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

December 12, 2004: Black's Beach and Escondido Swim with Naturally California

I delayed a while in the parking lot, since the clouds had not yet burned off.  I bet on the sky clearing soon, as I started down the Burro Trail.  I hiked down and set up my bulletin board at the trailhead.  I took off my pants right away and headed north to my usual spot in front of Valentine Slide.  The whole beach was wet.  I didn't see any dry sand anywhere.  Very high tides earlier had reached all the sand.

I met my friends and raised my flag.  I set up reflectors and sat in a chair all day, but it still wasn't enough.  I was in and out of my shirt, due to the climate.

I left early, about 2pm.

Later in the day I went to Escondido to swim at the icoplex.  There were about 30 people there.  I swam a mile, then spent some time in the hot tub.

December 11, 2004: Black's Beach

I started down the Burro Trail, but stopped to admire the view of clouds just above the ocean, a few miles out.  I could also see two areas of muddy water.  I hiked down and set up my bulletin board at the trailhead.  I undressed right away and headed north to my usual spot in front of Valentine Slide.  The whole beach was wet.  I didn't see and dry sand anywhere.  Very high tides earlier had reached all the sand.

I met my friends and raised my flag.  I sat in a chair all day, to keep off the wet sand.  One of my friends put her reflector on the ground as insulation.  I sat in a chair to keep off the wet sand.  There were times during the day when I thought about setting up a windbreak, or putting on a shirt.

It was still warm when I left about 4pm.

December 10, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trailhead.  I undressed right away and headed north to my usual spot in front of Valentine Slide.  The whole beach was wet.  I didn't see and dry sand anywhere.  Very high tides earlier had reached all the sand.

I met my friends and raised my flag.  I brought reflectors but never set them up.  One of my friends put her reflector on the ground as insulation.  I sat in a chair to keep off the wet sand.

I went for one swim and caught one good ride.  The wave ripped my goggles off, which I recovered later, but it ended my swim.

It was still warm when I left about 3pm.  I left early to see a presentation of Vagina Monologues at Cal State U San Marcos.

November 26, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  Dave had already set up a bulletin board at the trailhead.  I undressed then headed north to my usual spot in front of Valentine Slide.  I met my friends and raised my flag.  I also set up reflectors and sat down in front of it to keep warm.

I went for one swim, just beyond the surf.  There wasn't much to see and it was an uneventful swim.

We all started feeling cold about 4pm, so we packed and left.

November 28, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  Dave had already set up a bulletin board at the trailhead.  I was cold, so I didn't undress right away.  I headed north to my usual spot in front of Valentine Slide.

I met my friends, who had already set up a wall of umbrellas and wind breaks.  I set up reflectors and sat down in front of it to keep warm.  There must have been a dozen of my friends staying warm against the wind break or against a reflector.

There was a sail plane flying up and down the beach.  There were a lot of paragliders and hang-gliders, and they were up high.  The sail plane often flew low, near the water, and still managed to get back up above the cliffs.

It was getting cold so everybody started packing about 4pm.  We could see a line of light on the cliffs, reflected from the water.  I hiked up the Goat Trail, to experience the warmth and the multiple shadow.

November 26, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  Dave had already set up a bulletin board at the trailhead.  I undressed then headed north to my usual spot in front of Valentine Slide.  I met my friends and raised my flag.  I also set up reflectors and sat down in front of it to keep warm.

I went for one swim, just beyond the surf.  There wasn't much to see and it was an uneventful swim.

We all started feeling cold about 4pm, so we packed and left.

November 19, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I undressed and set up my bulletin board then headed north to my usual spot in front of Valentine Slide.

I met my friends, raised my flags and set up another bulletin board under it.  I also set up reflectors and sat down in front of it to keep warm.  The wind picked up and about 2:30pm we all decided it was too cold to stay.  I left the parking lot about 3pm.

November 17, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I undressed and set up my bulletin board then headed north to my usual spot in front of Valentine Slide.

I met my friends, raised my flags and set up another bulletin board under it.  I also set up reflectors and sat down in front of it to keep warm.  The temperature was so perfect that I dozed of for a bit.

I went for one swim out to the sand dollars.  On the way back I caught a good wave.  It shot me out of the face.

It was still warm, but not for much longer, when I left about 4:30pm.  I saw sunset from the trail.  I thought I saw a little green after the sun.

November 14, 2004: Black's Beach and Escondido Swim with Naturally California

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I undressed and set up my bulletin board then headed north to my usual spot in front of Valentine Slide.  There wasn't much dry sand.  Much of the sand was wet from the high tide and much of the beach was covered in mud, much of it dried.

I met my friends, raised my flags and set up another bulletin board under it.  There wasn't enough sand to go around, so I decided to clear some mud and reclaim some beach.  I busted up some dried mud with a pitch fork and moved it to the side with a rake.

I also set up reflectors for use later in the day.  Some of my friends moved next to it early in the afternoon.  I didn't need the extra warmth until later in the day.

I went for two swims.  Both time I only went out to catch some waves.  I missed the majority of the big waves because I was in a place to get broken, rather than a ride, so I had to go under.  I did manage to catch a few rides too.

It started to cool off about 4pm and I started packing and dressing.  I watched the sun set and recorded a video clip.  I was hoping to capture a green flash.  It was a beautiful sunset, but there was no green flash. Afterward, I hiked up the trail.  I was surprised to see San Clemente Island silhouetted against an orange and red sky.  I took a few pictures, which also showed a light, perhaps a boat in front of the island.

Afterward, I joined Naturally California for a swim at the Icoplex in Escondido.  I swam a mile, then spent the rest of the evening chatting in the hot tub.  There were about thirty people there.

November 12, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I undressed and set up my bulletin board then headed north to my usual spot in front of Valentine Slide.

I met my friends, raised my flags and set up another bulletin board under it.  I set up reflectors for use later in the day.

I went for one swim to the sand dollars.  It was very uneventful.

It started to cool off about 3:30pm and I started getting dressed.

I packed up and left about 5pm, watching the sun set behind some clouds as I walked up the trail.

November 10, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I undressed and set up my bulletin board then headed north to my usual spot in front of Valentine Slide.

I met my friends, raised my flags and set up another bulletin board under it.  I set up reflectors and moved to it early, since it was not a hot day.

Far to the north, I could see a skip loader removing a beached boat.

Clouds came in front of the sun about 3:30pm and I started getting dressed.

I packed up and left about 5pm, watching the sun set behind some clouds as I walked up the trail.

November 3, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I undressed and set up my bulletin board then headed north to my usual spot in front of Valentine Slide.

On the way there I passed a Scripps Institute crew working on an experiment that looked a lot like last year's offshore canyon experiment.  I talked with one of their scientists, and he assured me it would be over in a few days.  They were testing equipment.  It was a GPS device on a float.  They were tossing them in and allowing them to drift.

I met my friends, raised my flags and set up another bulletin board under it.  I set up reflectors for later use.  The temperature was so perfect that I fell asleep for a while.  A few clouds passed and it cooled for a short time.  About 4pm I moved next to my reflectors to keep warm.

I packed up and left about 5pm, watching the sun set behind some clouds as I walked toward the trail.

October 31, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, which was just a little bit better than yesterday.  A few sand bags had been moved to more critical areas.  I undressed and set up my bulletin board then headed north to my usual spot in front of Valentine Slide.  I met my friends, raised my flags and set up another bulletin board under it.

I went for one swim to the sand dollars.  The water was much clearer, especially beyond the surf.

I left about 3pm, even though it was still warm, because I had evening plans.

October 30, 2004: Black's Beach

From the Burro Trail I could see large muddy areas covering much of the sand.  Some of it had dried, but not completely.  I undressed and set up my bulletin board then headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  But, I sat down in front of Valentine slide instead, since my usual spot was covered in a layer of mud.

I met my friends, raised my flags and set up another bulletin board under it.  I set up reflectors for later use and used them to keep warm after my swim.

I went for one swim to the sand dollars.  The water was a bit murky, even beyond the surf.

About 5pm I was feeling cold and finally got dressed.  I watched sunset and saw a green flash.  I then picked up my things and headed for the trail.

October 24, 2004: Black's Beach

As I entered the parking lot, I saw two City workers, one shoveling dirt from the street at the entrance, the other filling the potholes just inside the gate.  I hiked down the Burro Trail and still found large muddy areas covering much of the sand.  Some of it had dried, but not completely.  I undressed and set up my bulletin board then headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.

I met my friends, I raised my flag and set up another bulletin board under it.  I could see a few of my friends jumping and rolling in the mud at Indian Canyon.

I went for one swim to the sand dollars.  The water was very clear a little ways beyond the surf.  I spotted a small flounder trying to cover itself.  I tried to take a picture, but ran out of air and couldn't find it again.

It was still warm and sunny when I left about 6pm.  I saw the sunset on my way to the trail.

October 22, 2004: Black's Beach

The parking lot was still wet, and there were even a few puddles.  I hiked down the Burro Trail and found large muddy areas covering much of the sand.  I undressed and set up my bulletin board then headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I passed a few trenches carved into the sand by surf and rain,

I met my friends, I raised my flag and set up another bulletin board under it.

I went for one swim to the sand dollars.  The water was very clear a little ways beyond the surf.  

It was still warm and sunny when I left about 6pm.  I saw the sunset from the trail.

October 13, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail..  I undressed and set up my bulletin board then headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  Once there I raised my flag and set up another bulletin board under it.

I went for one swim to the sand dollars.  The water was very clear a little ways beyond the surf.  

It was still warm and sunny when I left about 4pm.

October 10, 2004: Black's Beach

It seemed very cloudy in the west, but  friend on the beach told me it was sunny.  A cloud was passing over when I arrived in the parking lot.  I had second thoughts about going down, but decided to take a chance and go down.

I hiked down the Burro Trail..  I undressed and set up my bulletin board then headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  Once there I raised my flag and set up another bulletin board under it.

Clouds passed over occasionally and some of my friends set up windbreaks.  I set up a reflector late in the day, to keep warm.

I left about 6:30pm and saw the sunset as I was going up the trail.

October 6, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail..  I undressed and set up my bulletin board then headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  Once there I raised my flag and set up another bulletin board under it.

It didn't seem like it would clear up, so I left about 3pm.

October 3, 2004: Scuba Diving at Black's Beach

I went to Bonito Cove in Mission Bay to meet Dan and load the boat.  He had a twenty seven foot sailboat with a small motor.  He couldn't bring it to the beach, but he rowed a dingy to the beach we loaded gear, mine and Rich's.  Then we transferred it into the boat and tied off the dingy.  We left Mission Bay about 9am and raised the sail.

We saw a lot of lobster trap markers on the way.  We had to go around the kelp beds.  There were a lot of fishermen there and a few dive boats too.  We also saw a lot of cormorants there. Our first gas tank went dry, so we continued under sail and switched to a full tank later.  Before long I could see our destination, so I called Rich, who was on the beach.  When I thought we were close enough, I told Rich to start swimming.  We met him about three hundred yards from shore and he boarded the boat about 12pm.

We anchored a little west of the reef marker and I put on my gear first.  The boat was too small for all three of us in our gear.  I fell backward into the water and waited for the other two to join me.  Before long Rich put his BC into the water them jumped in and put it on.  Dan did a giant leap into the water.

We all took a bearing on the marker and submerged.  I photographed a few invertebrates, then I stopped to take a picture of a camouflaged flounder. I looked around for my dive buddies, and Rich was there.  I got very close to it, and it still didn't move.  So, I reached for it a scared it away.  I let go of my camera.  Then I saw it, a huge grouper, bigger than me.  I couldn't retrieve my camera in time.  Rich and I just watched it pass.

Eventually we both realized we should have spotted the reef already.  We surfaced and saw that we'd passed it.  We swam to the marker and went down again.  I followed a trail of bubbles and found Dan. We all looked around the reef.  I found many lobsters, all in deep holes, way out of reach.  I saw a variety of fish, keyhole limpets, star fish and a moray eel.

sculpin

I was the first to run out of air.  Dan followed soon after.  Rich still had plenty of air left.  I climbed onto the boat first.  Dan did a little keel scrubbing and Rich helped.  Then I helped them get their gear back into the boat.  After a little talking, we pulled up anchor and took Rich closer to shore for his swim back.

As we were passing Children's Pool in La Jolla, a motor boat passed us, asking for directions.  They were way off course.  Then they ran out of gas.  Dan threw them a line and towed them, slowing us down a lot.  We delivered them to a fuel dock in Quivira Basin.

Dan returned me to the beach in Bonito Cove, about 6pm, where Rich was waiting.

Climate	overcast I could see some nude people in the beach, so it must have been warm.
People	It looked like only a few dozen.
Activities Observed	swimming, surfing, horseshoes, paragliding, volleyball, scuba diving, kayaking
Water	temperature: much warmer at the surface visibility: about 30 feet
Wildlife Observed	western gulls, terns, pelicans, brittle stars, urchins, sand dollars, huge grouper, flounder (probably a  halibut), garibaldi, star fish, lobster, kelp bass, opaleyes, keyhole limpets, sheephead, moray eel, sculpin, sargo
Lifeguards and Law Enforcement	I saw city lifeguards in their white truck.

October 1, 2004: Black's Beach

Parking at 1pm	street parking: full gliderport: pothole at entrance, plenty of spaces in west lot
Horizon	I could see a hazy Longbeach.
Burro Trail	The trail was in mostly fair condition.  Many of the sandbags are completely worn on the top-side.
Climate	sunny with cool wind from the west
People	about a hundred
Activities Observed	swimming, surfing, body surfing, body boarding, RC gliding, Frisbee, horseshoes, paragliding
Water	I didn't get in.
Wildlife Observed	heermann's gulls, western gulls, ring billed gulls, squirrels, ravens, terns, pelicans, willets, whimbrels, marbled godwits, brittle stars, urchins
Lifeguards and Law Enforcement	I saw city lifeguards in their white truck and a state lifeguard.

I hiked down the Burro Trail..  I undressed and set up my bulletin board then headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  Once there I raised my flag and set up another bulletin board under it.

I spent the days taking care of my mailing list, so I didn't go swimming.  I was warm, but the wind would have made me cold after a swim.  There were a log of live brittle stars and urchins mixed into the seaweed.

I left about 6pm.

September 24, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail..  I undressed and set up my bulletin board then headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  Once there I raised my flag and set up another bulletin board under it.

I was approached by a man who had been robbed.  He and his girlfriend had just left their stuff near the water and gone for a swim.  I called lifeguards and the gliderport to try and intercept the thieves, but it seems they made a clean get away.

I went swimming with a buddy and swam down to the reef three times.

I left about 6:30pm, even though it was still warm.

September 19, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail..  I undressed and set up my bulletin board then headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  Once there I raised my flag and set up another bulletin board under it.

The tide had not yet reached high.  The beach was a bit crowded and I chose a spot that looked risky, in terms of high tide.  Some of my friends, on higher ground assured me that my spot was safe.  I cautiously stayed in that spot.  I got hit by a few waves, but I had kept everything important higher and safer.  A few of my friends got hit by high tide too.

We had a hot grill going and shared our food with the people around us.  I saw hot dogs, sweet corn, potatoes, ham, chicken and pineapple.

I went for a swim to try and do some body surfing.  The current quickly carried me south.  I walked a ways to the north and tried again.  I got tossed around a bit, but didn't catch any waves.  Then I came to shore in front of our picnic.

I left about 7pm.

September 17, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail..  I undressed and set up my bulletin board then headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  Once there I raised my flag and set up another bulletin board under it.

I swam to the reef and dove to it a few times.

There was a rock slide far to the south.  Two of my friends took their pants and headed south to have a look.  It raised a lot of dust, but made little change in the beach.  Nobody in the vicinity seemed too concerned.

I left about 6pm.

September 15, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail..  The ground was so hot I had to wear sandals until I walked to the wet sand.  I undressed and set up my bulletin board then headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  Once there I raised my flag and set up another bulletin board under it.

I spent most of my time grading papers and didn't get to go swimming.  We did have a bit of a shot put competition.  We used a nearly round stone that must have weighed 35-40 pounds. I left about 7pm and watched sunset while walking toward the trail.

September 12, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail..  I undressed and set up my bulletin board then headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  Once there I raised my flag and set up another bulletin board under it.

All the way down the trail and along the beach I could see a boat in the vicinity of the reef.  I was expecting a friend there sometime in the near future, so I thought it might be him.  I swam to the reef, and it was him.  I climbed aboard and he showed me his catch, mostly sand bass and one big kelp bass.  He showed me around his boat a little and even fired up his radar.  His radar showed what I had guessed.  The beach was more than a quarter mile away, but less that a half mile.  That means my half kilometer approximation is pretty close  I jumped back in the water and attempted the reef, but didn't make it.  I think it was because I wasn't used to the water temperature yet.

Plenty of hot food was served from our grill.  I lost track of exactly what.

I left the beach about 7pm.

September 11, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  The sand was so hot I had to put on sandals right away.  I undressed and set up my bulletin board then headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  Once there I raised my flag and set up another bulletin board under it.

I swam to the reef with two buddies.  I dove to the reef a few times.  My deepest dive was another personal best, 11.6 meters and at reef depth for twenty seconds.

I left the beach about 8pm.  The gate was locked and I had to drive to the other exit.

September 10, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I undressed and set up my bulletin board then headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  Once there I raised my flag and set up another bulletin board under it.

I swam to the reef with two buddies.  I dove to the reef a few times and saw a small lobster the first dive.  This was a personal best for me, since I managed to stay at the reef depth for sixteen seconds.  I saw a lot of the same familiar fish, some of which I couldn't identify.  I didn't have any trouble swimming straight to the reef, but the current carried me north on the way back.

I left the beach about 7pm.

September 8, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I undressed and set up my bulletin board then headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  Once there I raised my flag and set up another bulletin board under it.

At times the wind made me feel a little cool and one of my friends set up a wind break because there was a little sand in the wind.  There was a little bit of dune formation.

I swam once just past the surf and once to the reef.  I dove to the reef five times, the deepest was 10.3 meters.  I saw a lot of the same familiar fish, some of which I couldn't identify.  I saw a California sheephead.  I didn't have any trouble swimming straight to the reef, but the current carried me north on the way back.

The sky clouded over for a time, so I put on a shirt and packed.  About the time I finished packing, the sky cleared and warmed up.  I waited a little longer and caught a few photons from the sun, low in the west.

Then I spotted something large, floating beyond the surf.  It was a dead, bloated sea lion.  I tracked it until it washed up a little north of me.

I left the beach about 6:30pm

September 6, 2004: Black's Beach

I loaded my backpack with ice cream making supplies and started down the Burro Trail.  I  was too loaded down to stop and undress, so I headed north to my usual spot where flags were already flying.  I got some help removing my pack.  Then I undressed and started setting up for the holiday picnic.

I relaxed and admired the waning gibbous moon in the west.  I knew it would be a busy day.

Sometime after the grill started I added salt to some seawater and threw some dry ice in to start chilling it.  Once ice began to form, I put the ice cream chamber in and filled it with the blueberry mix.  I mostly got other people to do the cranking.  Once done, I dished out that first batch.  Then I did a batch of mint, adding supercold chocolate chips to make it mint and chip ice cream.  After that we did a batch of raspberry then a small batch of vanilla.

I lost track of what was coming off the grill, but I did see hot  dogs, hamburgers, shrimp, chicken, pineapple, banana, salmon and sweet corn.

I didn't get to go swimming.  My time was divided between ice cream making and supervising kids playing in the surf.

I was still packing up when the sun set.  I was busy and missed it.  I hiked out in the dark.  I could see several constellations on my way up the trail, including Sagittarius and Scorpius.  It must have been 9pm when I finally left the parking lot.  The gate was locked and I had to drive to the other exit. 

September 5, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  The sand was so hot I had to put on sandals.  I  undressed right away and set up the bulletin board.  Then I headed north to my usual spot where flags were already flying.  I raised my flags, adding to the array.

I did a lot of body boarding coaching of kids until well into the afternoon.  I finally swam to the reef with two buddies.  I dove to the reef three times, the deepest was 10.9 meters.

We had two grills going.  Some of the hot food included hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, pork loins, sweet corn and sausages.

I stayed and saw sunset from the beach.  I left about 7:30pm.  I left the parking lot a little after 8pm.  The gate was locked, so I drove to the other exit.

September 4, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  The sand was so hot I had to put on sandals.  I  undressed right away and set up the bulletin board.  Then I headed north to my usual spot where flags were already flying.

I swam to the reef with three buddies.  It was more difficult, due to a current from the north.  I was so out of breath fighting the current that I could barely make it down to the reef.  I also swam to the sand dollars with a buddy.

I stayed and saw sunset from the beach.  I left about 7:30pm.

September 1, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I  undressed right away and set up the bulletin board.  Then I headed north to my usual spot, and raised my flag.

I swam to the reef with four buddies.  I dove to the reef four times.  My deepest dive 2as 10.9 meters.  The water was not quite clear enough to see the reef from the surface.  We could see the darker water, indicating the reef below.  I also swam to the sand dollars once, with a buddy.

I watched sunset from the beach.  The sun was very red and disappeared behind a layer of clouds only about a half degree above the horizon.

August 29, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I undressed right away and set up the bulletin board.  The sand was so hot I had to wear sandals.  Then I headed north to my usual spot, and raised my flag.

About noon I tried surfing again.  I didn't do so well.  I did a little better than last time.

I swam to the reef, with three buddies, and dove to the reef four times.  The deepest dive was 10.6 meters.  I could see the reef from the surface.  There was a cormorant diving nearby, but it never let me get close enough for a good picture.

The grill was going much of the day.  Some of the food included hot dogs, salmon, pork loins, chicken shish kabobs, sweet corn, chicken and sausages,

The tide was getting high toward the evening.  I watched sunset before packing and left about 7:30pm.

August 27, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I  undressed right away and set up the bulletin board.  The sand was so hot I had to wear sandals.  Then I headed north to my usual spot, and raised my flag.

I swam to the reef and dove to the reef once.  The deepest dive was 10.9 meters.  I could see the reef from the surface.

Late in the afternoon I tried surfing again.  I didn't do so well.  I did better last week.

The rising tide and a rogue wave caught us off-guard.  Some backpacks and towels got soaked.

I packed and left about 7pm and watched the sunset while hiking to the trail.  There was a green flash.

August 25, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I  undressed right away and set up the bulletin board.  The sand was so hot I had to wear sandals.  Then I headed north to my usual spot, and raised my flag.

I swam to the reef and dove to the reef four times.  The deepest dive was 10.6 meters.  I could see the reef from the surface, and I could determine the size between what I could see from above and the dives.  I found it to be about the size of a football field.

Late in the afternoon I tried surfing again.  I didn't do so well.  I did better last week.

The sky clouded up about 5:30pm, so I packed and left about 6:30pm.

August 22, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I  undressed right away and stocked up the bulletin board already present.  Then I headed north to my usual spot, where flags were already flying.

On my way there, I paused to take pictures of a blue heron.  I even got a video of the bird in flight.

We had two grills going, due to the high demand.  Some of the hot food included hot dogs, corn dogs, salmon, chicken, sweet corn, potatoes, sausages, bratwurst and shrimp.

I went swimming twice, once to the reef with four buddies and once to the sand dollars with two buddies.  I had trouble swimming down to the reef, probably because I was winded from fighting the current that kept carrying me south.  I saw star fish, garibaldi and kelp bass.  Two of my buddies managed to get down to the reef too.

I was busy and missed sunset.  I packed up and left about 8pm.  The gate was locked and I had to drive to the other exit.

August 21, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I  undressed right away and set up my bulletin board.  Then I headed north to my usual spot and raised my flags.

I tried surfing for the first time today, first in the early afternoon, and again about 5:30pm.  I managed to ride a few waves, but I was certainly not graceful.

I went swimming once to the reef, with a buddy.  I managed to swim down to the reef eight times.  I saw star fish, and brought one to the surface.  I think it was a giant spiny star.  My dive computer recorded a lowest temperature of 22 degrees Celsius and a deepest dive of 10.3 meters.  My buddy managed to get down to the reef too.  We found the southern edge of the reef is near the marker buoy.  We didn't find the northern edge.

I was busy and missed sunset.  I packed up and left about 7:30pm.

August 20, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I  undressed right away and set up my bulletin board.  Then I headed north to my usual spot and raised my flags.

I went swimming twice, once to the sand dollars and once to the reef with a buddy.  I managed to swim down to the reef six times and take a picture each time.  I saw star fish.  My dive computer recorded a lowest temperature of 22 degrees Celsius and a deepest dive of 10.0 meters.

The sun went behind some clouds about 6pm.  I packed up and left about 7pm.

August 18, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I  undressed right away and set up my bulletin board.  Then I headed north to my usual spot and raised my flags.

It was a warm day with a perfect temperature for napping.  I dozed off for a while.

I went swimming twice, once to the sand dollars and once to the reef with four buddies.  On the way to the reef, a pod of dolphins crossed our path.  I One came to within twenty feet of me, but much closer to others in our group.  I managed to swim down to the reef seven times and take a picture each time.  I saw star fish twice, both white.  One of the others in the group managed to get down to the reef and take a picture of me.  My dive computer recorded a lowest temperature of 22 degrees Celsius and a deepest dive of 11.3 meters.  I did find a peak in the reef that may have only been 8.5 meters deep.

It cleared up about 3pm, but clouds near the horizon obscured sunset.  I could see a thin slice of the red sun between clouds, as it set.  I left about 7:30pm.

August 17, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I  undressed right away and stocked up the bulletin board already present.  Then I headed north to my usual spot where flags were already flying.

I passed a dead seal on the way.  One of my friends cut it open later.  According to him, it swallowed a hook, and it was tangled in fishing line.  Perhaps the fishing line strangled it.

I swam out to the reef with two buddies.  I managed to swim down to the reef five times and take a picture each time.  There were rock fish, starting about ten feet under, and garibaldi around the reef.  I only managed to stay down for about ten seconds, so I didn't manage to see anything more.

It cleared up about 3pm, but a few clouds near the horizon obscured sunset.  I left about 7:30pm.

August 15, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I  undressed right away and set up my bulletin board.  Then I headed north to my usual spot and raised my flags.  The guys had already set up for our picnic.

There was a dead sand shark on the beach, and I found a California sea hare mixed in with the seaweed on the beach. There was a lot of hacked up seaweed in the surf.  It was like walking through soup to get past the breakers.  I raked up a little seaweed and buried it.  Every time I planted the shovel, I cut through many blood worms.
I swam to the sand dollars with two buddies. There was a blue heron on the beach late in the afternoon.  It was very close to two men, and didn't fly away when a few people walked nearby. It cleared up about 3pm, but a few clouds near the horizon obscured sunset.  I left about 7:30pm.

August 14, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I  undressed right away and set up my bulletin board.  Then I headed north to my usual spot and raised my flags.  The guys had already set up for a picnic planned only a day in advance.

There was a lot of hacked up seaweed in the surf.  It was like walking through soup to get past the breakers.  Then I swam to the sand dollars with a buddy.

It clouded up about 5pm, but didn't cool off right away.  I left about 7pm.

August 13, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I  undressed right away and set up my bulletin board.  Then I headed north to my usual spot and raised my flags.

I went swimming with a buddy.  We swam to the reef.  I made two attempts to reach it.  The first attempt, I was close enough to see it, at a depth of 8.4 meters.  The second time, I made it to the reef and even had a little time to look around.  I found a peek.  My maximum depth was 9.7 meters.  This was a disappointment to me.  I thought the reef was 45 feet down.  Today I learned it's only 30 feet down.

When I got back, I learned one of my friends got stung by a sting ray.  She buried her foot in hot sand, to reduce the pain.  I called the lifeguards, but we had already done everything there was to do and they didn't offer her a ride.  After about an hour, she hiked up the trail.

It clouded up about 5pm, but didn't cool off right away.  I left about 7pm.

August 4, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I  undressed right away and set up my bulletin board.  Then I headed north to my usual spot and raised my flags.

I left about 3:30pm.

August 3, 2004: Black's Beach

There were two rangers in the parking lot with a handcuffed man in the back seat.  They released him from the handcuffs and allowed him to get ID from his car.

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I  undressed right away and stocked up my bulletin board.  Then I headed north to my usual spot where flags were already flying and a picnic was already in progress.

Dave had arranged a picnic for a youth group called JAANR.  Much of the food had already been eaten, but I managed to get a hot dog and a hamburger.  They left shortly after I arrived, about 3pm.

I swam to the sand dollars, with two buddies.

One of the two rangers I saw in the parking lot was on the beach just before sunset.  He broke up a fire ring and hauled away some abandoned camping supplies.

I left about 7:30pm.

August 1, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I  undressed right away and set up my bulletin board.  Then I headed north to my usual spot and raised my flags.

It was cloudy and windy, so the flies weren't bad, for the first time in about two weeks.

I swam twice, with buddies, once to the sand dollars.

We fired up the grill about 12pm.  Some of the hot food included, hot dogs, peppered sausages, chicken, short ribs, salmon, sweet corn, bell peppers, pineapple and beef.  People also brought doughnuts, macaroni salad, and melons to the picnic. 

The sun passed behind some clouds about 6:30 pm.  I packed up and left about 7:30.  I saw sunset from the trail.  There was nearly half a degree free of clouds.  That was about one degree above the horizon.  I saw the sun through this window, then it was gone.

July 31, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I  undressed right away and set up my bulletin board.  Then I headed north to my usual spot and raised my flags.

The flies were pretty bad.  I scared up swarms every time I passed near a pile of kelp.  Quite a few settled on the underside of my umbrella later.  I raised my flags and set up my stuff.

I swam to the sand dollars with four friends.  On the way there, I spotted surf perch.  Three of us swam to the reef later.  I made an attempt to swim down to the reef, but it was murky about thirty feet down.  I turned back and didn't try again.

Late in the day somebody pointed out a sea gull eating a ray in the surf.  I was never sure if it was a bat ray or a sting ray.  I did see it finally swallow most of the ray.  The tail was still hanging from the beak. I packed up and left about 7:30pm.

July 30, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I  undressed right away and set up my bulletin board.  Then I headed north to my usual spot.

The flies were pretty bad.  I scared up swarms every time I passed near a pile of kelp.  Quite a few settled on the underside of my umbrella later.  I raised my flags and set up my stuff.

I swam to the reef with three friends.  On the way there, I spotted a purple jellyfish about 8 feet under.  I took a few pictures, at least one with a friend in the background.  I made an attempt to swim down to the reef, but it was murky about thirty feet down.  I turned back and didn't try again.  On the way back, I found a cormorant and maybe got a good picture of it taking off.  I also saw a fish, which I first thought was a yellowtail, but I now believe was a bonita.

I packed up and left about 7pm.

July 29, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  Even the trail was too hot for bare feet.  I  undressed right away and set up my bulletin board.  Then I headed north to my usual spot.

The flies were pretty bad.  I scared up swarms every time I passed near a pile of kelp.  Quite a few settled on the underside of my umbrella later.  I raised my flags and set up my stuff.

I swam to the reef with two friends.  I made an attempt to swim down to the reef, but it was murky about thirty feet down.  I turned back and didn't try again.

I packed up and left about 7pm.

July 28, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  Even the trail was too hot for bare feet.  I undressed right away and set up my bulletin board.  Then I headed north to my usual spot.

The flies were pretty bad.  I scared up swarms every time I passed near a pile of kelp.  Quite a few settled on the underside of my umbrella later.  I raised my flags and set up my stuff.

Three of my friends had already gone for a swim and it was too late for me to catch up.  A swimming buddy showed up later and we swam out two marker buoys.  There's a pink buoy and beyond that are two white buoys.  We swam to the pink one and the nearer white one.  The pink one used to have an experiment about ten feet under, but it was no longer there.

I packed up and left about 7pm.

July 25, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  Dave had already set up a bulletin board.  I undressed and stocked it with a few newsletters.  Then I headed north to my usual spot.  Dave had already raised flags at our picnic site.

The flies were really bad while I walked.  I set up my stuff a little further from the water, to try to get away from the flies.  They became less of a problem later in the day, as the wind picked up.

I went swimming twice, both times with a buddy.  Both times we swam out to the sand dollars and back.  I heard dolphins during the second swim, and eventually saw them.  They did pass near us, but I didn't see them until after they passed.  I wonder if they plan it that way.

We had the grill going much of the day.  Some of the food off the grill included hamburgers, cheeseburgers, shish kabobs, sweet corn, sausages and surf perch.  A couple of fishermen caught the perch. I left about 7:30pm.

July 24, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I undressed and set up my bulletin board at the trailhead.  Then I headed north to my usual spot.  Once there I raised our flags.

The flies were really bad while I walked.  I set up my stuff a little further from the water, to try to get away from the flies.  They became less of a problem later in the day.

I left about 5pm.

July 22, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  The trail was hot, but I didn't have to wear my sandals.  Dave had already set up a bulletin board at the trail head.  I stocked up the newsletters and headed north to usual spot.  Dave had already raised our flags.

The flies were really bad while I walked.  I set up my stuff, and had to move farther from the water to get away from the flies.

I went swimming once, with two buddies.  We swam out to the sand dollars.

I left about 5:30pm.

July 19, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  The trail was hot and I had to wear sandals.  Dave had already set up a bulletin board at the trail head.  I stocked up the newsletters and headed north to usual spot.  Dave had already raised our flags.

I set up my stuff, and braced myself against the flies.  I went for a walk, and when I got back, they weren't so bad.

I didn't go for a long swim, but I did do some body boarding.

I packed up and left about 7:30pm.  I watched the sun set, through some clouds, from the top of the trail.  I think I saw a green flash, but it wasn't obvious.  I left the parking lot just a few minutes after 8pm.  The guard was just locking the gate.

July 18, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail with a large back pack, and wearing shoes for a change.  I set up my bulletin board at the trail head and headed north to usual spot.  There I raised my flags and set up my stuff.  I set up for making ice cream later.

I joined in, setting up for our picnic.  A table was built up from the sand, and covered with a table cloth.  Seaweed was gathered and buried.  Grills were set up.

Flies were pretty bad until much later in the day.  People were able to diminish the fly problem by removing seaweed and moving far from the water line.

I went swimming to the reef, with a buddy.  We found the marker without any trouble.  I made an attempt to reach the reef.  I didn't make it, but I think I saw a sandy bottom.

I was mostly packed when I watched sunset from the beach.  Then I hiked up and left the parking lot at nearly 9pm.  The main gate was locked, so I used the other gate.

July 18, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I had to put on my sandals right away, since the sand was so hot.  I undressed and set up my bulletin board at the trail head.  I also left a copy of the latest La Jolla Light under the bulletin board, since I'm on the front page.

I headed north to my usual spot north of Valentine Slide.  There I raised my flags and set up my stuff.

Flies were pretty bad until much later in the day.  People were able to diminish the fly problem by removing seaweed and moving far from the water line.

I went swimming four times, mostly just to the sand dollars.  They were all pretty uneventful.

I dozed off for a few minutes and woke up to a cloudy sky.  I packed up a left a little before sunset.

July 16, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I had to put on my sandals right away, since the sand was so hot.  I undressed and set up my bulletin board at the trail head.  I also left a copy of the latest La Jolla Light under the bulletin board, since I'm on the front page.

I then hiked north to my usual spot north of Valentine Slide.  I raised my flag and set up my stuff.  Umbrellas were a must.

Flies settled in any dark area without traffic.  When we saw a lot of flies resting, we left them alone as much as possible.  So long as they were staying in one place, they were leaving us alone.

I swam to the reef with a buddy.  We found the marker buoy without any trouble.  I managed to swim down to the reef, spotted a few garibaldi, and took a picture of one.  I doubted I could make it down again without a rest period.  Later, I swam to the sand dollars with a different buddy.

I watched sunset from the beach.  There was not a distinct green flash.  The gate was locked when I left, so I took the other exit, the one where the guard sits under an umbrella all day.

July 15, 2004: Black's Beach

My feet were burning as I hiked down the Burro Trail, so I had to put on sandals.  I undressed and set up my bulletin board at the trail head.  I then hiked north to my usual spot north of Valentine Slide.  I raised my flag and set up my stuff.

The flies were significant pests.  People were waving them off while walking, but they weren't so bothersome if you sat a ways from seaweed.

There were two boats with divers.  They seemed to be servicing the science buoys.

I swam to the sand dollars twice.  The surf was very small, but I managed to get a ride.

It was still hot when I left about 7pm.

July 12, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I had to put on my sandals right away, since the sand was so hot.  I undressed and set up my bulletin board at the trail head.  I then hiked north to my usual spot north of Valentine Slide.  I raised my flag and set up my stuff.

I swam to the reef with two buddies.  It was the first time for one buddy.  We found the marker buoy.  It's about the size of a two liter bottle, blue and orange, marked with TP2.  I was able to swim down to the reef and look around for a second or two.  I made a second attempt, but didn't make it.

It was still hot when I left about 7pm.

July 11, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trail head.  I undressed right away.  I then hiked north to my usual spot north of Valentine Slide.

I raised my flag and set up my stuff.  I helped set up for our picnic.  Our area was already free of kelp, so raking was unnecessary.

We lit the grill early, 11am.  We cooked hot dogs, chicken, sweet corn, bratwurst, sausages and steak.  We shared among our group and with those nearby.

It was overcast and cool until early afternoon, then hot and sunny.  I did need my sandals to walk in hot sand.

I left about 8pm and watched sunset from the trail.  The gate was locked and I had to use the southeast gate.

July 10, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trail head.  I undressed right away.  I then hiked north to my usual spot north of Valentine Slide.

I raised my flag and set up my stuff.  I put an apple core and banana peels in a palm branch to keep the squirrels occupied.  Others put cantaloupe rinds in it too.

The day was mostly cool.  The sun only came out for minutes at a time.  At times I thought of putting on a shirt.

I left about 6pm.  It wasn't cold yet, but I could tell it wasn't going to get any better.

July 9, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trail head.  I undressed right away.  I then hiked north to my usual spot north of Valentine Slide.

I raised my flag and set up my stuff.  I put an apple core and banana peels in a palm branch to keep the squirrels occupied.

I went for two swims, one to an orange buoy and the other ended when I found a large clam.  I found that the buoy marked an experimental package about ten feet under.  My second swim I found a clam nearly as big as my open hand.  I stuffed it into my shell bag and showed it off on shore.  Then I posed for a picture and threw it back.

It was still warm sunny when I left about 6:30.

July 8, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trail head.  I undressed right away.  I then hiked north to my usual spot north of Valentine Slide.

I raised my flag and set up my stuff.  I put an apple core, banana peels and cantaloupe rinds in a palm branch to keep the squirrels occupied.  I went for one uneventful swim to the sand dollars.

About 7:30pm it was starting to cloud up and cool, so I packed and left.  I left the parking lot after 8pm.  The gate was locked, so I had to go to the other exit.

July 5, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trail head.  I undressed right away.  I then hiked north to my usual spot north of Valentine Slide.

My club was already flying flags, but I added two upon my arrival.  I then chose my spot and set up my stuff.  We set up two grills, but only lit one.  Some of the hot food included, sweet corn, zucchini, squash, chicken, hot dogs, sausages and pork ribs.

I went swimming once, but turned back early since my buddy's mask came apart.  We fought back to shore through a weak rip.

I set up a palm branch and wedged some melon rinds in it.  The idea was to keep the squirrels occupied and away from our food.  They didn't get near it all day, but they didn't get near our food either.  I think there were just too many people. It was a bit cool when I left about 6pm.

July 4, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trail head.  I undressed, but I had to put on sandals, since the sand was so hot.  I then hiked north to my usual spot north of Valentine Slide.

Flags were already flying for our picnic, but I raised two more.  I set up my umbrella and laid out my ice cream stuff.  Others from my group had already raked the seaweed, set up grill and even raised a table from the sand.

The grill was fired up about 1pm and I waited until about 2pm to start adding dry ice to sea water.  With help from others, we cranked out two batches of ice cream, first blueberry, then mint and chip.  Some of the hot food from the grill included chicken, hot dogs, sausages, zucchini, squash and salmon.

There were a few sand castles under construction in our area.  One was a smoldering volcano for a while.  None of the artists stuck around long enough for a picture though.

I only managed to go swimming once.  Much of the day I was refereeing over the line or supervising kids on body boards. Late in the day a tandem paraglider flew with a red, white and blue smoke tail.

It was still warm when I left about 7pm.  I stayed to watch fireworks from a spot between the gliderport and the Burro Trail.  There were fireworks launched from the gliderport, then from someplace in La Jolla, and finally the best were launched from very near La Jolla Cove.

Before leaving I lent a shovel to help dig a car out of a sandy spot in the lot.  Then I helped push them out.  I got to the exit about 9:15 and found the gate locked.  A little to the left and a ways across the east lot, I found the other gate still open.

July 3, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trail head.  I then hiked north to my usual spot north of Valentine Slide.  I raised my flags and set up my umbrella.

Through the day the sand was so hot I had to put on sandals.

I went swimming three times, once with buddies.  Once I swam out to a dive boat and tried to direct them to the reef.  All three times I swam out to the sand dollars.  The surf was very small, and only children could really get a good ride.

It got cloudy and was starting to cool, when I left about 7:30pm.  The sun showed itself below some clouds just before 8pm.  I didn't stay for sunset though.  I left the parking lot just after 8pm, and a guard was locking the gate.  A minute later and I would have to go to the east gate.

July 2, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trail head.  I had to put on sandals, since the sand was so hot.  I then hiked north to my usual spot north of Valentine Slide.  I raised my flags and set up my umbrella.

I went swimming to the sand dollars once and body boarding too.  There were a lot of little pieces of kelp in the surf, but the water was clear beyond.  The surf was very small, and only children could really get a good ride.

It was still warm when I left about 6pm

June 27, 2004: Black's Beach

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

Before I could set up, I saw an osprey lifting a fish from the surf in front of me.  I raced for my camera, but I was too slow.  It took its' catch south and I lost sight of it before I could power up my camera.

I raised my flags and set up my umbrella.  I hardly needed it for the shade.  People were mostly using umbrellas to block the wind.  There was just enough wind to form dunes.  I was about to leave around 3pm, but a little sun shone through and convinced me to stay a while.  About 5:30 I finally gave up and left.

June 26, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trail head.  I then hiked north and set up north of Valentine Slide.  I raised my club flag and set up my umbrella.

I heard an impact and looked to the cliffs above.  It took me nearly a minute to find the hang-glider wind near the top of the cliff.  People rushed from the top and quickly removed the hang-glider.  There was still a lot of commotion, so I figured there was an injured pilot still down.  It didn't take long before I saw the life flight helicopter lowing the cable.  Then they hooked on to the pilot, in a basket, along with a rescue worker.  The helicopter raised the cable, along with the rescue worker and victim, as it headed away from the cliff and south..

There was occasional sunshine, increasing later in the day.  After enjoying a few hours of sunshine, I saw a long bank of clouds in the west.  One of my friends said the sun would go behind it in 20 minutes.  I guessed 5 minutes.  An hour later, the sun was still above it.  It was still sunny, but cooling, when we left about 6pm.

June 25 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trail head.  I then hiked north and set up north of Valentine Slide.  I noticed rocks on the beach that weren't there Wednesday.  I could even backtrack the trail of one to where it hit the beach and pieces spun off as it rolled to where I found it. I raised my club flag and set up my umbrella.  I went swimming once.  It was uneventful. It clouded up about 3pm and started to cool off.  I left about 4pm.

June 23, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trail head.  I then hiked north and set up north of Valentine Slide.  I raised my club flag and set up my umbrella.

It clouded up about 3pm and started to cool off.  I left about 4:30pm.

June 14, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trail head.  I was planning to go north to my usual spot, but I met a friend on the way.  We spent the day near Hully Gully, with a few more friends who showed up soon afterward.

I raised my club flag and spread my sheet.  I had to anchor it with some sand, due to the wind.  I chose not to attempt to lay out my sarongs.  It was just too windy.

I left about 6:30pm.

June 6, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trail head.  I then headed north and joined a friend in our usual spot north of Valentine Slide.  Others joined us quickly.  I called people and advised them of the weather.

I set up a windbreak, but it wasn't enough help.  There were still eddies of wind carrying sand that came around the sides.  I was trying to read a magazine, but had to shake out the sand every few minutes.

I decided that there will many, better days, and the wind was only getting stronger.  I left about 12:30pm,  There were people on their way down the trail as I was on my way up.  I convinced one of them to turn back.

June 5, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trail head.  I then headed north to my usual spot north of Valentine Slide.  I set up my stuff and raised my flag.  Eventually a few friends showed up.

I went for one swim, with a buddy.  We swam out to the sand dollars and back.  I saw many bat rays.  I didn't see the jellyfish, but I felt the sting.  I itched for an hour or so afterward.  It was hard not to scratch, but I got over it.

I left about 5:30pm.

June 4, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trail head.  I then headed north to my usual spot north of Valentine Slide.  I set up my stuff and raised my flag.  Eventually a few friends showed up.

I went for one swim.  I was planning to swim out to the sand dollars, but the waves were too good to be passed up.  I was in a spot where some really great waves were breaking, when a big one reached me.  I was in the perfect spot to catch it, so I did.  It gave me a short ride on top, before it threw me out in front.  Then I fell into some really strong turbulence, that ripped my goggles off my face.  Fortunately, they float.  I found them in the foam, put them back on and swam to shore.

I left about 6pm.

May 29, 30 & June 1, 2004: Black's Beach

There have been significant changes in the trail in the last three weeks.  A few loose steps have been removed.  A damaged staircase has been reinforced.  A portion of the trail was widened.  Steps have been replaced.

I don't remember details of each trip, but there are some things that were common to all three days.  There was plenty of street parking at 11am.  Parking at the glider-port has been scarce.  It has been hot and sunny all three days, though it was foggy when I arrived Sunday at 10:30am.  The water has been cool.  Some of the days were windy, from the southwest, but Memorial Day the wind was dead.

There were only a few hundred Saturday, but there were probably over a thousand people Sunday and Monday.  There were people playing volleyball Sunday and Monday.  There were plenty of other activities, like smashball, Frisbee, swimming, surfing, body boarding, body surfing, paragliding, hang-gliding and castle building.

I saw an osprey dive for a fish Monday, but I don't think he caught it.  I also saw a snowy egret.  I picked up a handful of hermit crabs Monday.  I gave them to some kids, and later insisted that they let them go.

We hosted picnics Sunday and Monday.  There was more than enough sweet corn Sunday.  There were also hot dogs, hamburgers, bratwurst, zucchini, squash and chicken.

I stayed until sunset all three days and watched from either the trail or the parking lot.  Sunday, it set behind a sharp horizon.  Monday, there was a layer of haze about one degree above the horizon that obscured it.

May 14-22, 2004: Black's Beach

I've been to the beach four times recently, but I don't remember details of each trip.  Weekdays, street parking has been full.  Weekends, parking at the glider-port has been scarce.  The water has been cool.  Some of the days were windy, from the southwest.  Some of the days were a mixture of clouds and sun.

I have seen some unusual wildlife recently: snowy egrets, blue heron, red-tailed hawk eating a squirrel and cormorants.  One day I saw hundreds of bat rays, but that was in deep water.

May 10, 2004: Black's Beach

There was a channel 8 news van in the parking lot.  I asked one of the crew what the news was, she said it was a report on the strong rip currents.

I hiked down the Burro Trail and met a friend on his way up.  He was leaving because it was too windy.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and undressed.  We met another friend on his way to the trail, who had also decided to go home.  I convinced them both to stay for a while.  I wonder if they'll ever forgive me.

We then headed north to our usual spot just north of Valentine Slide where we set up wind breaks and raised our club flag.  We stayed warm out of the wind, talking and eating our heaviest foods.  About 2:30 we decided to try and beat traffic, so we left.

May 9, 2004: Black's Beach

As I hiked down the Burro Trail, I could see a boat flying the scuba flag.  It was anchored very near the reef we sometimes swim to in the summer.  Once at the bottom, I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and undressed.  I then headed north to my usual spot just north of Valentine Slide where I raised my club flag.

I set up an umbrella and stayed under it until about 3pm.  The sand was hot and I kept my sandals handy.  The tide was out at first, rose to a slight high tide around 3pm, then went out a little.

About 11:30 I heard a noise and turned to the cliff.  There was a landslide in progress, bringing down some chest-sized rocks.  I pointed, yelled and whistled.  Most of us watched from a safe distance, but two of my friends were close enough that they thought running was a better idea.

I went swimming three times, once by myself and twice with buddies.  The water was so murky, I could barely see the bottom when it was just a few feet away.  I caught a few waves each swim.  Some of them were very good rides.

My second swim I went out with four buddies.  It was a battle getting past some big waves.  Two buddies couldn't make it and waved us on.  Three of us were way out looking for my sand dollar marker when we heard the sirens.  Then we saw the truck.  We were concerned that maybe the other two had trouble getting back.  We watched as the truck came to a stop where we entered the water.  We decided to swim back right away.

Eventually we saw the lifeguard on the longboard, and I gave him the ok sign.  We got close enough to talk and I told him we were fine.  We asked about the other two and he said they were fine.  Then he insisted we first swim north and then to shore, to get out of the rip.  Another lifeguard showed up on the jetski, and we gave him the ok sign too.

We followed the lifeguard on the longboard.  He stayed with the fastest swimmer, while I stayed behind with the slowest.  As we were coming to shore we realized the lifeguard had lead us into a strong rip, but we all managed to get out anyway.

Late in the day, perhaps 7pm, I had started packing when I learned of a man caught in the rip.  It was very much a team effort.  Dave Cole told me about him and called 911, while I headed to the water.  I couldn't see anybody, since the reflection of the sun was on that part of the water.  I asked a woman on my way, and she said, "Yes, my boyfriend."  I rushed out into the water, wondering if I can do anything without my gear.  I didn't know it at the time, but one of my swimming buddies, Christine, saw me rushing out and knew she had time to get her body board.

Another guy named Dave was ahead of me in the water waving me on.  I still couldn't see anyone, but charged against the waves, hitting them sideways.  Eventually, I could hear a voice calling for help, and finally saw a head above the waves.  He seemed to be ok, so I asked if he needed help.  He answered, "Yes, I can't swim."  I took hold of his right hand with my right hand.  Another man, Jeff, reached him and took his other hand.  Then we switched hands so that we were all three facing shore with the victim in the middle.

Three other people were in the water to assist with the rescue.  Heidi offered to take him, since she had fins, and I let her.  Then she was gone and I took over again.  Christine showed up with her body board and we got the victim on it.  Christine and I towed him to shore on the body board.  I checked the bottom and found it was deeper than when we started.  I knew we weren't getting closer to shore.  We were getting pulled out by the rip.  Heidi then led us between the rip currents and were eventually in waist deep water.

Lifeguards showed up and I gave them the ok sign.  There was one running into the surf, one on a jetski and I don't know how many in the truck.  They asked how many got in the water and how many got out.  Five of us went in for the rescue and five came out.  The victim laid down for a while and they checked to make sure he would not suffer secondary drowning.

Later the victim was having trouble staying warm, so I loaned him a blanket and some chemically activated hand warmers I had.  He and his girlfriend left ahead of us and we made sure they made it to the parking lot.

I later learned that one of my friends had rescued two little girls, earlier in the day.  He was picking up litter on the city beach, where clothing is required.  He threw off his clothes, brought the girls back, dried off and put his clothes back on.

Today was a very full day.  I watched sunset before I finished packing.  There was a green flash.  I left around 8pm.

One exit from the parking lot was locked, but the other was still open.  I was driving east toward the gate.  When I saw that it was locked, I continued east and saw the other gate on my right, past the signs that say Salk parking only. 

May 8, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and undressed.  I then headed north to my usual spot just north of Valentine Slide where I raised my club flag.

I set up an umbrella and stayed under it until about 3pm.  The sand was hot and I kept my sandals handy.  The tide barely moved all day, but it was highest around 3pm.

I went swimming twice.  Both times I saw crabs and sand dollars.  Both times I caught a few waves.

I left around 7pm, but stopped at the trailhead to watch sunset.  There were a lot of clouds on the western horizon, so I couldn't see the sun.  I did see a bright patch in the clouds.  That patch had a green outer edge.  As that patch shrank, it was eventually all green, then faded.

May 2, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and undressed.  I then headed north to my usual spot just north of Valentine Slide where I raised my club flag.

I set up an umbrella and stayed under it until about 5pm.  The sand was very hot and I could barely step out of the shade without my sandals.

We raked the seaweed toward the ocean, to keep the flies away from us.  The tide was out most of the day, but was getting high before sunset.

I left around 7pm.  I watched sunset from the parking lot again, and saw another green flash.

May 1, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trailhead.  It was so hot, I had to undress right away.  I then headed north to my usual spot just north of Valentine Slide where I raised my club flag.

The tide had been high and deposited a lot of kelp.  I did my part raking the kelp toward the water, as a fly abatement project.  The tide was way out most of the day and only began to rise late in the afternoon.  I had to back a few things away as it approached.

I set up an umbrella and stayed under it most of the day.  The sand was too hot for my feet, and I found sandals to be a necessity.

I went swimming twice, both times with a buddy.  I caught a wave or two, but nothing really good.  We were at the edge of a rip current, on our return, and it pulled us in many directions.

An RC glider made a soft landing on the beach.  It was really big, with a wingspan greater than 6'.

I left around 7pm and watched sunset from the parking lot.  I saw a green flash.

April 30, 2004: Black's Beach

It was cold and windy in the parking lot, but I was counting on it being warmer on the beach.  I left my umbrella behind and hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and undressed.  I then headed north to my usual spot just north of Valentine Slide where I raised my club flag.

A few of my friends set up wind breaks to stay warm, but I was warm enough to stay nude without one.  However, I didn't feel warm enough to take a swim until late in the day.

I left around 6pm.

April 25, 2004: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and undressed.  I then headed north to my usual spot just north of Valentine Slide where I raised my club flag.

I set up an umbrella, but found it unnecessary.  At times it was cold enough that I was under a blanket.

I left around 6pm.

April 24, 2004: Black's Beach

The air was just clear enough to see Longbeach.   I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and undressed.  I then headed north to my usual spot just north of Valentine Slide where I raised my club flag.

The sand was too hot for my feet, so I had to use sandals in the dry, dark sand.  I used an umbrella all day to keep cool.

I went swimming twice, once with a buddy.  I swam out to the sand dollars and back.  I saw a crab, maybe a blue crab, nearly the size of my fist.  I made an attempt to catch it, but it demonstrated that it's claws could reach me, so I left it alone.

I watched sunset from the beach.  There was a green fuzz that followed sunset.

April 23, 2004: Black's Beach

The air was just clear enough to see a hazy Longbeach.   I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and undressed.  I then headed north to my usual spot just north of Valentine Slide where I raised my club flag.

The sand was too hot for my feet, so I had to use sandals in the dry, dark sand.  I used an umbrella and sat under it much of the day.

I went swimming twice.  I swam out to the sand dollars and back both times.  I caught a few good waves.

I stayed until sunset, which I saw from the trail.  There was a green flash, though you had to be looking for it.

April 19, 2004: Black's Beach

The air was just clear enough to see Longbeach.   I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and undressed.  I then headed north to my usual spot just north of Valentine Slide where I raised my club flag.

The sand was too hot for my feet, so I had to use sandals in the dry, dark sand.  I used an umbrella at first but later needed sun to compensate for the cool wind.

I went swimming once.  I swam out to the sand dollars and back.  I even caught one very good ride and a few lesser rides.

It was getting cool so we left around 5pm.

April 18, 2004: Black's Beach and Escondido Swim with Naturally California

The air was just clear enough to see Longbeach.   I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and undressed.  I then headed north to my usual spot just north of Valentine Slide where I raised my club flag.

Everybody who had an umbrella, had it set up.  It was a hot and shade was a necessity.  The sand was too hot for my feet, so I had to use sandals in the dry, dark sand.

There were a lot of hang-gliders in the air, and a few sailplanes.  I counted four sailplanes at one time.

I went swimming once, with Claudia.  We swam out to the sand dollars and back.  We caught a few waves on the way back, once of them just gave me a tumble.

I found a huge spider crab on the beach.  It was dead, covered in sand and mixed in with seaweed, which is why nobody saw it earlier.  The body was bigger than my head and the legs were about two feet long each.

It was still warm when I left around 5:30pm and headed to the Icoplex in Escondido for the swim at 7pm.

There were maybe fifty people, at least three families with kids.  I swam a mile doing flip turns.  It was a little difficult, since there were more lap swimmers this time.  Paul Rapaport was there taking pictures for his magazine.  I stayed until closing time, 9pm.

April 16, 2004: Black's Beach

The air was clear enough to see beyond Flatrock, but not clear enough to see the Oceanside smokestack.   I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and undressed.  I then headed north to my usual spot just north of Valentine Slide where I raised my club flag.

Everybody who had an umbrella, had it set up.  It was a hot and shade was a necessity.  The sand was too hot for my feet, so I had to use sandals in the dry, dark sand.

The tide was way out when I arrived.  It came higher throughout the day.  It was not yet at its peak when I left.

I went swimming once.  There were some strong currents near shore and they'd cut a trench in the sand.  Rather than the gradual slope under the waves, I found deep spots and a shallow bar further out.  I swam out to the sand dollars and back.  I picked up two hermit crabs.  One was in a nice shell and I considered evicting the crab, in order to keep the shell.  But, I threw it back.  I was nearly to shore when I crossed a deep trench and saw a purple jellyfish being carried south in the current.  It had been torn up by waves, but I knew better than to let it touch me.  It took a little effort to stay out of it's path, since the same current was drawing me toward it.

The sun went behind some thin clouds about 4pm and I briefly considered packing up.  It started to cool off about 6pm.  I left about 7pm.

April 12, 2004: Black's Beach

The air was too hazy to see beyond Flatrock.   I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and undressed.  I then headed north to my usual spot just north of Valentine Slide where I raised my club flag.

Everybody who had an umbrella, had it set up.  It was a hot and shade was a necessity.  The sand was too hot for my feet too.  I needed sandals in the dry, dark sand.

The tide was way out when I arrived.  It came higher throughout the day and reached it's peak about the time I left.

I went swimming once.  I swam out to the sand dollars and back.  On my way back, I found myself in a rip current.  I chose to swim against it rather than swimming out.  Lifeguards paused in front of me, apparently considering a rescue.  I stood up and gave them the ok sign.  I could see the bottom, and could see that I was making no progress against it.  Occasionally a wave would give me the edge I needed to reach the shore.

It started to cloud up about 3pm, but it stayed warm until about 4pm.  I left about 5pm.

April 9, 2004: Black's Beach

The air was too hazy to see the Oceanside smoke stack.   I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and undressed.  I then headed north to my usual spot just north of Valentine Slide where I raised my club flag.

Everybody who had an umbrella, had it set up.  It was a hot and shade was a necessity.  The sand was too hot for my feet too.  I needed sandals in the dry, dark sand.

The tide was just about at the afternoon high when I arrived.  It went way out later in the day.

I went swimming once.  I didn't see the sand dollars, but I think I swam out far enough.

It started to cool off about 5pm.  I left about 6pm.

April 4, 2004: Black's Beach

The air was too hazy to see the Oceanside smoke stack.   I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and undressed.  I then headed north to my usual spot just north of Valentine Slide where I raised my club flag.

I raked seaweed from a large area.  A few friends helped with the raking and the burying of the seaweed.  Removing the seaweed reduces the number of flies that buzz around.  It was a good move on our part, since we did hear others complaining about flies.

Everybody who had an umbrella, had it set up.  It was a hot and shade was a necessity.  The sand was too hot for my feet too.  I needed sandals in the dry, dark sand.

The tide was just past the morning high when I arrived.  It went way out during the day.

I went swimming twice, once with a buddy.  The first time I caught a glimpse of a sea lion, and I caught a really good ride on a wave.  The second time I saw a bird, nearly on the surface of the water.  I think it was a grebe.  Both times I swam out to the sand dollars.  My second swim, I was never in the right place to catch a good wave, even though there were some really powerful waves at the time.  Even swimming under them was a challenge.

It started to cool off about 4pm.  I left about 7pm.  There were too many clouds to see the sunset.

March 29, 2004: Black's Beach

The air was only clear enough to see a hazy Oceanside smoke stack.   I waited in the parking lot for a few friends and we hiked down the Burro Trail together.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and undressed.

We then headed north to our usual spot just north of Valentine Slide. I raised my club flag.  We all set up umbrellas and tried to get the right mix of shade and sun.

The tide was pretty much the same all day.  It never came so close to be a problem, nor was it a really long walk to the water.

I went swimming twice.  First I swam out to the sand dollars.  My second swim, I only swam out to the breakers to catch a few waves.

It started to cool off about 5pm.  I left about 6pm and watched sunset from the beach.

March 28, 2004: Black's Beach

The horizon was hazy and I could barely see La Jolla Cove and Flatrock before I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and undressed.

I then headed north to my usual spot just north of Valentine Slide and  joined my friends who had already raised our flags.  I set up my stuff, which included an umbrella.  Umbrellas were in high demand, since it was so hot.  Some even had to dance to keep from burning their feet in the hot sand.

The tide was out much of the day, but was coming up about mid day.  It was never high enough to be a problem though.

I went swimming twice, with a buddy.  We only swam out to the breakers to catch a few waves.  We both got some good rides.  I was on the crest of a few waves, looking down a few feet.  Sometimes the waves gave me a good ride, then threw me to the side.  Sometimes the turbulence kept me under a while, tumbling for a while.  I just held my breath until it was done.

It started to cool off about 5pm.  I left about 6pm and watched sunset from the beach.

March 27, 2004: Black's Beach

The horizon was hazy and I could barely see La Jolla Cove and Flatrock before I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and undressed.

I then headed north to my usual spot just north of Valentine Slide, joined my friends, raised my club flag and set up my stuff.  It was hot enough that I finally needed an umbrella as most everyone else did.

I went swimming once, just out to the breakers to catch a few waves.

I left about 5pm.  I wish I'd stayed later.  It was too hot climbing the trail.

March 15, 2004: Black's Beach

I thought it was going to be another overcast day, so I planned to stay home.  Then about 1pm, I checked a website that said 72% sunlight.  I packed as quickly as I could and got to the beach about 2pm.

I undressed at the bottom of the trail, set up my bulletin board and headed north to my usual spot just north of Valentine slide.  I joined my friends and set up my stuff.  It was so late that I decided not to raise my flag.

The weather quickly turned bad.  I was able to stay warm for a while still, but left early.

March 14, 2004: Naturally California Whale Watch, Black's Beach and Naturally California Swim in Escondido

We all met in Oceanside at 9am.  The boat left shortly afterward.  The boat was more full than ever before.  There were more kids this time.

It was overcast and cold.  I didn't undress, but many others did.

I saw seagulls, pelicans, egrets, cormorants, grebes and sea lions.  I scanned the horizon with my 7x50 binoculars, but didn't see a single whale.  I guess visibility made them too difficult to spot.

Most people were not interested in going to San Onofre, due to the weather.  I chose to go to Black's, but the weather wasn't any better there.

I waited in the parking lot for a while, then decided to go see my friends on the beach.  From the top of the trail I could see them huddling behind wind screens with their clothes on, so I carried very little down.

I never took my clothes off.  I didn't get in the water.  And, I didn't pay much attention to the wildlife.  I was only there from about 1-3pm, including my time in the parking lot.

March 7, 2004: Black's Beach

There was so much haze on the horizon, I could barely see La Jolla Cove and Flatrock.  I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trailhead.

I undressed there and headed north to my usual spot just north of Valentine slide.  One of my friends had already raised our flags.  I joined my friends and set up my stuff.  This time I set up an umbrella, and spent some time in the shade.

The tide had been very high earlier.  That left much of the beach wet.  Dry sand was a bit scarce.  working with friends, we raked some sand, to get it to dry.  We also moved a few rocks, broke up others, moved some seaweed, all designed to make a nice area big enough for more friends.  Later the tide went way out, making it a long walk to the water.

I went swimming three times.  I only swam out to the breakers and caught a few waves.  They gave me some good rides.

It was still warm at 5:30, but I knew it would cool soon.  I stopped on my way up the trail to watch sunset.  It was a very slow sunset.  The red line on the water seemed to take more than a minute to fade.

March 6, 2004: Black's Beach

There was so much haze on the horizon, I could barely see La Jolla Cove and Flatrock.  I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trailhead.

I undressed there and headed north to my usual spot just north of Valentine slide.  I raised my flags and set up my stuff, including a windbreak and reflectors.

The tide had been very high earlier.  That left much of the beach wet.  There was plenty of dry sand, but no large smooth dry areas.  Later the tide went way out, making it a long walk to the water.

I took a few walks, but I was cold while walking north, against the wind.  I found a little tar on the beach.

It was getting cool around 3:30, but I just moved closer to my reflectors.  As I packed up, I found it necessary to wear some clothes.  I left about 4:30pm.

March 5, 2004: Black's Beach

There was so much haze on the horizon that I could barely see La Jolla Cove and Flatrock.  I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trailhead.

I headed south and picked a spot near the city beach boundary.  I then undressed, raised my club flag and set up reflectors for when it cools off later.

The tide had been very high earlier.  That left much of the beach wet.  There was plenty of dry sand, but no large smooth dry areas.  I had to move a little seaweed to make room for a few friends.  Later the tide went way out, making it a long walk to the water.

I went swimming once. I only swam out to the breakers and tried to catch a few waves on my way back.  I didn't see the fish, but I stepped on something in the surf.

I packed up and left about 4:30pm.

February 9, 2004: Black's Beach

The air was so clear that I could see Catalina Island, but not San Clemente Island.

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trailhead. I undressed right away.  I then headed south and set up near the city beach boundary.  I only raised my club flag.

The tide was high at first and went out during the day. The flies were a big problem, and my repellent didn't seem to help.

I set up reflectors for later in the day.  I moved next to them right after my swim.

There were dolphins playing in the waves all day.  I may have gotten some good pictures.

I went swimming once. I only swam a little past the breakers and caught a few waves on my way back.  I could hear dolphins, but I didn't see them while in the water.  I caught some good rides with little effort.  It was easier today because the waves were breaking where I could still stand.  It's easy to push off and catch a wave.

When I got out of the water, I found a squirrel making a run for it with my bagel.  I chased him down and got it back, but what I got back was not something I was ready to eat.

I heard the rumbling of a motor.  I looked around and spotted the hovercraft a few miles off shore.  I've seen it before.  It must be very loud onboard.

It was still hot about 3:30pm when the ranger showed up.  I'd tried to arrange a beach cleanup before and I'd tried to call him earlier in the day.  I dressed, packed up my stuff and loaded it into his truck.  He drove me up to Flatrock, while I pointed out the large litter items.  The beach had accumulated a few lobster traps and scrap wood that we couldn't carry up.  We stopped and loaded it into the truck.  The truck was very full and there were still a few things left.  He promised to come back another day, now that he knows exactly where it all is.  I left about 5pm.

February 8, 2004: Black's Beach

Parking at 11am	street parking: plenty of spaces gliderport: plenty of spaces in west lot, east lot fenced off in preparation for Buick Invitational
Burro Trail	The trail was in mostly good condition. signs of erosion from recent rain, in need of repair, sand bags showing signs of wear, stair still damaged
Climate	hot and sunny, light breeze from west
People	maybe a hundred
Activities Observed	surfing, swimming, body surfing, boomerang throwing, body boarding, Frisbee, football, paragliding, hang-gliding, RC gliding, volleyball, shell collecting
Water	temperature: exhilarating surf: 3' curl, I couldn't catch a good ride.  current: strong, from north visibility: better than 10'
Wildlife Observed	western gulls, ring-billed gulls, heermann's gulls, ravens, pelicans, whimbrels, marbled godwits, terns, sanderlings, sandpipers, willet, dolphins, squirrels
Lifeguards and Law Enforcement	I saw city lifeguards in their white trucks.

The air was only clear enough to see a hazy Long Beach.

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trailhead. I undressed right away.  I then headed north to my usual spot beyond Valentine Slide.  Some friends had already raised our flags.

The tide had been very high, and was pretty close to where I was setting up, but I knew it was going out.  Eventually the tide went way out, so it was a long walk to the water. The flies were a big problem at first.  Repellent didn't seem to help, but they didn't bother me after my first swim.  I found a little tar on the beach, which I picked up and carried to a trash can.

I set up reflectors for later in the day.  But, when it came time to move to their warmth, I found some friends had already beat me to it.  I squeezed in.  A few people were using umbrellas to keep cool.

I went swimming twice. I found it challenging to get out to the breakers.  They kept pushing me back toward shore.  I only swam out to the breakers and tried to catch a few waves.  I just couldn't manage to be in the right place at the right time to catch one.  I washed up a ways south of where I started.

It was getting cool about 3pm, so a few of us moved next to the reflectors and set up some wind breaks too. I left about 5pm.

February 7, 2004: Black's Beach

The air was only clear enough to see a hazy Long Beach.

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trailhead. I undressed right away.  I then headed north to my usual spot beyond Valentine Slide and raised my flag.

The tide had been very high, leaving much of the beach wet, but the sun dried it out. The tide went way out, so it was a long walk to the water. The flies were a big problem, until I applied a little repellent.

I set up wind breaks and reflectors for later in the day. A few people were using umbrellas to keep cool.

I went swimming once. I only swam out to the breakers and caught a few waves. One time I had my head out in front of the wave, looking down on the water 3' feet below.

It was getting cool about 3pm, so a few of us moved to the shelter of the wind breaks and reflectors. I left about 5pm.

February 6, 2004: Black's Beach

The air was so clear on the horizon, I could see Catalina and San Clemente islands.  The photos don't look like much.  The point is simply that they could be seen.

As I began hiking down the Burro Trail, I saw several dozen dolphins playing in the surf.  I stopped, took a few pictures, then stopped closer to the bottom and took a few more.  The pictures aren't great, but they do show dolphins at play.

Once at the bottom I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead.  I then headed south and set up near the city beach boundary, undressed and raised my flags.

The tide hardly changed the whole time I was there. It was way out, so it was a long walk to the water. The tide had been very high, leaving the beach wet, but the sun dried it out.  The flies were a bit of a problem, but a little repellent put an end to them.

I brought a chair. I set up wind breaks and reflectors. And, I used an umbrella to keep my head cool.

I went swimming once. I only swam out to the breakers and caught a few waves. 

It was getting cool about 3pm, so I moved near my reflectors. I left about 4:30pm.

February 2, 2004: Black's Beach

I was resigned to accept the weather forecast of rain.  Then at 11am a friend called and convinced me to try and get some surf and sun before the storm came in.

The air was only clear enough to see a hazy smoke stack of the Oceanside power plant.

I hiked down the Burro Trail and I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead.  I then headed south and set up near the city beach boundary. I undressed and raised my flag. I set up wind breaks and reflectors.

The tide was way out the whole time, so it was a long walk to the water.  The flies were a bit of a problem, but a little repellent put an end to them. 

I went swimming once. I swam out just beyond the breakers, because I saw dolphins, and caught a few waves.  The surf was so rough that even going under waves was challenging. Sometimes it threw me to the bottom and sometimes it was trying to pull me under.

It was getting cool about 2:30pm. I left about 3pm.

February 1, 2004: Black's Beach

The air was only clear enough to see a hazy smoke stack of the Oceanside power plant.

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trailhead. I undressed right away.  I then headed north to my usual spot beyond Valentine Slide. On the way I saw some Caspian terns, I think, on the beach, and took some pictures. Once at my spot, I set up reflectors and an umbrella, and raised my flag.

The tide hardly changed all day. It was way out, so it was a long walk to the water.  The flies were a bit of a problem, but a little repellent put an end to them.

I went swimming once. I only swam out to the breakers and caught a few waves. The surf looked good, but I just couldn't manage to be in the right place and catch a good ride.

It was getting cool about 3pm. I left about 4:30pm. The freeway was strangely empty. I could see cars ahead of me, but they were nearly out of sight. It was almost like the world came to an end and I was one of the few survivors.

January 30, 2004: Black's Beach

There was so much haze on the horizon, I could barely see La Jolla Cove and Flatrock.

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trailhead.  I then headed south and set up near the city beach boundary. I undressed and raised my flag.

About as soon as I set up reflectors and got comfortable, some clouds blocked the sun.  It was cold enough that I put on a fleece shirt and called a friend. At the time the cloud cover was so wide that I thought it wouldn't clear. I convinced that friend to stay home. Then it cleared thirty minutes later, and it was a beautiful day.

The tide hardly changed all day. It was out far enough to leave a lot of dry sand.

It was getting cool about 3pm. I left about 3:30pm.

January 26, 2004: Black's Beach

The air was so clear on the horizon, I could see the smoke stack of the Oceanside power plant.

I hiked down the Burro Trail, set up my bulletin board at the trailhead and undressed right away. I then headed north to my usual spot beyond Valentine Slide and raised my flags. 

The tide had been very high, leaving much of the beach wet. The shelves of higher sand were gone. The flies were a bit of a problem, but a little repellent put an end to them.

I brought a chair to keep off the wet sand, but never used it. I set up wind breaks and reflectors.

I went swimming once. I only swam out to the breakers and caught a few waves, though none of them gave me good rides.

It was getting cool about 3:30pm. I left about 4pm.

January 23, 2004: Black's Beach

The air was only clear enough to see a hazy Long Beach 

I hiked down the Burro Trail. I set up my bulletin board there at the trailhead. I then headed south and set up near the city beach boundary, undressed and raised my flags. 

The tide had been very high, leaving the whole beach wet. The only dry places to sit were against the cliff.

I brought a chair to keep off the wet sand. I set up wind breaks and reflectors for later. A few friends joined me and we all took shelter near a reflector and/or behind a windscreen.

The flies were a bit of a problem, but a little repellent put an end to them. 

It was getting cool about 3pm. I left about 4pm.

January 18, 2004: Black's Beach

There was so much haze on the horizon, I could barely see La Jolla Cove and Flatrock.

I hiked down the Burro Trail and saw a lot of mud at the trailhead. I set up my bulletin board there and undressed right away. I then headed north to my usual spot beyond Valentine Slide and raised my flags.

The tide had been very high, leaving much of the beach wet. The tide was out most of the day, but it was getting high again in the afternoon.

I found a sizable flat area, free of seaweed. It was the same place I went Saturday. I raked a spot big enough for myself and a few friends. That softens the sand and speeds the drying.

I set up wind breaks and reflectors and Let the sand dry for a while. When friends arrived, we sat against the reflectors, in the now dry sand. 

The flies were a bit of a problem. One of my friends needed repellent, but they didn't bother me that much.

I went swimming once. I only swam out to the breakers and caught a few waves. I had my head out in front of the wave, looking down on the water 5' feet below. Some of my attempts were more like I was in a side-loading washer taking a tumble.

It was getting cool about 3:30pm. I left about 4pm.

January 17, 2004: Black's Beach

There was so much haze on the horizon, I could barely see La Jolla Cove and Flatrock.

I hiked down the Burro Trail and saw that the tide had been very high, leaving most of the beach wet. The waves had also exposed mud that had been under a thin layer of sand at the trailhead.

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

Much of the beach was littered with seaweed. I was expecting more people than usual, so I found a large, mostly clear area and cleared it of seaweed.

I set up wind breaks and reflectors an umbrella and waited for more people to show up.

I was expecting them much earlier, but Claudia showed up about 12:30 with a news crew for German stations 3SAT and RTL. They interviewed a few people and got a few select shots of people and activities.

One of the shots was a few people getting in the water. I was the only one who went on to take a swim. I only swam out to the breakers and caught a few waves.

It was getting cool about 3pm. I left about 4pm.

January 14, 2004: Black's Beach

Parking at 10:30am	street parking, full gliderport, pothole filled, plenty of spaces
Burro Trail	The trail was in mostly good condition, but the stairs are still damaged.
Climate	hot and sunny, light breeze from west
People	a few dozen
Activities Observed	surfing, swimming, body surfing
Water	temperature: exhilarating  surf: 5' curl, I caught a good ride. current: strong, from south visibility: better than 10 feet
Wildlife Observed	western gulls, ring-billed gulls, heermann's gulls, whimbrels, marbled godwits, terns, sanderlings, sandpipers, pelicans, grebe?
Lifeguards and Law Enforcement	I saw city lifeguards in their white trucks, yellow trucks, one on an ATV, a jetski and a fire rescue helicopter.

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trailhead. It was so hot, I had to undress immediately. I then headed south and set up near the city beach boundary and raised my flag.

The air was only clear enough to see a hazy Long Beach. The tide stayed at pretty much the same height all day.

I set up reflectors for later, but I used an umbrella right away. I only moved next to the reflectors after my swim.

I finally got some decent pictures of a marbled godwit and some better sandpiper pics.

I went swimming once. I only swam out to the breakers and caught a wave. It was a good ride, but I only managed to catch one.

I left about 4pm.

January 13, 2004: Black's Beach

There was so much haze on the horizon, I could barely see La Jolla Cove and Flatrock.

My hike down the Burro Trail was cool, due to some clouds. I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead. I took off my pants right away, but kept my shirt on. I then headed north to my usual spot beyond Valentine Slide and raised my flag. I set up reflectors for keeping warm, and even put on a fleece shirt for a while.

The tide had been high, leaving much of the beach wet, and it only went out a little through the day. I went swimming once. I couldn't even make it to the breakers, because of the current.

It was getting cool, so I put on a fleece shirt, then left about 4:30pm.

January 9, 2004: Black's Beach

There was so much haze on the horizon, I could barely see La Jolla Cove and Flatrock.

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trailhead. I then headed south and set up near the city beach boundary. There I undressed and raised my flag.

The tide was high when I arrived, but it went out quite a bit.

I set up reflectors and laid next to them right away. I even put on a fleece shirt later in the day. I left about 3pm, because it was getting cold.

January 8, 2004: Black's Beach

Parking at 11am	street parking, full  gliderport, big pothole at entrance, plenty of spaces
Burro Trail	some damage to stairs by dislodged rocks, otherwise in mostly good condition
Climate	hot and sunny, no wind until 3:30pm
People	a few dozen
Activities Observed	swimming, body surfing, boomerang throwing, shell collecting, Frisbee
Water	temperature: exhilarating  surf: 3' curl, but I caught a few good rides anyway. visibility: better than 5 feet
Wildlife Observed	western gulls, ring-billed gulls, heermann's gulls, curlews, whimbles, marbled godwits, sanderlings, sandpipers, pelicans, dolphins, ravens, squirrels I saw what appeared to be a mass of seaweed drifting, but then I saw it move and disappear under the water. I looked through binoculars. It was big flotilla of duck-like birds drifting together. Then I watched as the birds at one end dove underwater and the line of birds all followed in turn. I haven't been able to match them in my bird book, but they were black with black bills.
Lifeguards and Law Enforcement	I saw city lifeguards in their white trucks.

There was so much haze on the horizon, I could only see as far as La Jolla Cove and Flatrock.

Before completing my hike down the Burro Trail, Dave and I spent sometime breaking up and removing some of the rocks from the trail. I set up my bulletin board at the trailhead. It was so hot, I had to undress immediately. I then headed north to my usual spot beyond Valentine Slide and raised my flags.

I set up reflectors for later in the day. It was so hot, I had to stay away from them until after my swim. The flies were a bit of a problem, but a little repellent put an end to them.

I went swimming twice. I only swam out to the breakers and caught a few waves. A few times I had my head out in front of the wave.

The tide went way out in the afternoon. Shell collectors were happy about that.

I left about 4pm, and did a little more work busting up a rock.

I watched sunset from the trail. It was very red and disappeared behind some clouds just a little above the horizon. Venus was visible in the west, right away.

January 6, 2004: Black's Beach

I was planning to go to the beach, but the weather just wasn't worth it.  The sky was hazy with high clouds, but I could see surprisingly far on the horizon.  I could see San Clemente and Catalina islands.  Using binoculars, I could see the San Onofre nuclear plant.  I took a few pictures from the cliffs, but the really distant stuff just didn't come out.

I noticed that the gliderport was taking delivery of some telephone poles.  It wasn't obvious exactly what they would be used for, but they weren't being dropped into the parking lot.

I hung out in the parking lot for an hour, then headed home.

January 5, 2004: Black's Beach

The air wasn't so clear. I could only see a hazy Long Beach. 

I hiked down the Burro Trail with Claudia and set up my bulletin board at the trailhead. I then headed south and set up near the city beach boundary. I undressed and raised my flag. There were other people there ahead of us, who seemed unsure about the clothing-optional status. They undressed soon after us.

The tide had been very high, but there was still plenty of dry beach. The tide was way out all day, so it was a long walk to the water.

I set up reflectors, but they made me too hot. I had to move away until after my swim.

I went for one swim, and didn't see anything noteworthy. Claudia went swimming later. I say the water was exhilarating. She says it's refreshing. Dave didn't believe either of us.

Twice today we found people had crossed onto the city beach, nude. Both times we approached them and advised them of the boundary. One of the two joined us for the remainder of the day. The four of us left about 3:30pm.

January 4, 2004: Black's Beach

The air was so clear, I could see Catalina and San Clemente islands from the gliderport.

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trailhead. I undressed immediately. I then headed north to my usual spot beyond Valentine Slide and raised my flag.

I set up wind breaks and reflectors. A few friends joined me and we all stayed a bit warmer, sheltered from the light wind.

The flies were a bit of a problem, but a little repellent put an end to them. The tide had been very high and left much of the beach wet, the tide was way out all day.

It was getting cool about 3:30. I left about 4pm and went to see Calendar Girls with the same friends.

January 3, 2004: Black's Beach

I could see hang-gliders high above La Jolla before I even pulled into the parking lot. Usually there are more paragliders than hang-gliders. Today the hang-gliders were in greater numbers. The air was so clear I could see San Clemente Island from the gliderport, which is a rare sight.

I hiked down the Burro Trail and set up my bulletin board at the trailhead. I then headed north to my usual spot beyond Valentine Slide. I set up wind breaks and reflectors, then raised my flag.

I brought a chair to keep off the wet sand, but there was plenty dry. I took off my pants, but wore a fleece shirt much of the day. Several friends clustered together to block the wind and keep a warm spot.

The tide was way out much of the day, but the tide had been very high and left a lot of hard sand. There was mud under a thin layer of sand in some places.

Claudia went swimming, nude, with a friend, in a wet suit.

I left about 4pm.


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