Club Leadership Meeting."  I noticed some friends of mine doing the "Drumming and Basic Belly Dancing" presentation, but was busy with meetings.

At 3pm I did my "Status of Black's Beach" presentation with Dave Cole.  The discussion was still going strong way overtime, but I had to leave for a Spanish presentation with Claudia Kellersch.  Dave wrapped it up for me.

I was in on the balloon toss.  I teamed up with Ron Mercer, but we were both bad throws.  Some of our balloons wound up soaking people who were way out of bounds.  The prize was something like $80.

It was nearly dark when I realized I might manage to show Mars.  The club had a Dobsonian telescope in a rec room and I just happened to have and eyepiece with me.  I showed Mars to several people.

Then I went to the raffle and left shortly after.

September 12 and 14, 2003: Black's Beach

Upon reaching the beach I set up my bulletin board and undressed.  I headed north to my usual spot and raised my flag.

I swam out to the sand dollars both days, with buddies.  I'm not sure we made it Sunday, since we couldn't see the bottom.

I didn't stay for sunset either day, since it was cloudy.  I left about 6:30pm each day.

September 5, 6 and 7, 2003: Black's Beach

Upon reaching the beach I set up my bulletin board and undressed.  I headed north to my usual spot and raised my flag.

The sand was so hot it burned my feet.  I had to keep sandals available for walking anywhere besides wet sand.

I swam out to the reef a few times with buddies.  Two of us tried to make it down to the reef Sunday, but we didn't make it.  My goggles flooded about thirty feet under.  That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

I watched the sunset all three days, and I saw a green flash each day.  Friday I watched from the trail, and the green flash was even a little bluish, aqua.  Saturday and Sunday I watched from the beach.

Saturday there was a domestic dispute near the trail after sunset.  There was a lot of shouting when I passed.  It seems the man hit the woman in the face after I'd passed.  I looked back and he was dragging her by one arm.  Several people gathered around and demanded he stop.  There were enough people around, so I left.  The police were called, but I'm told the couple left before they arrived, shouting at each other all the way up.  They left all their stuff on the beach and it was cleaned up the next day.

August 29, 31 & September 1, 2003

Friday I saw the best dolphin breach ever.  I saw one breach the water and do a flip.  At the same time another dolphin breached too.

I swam to the reef Sunday and Monday.  Sunday we didn't make it because we were off coarse, but we found it Monday.  Neither of us could make it down to the reef.  I found a bit of a rash on my back afterward.  I suspected that I'd come in contact with jellyfish pieces, so I had one of the guys apply rubbing alcohol.  I felt fine within the hour.

Sunday it was mostly overcast until about 5pm.  I left the beach after sunset.  There was enough ambient light to see the trail though.

Early Monday one of our members found a very good jellyfish specimen.  He put it on display next to our flag all day.

Monday I made ice cream.  The first batch was mint and chip, then vanilla and chocolate chip.  Finally I made a batch of banana flavor.

It was very overcast Monday.  I hardly saw my shadow all day.  I even left a little before sunset.

August 20, 23 & 24, 2003

I went to Black's three times last week, but I was too busy to post trip reports. Now I don't remember the details. I'll just share some highlights.

It was hot every day. I had to have sandals to walk on much of the hot sand.

Wednesday, it sprinkled around 6pm. That's about when I left.

The water was murky Saturday and Sunday, especially Saturday. Both days there was a lot of seaweed in the surf. I was in waist deep water and trudging through knee-deep seaweed. There was a lot of tiny seaweed bits in the surf too. Saturday there was a purple moss floating within an inch of the surface, as far as I could see.

Apparently somebody fell down the cliff and suffered a head injury Friday. I wasn't on the beach, but I saw it on the news. It happened very near Spencer Canyon, which lifeguards call Hully Gully. A helicopter was used in the rescue.

Saturday I left the beach about 6pm. Sometime after I left, a man died on the trail. One of my friends attempted artificial resuscitation until rescue workers arrived. He was not revived. A plaque thanking the lifeguards for their efforts was on the trail Sunday.

August 19, 2003: Black's Beach

Upon reaching the beach I set up my bulletin board and undressed.  I headed north to my usual spot and raised my flag.

The sand was so hot it burned my feet.  I had to keep sandals available for walking anywhere besides wet sand.

I swam out to the reef once with two buddies.  None of us even tried to make it down to the reef.  It was already plenty cold on the surface.

I packed and left the beach about 7:30pm.

August 17, 2003: Black's Beach

Upon reaching the beach I set up my bulletin board and undressed.  I headed north to my usual spot and raised my flag.

The flies were a problem until well into the afternoon.  They gave me no peace, even though there was a steady wind.

The sand was so hot it burned my feet.  I had to keep sandals available for walking anywhere besides wet sand.

I swam out to the reef once with four buddies.  None of us even tried to make it down to the reef.  It was already plenty cold on the surface.  I swam out to the sand dollars too.  I did manage to catch a few waves.

I packed and left the beach about 7:30pm.

August 12, 14 and 16, 2003: Black's Beach

I went to the beach all three days, but didn't find enough time to post trip reports.  Tuesday and Thursday were mostly uneventful.  Thursday the water was colder than usual.

Upon reaching the beach I set up my bulletin board and undressed.  I headed north to my usual spot and raised my flag.  I raked seaweed away from my spot, to reduce fly problems and set up my stuff for the day.

The flies were a problem each day.  Saturday we couldn't even get rid of them by removing seaweed.  They gave me no peace until the wind picked up later in the afternoon.

The sand was so hot it burned my feet.  It was especially hot Saturday.  I had to keep sandals available for walking anywhere besides wet sand.

I went swimming a few times each day.  I swam out to the reef with buddies.  Saturday, as I surfaced near the reef marker, I saw a big splash.  My buddy didn't see what it was either, but we both believe a dolphin breached.  None of us were able to make it down to the reef.  I swam out to the sand dollars a few times each day too.

There were some big waves Thursday, but was unable to predict the best place to be to catch a ride.  I did manage to catch a few rides Saturday.

I watched sunset on the beach Saturday and left the parking lot about 8:30pm.  I don't recall when I left Tuesday and Thursday.

August 11, 2003: Black's Beach

Upon reaching the beach I set up my bulletin board and undressed.  I headed north to my usual spot and raised my flag.  I raked seaweed away from my spot, to reduce fly problems and set up my stuff for the day.

I only went swimming once.  I swam out to the reef with a buddy.  She was able to see the reef, but couldn't reach it.  My goggles are dark, so I couldn't even see it.  Neither of us made it down to the reef.

I was pointing out what I thought might have been a seal.  It turned out to be a bird, but dolphins were spotted while we watched.  They rode a few waves and breached for a while.

I packed up and left about 6:30pm.

August 10, 2003: Black's Beach

Upon reaching the beach I immediately undressed.  I set up my bulletin board.  I headed north to my usual spot and joined a few friends already there ahead of me.

I raised my club flag and helped in setting up for the picnic.  It was so hot and windless that I had to get in the water twice, just to cool off.

The flies were still a bit of a problem.  They swarmed every time somebody passed near the seaweed where they were feeding.  We raked the seaweed into piles and buried it.  There were a lot of jellyfish in the surf.  Several times we pulled pieces out of the surf with a rake and buried it to keep the kids from getting stung.  A member of our group did get stung by a jellyfish while on a swim.  She iced her leg and dabbed on rubbing alcohol.  In less than an hour she was fine.

I think I went swimming three times, only out to the sand dollars.  I got a group of ten people together, but I didn't have time to swim to the reef.  Some of the party went on to the reef, but most of us turned back

We made ice cream, two batches of mint and chip, one batch of vanilla and chip.  Cupcakes were also passed out to celebrate one of the kids' eighth birthday.  I was busy with the ice cream so I didn't notice all the hot food from the grill.  I did notice chicken, steaks, hot dogs, shish kabobs, sausages, salmon and bratwurst.

I was still packing when the sun set.  I watched for the green flash, but didn't see one.  I left the parking lot about 8:30pm.  The east lot was completely full and so was the street parking.  I even saw a limousine in the east lot.  There must have been a concert or something nearby.

August 7 and 9, 2003: Black's Beach

Upon reaching the beach I immediately undressed.  I set up my bulletin board.  I headed north to my usual spot and joined a few friends already there ahead of me.  I raised my club flag.

The flies were still a bit of a problem.  They swarmed every time somebody passed near the seaweed where they were feeding. People were getting stung by sting rays, two that I know of Thursday. A friend of mine got stung Friday.

I lost count of how many times I went swimming.  I swam to the sand dollars many times and to the reef once each day.  Saturday I found five other people who swam to the reef with me. None of us could make it down to the reef.  It was cold, dark and murky.

Thursday I left about 7pm and got stuck in traffic heading north.  It was nearly sunset when I packed and left Saturday.  I noticed the setting sun as I hiked up the trail.  I was barely 1/3 of the way up the trail when I stopped to watch sunset.  There was a green flash as the sun went over the horizon, and it even took an aqua color.

August 6, 2003: Black's Beach

Upon reaching the beach I immediately undressed.  I set up my bulletin board.  I headed north to my usual spot and joined a few friends already there ahead of me.

The flies were still a bit of a problem.  They swarmed every time somebody passed near the seaweed where they were feeding.

I went swimming twice, both times with a buddy.  Before starting our first swim, I spotted a small shark in the shallow surf, about waist deep.  I think it was a leopard shark.  It was about five feet long and dark, but not a solid color.  We swam out to the reef and later swam only to the sand dollars.  We found the marker buoys without any problem, but couldn't make it down to the reef.  It was cold, dark and murky.

It was nearly sunset when I packed and left.  I noticed the setting sun as I hiked up the trail.  I made it to the top in time to see the actual setting of the sun.  We saw a green flash as the sun went over the horizon.

August 5, 2003: Black's Beach

Upon reaching the beach I immediately undressed.  There was already a bulletin board, set up by a friend.  I headed north to my usual spot and joined a few friends already there ahead of me.

The flies were still a bit of a problem.  They swarmed every time somebody passed near the seaweed where they were feeding.

I went swimming twice.  I didn't swim out to the sand dollars because the surf was too good to pass.  I caught one wave that held me six feet above the water.  It also gave me quite a tumble when it finally let me go.

I saw a lot of bat rays in the shallow surf late in the afternoon.

It was nearly sunset when I packed and left.  I noticed the setting sun as I hiked up the trail.  I made it to the top in time to see the actual setting of the sun.  Some of the sun was already below the horizon when I saw the top portion separating.  It turned into a red line of light and shortened.  Finally it was a point of light that flashed green.  I could see another layer in the atmosphere cutting the sun in two.  As the sun went lower, it gave a repeat performance and we saw a second green flash.  We saw yet another green flash as the sun went over the horizon, three green flashes in one sunset.  Walking toward my car, I saw the first quarter moon near the meridian.

August 2 and 3, 2003: Black's Beach

Upon reaching the beach I immediately undressed.  I set up my bulletin board and headed north to my usual spot.  I joined a few friends already there ahead of me.  Sunday we set up for the picnic.

The flies were bad Friday and Saturday, and nearly as bad Sunday.  It was surprising, since we'd already removed the seaweed where they thrive.  I found that they land on dark things, probably because they can hide there.  I placed my dark stuff a little away and people left it alone because they didn't want to stir up the swarm.

I went swimming three times each day, several times with buddies.  I swam out to the sand dollars a few times.  I found and returned with a starfish.  Sunday I swam with five other swimmers to the reef.  We found the markers on the surface, but none of us could make it down to the reef.  It was very cold ten feet down and deeper.  I caught a few good rides on my way back to shore.  I even caught one wave that gave me more tumble than ride.

Some of the hot food from the grill Sunday included: sweet corn, egg plant, salmon, shark, hot dogs, steaks, jerked chicken and kabobs.  There was also some watermelon and fruit kabobs.

I stayed on the beach until sunset both days.  Clouds obscured the sun until it was very near the horizon.  The sun showed itself both evenings in a half degree window at the horizon.  There was a narrow cloud in the middle of the window and the sun was very red.  Saturday I could see the waxing crescent moon high in the sky as I started up the trail.  It was nearly 8pm when I left the parking lot.

August 1, 2003: Black's Beach

Upon reaching the beach I immediately undressed.  I set up my bulletin board and headed north to my usual spot.  I joined a few friends already there ahead of me.

The flies were pretty bad, even though we'd removed most of the seaweed.

I stayed on the beach until nearly sunset.  It was nearly 8pm when I left the parking lot.

July 31, 2003: Black's Beach

Upon reaching the beach I immediately undressed.  I didn't have to set up my bulletin board because a friend had already set one up.  I headed north to my usual spot and joined a few friends already there ahead of me.

I spent the day swimming, and getting my mailing list out.  Some of my subscribers just might find sand in their envelope.

I stayed on the beach until nearly sunset.  I was well on my way up the trail when I saw the sun in a gap between the clouds and the horizon.  The gap was only about a half degree wide, so I could just barely see the entire sun in the gap.  I saw a deep red sun pass through that gap as I hiked up the trail.  It was nearly 8pm when I left the parking lot.

July 30, 2003: Black's Beach

Upon reaching the beach I put on sandals immediately.  The sand was very hot.  I walked toward the water and undressed on cooler sand.  I headed north to my usual spot and joined a few friends already there ahead of me.

I saw one kids hobbling back to the beach with the help of two friends.  He'd been stung by a stingray.  He didn't treat it properly and he suffered more for it.  He didn't want to follow my advice and bury his foot in hot sand, not until the lifeguards arrived and told him the same.  He was too much of a baby to move to an area with hotter sand.  He sat there and suffered until he was so pitiful that the lifeguards gave him a ride at the end of the day.

There were clouds all around, but they rarely blocked the sun.  Late in the day it was sprinkling and we could hear thunder.  About 7pm the sun disappeared into a cloud bank.

About 7:30 I was starting to feel cold, and thinking that the best view of sunset was over.  I packed and headed for the trail.  A few times on my way to the trail and up the trail, the sky demonstrated that it wasn't done showing a beautiful sunset.  The sun descended below a layer of clouds and bathed them in a rich red light.  I stopped a few times and took a few pictures.  The whole time I was afraid my batteries would die before I could take one more picture.

July 27, 2003: Black's Beach

Upon reaching the beach I undressed and headed north to my usual spot.  I joined the crew and started setting up for our picnic.

People were slow to arrive because it was obvious that it was not sunny.  We did get a good showing for the picnic and there was a good variety of hot food from the grill.  There were hot dogs, chicken, shrimp, salmon, sweet corn, zucchini and squash.

After my second swim, I couldn't warm up, so I put on a shirt for a while.  I left about 8pm.

July 26, 2003: Black's Beach

Upon reaching the beach I undressed and headed north to my usual spot.  It was a very uneventful day and it was even beginning to get cold.  Most of my friends left about 4pm.  I stayed until 5pm.

July 24 and 25, 2003: Black's Beach

Thursday I headed north to my usual spot, but Friday and went south and chose a spot near the boundary.  I counted 180 paces from the Burro Trail to the boundary markers.  The lifeguards had done a few things to draw attention to the boundary markers.  They left deep, circular tire tracks just above the surf line and straight tracks leading to the markers near the cliffs.

For some reason most of the people were between the Burro Trail and Spencer canyon both days.  Although there may have been a lot more people way to the north, beyond my sight.

Both days I stayed until about 7pm.  Thursday the sky clouded up about 6pm and Friday the sky cleared about 6pm.

July 23, 2003: Black's Beach

I parked at the gliderport and hiked down the Burro Trail.  I undressed as soon as I reached the beach.  I then headed for my usual spot to the north.

A few of my friends were there ahead of me and a few arrived later.  I left about 6:30pm and hit an unusual amount of traffic.  Apparently, it had something to do with opening day at Del Mar.

July 21, 2003: Black's Beach

I parked at the gliderport and considered not hiking down.  I finally decided to hiked down the Burro Trail.  I set up my bulletin board, undressed and headed north to my usual spot.  I found that my friends were thinking of leaving and we all left about 4pm.

July 20, 2003: Black's Beach

I parked at the gliderport and hiked down the Burro Trail.  I was wearing a heavier than usual back pack, so I headed for my usual spot without stopping to undress.

I arrived at our picnic grounds and joined the crew.  We set up the grill and table, raised the flags, raked the seaweed and set up our bocce can court.

I was ready to go meet some expected friends en route when I saw a couple taking pictures of a snowy egret.  I was jealous that they'd gotten so close without scaring it away.  I picked up my camera and approached.  I approached from behind the couple so the egret didn't think it was being surrounded.  I got a few good pictures.

I went for my first swim and saw a cormorant ahead of me.  I took two pictures, but it will be a while before develop that roll. 

I made ice cream while others managed the grill.  There were people eating hot dogs, hamburgers, zucchini, squash, sausages, chicken, shish kabobs and pork ribs.  I made banana ice cream then blueberry later.  We had enough dry ice left over to make our volcano smoke.

Late in the day we saw a seal breaching beyond the surf.  I stayed for sunset, but didn't actually see it.  I was leaving the parking lot about 8:30pm.  Both gates were still open.

July 19, 2003: Black's Beach

I parked at the gliderport and hiked down the Burro Trail.  There was a new sign posted at the trail head.  It was a no dogs sign.  I later learned the city lifeguards had put that up minutes before I arrived and the Nudity Prohibited sign at the boundary had been replaced.

I took off my pants immediately, but kept my shirt on until I could take off my backpack.  As I arrived at my usual spot, there was a boat flying a dive flag near the artificial reef.  I could see two divers entering the water.  I figured if I started swimming soon, I could reach the boat about the time they'd surface.

I got out my swimming gear and headed for the boat.  I got there and they were still underwater.  With my head in the water I could hear the fish, so I knew I was very close to the reef.  One diver soon surfaced, and soon after that the other.  We talked a little and I swam down to the reef.  I was getting cold, so I headed back to shore.

Before my last swim, friends had spotted dolphins, but I didn't see them.  During my swim I could see the splashes of little fish leaping out of the water, and I could hear the dolphins plainly.  I saw a fin southwest of me then northeast.  I swam with my camera ready, but I didn't see the dolphin again.

I watched sunset from the beach.  First it disappeared behind some clouds about five degrees above the horizon.  At the same time I could see a red line of light on the water below the sun.  The red sun soon emerged between some clouds.  Then it disappeared into clouds about one degree above the horizon, briefly leaving a green line of light at the top edge of the cloud. 

I left the parking lot 8:30pm.  Both gates were still open.

July 14, 2003: Black's Beach

I parked at the gliderport and hiked down the Burro Trail.  I took off my pants immediately, but kept my shirt on until I could take off my backpack.

I saw lifeguards respond to three or four people stuck in a rip current.  He went out with a long board and brought them all back.

There was a seal in the surf.  It was very small, perhaps a lost pup.  It passed my group, heading south.  It started to come out, onto the beach, but then saw all the people and turned back to the water.

I packed up and left the parking lot 8:30pm.  Both gates were still open.

July 13, 2003: Black's Beach

I parked at the gliderport and hiked down the Burro Trail.  The beach was littered with  seaweed.  I took off my pants immediately, but kept my shirt on the insulate my shoulders from the abrasive shoulder straps of my backpack.

I started setting up for the picnic.  Today that meant cleaning the seaweed off the beach.  Four of us spent a few hours raking and burying seaweed.  The larger piles were dragged out to the surf and released in a rip current, which took it away.

There were perhaps a hundred people at our picnic.  That included a few families with kids.  We served hamburgers, hot dogs, Whitecastle, fish, zucchini, squash, sweet corn and chicken.

I packed up and left the parking lot 8pm.

July 12, 2003: San Onofre

I met other members of my party in the parking lot.  We figured out what we needed to carry, divided the load and hiked down Trail 6.

There were only a few people on the beach, but they were evenly spread across the beachfront.  There was no way for us to get beachfront without crowding somebody.  We set up our umbrellas and laid out our sheets.

A few people approached us looking for Camping Bares and Southern California Naturist Association.  We told them they were in the right place.

Alan Baylis, of Friends of San Onofre Beach,  and Ron Mercer, of Deep Creek Volunteers, showed up soon.  We all passed around our literature and issued invitations to the picnic.

There was a couple very interested in something near the trail, so Ron and Alan went back to check it out.  Those of us still on the beach could see they were trying to catch something.  We walked over just in time to see Ron picking up a huge bull snake.  It was only about six feet long, but it had about a two inch diameter.  At the time I thought it was a gopher snake, but the thickness tells me it was a bull snake.

I managed to find the only piece of tar on the beach.  I removed it from the bottom of my foot with an adhesive tape remover.

My friends managed the grill and I took care of the ice cream making.  That means I found other people willing to do the work of cranking.  I made one batch of raspberry and one batch of banana.  From the grill, I ate squash, zucchini, steak and hot dogs.  The picnic wound down by about 5pm.

I left about 7pm, even though it was still sunny and warm.

July 11, 2003: Black's Beach

I parked at the gliderport and hiked down the Burro Trail.  The beach was littered with  seaweed.  I took off my pants immediately, but kept my shirt on the insulate my shoulders from the abrasive shoulder straps of my backpack.

We spotted two different types of jellyfish, beached.  Since there were kids with us, we buried them both.

I started up the trail about 6:15pm.

July 10, 2003: Black's Beach

I parked at the gliderport and hiked down the Burro Trail.  The beach was littered with  seaweed and the rising tide was bringing even more in.  I took off my pants immediately, but kept my shirt on the insulate my shoulders from the abrasive shoulder straps of my backpack.

Lifeguards showed up as I was making my exit from the water.  They thought we were in danger.  We did make our exit against a weak rip current, something I do often.

I started up the trail about 8pm.  The main gate was locked and we had to exit the parking lot through the other gate at 8:30pm.

July 7, 2003: Black's Beach

I parked at the gliderport and hiked down the Burro Trail.  The beach was littered with  seaweed and the rising tide was bringing even more in.   It was very hot.  I had to put on my sandals to walk through the dry sand.  I took off my pants immediately, but kept my shirt on the insulate my shoulders from the abrasive shoulder straps of my backpack.

I met up with some expected friends and an email pal found me and we went for two swims to the sand dollars.  I saw a small flounder.  I only saw it because I scared it and it moved.  It was very well camouflaged. It was smaller than my fist.

I started up the trail about 7pm.  In the parking lot I noticed a new palm tree next to the outhouses and another laying on the ground to be planted tomorrow.

July 6, 2003: Black's Beach

I parked at the gliderport and hiked down the Burro Trail.  It was overcast at the beach below.  The beach was littered with  seaweed.   It was good to start off cool, but still warm enough to undress immediately.

It must have been 7pm when I started packing and 7:30 when I was going up the trail.  There was a line of clouds about three degrees above the horizon.  I watched a very orange sun disappear into those clouds, while hiking up the trail.  It was 8pm when I left the parking lot.  The gate was still open.

July 5, 2003: Black's Beach

I parked at the gliderport and hiked down the Burro Trail.  It was foggy in the parking lot, but it was more like overcast at the beach below.  It was good to start off cool, but still warm enough to undress immediately.  I set up one bulletin board at the trailhead and headed north to Valentine Slide.

North of Valentine Slide several of my friends were already setting up for a busy Saturday.  I joined in the workload and set up my flags and the other bulletin board.

Jellyfish were spotted a few times throughout the day.  As of today we adopted a policy of burying jellyfish at the surf-line when children are present.  People I had never met were borrowing our rake and shovel to bury the pieces.  I guess they all saw what happened to the girl yesterday.  Sometimes we found the pieces on the beach and sometimes it was spotted in the water still.

For much of the day there had been a tent set up against the cliff, with nobody in it.  Eventually I ventured back and found the camera pointed at us, as well as the man hidden in the corner.  When asked to show the tape, he chose to break it instead.  A tent on the beach should send up lots of red flags.

The beach was so crowded in many places that you had to weave between towels.  There were four families with kids in my area.  We all knew each other and the kids had a great time.  They all blew and chased bubbles.  The girls were playing in a princess playhouse.

The lifeguards were warning us about rip currents right in front of my flags.  It seems they always form there.

It must have been 7pm when I started packing and 7:30 when I was going up the trail.  There was a line of clouds about three degrees above the horizon.  I watched a very orange sun disappear into those clouds, while hiking up the trail.  It was 8pm when I left the parking lot.  The gate was still open.

July 4, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail loaded down with ice cream making supplies.  There was a haze in the air as if a fog was just burning off..  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead then headed north and set up another in front of my picnic.

A few of my friends were already there ahead of me.  We spent about an hour setting up.  We raised flags, set up grills, set out umbrellas and built our table out of sand.

I went swimming twice because I knew I wouldn't get many chances later.  I got in the water a few times throughout the day, but didn't get to swim again until about 6pm.

I totally lost track of what was going on with the grill, but did manage to eat a few things off it.  I kept busy with the ice cream.  I did find others willing to crank it, but I had to keep checking on the dry ice.  I was way short of dry ice, but I was surprised to find that another member was using some to keep his drinks cold.  I made two batches of raspberry and two batches of strawberry.  The last batch was more like a milkshake.

A group south of us brought down their gas powered blender, and the were making pina coladas.  He calls the machine the Booze Master.  I didn't even taste the booze in it.  He did a nice job of it, even did some of it in chrome.  It's got a throttle like a motorcycle.  I think he used a leaf blower motor.

We had an incident with a jellyfish.  Some kids were messing with a dead jellyfish.  Somehow a little girl got it all over herself.  Either she touched it and spread it by scratching, or it splattered on her during their play.  We had to restrain her hands while wiping with rubbing alcohol pads that I carried in my first aid kit.  Then her mother wrapped her in a blanket, hands outside, and held her for 15 minutes or so.  Of course she spread the venom to the mothers back, but adults can resist the urge to scratch.

The lifeguards responded and only offered advice, which they say changes every year.  Lately the medical advice is wash in sea water.  I know from experience that rubbing alcohol offered relief, but keeping my hands off was essential.  Eventually we washed the girls hands with soap and water, and let her play.  There were no further complaints from her.

The picnic was still going at 6pm, but it was winding down.  We were still packing up at 8pm, but stopped to watch sunset.  Smoke from a brush fire to the north made the sun very red.  I thought I saw a little green line above the sun, just before it disappeared.

My plan was to watch fireworks from the north lot.  That way you get to see the La Jolla fireworks to the south, as well and the Del Mar fireworks to the north.  Problem, as I was hiking south to the Burro Trail, we saw the La Jolla fireworks.  We just walked until we reached the trail, then stopped until we saw the finale.

Then we started up the trail, and La Jolla did more fireworks.  We figured they might have done an earlier, quieter show for families with young children, a guess only.  We stopped on the trail and watched much of that show, but one of the children in our party was getting impatient.  We hiked the rest of the way up, and found a crowd at the trailhead watching too.  We watched the rest from the parking lot.

I left the lot at nearly 10pm.  The main gate at the end of the cul de sac was locked, but the other gate was open.  If I didn't already know where it was, I would have just followed the other cars.  I have never been there when both gates are locked.  I'm told there's another exit.

July 3, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  The sand on the beach was so hot I had to get out my sandals.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead, took off my pants and headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  Once there I raised my flag and spread out my stuff.

I watched sunset from the beach.  There was a green flash.  We saw a pale green line above the setting sun.  Afterward we hiked up the Burro Trail marveling at the new staircase.

I left the parking lot about 8:20.  The security guard was locking the gate at that time.  One of the other gates was still open.

July 2, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  The sand on the beach was so hot I had to get out my sandals.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead, took off my pants and headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  Once there I raised my flag and spread out my stuff.

I left about 7pm even though it was still warm.

June 30, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  The trail was very hot and I was thinking about wearing shoes.  The sand on the beach was so hot I had to get out my sandals.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead, took off my pants and headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  Some of my friends were there ahead of me and had already raised their flags.

I went for a swim, with a buddy.  I heard, but did not see, dolphins.  My buddy stayed out much longer, since he was wearing a wet suit.  He saw the dolphins.

I left about 7:30pm because clouds had covered the sky and it was cooling off.

June 29, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead, took off my pants and headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  Once there I raised my club flag and set up for the picnic

I went for a swim right away.  I went for four swims and brought back a lobster one time.  We took a few pictures in the surf and eventually let it go.  I posed for a few pictures of it holding onto my arm, then put my arm underwater to give it a chance to escape.  Instead it held on tight.  There was some speculation that maybe it was trying to take a 150 pound man back to show the other lobsters.

There were dozens of people at out picnic.  There was a lot of the usual food from the grill, but the clams were new.

I left about 7pm because clouds had covered the sky and it was cooling off.

June 25, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead, took off my pants and headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  Once there I raised my club flag.

I went for a swim right away.  I saw a jellyfish wash up, but still went for my swim.  It was initially difficult to swim west,  since the current wanted to take me north.  I didn't see any wildlife except the sand dollars.  Late in the day I went in the water to rinse off.  Something brushed against me in the surf, probably a bat ray.  Then I saw more bat rays in knee deep water.

I was a bout to leave at 5:30, but a few friends started showing up and we all stayed until about 6:30.

June 24, 2003: Black's Beach

There was enough wind on the trail that I had to use my chin strap to keep my hat on.  I hiked down the Burro Trail and put on some sandals as soon as I reached the beach.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and took off my pants.

I hiked north toward my usual spot, but stepped on a bee on the way.  I picked up a sharp little shell and used it to remove the stinger without injecting more venom.  I reached my usual spot, greeted a few friends and raised my club flag.

I went for a swim right away.  I didn't see any wildlife, since the water was murky.

The sky was sunny all day, but it did start to cool off around 6pm.  About 7:30pm I packed and left, pausing on the trail to watch sunset.  The sun faded into a gray haze about 1/4 degree above the horizon.

June 22, 2003: Swim at Iceoplex with Naturally California

The swim was from 7-9pm.  There were about 20 people present.  The ages of people ranged from about 30 years up to seniors.  Some people stayed in the hot tub the whole time.  Some played volleyball, threw a water disk back and forth, or swam laps.  Some people used the sauna.  I swam a mile.

June 15, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board at the
trailhead and took off my pants.  I hiked north to my usual spot and set up for the picnic.

There was a lot of kelp on the beach.  I even found a purple jellyfish washed up on the beach.  Raking and burying the kelp warmed me up enough that I could take off my shirt too.

The sun came out for about half an hour, right around 10:30am.  Then it cooled down and many people put some clothes on.  I wore a fleece shirt much of the day.

We held our picnic, serving hamburgers corn dogs, sausages and chicken.  We were packing up early, about 3:30, when the sun came out again.  We had our doubts that the sun would last, but a few people unpacked and stayed anyway.

The sky clouded up again about 5pm, so I packed and left.

June 14, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board at the
trailhead and undressed. I hiked north to my usual spot and set up our tall flag pole for Flag Day.

There was a lot of kelp on the beach.  I even found a purple jellyfish washed up on the beach.  There was also quite a bit if tar on the beach.

It was cloudy starting about 1pm, but didn't cool off until after 4pm.  I left about 5:30pm.

June 13, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the
trailhead. I hiked north to my usual spot and took off my clothes.  If I didn't keep busy raking kelp, I would have been cold though.

There was a lot of kelp on the beach.  I even found a purple jellyfish washed up on the beach.  I found a piece of jellyfish in the surf, but it wasn't purple jellyfish.

I took several swims throughout the day.  The water was very clear, but there were kelp leaves in the shallow surf.  Later in the day the bottom was like rolling hills.  I found the live sand dollars, but their colony wasn't exactly in order.  It was broken by dunes covering sections.

There were clouds to the south all day, but it was hot and sunny.  The ground was so hot mid-day that I had to move closer to the water.  Also, I had to have sandals for walking in the hot sand.  About 4:30 some clouds moved in front of the sun briefly.  We got a little more sun, but the cloudiness increased.  About 6pm I packed and left.

June 7, 2003: Deep Creek Hot Springs

It's been cloudy and cold in San Diego lately, so I accepted an offer to spend a day at Deep Creek.  We left San Diego about 6:30am, took I-15 north to Hesperia and parked at Bowen Ranch about 9:30am.

Parking at 9:30am	There were plenty of spaces.  We even manged to find one that might have been in the shade much of the day.
Trail	I didn't have any problem with the two-mile trail. I even did much of the trail barefoot.   Once in sight of the hot springs, we took the gentler right fork down.
Climate	sunny and hot all day
People	a few dozen, at least two kids
Activities Observed	a little swimming and diving, but mostly just lounging and sunning, feeding fish
Water	The water temperatures varied according to which pool and where in each pool.  There were some too hot for me to get in.  I think the coolest temperature I found in the creek was something like 70 degrees.  All the pools had moss growing, some more than others.  Some of the pools were crystal clear, until somebody stirred up the moss.
Wildlife Observed	rabbits, squirrels, racer, desert iguana, spiders, dragon flies, catfish, other small fish and birds

I took off my pants to cross the creek; it came up to about mid-thigh.  We picked a ledge on the east side of the creek above the crab cooker (the name of the hottest tub).  We were in the shade initially, but in full sun later.

I explored the pools, hoping to find some wildlife, perhaps turtles, but found only fish.  People would occasionally throw food into the water to watch the fish attack it.  Chicken bones were picked clean.

I explored upstream some, looking for more pools.  The rocks and sand were very hot and I had to choose my path in the shade when possible.  I found a pool, but the one at the hot springs was better.

Later in the day Ron, of Deep Creek Volunteers showed up and we went to the shaded, grassy area east of the springs to discuss web page design.  I'll be hosting a website for them soon, until they get their own.  I didn't see it, but there was a brief panic over a snake that had crawled under a blanket and into a hole.

We made a few friends and stuck around until just about sunset.  The sun had gone behind the mountains anyway.  We hiked up the trail, some of us nude, and we were back at Bowen Ranch just in time to see the colorful horizon after sunset.

June 1, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the
trailhead. I only took off my clothes an hour or so later; it was
cold early. I headed north to Valentine Slide and started 
setting up for our picnic.

There were a few dozen people at the picnic, including a few children.  We served chicken, zucchini, squash, sweet corn and sausages.

It never really warmed up, but about 5pm I put on a fleece shirt and we started breaking down the picnic. We left about 6pm.

May 31, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the
trailhead. I took off my pants right away, but kept my shirt on for a
while, since it was still a little cold.  I headed north to Valentine
Slide and started unpacking.  I found it was warm enough to get naked right away.

I picked up a little tar at the tide line.  I also saw some pieces of jellyfish on shore, meaning there are some in the water too.

About 6pm the sky clouded over and I left.

May 25, 2003: Black's Beach

Based on recent weather and the sky that morning, it seemed unlikely that it would be a nice day for our first picnic of the season.  But, I had a picnic to host, so I loaded the car and headed for the beach anyway.

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trailhead.  I took off my pants right away, but kept my shirt on for a while, since it was still a little cold.  I headed north to Valentine Slide and started unpacking.  As I started setting up for the picnic, I warmed up and took off my shirt.

It was warm enough to stay nude, even after I was done setting up.  About 12pm the sun was showing and I started calling friends to spread the good news.  There were clouds all around, so nobody would look at the sky and realize it was sunny at Black's.

We lit the grill and started the picnic about 1pm.  Some of the things from the grill included a variety of chicken recipes, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, shish kabobs, sweet corn and steaks.  People also brought a shrimp and pasta salad to share.

A lifeguard stopped just north of our picnic and ran into the surf with his longboard.  I didn't see that he rescued anyone.  They also warned a man out of the water just in front of our picnic.  This was not the first time in the last few days that they warned people out of that area of surf, due to rip currents.  They also raced north with sirens on, narrowly missing a sand castle and our airport.

I saw a fisherman reel in a small flounder near the end of the day.  It was so small that he threw it back.

I picked up a lot of tar in the surf.  I also saw a lot of black beetles in the surf.

About 5pm we started packing up our picnic.  As we left about 6pm, we could see a dark cloud in the west that looked like rain.

May 23, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trailhead.  I headed north to Valentine Slide and started unpacking. Sometime later I felt warm enough to undress.  I had to set up a windbreak to stay warm.

I spotted a gopher snake on the beach.  It probably fell out of a pile of seaweed I was moving.  I had a few attempts to catch it, but it was warm and fast.  It managed to bite me and I lost a drop or two of blood through the tiny cut on a finger.  A friend caught it and we tortured it by making it pose for pictures with us.  We let it loose in a bush.  On my way up the trail I first smelled something dead then found a dead gopher snake.  It couldn't have been the same snake, but it was about the same size.

The sun would come out for about five minutes, then it would be cool and cloudy for about thirty minutes.  It was just barely warm enough to stay nude.  I even had to put on a fleece shirt some of the day.

I gave up on the weather and left the beach about 3pm.

May 19, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trailhead.  I undressed as I headed north to Valentine Slide.  I joined a few friends on the north side of the slide.

About 1pm we were talking about leaving early because it had been overcast and cool for quite a while.  I fell asleep and woke up about 3:30, which means I fight traffic or I stay around a while.  Staying turned out to be a good choice, since the weather improved.

It was warm, so I took my swim.  It was an uneventful swim, but the sun came out when I got back to shore.  That's always good.  Sometimes the wind is a bigger issue than the water temperature.

By 6pm it was getting cold enough that I got dressed.  I packed up and left the beach about 6:30pm.

May 18, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trailhead.  I headed north to Valentine Slide.  I joined a few friends on the north side of the slide.

There was a sick seal against the cliff.  Seaword was called and they showed up to capture it.  It had a tag on already.  Seaworld rescue workers say that means it's been rescued before.  This is the time of year when fish eat poisonous plankton and seals eat the contaminated fish.

There was a wind from the south all day.  For quite a while it was a strong, cool wind.  Later it calmed and warmed.  There was a haze all day.  I couldn't see past Flat Rock to the north, and La Jolla to the south looked hazy.

I packed up and left the beach about 6:30pm.

May 16, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trailhead.  I headed north to Valentine Slide.  I joined a few friends on the north side of the slide.  another friend showed up later.

I found pieces of purple jellyfish on the beach and I found some in the water too.  There were still remains of a small jellyfish called by-the-wind-sailor.  I saw very little tar on the beach.

There were a few people on the beach near the end of the day doing some nude videography.

I went up the trail about 6pm.

May 12, 2003: Black's Beach

I parked at the gliderport.  Parking was a little scarce, for a weekday, but I found a space in the west lot.

The hike down the Burro Trail was uneventful, which is good news.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and headed north to Valentine Slide.  I joined a few friends on the north side of the slide.  Other friends showed up later.

I found pieces of purple jellyfish on the beach and I found some in the water too.  There were still remains of a small jellyfish called by-the-wind-sailor.  I saw very little tar on the beach.

I went up the trail about 6pm.

May 11, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the
trailhead. I hiked north and met some friends at Valentine Slide.

There was still a little tar on the beach. I picked up the few pieces
I saw. I could still see lots of by-the-wind sailor remains on the
beach and some purple jellyfish pieces. At the end of the day I found
a dead baby dolphin on the beach.

I stayed until about 7pm. I was mostly packed when I spotted a seal
in the surf. I watched it for a while and tried to get a picture. It
moved into shallower water and it was "walking" toward the beach.
There were too many people, so it turned back.

I watched sunset from a ledge half way up the Burro Trail.

May 9 & 10, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the
trailhead. I hiked north and met some friends at Valentine Slide.

There was still a little tar on the beach. I picked up the few pieces
I saw. I could still see lots of by-the-wind sailor remains on the
beach.

I stayed until 6pm Friday and 7pm Saturday.

May 4, 2003: Black's Beach

I was unsure about the weather, but finally got a late start. I
parked at the gliderport and hiked down the Burro Trail. I set up my
bulletin board at the trailhead and headed north to Valentine Slide.
I joined a few friends on the north side of the slide. Other friends
showed up later.

The beach was still littered with the remains of a small jellyfish
called by-the-wind-sailor. I've been seeing them for the last two
weeks. I also picked up a lot of tar, which had washed up during the
recent storm.

I could see clouds all around, covering Los Angeles, inland, La Jolla
and far west over the ocean. It was mostly clear overhead all day,
but there was an occasional cloud blocking our sun.

I had to leave at 5pm, but many of my friends stayed. It was probably warm for another hour.

April 28, 2003: Black's Beach

I got a late start, parked at the gliderport and hiked down the Burro
Trail. I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and headed north
to Valentine Slide. I joined a few friends on the north side of the
slide. Other friends showed up later.

The beach was still littered with the remains of a small jellyfish
called by-the-wind-sailor. I've been seeing them for the last two
weeks.

Lately the sand has been too hot to stand in one place. I've been
bringing sandals for walking in the hot sand. I could see clouds
covering Los Angeles all day, but there was rarely any cloud blocking our sun.

By about 6pm the wind had made it cool enough that I put some clothes on. I left about 6:30pm.

April 27, 2003: Black's Beach

I checked weather indicators from home and finally decided it was
going to be a nice day. I got a late start, parked at the gliderport
and hiked down the Burro Trail.

I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and headed north to
Valentine Slide. I joined a few friends on the north side of the
slide. Other friends showed up later.

The beach was still littered with the remains of a small jellyfish
called by-the-wind-sailor. I've been seeing them for the last two
weeks.

It was starting to cloud up about 4pm. Many of my friends left, but I
waited a little. About 4:30 it cleared up and it was sunny until about 6:30.

About 5:40 one of my friends alerted me to a paraglider crash. I
called the lifeguards for a cliff rescue. It was a tandem flight, so
there were two. The pilot seemed ok, but the passenger seemed
injured. Rescue workers arrived and brought her down in a stretcher
about 7pm.

I left when the rescue was completed.

April 26, 2003: Black's Beach

I parked at the gliderport and hiked down the Burro Trail. On my way down I saw the lifeguards gathered at the trail head. I passed the man on the trail waiting for the lifeguards. They walked down to the beach with him. From there they probably gave him a ride to an
ambulance.

I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and headed north to
Valentine Slide. I joined a few friends on the north side of the
slide. Other friends showed up later.

It was starting to cloud up, so I started packing. I went up the
trail about 7pm.

April 25, 2003: Black's Beach

I parked at the gliderport and hiked down the Burro Trail.  On my way down I saw the lifeguards gathered at the trail head.  I passed the man on the trail waiting for the lifeguards.  They walked down to the beach with him.  From there they probably gave him a ride to an ambulance.

I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and headed north to Valentine Slide.  I joined a few friends on the north side of the slide.  Other friends showed up later.

The beach was littered with the remains of a small jellyfish called by-the-wind-sailor.  I've been seeing them for the last two weeks.

It was starting to cloud up, so I started packing.  I went up the trail about 7pm.

April 25, 2003: Black's Beach

I parked at the gliderport and hiked down the Burro Trail.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and headed south.  I chose a spot within sight of the city boundary.

It was starting to cool off, so I started up the trail about 5:45.  It was a little too hot for the climb, so I was wishing I'd waited a little longer.

April 20, 2003: Black's Beach

I parked at the gliderport and hiked down the Burro Trail.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and headed north to Valentine Slide.

The weather was variable, but warm most of the time.  Many people left early.  I was going to leave early too, but it took a while to pack.  Then the weather improved and I left a little later.

On my way to the trail I learned of the conflict between two of my friends and the police response.  I guess there was some shouting and some threats, but no physical exchange.  They were checked for priors and no arrest was made.

April 19, 2003: Black's Beach

I parked at the gliderport and hiked down the Burro Trail.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and headed north to Valentine Slide.

I brought a rocket launcher, that uses water and air pressure.  We filled a two liter bottle with sea water and pumped it up with a bicycle pump.  I think it might have gone as high as 100 feet.

The steady wind made it cool enough that some people set up windbreaks.  About 6pm I packed up and left.

April 18, 2003: Black's Beach

After watching weather indicators on the web for a while, I decided to head for the beach.  I parked at the gliderport and hiked down the Burro Trail.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and headed north to Valentine Slide.

There were visible signs that some sand had been lost to the storm.  There was still a little tar on the beach.  I picked up the few pieces I saw.

There was a constant flow of clouds, but there was sun much of the time.  The steady wind made it cool enough that some people set up windbreaks.  About 6pm I packed up and left.

April 16, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trailhead  I chose a spot south of the trail, within sight of the boundary.  Later in the day there was a nude woman just barely on the wrong side of the boundary.  I put on my pants and went over to tell her about the boundary.

There was still a little tar on the beach.  I picked up the few pieces I saw.

I could see far to the north, but it was hazy.  I could see a few clouds over Los Angeles, the whole day.  I had a disagreement with a man near me.  The issue was, are those the San Gabriel Mountains or the Santa Ana Mountains?  We couldn't see it clearly enough to see the snow, which would have proven they were the San Gabriel Mountains.

For quite a while I thought I would have to leave early.  It looked like clouds were moving in slowly from the north.

The sun was just touching the water as I started up the trail.  I rushed through the ravine and up the staircase to a ledge.  I stopped there to watch the sunset.  I saw what I thought was San Clemente Island and took a picture.  Then I watched the green flash while it was saving the picture.  I saw the green flash, but I didn't get a picture.

April 12 and 13, 2003: Roller Skating and Swim at Iceoplex with Naturally California

April 12 was the date of the roller-skating party in National City.  The time had been changed to an earlier time slot, 5:30-8:00.  Brian told me there were 42 people there.  The ages of people ranged from a one-year-old, I think, to seniors.  Some people were tossing a rubber ball around.  Some people were using the older style skates, which were available at no additional charge, and others used their own in-line skates.  There was even a little girl in her Barbie skates.

April 13 was the date of the swim at the Iceoplex in Escondido.  The swim was from 7-9pm.  Brian told me that he again had 42 people show up.  The ages of people ranged from 4 years up to seniors.  Some people stayed in the hot tub the whole time.  Some played volleyball, threw a water disk back and forth, or swam laps.  I swam a mile.

Clothesfree.com was at both events doing a shoot.  I haven't seen it added to the site yet.

April 7, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, which hasn't gotten any better or worse lately.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and chose a spot south of the trail, within sight of the boundary.  I was soon joined by a few expected friends.

There was still some tar on the beach.  I spent some time picking it up.  I still stepped on a few pieces, but I waited until the end of the day to wash it off with baby oil.

About 4pm some of my party left and the rest of us moved north where one of our other friends was waiting.  More friends showed up after work and came down to watch the sunset.

We packed up about 7pm and headed south to the trail.  Two of my friends asked me to take a picture of them holding the setting sun.  After taking the picture, I started up the trail and the sun set while I was in the ravine.  I missed it, again!

April 6, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, which hasn't gotten any better or worse lately.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and started north to my usual spot north of Valentine Slide.

I picked up a lot of tar on my way north.  The beach was littered with it, especially at the high tide mark.  I picked up a lot and put it in my litter bag, and I nearly missed a few and picked those up on the bottom of my feet.  I cleaned them with my baby oil.

I spent some of the day in the shade, but most of my time in the sun.  By 5pm I caved in and put a shirt on, and most of the people around me were doing the same.  By 6pm I was leaving the parking lot.

April 5, 2003: San Onofre

On my way south through the parking lot, I saw outhouses next to every bathroom.  I found out later that there was no running water.

I hiked down Trail 6 with my party.  One was pulling a wagon with a little girl inside.  The little girl had to get out a few time, or risk dumping the whole wagon.

I spotted Marianna's flag and a string of windbreaks.  I joined the group and added my windbreaks to the string.

One of the guys managed to find the only piece of tar on the beach.  He removed it with baby oil.

It was a short stay on the beach.  By about 4pm everybody was packing because it was too cold.  I was the last one out, of our group.

March 31, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, which hasn't gotten any better or worse lately.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and set up a little to the south, near the boundary.  I was glad to have brought sandals, since the sand was too hot in some places.

There wasn't so much tar, but one of my friends was unlucky enough that she spread her sheet right on top of one piece that I missed.  Picking it up helps, but it's not a one hundred percent solution.

Late in the afternoon, I packed up and headed north, where I met some other friends.  It was almost time for sunset when two of us packed up and headed for the trail.

On the way we found a fire circle and decided to break it up, since campers are such litterbugs.  The rocks were very big for carrying, but soft enough to break.  We were nearly done when I looked up and discovered that we'd missed sunset.  It must have been a good one too, since the horizon was very colorful.

March 30, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, which hasn't gotten any better or worse lately.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and headed north to my spot near Valentine Slide.

There wasn't as much tar as yesterday.  I guess it helps when people pick it up.

It was sunny the whole time I was there.  The wind was slow to pickup, but built to a steady breeze.  At first, I set up close to Valentine slide, but moved closer to the water to cool off.  The sand was so hot that there were times I was wishing I'd taken sandals.

It was still warm when I left about 5:30.

March 29, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, which hasn't gotten any better or worse lately.  I saw an alligator lizard on the way down.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and headed north to my spot near Valentine Slide.

On my way north, I saw a one man tent on the beach with an umbrella over it.  I managed to see a man inside playing back his video.  I saw that he'd cut out five holes, just right for his lens.  I made a big scene, so that everybody was aware.  He came out and denied everything, but left soon after I'd moved on.

There were already a lot of people there, but many of them moved when the wind shifted and they caught a whiff of the dead seal.  Some of my friends had told me that they had cut it open and rolled it into a hole they'd dug.  They left it to air out a few days.  I decided it was time to bury it.  With the help of one friend, we finished the job.

There was a lot of tar on the beach.  I picked up some and put it in my litter bag.  A few of my friends picked it up on their feet, and they removed it with the use of baby oil.

It was sunny the whole time I was there.  It was hot at first.  The wind picked up and it was so strong that I was afraid it would blow my flagpoles over.  By about 4pm the wind had cooled it enough that I was trying to keep warm under my towel.  I packed up and left about 5:30.

March 28, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, which hasn't gotten any better or worse lately.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and picked a spot to the south, within sight of nudity boundary.

There was a lot of activity just south of the boundary.  I lost count, but there were at least four unmarked trucks, each one carrying a few surfboards.  They also brought down the lifeguards' camper and beached four jetskis.  They even had a flatbed truck that they were using as a platform for a camera on a tripod.  Late in the day they had the hood open, so I think they had engine trouble.

It was hot and sunny all day.  The gusty winds were spraying us with sand occasionally through the day.  By about 5pm it had cooled off enough that I decided to leave and miss the sunset.

March 23, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, spotting an alligator lizard on the way down.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead.  I headed north and joined my group at the northern edge of Valentine Slide.

The weather was best from about 11am to 2pm.  After that it was mostly cloudy.  I was in and out of my T-shirt until about I left about 4pm.

March 22, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, but Dave had already set up his bulletin board.  I headed north and joined my group at the northern edge of Valentine Slide.

There was a huge dead seal just a little north of us.  It was the same seal that I had buried weeks ago.  The recent spring tide had brought it back to the surface.  It didn't stink though, perhaps it was only because we were upwind.

I stayed for sunset again.  It was pretty much the same as yesterday.  As I reached the parking lot, I spotted Jupiter in the sky.

March 21, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the base of the trail.  I photographed the new rocks on the beach, apparently from a Monday night landslide.

I set up my stuff a little to the south and flew my club flag.  I had to put on my pants a few times to cross the line and inform a few people that they were on the wrong side of the line.

I went for a walk and noticed that the palm tree is endangered.  Erosion is about to expose the roots.

I stayed until sunset, but I got dressed about ten minutes before.  The western horizon had a light brown haze to it.  Because of that I didn't expect a green flash, but as the sun went down, I could see very sharp horizon, so I expected a green flash.  There was no green flash.  I hiked up the burro trail before it got dark.

March 15, 2003: A Rainy Day at Black's Beach

It was a rainy day, but I wanted to get some pictures of waterfalls at the beach.  I waited in the gliderport lot, with Dave Cole for a good rainstorm to get some waterfalls going.  About 3:30 the rain seemed to be good enough for us to start the adventure.

We drove to the intersection of La Jolla Farms and Black Gold.  From there we hiked down the access road in our rain gear.

I wore a 3/2 wetsuit and a poncho to keep my camera dry.  Dave wore a poncho with shorts and a sweat shirt. Dave carried an umbrella to keep our cameras dry while in use.  We started out about 4pm.

I took still pictures with a digital camera and Dave took some video shots of waterfalls.  We hiked as far as Indian Canyon.  There were numerous waterfalls down the cliffs.  Some of the most noteworthy were at Box Canyon, the Burro Trail, Spencer Canyon (Hully Gully) and Valentine Slide.  At Valentine Slide we could see rocks disintegrating.

On our way back, we spotted some dry rocks on the beach, where there should be nothing dry.  We both agreed that they must have fallen from the cliff above, since we had passed about an hour before.

We had to walk through shallow surf to get back to the access road.  We were done with the adventure by 6pm.

March 14, 2003: Black's Beach

The weather looked bad, so I didn't think I'd be spending the day at the beach.  I monitored internet weather indicators and eventually decided it was likely going to be a nice day.  I was on the beach by 12:30.

I set up my bulletin board at the trail head.  I went a little south to set up my stuff including my flag.  I did have to advise a few people about just where the nudity line is.

About 4pm I felt cold enough that I put a fleece shirt on.  It was a little after 5pm when I packed up and left the beach.

March 10, 2003: Black's Beach

There was fog in the parking lot, but I took a chance and hiked down the Burro Trail anyway.  I set up my bulletin board at the trail head and I went a little ways to the south to set up for the day.  I cleared an area of seaweed, even though there wasn't much.  Less seaweed also meant less flies.

I saw a woman and later a man who were not wearing enough on the city beach.  I put on my pants, walked over and informed them of the boundaries.  They both moved to the state side of the line.  It was later that the lifeguard showed up on an ATV and set up the markers.

Despite the fog, it was warm, and humid.  I contacted two friends and convinced them the the fogged in parking lot was misleading.  We did set up a windbreak for a short time, but we took it down a little later, due to the heat.  The sun came out, as I'd hoped and it was hot enough for a swim.

About 4pm, I spotted a fast-moving bank of clouds about to envelop us.  We packed and left as fast as we could.

March 9, 2003: Naturally California Whale Watch and San Onofre

There were 37 passengers on the whale watch cruise and we left at 9am.  I saw several cormorants as we were leaving port and several more on open waters.  We found only one grey whale and it was a shy one.  We never got a really good, close look, but we did see it surface six or seven times.  We also went near some floats that were covered with sea lions.

Many of us went to San Onofre.  I went straight there.  I was not surprised that the price had gone up to $5 for day use.  I saw signs that there was no overnight parking and no camping.  I think it is just closed to camping this time of year.

I found plenty of parking near Trail 6, but the weather didn't look good.  It was cloudy and cold.  Good or bad weather, I had already decided to go to the beach to see friends.

I hiked down Trail 6 with a backpack and others in my party pulled a wagon.  It was necessary for the kid in the wagon to get out and walk on the steep downhill portion of the trail.  We even had to carry the wagon over the rut in one place.

I met up with some expected friends on the beach, which included beachmom, Marianna.  I raised my club flag next to hers and added my windscreens to hers.  I set up my bulletin board as part of the windbreak.

It was cold and cloudy at first and many of us said we weren't going to undress.  But the sun came out and it warmed up.  The wind never died, but we had a pretty effective wind break, and most people undressed.

Flying my flag brought me face to face with one internet buddy.  It also brought my website, and Black's Beach, to the attention of a few other people.

Most of us left the beach 4-4:30pm.

March 7, 2003: Black's Beach

There were a lot of cars parked at the entrance to the glider port lot, probably UCSD students who don't pay for parking.  There were plenty of spaces further in.  A portion of the lifeguard emergency access road was still washed out.

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trail head.  Then I went a little ways to the south and cleared an area of seaweed.  There wasn't nearly as much seaweed as there has been the last few weeks.  Less seaweed also meant less flies.

I stayed on the beach to watch sunset.  About 5pm it got cold enough that I had to get dressed.  The sun disappeared behind a cloud just a little above the horizon and reappeared as a fuzzy, broad, red line below the cloud.  The fuzzy red line got shorter until it disappeared altogether.  Then I looked up and saw the waxing crescent moon.  I didn't look for stars or planets as I hiked up the trail.

March 1 & 2, 2003: Black's Beach

The north lot was closed for glider take offs and landings.  I spoke with the man offering short flights for $40-$70.  I learned that they don't even let people walk across the runway to get to the north trail.  None of that mattered to me.  There was plenty of parking in the west lot when I needed it.  I could tell that much of the east lot had been used, by the few cars that were still there when I left after sunset.

A portion of the lifeguard emergency access road had washed out.  This road is mostly used as our foot path, south of the parking lot.  It had apparently been damaged some time before and I hadn't noticed.  It was marked by some saw horses and caution tape.

The Burro Trail was in fair shape and only had miniscule amounts of mud.  Signs of erosion were very apparent though.  There were a few troughs cut into the trail.  If that erosion were to continue, serious damage could occur.  Hopefully Black's Beach Diggers will throw a few sandbags in some key spots to slow this erosion.

Both days I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead.  Saturday I settled in a spot south of the trail, while Sunday I settled in my usual spot near Valentine Slide, to the north.

Saturday it got cool starting about 3pm.  I was wearing a fleece shirt much of the time until I left about 5pm.

Sunday I started my day burying a huge seal.  I had the help of two others.  The smell was overpowering, but we dug a big hole upwind from the corpse.  Then we dug a little out from under and it rolled in.  We buried it and marked it with some kelp.  We raked up much of the kelp around us and buried it, to reduce the fly problem.  There were still enough flies that I had to use some spray, but at least I didn't smell the dead seal.

By about 4pm it was getting cool, but I stayed on the beach until after 5pm.  I hiked up the Burro Trail and reached the top.  I had a few minutes until sunset, so I set up a chair and watched from the lawn south of the gliderport.

February 22, 2003: Black's Beach

The Burro Trail was the same as yesterday.  I set up my bulletin board at the base of the trail and headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.

It was windy and cool much of the day.  I wore a fleece shirt the last two hours.  By the time I left at 5pm, most everybody had left ahead of me.

February 21, 2003: Black's Beach

I finally ended my beach withdrawals.  Finally one of my free days was a sunny day.  I was not anxious to fight Buick Invitational traffic for the privilege of parking in a muddy lot, sliding down a muddy trail and spending the day on a cold and wet beach.  That weather finally came to an end.

The Burro Trail was surprisingly good.  There was minimal damage from the recent rains, but it was dry and free of mud.

I set up my bulletin board at the base of the trail and headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.

I stayed and watched sunset from the beach, but had to get dressed a few minutes before.  There were some clouds along the horizon, but not enough to block the sun.  The sun took on an orange color by the time it reached the horizon.  It hardly deviated from the perfect circle shape as it went down and disappeared quickly.

As I hiked up the Burro Trail, I spotted Jupiter in the eastern sky.  I saw a few stars in the sky and Saturn too.  I left the parking lot before it got very dark.

February 9, 2003: Black's Beach

There were still mud puddles in the glider port lot.  I hiked down the Burro Trail, which still had some mud on it.  I set up my bulletin board at the base of the trail.  It wasn't yet warm enough to get naked.  I took off my pants, then hiked north to my usual spot, wearing a T-shirt.

Just about as soon as I sat down, I saw dolphins breaching.  In fact, I saw dolphins breaching and riding waves throughout the day.

When I first arrived the wind was dead, but it soon picked up.  Soon there was a gentle breeze from the west all day.  It was just enough to keep the pesky flies to a minimum.

It was a mostly sunny day, but it was often too cold to be nude.  I lost count of how many times I was in and out of my fleece shirt.  About 2pm I set up reflectors to keep warm and that did the trick until about 4pm.

I left about 4:30.

February 8, 2003: Black's Beach

I helped a friend move, so I missed most of the day.  I arrived late and hiked down the Burro Trail, just to watch the sunset.  The horizon was so sharp, I was sure there would be a green flash.  I hiked north to Valentine Slide and sat down to watch sunset.

I never got naked during my short stay.  I kept a T-shirt on at all time and put on my pants and jacket before sunset.

Dolphins were very visible before sunset.  I could see them breach several times.  There was one very big spout, making me believe there might have been a whale too.  We even saw them riding some waves.

As the sun went down, we could see that there were clouds on the horizon.  The sun disappeared quickly behind clouds and there was no green flash.

I hiked up the Goat Trail.  It was in good shape, completely dry.

February 3, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board at the base of the trail and set up a little south of the trail.  I flew my club flag with a Naturist Society flag.

I moved some seaweed in an attempt to reduce the fly population around me.  I don't think it helped.

I went swimming twice.  The first time it was just to cool off.  I caught a few waves while I was there.  Later I went for a longer swim.  There were quite a few pelicans and cormorants beyond the surf.

It was starting to cool off about 3:30.  I left about 4:30.  There was a trailer in the east lot loaded with golf carts, probably in preparation for the Buick Invitational.

February 2, 2003: Black's Beach

I saw a helium balloon in the parking lot.  After I parked, I noticed that the east lot was being graded, probably in preparations for the Buick Invitational.

I hiked down the Burro Trail and headed north to my usual spot north of Valentine Slide.  The tide was very high and I had to walk in the surf in a few places, especially at Valentine Slide.

I was there early to make another attempt at my kiddie pool experiment.  High tide was not due for another hour.  I started digging a hole for my pool, just out of reach of the waves.  The waves filled it before I could finish.  I made two other attempts and even went back to my first hole, but it was hopeless.  My experiment failed completely, so I went on with other activities.

While I was taking pictures of the waves crashing into Valentine Slide, two of my friends rushed past between waves.  One of them found a gopher snake tumbling in the surf.  He rescued it and gave it to me for pictures.  He let it go after our photo shoot was done.

I set up my flags, an American flag, my club flag and a Naturist Society flag.  I went back to the trail and set up my bulletin board.

It got windy and cool about 3pm and I left about 3:30.

January 31, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board at the base of the trail and hiked north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.

The first thing I did was to begin an experiment in building a kiddie pool or hot tub.  The timing wasn't quite right, since high tide was just past.  I dug a hole near the high tide mark, in the hope that it would get filled by a wave once finished.  The wave I wanted hit before I was ready, but I managed to make it work anyway.  I threw my tarp over the hole and worked it under the water.  Then I put sand around the edges to hold it down.  It held a pool of water, nearly ankle deep, all day.  The sun heated that water way above ocean temperature.  I'll try it again Sunday, when it will be better timed with high tide.

I set up an American flag and my club flag in front of my little group.  Then I set up all my usual stuff.  At first there wasn't enough wind to fly the flags, but later it was clear that the wind was from the north.

It was so hot that I had to get in the water.  I went for a swim and tried to catch a few waves.  The surf just wasn't good enough for a ride.  I got in a second time, just to cool off, and I saw some very small fish.

At nearly 5pm a series of dry heat waves were felt by many people.  I was planning to watch sunset from the beach and nude.  Eventually the heat waves weren't coming frequently enough, so I put on my t-shirt and shorts.  I did watch the sunset from the beach though.

There was a layer of haze clearly visible above the horizon.  As the sun descended into that haze, it took on the shape of a step pyramid.  The sun slowly became more like a red pancake.  Finally it was a red line.  I thought it should have disappeared already, but it had become a red-dashed line, then a red-dotted line.  It was that line for over a minute, as we watched the tiny red sparkles.  A minute doesn't seem like a long time, until you watch the second hand go around the clock.

I hiked up the trail and left the parking lot about 6pm.

January 27, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board at the base of the trail and hiked south just a little ways.  I set up my club flag in front of my little group.

There were lots of flies all day.  I left about 4:30pm.

January 26, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board at the base of the trail and hiked north.  At my usual spot near Valentine Slide, I set up my club flag in front of my little group.

About 3pm many people left the beach.  I left about 4:30pm.

January 25, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board at the base of the trail and hiked north.  At my usual spot near Valentine Slide, I set up my club flag in front of my little group.

There was no wind and the flies gave us no peace.  The Raiders fans on the beach were very visible by their caps, footballs and glass bottles.

It was still warm when we left about 4pm.

January 18, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board at the base of the trail and hiked north.  At my usual spot near Valentine Slide, I set up my club flag in front of my little group.

The tide was receding at that time but it was way out the rest of the day.  There wasn't much dry sand though.  The wind was just right to keep most of the flies off.

I went swimming once.  The surf wasn't very good, but I did catch some very short rides.

It must have been 3pm when everybody noticed the clouds moving in from the west.  We all watched in horror as we saw La Jolla Cove taken by the fog, then Flat Rock.  Everybody was scurrying around, myself included, trying to pack up and escape the fog.  I didn't make it.  I was so cold I had to get dressed to complete the packing.  I reached the parking lot about 4:30, which was also in the fog.  There was no chance of seeing the sunset, so I headed inland.

January 17, 2003: Black's Beach

I stopped a few times on the Burro Trail to watch dolphins playing in the waves.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and chose a spot just a little to the south.  I set up my club flag in front of my little group.

The tide was way out all day and there was plenty of dry sand.  Because of there was very little wind, there were flies on me all day.  Late in the day they all seemed to be heading north.  It looked a lot like the way they pass stars on Star Trek.

I went swimming twice.  I only saw a small black shark, 3-4 feet long.  The surf wasn't very good, but I did catch some very short rides.

It only began to cool off about 4pm.  I stayed until about 4:45 and watched the sunset from the parking lot.  I saw the sun setting in the west and the full moon rising in the east.

January 16, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board and went north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I set up my club flag in front of my little group.  The tide was way out, but it had been high earlier that morning and the sand was still not quite dry.

I went swimming twice, once with a buddy in a wet suit.  I saw a few bat rays and some very small fish, probably smelts.  The waves were good and I caught a few rides.

There was a no wind and flies were all over me.  It was hot most of the day and didn't begin to cool off until about 3:30.  I left about 4pm.

January 15, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board and went a little south.  I set up my club flag in front of my little group.  The tide was way out, so there was a lot of dry sand, even a fair distance from the cliff.

I did a photo shoot of my T-shirts with three other people, one behind the camera.  Two of my friends went swimming, in wet suits.

The lifeguards stopped to talk to us about my newsletter.  They disagreed on my headcount.  It seems there are a lot of surfers that I don't count.  That's very likely, since they can't be seen from the nude side of the beach.

There was a cool wind and we set up reflectors that also acted as windbreaks.  I was able to stay nude on the beach until about 4:30.

January 12, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  There was much less seaweed than the previous visits.  There was even some dry sand and a low tide all day.

I hiked north to my usual spot by Valentine Slide.  Several friends were there too.  I flew both my club flag and an American flag, but soon took them both down, due to high winds.

There was a cool wind and we all set up windbreaks.  The sky quickly clouded up and we all left about 2pm.

January 11, 2003: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trailhead.  There was much less seaweed than the previous visits.  There was even some dry sand and a low tide all day.

I hiked north to my usual spot by Valentine Slide.  Several friends were there too.

I flew both my club flag and an American flag.  The wind was strong enough that it nearly tore my American flag off the pole and blew it to the ground.  I managed to catch it before it was blown off the pole.

There was a cool wind and we all set up windbreaks.  Clouds occasionally blew in front of the sun and it was cold.  About 3pm a whole bank of clouds moved in front of the sun.  We all packed up and left at that time.

On my way up the Burro Train I spotted a man looking for a more adventurous way to the beach.  He was making his own trail between the Goat and Burro trails.  I didn't check the news for the daring cliff rescue.

January 7, 2003: Black's Beach

It was windy in the parking lot.  Once I got below the ridge, the wind presented less of a struggle.  I hiked down the Burro Trail without my bulletin board, since I knew I would only lose it to the wind.

The tide was high the whole time I was there, until about 3pm.  I sat on a ledge of the Valentine Slide with some friends; there just wasn't enough dry beach.  I left about 3pm, just as the sun reached a point unobstructed by clouds.

January 6, 2003: Black's Beach

I saw dust clouds blowing across the parking lot as I pulled in.  I saw only dry, hard ground and little dust dunes in the parking lot.  Once I got below the ridge, the wind presented less of a struggle .  I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board, which was a mistake.  I later heard that the wind had taken it south and I never found it.

There was a grebe wounded or sick at the water line.  He didn't have much fight in him as I picked him up and moved him against the cliff.  I left him there to die without the stress of facing each person walking the beach.

The tide was high until about 2pm, I had to get my feet wet or do a little rock hopping, as I hiked north.  I really had to lean into the wind as I walked in front of Valentine Slide.

I sat with some friends up against the cliff all day with a shield of four umbrellas to block the wind.  Most of us left about the time the wind shifted.  It was tempting to stay though.  It was sure to be a beautiful sunset, but we all wanted to beat the traffic.  All those people that work until 5pm spoil our day at the beach.  Only one of our group stayed past 3:30pm.

January 4&5, 2003: Black's Beach

The parking lot was damp, but the large mud puddle in the southwest corner of the gliderport lot had finally dried up.  I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board.  The kelp at the base of the trail continues to disintegrate.

The tide was very high when I arrived each day.  As I hiked north to my usual spot, I had to get my feet wet or do a little rock hopping.  It wasn't until after noon when people could finally move away from the cliff and out onto the wet sand.  People were sitting in chairs or had tarps under their towels.

I stayed until about 4:30pm each day and started up the trail.  Sunday I watched the sunset from near the top of the Burro Trail.  It was one of those special sunsets.  The sun was going down and fading in a layer of haze.  Then I saw a red point of light under the haze, separate from the sun above.  That point of red light gradually grew into a distorted red sun, while the red sun above diminished.  Before that red image above the haze shrank to nothing, it became a point of light that became a pale green sparkle and faded.  I had seen a green flash before the sun was all the way down.  The people watching with me didn't see it and my friends ahead of me on the trail didn't see it either.  The sun continued down and became a red sliver on the horizon and eventually a line that got shorter then disappeared completely.

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.