You will find trip reports by Lloyd Johnson here.  The most recent reports are at the top.  Gaps in coverage sometimes indicate bad weather.

December 4, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I expected it to be cold, so I set up a reflector for myself and a few friends.  They proved useful from about 2-3pm when the wind picked up.  We also set up wind breaks.  They did extend our stay, but we all left early.

I went swimming twice, once just past the waves and back, the other out to the sand dollars.  I caught a few waves, without too much trouble.

The wind cooled us a little too much and we all left just before sunset.

November 28, 2005: Black's Beach

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

The tide had come the highest since last spring, so the only dry sand was closer to the cliff.  I claimed the same spot of dry sand as the day before and other friends joined me later.  I expected it to be cold, so I set up a reflector for after swimming.

I went swimming once just to the sand dollars and back.

It was cooling off about 3:30 pm, so I packed and left.

November 27, 2005: Black's Beach

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

The tide had come the highest since last spring, so the only dry sand was closer to the cliff.  I joined my friends who were already occupying a small patch of dry sand.  I expected it to be cold, so I set up reflectors for after swimming.

I went swimming twice.  It was a struggle to fight my way through the surf.  The waves were big with a short interval in between, giving me little time to advance beyond. I didn't find the sand dollars.  I don't know if I swam past them without noticing, or didn't reach them.  It was murky at the bottom  The surf was pretty good and I caught a few rides, sometimes sending me into a tumble.  I emerged far to the south both times.

At about 3:30pm I realized it wasn't going to warm up enough for me, so I put on a fleece shirt and started packing.

Claudia gave us a scare.  She was last seen going for a swim and was now considered overdue.  It is not unusual for her to go for a long swim late in the day, and go way out.  It is also not unusual for her to go for a walk to Mussel Rocks.  We had the lifeguards searching the water for a while, one standing on top of the truck with binoculars, one going out on a longboard and two arriving by jetski.  It turned out that she'd gone for a walk.

I finished packing and saw sunset from the trailhead.

November 25, 2005: Scuba Trip to Black's Beach

I parked at Bonito Cove in Mission Bay and boarded a 27' sailboat at about 10:30am.  We refueled in Quivira Basin and we were en route by 11am.  The weather was a mixture of clouds and sun.  It took us three hours and we arrived about 2pm.  We could see very few people on the beach, maybe two dozen.  I could make out that there was a volleyball game in progress.

We anchored just west of the reef, based on all the marker buoys for lobster traps.  It was about 3pm when we started our dive.  We began our dive about twenty feet south of the markers.  We went down and didn't find it.  We surfaced and found ourselves about fifty feet east of the markers.  We swam to the center of the markers and tried again.  We circled the reef once and then some.

There were many fish, including, garibaldi, kelp bass, chubs, senoritas and California sheephead.  I also saw lobster, starfish and keyhole limpets.

We began our return before sunset and watch sunset while underway.  We returned to Shelter Island about 10pm.

November 21, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went swimming twice, both times to the sand dollars.  The surf was pretty good and I caught a few rides, sometimes sending me into a tumble.

At about 3pm some clouds began to obscure the sun and it cooled off.  I packed up and left about 4:30, watching sunset from the trail head.  It was a long, lingering sunset.  There were a lot of clouds in the west making it colorful.  The sun slowly went below the horizon, leaving a red line that slowly got shorter and disappeared.  I saw Venus in the twilight and Mars in the east, as soon as I reached the parking lot.

November 20, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went swimming three times, twice to the sand dollars.  The surf was pretty good and I caught a few rides, sometimes sending me into a tumble.  I saw dolphins in the distance, but they never came close.  During two separate swims I spotted a leopard seal.  During my second encounter, it swam toward me and I got a few video clips.

Some friends tried kayaking from La Jolla Shores.  A wave wiped them out as they tried to make it to shore.  Two other friends took the kayak out for a ride and they spilled it twice in the surf.

At about 3pm some clouds began to obscure the sun and it cooled off.  I put on a fleece shirt for a while.

I left the beach before sunset, about 4pm.

November 19, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went swimming three times, each time to the sand dollars.  The surf was pretty good and I caught a ride or two.

I stopped at the trail head to watch sunset, then hiked up in twilight.

November 18, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went swimming twice, both time to the sand dollars.  There were small birds in the water, looking very much like grebes.  On one swim I actually crossed paths with one underwater.  It was poking around on the bottom with its' bill, probably trying to find shell fish under the sand.

I saw sunset while heading to the trail, then hiked up in the dark.  I could see Venus in the west and Mars in the east, once I reached the parking lot.

November 13, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went swimming about12:00.  While out in the water, I saw a fog rolling in.  I decided that I should head for shore before I lose track of directions.

It cooled off dramatically and I put on my fleece shirt for a while.  I gave up and left about 2pm.

November 12, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went swimming twice.  Both times a swam out to the sand dollars.

I was feeling cold about 3pm and left.

November 5, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I was feeling cold about 3pm and left.

October 30, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I was feeling cold about 3pm and left.

October 29, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I was feeling cold about 4pm and left.

October 28, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I was feeling cold about 4pm, but toughed it out a little to avoid traffic.  I took my time going up the trail.  Once at the top, I spotted islands off-shore.

October 3, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went swimming twice, once with buddies.  I saw a jellyfish tumbling on the bottom.  It looked dead.   I caught a few good waves too.  I was shot out the face a few times.

I was feeling cold about 5pm, packed up and headed for the trail.  I left the parking lot a little before 6pm.

October 2, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went swimming three times.  I saw a few hermit crabs.   I caught a few good waves too.

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

October 1, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went swimming three times.  I heard dolphins but didn't see them while I was in the water.  I caught a few good waves too.

It got cloudy right before sunset.  I hiked up the trail in twilight and left the parking lot about 7:30pm.

September 25, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went swimming three times.  I heard dolphins but didn't see them while I was in the water.  I caught a few good waves too.

I watched sunset from my spot on the beach.  The green flash was plainly visible.  I left the parking lot about 8:30pm.

September 19, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went swimming three times.  I heard dolphins but didn't see them while I was in the water.  I caught a few good waves too.

I started packing before the rain started and there was a light sprinkle as I hiked to the parking.  I left the parking lot about 5:30pm.

September 18, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went swimming three times.  I heard dolphins but didn't see them while I was in the water.  I caught a few good waves too.

I left the parking lot about 7pm.

September 11, 2005: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I undressed at the trailhead and set up my bulletin board.  Then I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide and raised my flags.  We flew the American Flag at half mast, in memory of the September 11 attack.

I went swimming three times.  I heard dolphins but didn't see them while I was in the water.  I caught a few good waves too.

I left the parking lot about 7pm.

September 5, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went swimming twice.  One time I got close enough to a leopard seal to see the spots on its' face.  The waves were good for body surfing

I watched sunset from my spot on the beach.  It was a spectacular green flash.  I saw it turn a turquoise color before turning green and fading.  I was still there when Venus and Jupiter showed themselves low in the western sky.  I left the parking lot just before 8pm.  The guard was waiting to lock the gate.

September 4, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I watched sunset from my spot on the beach.  I was still there when Venus and Jupiter showed themselves low in the western sky.  I left the parking lot just before 8pm.  The guard was waiting to lock the gate.

September 3, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went swimming twice, once to the sand dollars, both times with a buddy.  The second time I turned back because I heard dolphins and I was hoping for another close encounter.

I watched sunset from my spot on the beach.  I was still there when Venus and Jupiter showed themselves low in the western sky.  I left the parking lot just before 8pm.  The guard was waiting to lock the gate.

September 2, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went for a few swims to the sand dollars, once with a buddy.

I left the parking lot about 7pm.

August 28, 2005: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I could see fishing boats spreading and gathering their nets, probably catching sardines.

I undressed at the trailhead and set up my bulletin board.  Then I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide and raised my flag.

I went swimming four times, twice to the sand dollars.  I caught two very good rides.  Both times I was shot out in front of the wave.  I had my best dolphin encounter ever.  I was heading out for a sand dollar swim and I saw three dolphins riding a wave and coming straight at me.  I went under water to watch and brace myself in case they hit me.  All three turned quickly, two of them heading south.  The third dolphin turned and headed north, passing so close to me I could have reached out and touched it.  Unfortunately I didn't have time to reach for my camera.

The picnic went well with nearly fifty people joining us.  Much of the usual food was shared: hamburgers, hot dogs, sausages, sweet corn, salmon and chicken. 

I watched sunset from my spot on the beach.  I was still there when Venus and Jupiter showed themselves low in the western sky.  I left the parking lot about 8:15pm.  The gate was already locked, so I used the other exit.

August 27, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went for a few swims to the sand dollars, once with four buddies.

I left the parking lot about 7:30pm.

August 21, 2005: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail carrying my ice cream making kit.  I didn't stop at the trailhead to undress.  There was already a bulleting board set up, so I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide and raised my flag.

I went for an early swim with Kathy, Blair and Claudia.  We swam out to about where the reef is, but didn't find it.  The water was a bit colder than I was used to, so I swam back in a hurry.  Then I tried to warm up at the grill.

About 3pm the sun came out and I started making ice cream.  I made three batches and passed it all out.  We used the extra dry ice to make a volcano smolder.

I left the parking lot about 9pm.

August 13, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went for one swim to the sand dollars.  I could actually see them in rather shallow water for the first time in a long time.  I found them under ten feet of water.  Usually I find them at twelve and fifteen foot depths.  They were not standing up in the sand, but laying flat.

I entered the surf competition.  We held the surfing and body boarding competition.  Awards were given in five categories.  I won for best wipeout.  You can't wipe out unless you've already stood up, so that's a personal best for me.  The water wasn't very warm and the wind chill cooled us even more, so nobody was motivated to do the body boarding.  People played volleyball instead. 

I left the parking lot about 7pm.

August 7, 2005: Black's Beach

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

The picnic went well.  People were cooking bratwurst, hot dogs, chicken, sweet corn, salmon, carne asada, banana and pineapple.

I didn't go swimming, but I did go out surfing three times.  I actually managed to get up on the board a few times.  A fisherman reeled in two bat rays and left them on the beach.  By the time I saw them, they had already been killed by seagulls.  I took pictures showing the barb.

I left the parking lot about 8pm.  The guard was waiting to lock the gate.

August 6, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I didn't go swimming, but I did go out surfing twice.  I actually managed to get up on the board a few times.

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

August 3, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went swimming three times.  Visibility was better in some places than in others, due to red tide.  There were jellyfish in the surf, some whole and some in pieces.  I got up close with one and video taped it for a while.

I packed up and left for the trail about 6pm.

July 31, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went swimming once, and body boarding too.  Visibility was better in some places than in others.  There were jellyfish in the surf, some whole and some in pieces.

The picnic went well.  We shared chicken, sweet corn, shish kabobs, hot dogs, bratwurst, squash, pineapple and chocolate banana.  People played volleyball at our court, used our sand castle molds and borrowed our body boards.  Some kids were squirrel fishing, but I didn't see them catch any.

I packed up and left for the trail about 7pm.

July 30, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went swimming a few times, and I even tried surfing.  Visibility was better in some places than in others.  There were jellyfish in the surf, some whole and some in pieces.  A guitar fish swam very close to me.  I had never seen one so curious or far from the bottom.  The water was about seven or eight feet deep and it came nearly to the surface.  I got a good video of it.  I'll find a frame to post soon.

I packed up and left for the trail about 7pm.

July 27, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went swimming twice.  There were areas in the water where fish were leaping out again.  Dolphins swam past me a few times, probably trying to feed on the fish.

It cooled off and the temperature was perfect for napping.  I fell asleep and woke to find all my friends asleep too.  About 4pm it cooled nearly enough to put on a shirt.

I packed up and left for the trail about 5pm and I was in the parking lot by 5:30.  I decided to kill some time and wait for traffic to thin.  I left the lot about 6:15.

July 25, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went swimming three times.  One time I saw a dark spot in knee-deep water.  It turned out to be a dense school of fish.  I swam out to nearly a twenty foot depth.  There were areas in the water where fish were leaping out.  I didn't see the fish, only the splashing.  Seagulls swooped down trying to eat some.

I started up the trail about 7pm.  There was a rattle snake crawling up the trail.  It went under the J bridge and we didn't see it again.  The horizon looked sharp much of the day, but it was a hazy sunset.  The main gate was locked, so I used the other exit.

July 24, 2005: Black's Beach

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

We had two grills going to feed about 80 people in the vicinity.  I recall seeing hot dogs, turkey burgers, carne asada, chicken, sweet corn, carrots, mushrooms and bananas.

I went swimming three times.  One time I swam nearly to the reef, with buddies.  One swimmer was tired, so we turned back.

The sun went behind some clouds and even set before I started up the trail.  The gate was locked, so I followed what appeared to be a caravan leading to the other exit.

July 23, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went swimming twice.  I swam out to about a twelve foot depth.  I only saw guitar fish and a bat ray. I called in a cliff rescue about 2:30.  It looked like a hang-glider was taking off.  I heard a noise and turned to see him going straight down.  He tumbled a few times and broke his hang-glider.  That probably absorbed most of the impact and saved his life.  We all watched Life-flight take him away.

I left about 7pm.  There was a train of runners going up the trail, each wearing a hat with horns.  I knew it was the drinking club with a running problem, Hash House Harriers.  There were having some sort of party at the top.  I watched sunset from a spot just south of the gliderport.  The image of the sun would separate at inversion layers and I could see pale green spots each time the line of red sun shortened to a spot.  It's hard to call them green flashes, but I did see the green three times.

July 22, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went swimming at least four times, just out to the sand dollars.  I only found a few sand dollars though.  I saw the splashing again and managed to take some video of a school of fish nearby.  They had to be grunion. There were bits and pieces of jellyfish in the surf.  I saw pieces of the purple jellyfish and also a reddish brown jellyfish not in my books.

I left about 7pm.  There was a train of runners going up the trail, each wearing a hat with horns.  I knew it was the drinking club with a running problem, Hash House Harriers.  There were having some sort of party at the top.  I watched sunset from a spot just south of the gliderport.  The image of the sun would separate at inversion layers and I could see pale green spots each time the line of red sun shortened to a spot.  It's hard to call them green flashes, but I did see the green three times.

July 21, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went swimming three times, just out to the sand dollars.  I couldn't find the sand dollar though.  They've been missing since red tide.  Maybe it killed them off.

There were bits and pieces of jellyfish in the surf.  I saw pieces of the purple jellyfish and also a reddish brown jellyfish not in my books.

I left about 7pm.

July 20, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went swimming three times, once to the reef.  I didn't find the reef, but I was near it.  There's no marker this year.  My triangulation says I was close.  I could hear the fish.  I swam down, but visibility was poor.  I checked my dive watch later and I was deep enough.  We must have been off just a little bit.  During one of my shorter swims I heard a sound like someone was pouring gravel into the water.  I didn't see the fish, but I did see the splashing.  I think they must have been grunion.

It was sprinkling when I returned from that swim so I hurriedly packed and left.  That was a mistake.  I got caught in really bad traffic.  I must make it a point to never leave the beach between 3-6pm.  There just too much traffic on North Torrey Pines.  It's difficult getting to the freeway.

July 17, 2005: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I undressed at the trailhead and stocked up the bulletin board.  Then I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide and raised my flags.

I spent a lot of time in the water on lifeguard duty and finally managed to go for one swim.  I only swam out and caught some of the big waves.

I was getting cold, so I put a shirt on about 5pm.  I left the beach about 7pm.

July 16, 2005: Black's Beach

Parking at 11am	street parking: plenty gliderport: wide rut, clearance problem, deep sand in places, few spaces
Visibility	I could barely see the smokestack in Oceanside.
Burro Trail	incomplete construction, crooked staircases
Climate	hot and sunny with a cool wind and occasional clouds, wind from west
People	maybe a thousand
Activities Observed	swimming, surfing, body surfing, hang gliding, paragliding, RC gliding, volleyball, horseshoes
Water	surf: 8' curl tide: It rose until about 5:30pm. temperature: 72º current: hardly any visibility: about 8'
Wildlife Observed	ravens, pelicans, heermann's gulls, western gulls, squirrels, dolphins, jellyfish
Lifeguards and Law Enforcement	I saw city lifeguards in white jeeps and a jetski.  There was also one on the perch at the top of the cliff.

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

I went swimming several times, most times with buddies.  I came fairly close to dolphins twice.  I didn't find many sand dollars, although I'm sure I swam far enough.  One time we were bound for the reef, but we didn't make it.  On one of my deep dives I saw a bright orange object below.  I thought it was a garibaldi, but it turned out to be a jellyfish.  One of our swimmers was tired and we turned back.  We had to tow him a little and I waved to the lifeguard on the perch.  A few minutes later a lifeguard showed up on the jetski and took him to shore.

It was still warm when I left at 6pm.

July 12, 2005: Black's Beach

Parking at 10:30am	street parking: full gliderport: wide rut, clearance problem, deep sand in places, few spaces
Visibility	I could barely see the smokestack in Oceanside.
Burro Trail	incomplete construction, crooked staircases
Climate	overcast and warm, wind from west
People	maybe a hundred
Activities Observed	swimming, surfing, body surfing, hang gliding, paragliding, RC gliding, volleyball
Water	surf: 6' curl tide: It didn't change much. temperature: 70º current: hardly any visibility: about 8'
Wildlife Observed	ravens, pelicans, heermann's gulls, western gulls, squirrels, snowy egret, terns, dolphins, jellyfish
Lifeguards and Law Enforcement	I saw city and state lifeguards in white jeeps and a harbor patrol boat off-shore

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

I went swimming twice and dolphins came fairly close.  There was a reddish brown jellyfish in the surf.  I kept my distance and took a few pictures.

It was still warm when I left at 5pm.  I should have stayed later.  I got stuck in traffic for at least 30 minutes trying to get to the freeway ramp at La Jolla Village Drive.

July 9, 2005: Black's Beach

Parking at 12pm	street parking: plenty gliderport: wide rut, clearance problem, deep sand in places, few spaces
Visibility	I could barely see the smokestack in Oceanside.
Burro Trail	under repair, still a few crooked staircases
Climate	hot and sunny early, cloudy and cooling starting about 2pm, wind from west
People	maybe a thousand
Activities Observed	swimming, surfing, body surfing, hang gliding, paragliding, RC gliding, volleyball, horseshoes, Frisbee
Water	surf: 4' curl tide: It didn't change much. temperature: 70º current: carried me north visibility: about 5'
Wildlife Observed	ravens, pelicans, western gulls, squirrels
Lifeguards and Law Enforcement	I saw city lifeguards in a white jeep.

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I undressed at the trailhead and stocked a bulletin board already set up.  Then I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide where our flags were already flying.  I was surprised to see a grill set up.

I took a swim about 1pm just as the surf competition was getting a late start.  Red tide was gone and I could see a fair distance.

I participated in the surf competition, first body surfing, then surfing and finally body boarding.  The judges didn't notice much of what I did.  They didn't even see me getting up on the board.  I guess they blinked.  They only chose winners in the surfing competition, but the winners didn't seem to know they won.  It was highly disorganized and served as a learning experience for next time.  For one thing, it was decided that 11am is too early to begin.

The grill was to feed the competitors.  I had a hamburger, but there were also hot dogs.

By about 5pm I had to put on a shirt.  I left about 6pm.

July 4, 2005: Black's Beach

Parking at 10am	street parking: plenty gliderport: wide rut, clearance problem, deep sand in places, few spaces
Visibility	I could barely see the smokestack in Oceanside.
Burro Trail	under repair, still a few crooked staircases
Climate	hot and sunny, wind from west
People	maybe a thousand
Activities Observed	swimming, surfing, body surfing, hang gliding, paragliding, RC gliding, volleyball, horseshoes, Frisbee
Water	surf: 4' curl tide: It didn't change much. temperature: I didn't measure it. current: hardly any visibility: I didn't go swimming.
Wildlife Observed	ravens, pelicans, western gulls, squirrels
Lifeguards and Law Enforcement	I saw city lifeguards in a white jeep.

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

We had two grills going.  We shared a variety of hot foods including hamburgers, hot dogs, bratwurst, sweet corn, salmon, chicken and zucchini.  I made two batches of ice cream, both of them banana with white chocolate chips.

I spent a lot of time in the water, but I didn't go swimming.

It was cooling off when I left at 7pm.

July 3, 2005: Black's Beach

Parking at 11am	street parking: plenty gliderport: wide rut, clearance problem, deep sand in places, few spaces
Visibility	I could barely see the smokestack in Oceanside.
Burro Trail	under repair, still a few crooked staircases
Climate	hot and sunny at first, overcast and warm later, wind from west
People	maybe a thousand
Activities Observed	swimming, surfing, body surfing, hang gliding, paragliding, RC gliding, volleyball, horseshoes, Frisbee
Water	surf: 4' curl tide: It didn't change much. temperature: I didn't measure it. current: hardly any visibility: I didn't go swimming.
Wildlife Observed	ravens, pelicans, western gulls, squirrels
Lifeguards and Law Enforcement	I saw city lifeguards in a white jeep and rangers.

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

We had two grills going.  We shared a variety of hot foods including hamburgers, hot dogs, bratwurst, sweet corn, salmon, chicken and zucchini.

I spent a lot of time in the water, but I didn't go swimming.

It was cooling off when I left at 7pm.

July 2, 2005: Black's Beach

Parking at 11am	street parking: plenty gliderport: wide rut, clearance problem, deep sand in places, few spaces
Visibility	I could barely see the smokestack in Oceanside.
Burro Trail	under repair, still a few crooked staircases
Climate	hot and sunny at first, overcast and warm later, wind from west
People	hundreds
Activities Observed	swimming, surfing, body surfing, hang gliding, paragliding, RC gliding, volleyball, horseshoes, Frisbee
Water	surf: 4' curl tide: It didn't change much. temperature: 64º current: hardly any visibility: about 8 until red tide came in
Wildlife Observed	ravens, pelicans, western gulls, squirrels, osprey
Lifeguards and Law Enforcement	I saw city lifeguards in a white jeep and one on a jetski.

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

I went swimming to the sand dollars once.  The water was clear, but red tide rolled in later.

It was cooling off when I left at 7pm.

June 26, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went swimming once, but the red tide still takes all the fun out of it.  I'm sure I didn't make it out to the sand dollars.

It was still warm when I watched sunset from the trailhead.  There was a bit of a green flash.

June 25, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went swimming once.  I'm sure I didn't make it out to the sand dollars.

It was still sunny when I left about 7pm.  I took some sea water home and shook it up in a dark room.  I managed to get a brief blue glow when I shook it hard enough.

June 23, 2005: Black's Beach

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

It was still sunny when I left about 7pm.

June 18, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I went swimming once, but the red tide still takes all the fun out of it.  I'm sure I didn't make it out to the sand dollars.

It was still sunny when I left about 6pm.

June 17, 2005: Black's Beach

There was an injured dog at the base of the Burro Trail.  I flagged down the lifeguards and gave her some water.  Later I noticed they used a stretcher to carry her into their camper.

I undressed at the trailhead and set up my bulletin board.  Then I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide and raised my flags.

I saw an osprey make a kill.  A little later I saw two ravens chasing a hawk.  I didn't notice it at the time, but I think the hawk has a squirrel in one talon. I went swimming once, but the red tide took all the fun out of it.  The water was a reddish brown color and visibility was very poor.  It was very dark at the bottom and I could barely see anything.  I'm sure I didn't make it out to the sand dollars. It was cloudy and cooling, when I left about 7pm.

June 12, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I wore fleece much of the time, since it wasn't warm enough to be nude.  I left about 6pm.

June 7, 2005: Black's Beach

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

I swam once, but didn't make it to the sand dollars.  The waves were coming at me to hard and fast that I could barely get past the surf.

It was cloudy and cooling, when I left about 6pm.

May 30, 2005: Black's Beach

Parking at 10:30am	street parking: plenty gliderport: wide rut, clearance problem, deep sand in places, plenty of spaces in west lot
Visibility	I could barely see Flatrock.
Burro Trail	a few crooked staircases, sliding dirt covering some stairs, still very passable
Climate	a mix of sun and clouds, but mostly warm and sunny, cool wind late in the afternoon, turned cloudy about 5pm, wind from west
People	hundreds, maybe a thousand
Activities Observed	swimming, body surfing, body boarding, paragliding, RC gliding, volleyball, horseshoes, Frisbee
Water	surf: 5 foot curl tide: It stayed pretty much the same all day. temperature: 68º current: carried me south visibility: about 5'
Wildlife Observed	ravens, pelicans, western gulls, sand dollars, squirrels, terns, anchovies, snowy egret, cormorant, corvina, blue heron
Lifeguards and Law Enforcement	I saw city lifeguards in a white jeep.

I hiked down the Burro Trail and undressed at the trailhead.  I stocked a bulletin board already present with my newsletters, then headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  The American flag was already flying at half-mast.  I raised my club flag to half-mast too.

I swam out past the sand dollars three times.  The visibility was poor and I barely even saw the sand dollars.  The waves were better than the last few days, and I even managed to get some mediocre rides.

There may have been as many as a hundred people at our picnic, some of them playing volleyball at our court.  We had two grills going.  Some of the food we were passing around included, sweet corn, hamburgers, hot dogs, a variety of chicken, salmon, steak, and pineapple.

Late in the afternoon the wind cooled many people to the point of putting on t-shirts.  I even put on a fleece shirt for a while.

It was cloudy and cool, when I left about 7pm.

May 29, 2005: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and undressed at the trailhead.  I stocked a bulletin board already present with my newsletters, then headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  Flags were already flying.

I swam out past the sand dollars three times.  I managed to find a blue crab, and get some video.  The waves were almost non-existent. We had two grills going.  Some of the food we were passing around included, Portabello mushrooms, sweet corn, hamburgers, hot dogs, a variety of chicken, salmon, and pineapple. It was cloudy and cool, when I left about 7pm.

May 28, 2005: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and undressed at the trailhead.  I stocked a bulletin board already present with my newsletters, then headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised my flags there.

We set up a volleyball court.

I swam out past the sand dollars three times.  The waves were almost non-existent.

It was cloudy and cooling, when I left about 4pm.

May 22, 2005: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and undressed at the trailhead.  I stocked a bulletin board already present with my newsletters, then headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised my flags there.

I swam out past the sand dollars three times.  The waves were big and I caught a few really good rides.

It was still sunny, but cool, when I left about 6:30pm.

May 21, 2005: Black's Beach

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

Mid-day the sand was so hot I needed my sandals.

I swam three times.  One time I couldn't even get past the surf.  The waves kept pushing me back to shore  The waves were big and I caught a few really good rides.

It was still sunny when I left about 5:30pm.

May 20, 2005: Black's Beach

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

There were tide pools early in the day, due to low tide, and there were a lot of anchovies trapped there.  Mid-day the sand was so hot I needed my sandals.

I swam out past the sand dollars three times.  The waves were big and I caught one really good ride.

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

May 18, 2005: Black's Beach

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

There were tide pools early in the day, due to low tide, and there were a lot of anchovies trapped there.  Mid-day the sand was so hot I needed my sandals.

I swam out past the sand dollars three times.  The waves were small at first, but suddenly got bigger.  I managed to catch a few good rides.  My last swim, about 4:30, I met up with some dolphins.  I managed to get a few good pictures while they surfed nearby.

It was still sunny when I left about 6pm.

May 15, 2005: Black's Beach

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

There were tide pools early in the day, due to low tide, and there were a lot of anchovies trapped there.  Mid-day the sand was so hot I needed my sandals.

I swam out past the sand dollars four times.  The waves were small, but I still managed to catch a ride.

Late in the day lifeguards raced north with lights flashing.  They were followed later by another and later by two police trucks.  They didn't appear to have a prisoner when they left.

It was still sunny when I left about 7pm.

May 14, 2005: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and undressed at the trailhead.  I set up my bulletin board, then headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I set up another bulletin board there.

There was a ridge of sand formed far from the cliffs, making the beach wider.  Mid-day the sand was so hot I needed my sandals.  There was a rock-slide in the late afternoon.  Some rocks broke away from a vertical face and fell on a plateau above Valentine slide.

I swam out past the sand dollars three times.  The waves were small, but I still managed to catch a ride.

It was still sunny when I left about 7pm.

May 13, 2005: Black's Beach

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

There was a ridge of sand formed far from the cliffs, making the beach wider.  Mid-day the sand was so hot I needed my sandals.

I swam out past the sand dollars three times and only past the surf once.  That last swim ended closer to shore because I could hear dolphins all around me.  I tried to take pictures, but I don't know if I got anything yet.  The waves were small, but I still managed to catch a ride.

It was still sunny, but cooling, when I left about 7pm.

May 9, 2005: Black's Beach

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

There was a ridge of sand formed far from the cliffs, making the beach wider.  There was still wet mud under a thin later of sand in some places, hard and dried mud in other places.  Mid-day the sand was so hot I needed my sandals.

I swam out past the sand dollars twice.  The waves looked good, but I didn't catch much of a ride.

It was still sunny, but cooling, when I left about 6pm.

May 8, 2005: Black's Beach

Parking at 9am	street parking: plenty gliderport: wide rut, clearance problem, deep sand in places, plenty of spaces
Visibility	I could barely see Longbeach.
Burro Trail	better, still a few crooked staircases, see alerts
Climate	occasional clouds but mostly warm and sunny, wind from west
People	hundreds
Activities Observed	swimming, surfing, body surfing, body boarding, hang gliding, paragliding, RC gliding, horseshoes, Frisbee, paddleball
Water	surf: 5' curl tide: It was high at first and went out most of the day. temperature: 66º current: I was carried north quite a bit. visibility: about 20'
Wildlife Observed	ravens, pelicans, snowy egret, western gulls, sand dollars, squirrels, whimbrels, sanderlings, heermann's gulls, bat rays, sting rays, corvina, crab, hermit crabs
Lifeguards and Law Enforcement	I saw a city lifeguard in a white truck and two an a jetski.

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

There was a ridge of sand formed far from the cliffs, making the beach wider.  There was still wet mud under a thin later of sand in some places, hard and dried mud in other places.  Mid-day the sand was so hot I needed my sandals.

I swam out past the sand dollars three times, twice with biddies.  I managed to get video clips on sting rays, bat rays and a crab, since visibility was better than it has been recently.  The waves looked good, but I didn't catch much of a ride.

It was still sunny, but cooling, when I left about 6pm.

May 7, 2005: Black's Beach

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

There was still wet mud under a thin later of sand in some places, hard and dried mud in other places.  Mid-day the sand was so hot I needed my sandals.

I swam out past the sand dollars twice.  The waves looked good, but I only managed to catch one ride.

I was in and out of my shirt, starting about 5pm.  I left before sunset.  I left the parking lot about 8pm.

May 2, 2005: Black's Beach

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

There was still wet mud under a thin later of sand in some places, hard and dried mud in other places.  The tide was out so far that there were a few tide pools.

I swam out past the sand dollars once.  The waves looked good, but I only managed to catch one ride.  I caught a glimpse of a shark in the surf.  It couldn't have been longer than three feet.

The sky clouded over about 2pm, but it stayed warm.  I put on a shirt and fell asleep.  When I woke up it was sunny.  It clouded up again from about 6-7pm.  I saw sunset from the trail.  The security guard was getting ready to lock the gate when I left at 8pm.

May 1, 2005: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I undressed and headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised my flags and set up my stuff.  Later, a friend arrived with the bulletin boards, one for the trailhead and one in front of our group.

I found a little tar and picked it up.  There was mud under a thin later of sand in some places.

I went swimming twice, both times out to the sand dollars.  The waves looked good, but I only managed to catch one ride.  I was intent on taking a few pictures of the sand dollars instead.  I noticed a little red tide.  The top foot of water had a pink tint to it.

I stayed on the beach until about 6pm.  It clouded over just as I reached the parking lot about 7pm.

April 29, 2005: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I undressed and set up my bulletin board  at the trailhead.  I wasn't expecting many friends, so I headed south to the boundary.  I set up another bulletin board and my flag at the boundary.  A few friends joined me.

I found some tar while walking around, and I picked it up.  The sand was pretty hot, but never so much that I needed my sandals.

I went swimming once, out to the sand dollars.  The waves looked good, and I managed to catch a few good rides.

I stayed on the beach until about 6pm.  It was getting cool, but still comfortable nude.  I left the parking lot before sunset.

April 24, 2005: Scuba Diving at Black's Beach

We met at Bonita Cove in Mission Bay, as per our arrangement.  We ferried our dive gear to the boat using a dingy.  We were under way by 9am with three divers and one additional passenger.  The boat carried dive gear for four, including seven air tanks.  We were within sight of our goal by 10:30 and called for our fourth diver to swim to us.  He met us without any problem.

We were using GPS coordinates to find the reef, but could tell that we were way off from the markers we knew.  The depth finder showed no reef.  Two of us were very familiar with the reef, so we used markers at the top of the cliff to find it.  We decided that we were very close, so we anchored and planned to find it by free-diving.  It turned out we were directly above the northern end.

We put on our gear and entered the water.  We all gave the ok sign and submerged.  I started the diving by taking pictures of two divers.  Then I was unable to find two divers, so I stuck close to the one I could see.  I learned later that one diver never managed to equalize, and aborted the dive.  Another diver was too cold and surfaced after just a few minutes.

Visibility was only about ten feet and the water temperature ranged from about 59º at the surface to 55º at the bottom.  My maximum depth was forty-five feet.

I took many pictures, some using a yellow filter to compensate for the blue scatter.  The filter was overkill, based on the fact that many of my pics were yellow.

I stuck close to the one remaining diver as we explored the reef.  I lost him after a while, then found him again.  He motioned for me to follow, so I figured he'd found something interesting.  I later learned he was trying to show me a crab, but he'd lost it.  He did lead me to a dead seal laying on the bottom.  I went around the reef one and a half times, and this other diver told me he went around three times.

I saw lobster, kelp bass, garibaldi, star fish, keyhole limpets, senorita fish, olive rockfish, California sheephead and blue rockfish.  There were other fish I never managed to identify.	Maybe it was a greenling, or perhaps a lavender sculpin.

After a forty eight minute dive we were relaxing on the boat and spotted two swimmers heading for us.  We were expecting these two.  They came aboard and tried to warm up.

I talked to people on the beach and they were struggling to stay warm.  It was windy and overcast.  It was even sprinkling at times.

We talked about doing the second dive, and decided not to.  We sailed closer to shore, dropped off our three swimmers and started back to Mission bay.  The weather took a turn for the worse and it started sprinkling a little worse.  It was a longer trip around the kelp beds, since it was near low tide.  We were anchored in Bonita Cove by about 5pm, and two of us were on shore by about 5:30 with out gear.

April 16, 2005: Black's Beach

It was foggy when I started down the Burro Trail, but it was sunny and hot on the beach.  I undressed and set up my bulletin board  at the trailhead.  I then headed north to my usual spot and set up my flags and another bulletin board.

I found a lot of tar on my way, and picked it up.  I stepped on some and had to clean it off with baby oil.

The sand was so hot I needed my sandals at times.

I went swimming twice, once out to the sand dollars and the other time only out past the surf.  There was some red tide.  The top two feet of the water had a reddish-brown color.  The waves looked good, and I managed to catch a few good rides.

I stayed on the beach until about 6pm.  It was getting cool, but still comfortable nude.  I left the parking lot before sunset.

April 15, 2005: Black's Beach

Parking at 11:30am	street parking: full gliderport: wide rut, clearance problem, deep sand in places, plenty of spaces
Visibility	I didn't notice, but it was probably too hazy to see  Longbeach.
Burro Trail	better, but still a few crooked staircases, see alerts
Climate	hot and sunny, light breeze from west
People	over a hundred
Activities Observed	swimming, surfing, body surfing, hang gliding, paragliding, RC glidingl
Water	surf: 8' curl tide: It was out pretty far the whole time.. temperature: 63º current: I was carried south. visibility: about 3'
Wildlife Observed	marbled godwits, western gulls,  ravens, pelicans, lizard
Lifeguards and Law Enforcement	I saw a city lifeguard in a white truck.

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

I went swimming once, just a little past the surf.  The waves looked good, and I managed to catch a few rides.  The current forced me south, across the city beach boundary, where clothing is compulsive.

It was still hot when I left about 3pm.

April 11, 2005: Black's Beach

Parking at 11:30am	street parking: full gliderport: wide rut, clearance problem, deep sand in places, plenty of spaces
Visibility	I could barely see the hazy outline of Longbeach.
Burro Trail	better, but still a few crooked staircases, see alerts More steps had been added by attaching to the new railroad tie in the narrow ravine.
Climate	warm and sunny, steady wind from west
People	maybe a hundred
Activities Observed	swimming, surfing, body surfing, hang gliding, paragliding, RC gliding, horseshoes, Frisbee, paddleball
Water	surf: 5' curl tide: The tide was high just before I arrived, and left much of the beach wet. temperature: 63º current: I was carried south. visibility: about 3'
Wildlife Observed	marbled godwits, western gulls,  squirrels, ravens, pelicans, grebe, dolphins
Lifeguards and Law Enforcement	I saw a city lifeguard in a white truck.

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

I went swimming twice, just a little past the surf.  The waves looked good, and I managed to catch a few rides.

It was getting too cool about 6pm, so I started packing.  Some clouds blacked the sun, which must have set about the time I was leaving the parking lot.

April 10, 2005: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and restocked a bulletin board already on the beach.  I undressed, then headed north to my usual spot in front of Valentine Slide.

I went swimming once, just a little past the surf.  The waves looked good, but I didn't catch even one good ride.  I did have to dive under one wave that still managed to slam me onto the bottom.  I drifted south nearly to Hully Gully.

I stayed until after sunset, but I missed the actual sunset.  More trail improvements were apparent as I left.  I had to use the other exit from the parking lot again.

April 9, 2005: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, undressed and set up my bulletin board at the bottom.  Then I headed north to my usual spot in front of Valentine Slide.  I raised my flags and set up another bulletin board under the club flag.

I found a lot of tar on the beach.

I saw an RC glider crash into the cliff above us.  It was broken into at least four pieces, two pieces were close together in an inaccessible spot.

I went swimming once.  I couldn't get past the surf.  I'd dive under a wave then surface and have to dive under another.  They were coming too close together for me to make any progress, so I was constantly pushed back to shore.  By the time I left the water, the current had taken me south, nearly to the trail.

I watched sunset from the beach.  I didn't see a green flash.  I didn't get to my car until a little after 8pm and found the gate locked.  I turned left and went through the east lot, find the other exit to my right open.

April 4, 2005: Black's Beach

The parking lot was practically empty.  I hiked down the Burro Trail, undressed and set up my bulletin board at the bottom.  Then I worked with one other man moving a few sandbags and rocks from the beach to the trail.  We were trying to reinforce a part of the trail that looked like it would erode away quickly.

Then I headed north to my usual spot in front of Valentine Slide.  I raised my flag and set up another bulletin board under it.

I went swimming once, just a little past the surf.  I caught a few waves as I drifted south with the current.

I found a lot of tar on the beach and picked it up.  There was still plenty more.

The wind was keeping it rather cold.  About 6pm I decided it was cold enough.  I headed for the trail where I continued my earlier project of trail reinforcing.  There was another Digger chiseling better steps into the soft rock.  I headed up the trail, pausing to watch the sunset.  There was a green flash, and I got my best picture ever.

April 3, 2005: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I undressed and set up my bulletin board at the bottom.  Then I headed north to my usual spot in front of Valentine Slide.  I raised my flags and set up another bulletin board under the club flag.

I found a lot of tar on the beach.

I went swimming once, just a little past the surf.  I caught a few waves as I drifted south with the current.

It started to cloud over about 3pm, so I started packing.  Then it cleared up until about 5pm.  Then I left.

April 2, 2005: Whales at Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I undressed and set up my bulletin board at the bottom.  The sand was too hot for bare feet.

I then headed north to my usual spot in front of Valentine Slide.  I raised my flags and set up another bulletin board under the club flag.

I went swimming once, just a little past the surf and catching a few waves on my way back to shore.  One ride was a bit scary, but fun.

Late in the day we saw whales.  They were heading north.  We could see them blow at the surface.  We didn't see dorsal fins and there were some ridges on their backs.

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

April 1, 2005: Black's Beach

Parking at 1pm	street parking: plenty gliderport: wide rut, clearance problem, deep sand in places, plenty of spaces
Visibility	I could barely see the hazy outline of San Clemente.
Burro Trail	better, but still very bad condition, see alerts, stairs had been repaired It was obvious that Black's Beach Diggers had been at work.
Climate	hot and sunny
People	over a hundred
Activities Observed	swimming, surfing, body surfing, hang gliding, paragliding, RC gliding, horseshoes
Water	surf: 8' curl tide: The tide was way out much of the day. temperature: 63º current: I was carried south. visibility: about 3'
Wildlife Observed	willets, whimbrels, western gulls,  squirrels, ravens, pelicans, dolphins
Lifeguards and Law Enforcement	I saw a city lifeguards in white trucks.

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I undressed and set up my bulletin board at the bottom. The sand was hot enough to burn my feet.

I headed north to my usual spot in front of Valentine Slide.  I found a lot of tar on the way.   I raised my flags and set up another bulletin board under the club flag.

I went swimming twice, once with a buddy.  Both times I just swam a little past the surf and caught a few waves.

I left about 5:30pm.

March 26, 2005: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I undressed and set up my bulletin board at the bottom.  Then I headed north to my usual spot in front of Valentine Slide.  I raised my flags and set up another bulletin board under the club flag.

I found a lot of tar on the beach.  I picked up some and put it in a litter bag.  Some of it I picked up with my feet and washed it off with baby oil.

I went swimming twice.  Both times I just swam a little past the surf.  I warmed up next to my reflectors after the second swim.

It started to cloud over about 3pm, and got cold.  I left about 4pm.

March 25, 2005: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, noting a few improvements, mostly sandbagging to fill the crevice.  I undressed and set up my bulletin board at the bottom.  Then I headed north to my usual spot in front of Valentine Slide.  I raised my flags and set up another bulletin board under the club flag.

I found a lot of tar on the beach.  I picked up some and put it in a litter bag.  Some of it I picked up with my feet and washed it off with baby oil.

Then I set up a few things to make myself comfortable.  Some of my friends raked spots to soften the sand and spread sheets.  I brought a chair, because I thought the whole  beach would be wet.  I was wrong.  The sand was actually hot in a few places.  I set up a reflector to warm up after swims. I went swimming twice.  The first time I swam with dolphins.  I took a few video clips, but nothing came out.  The second swim I went out to the sand dollars. I packed up as the sun approached the horizon and watched sunset from the trailhead.  I made a video clip and captured the green flash.  Notice the pale green sun on the horizon.

March 11, 2005: Black's Beach

I had my doubts that the weather would be sunny, so I monitored some weather sites from home.  I saw the sunlight intensity go from 37% to 64 % and decided that was good enough.  I headed to the beach as fast as I could.

I hiked down the Burro Trail, noting a few improvements, mostly sandbagging to fill the crevice.  I set up my bulletin board at the bottom.  Then I headed north to my usual spot in front of Valentine Slide.  I raised my flag and set up another bulletin board under it.

Then I set up a few things to make myself comfortable.  Some of my friends raked spots to soften the sand and spread sheets.  I sat in a chair off the wet sand.  I set up a reflector, but it didn't help.  The flies were a nuisance, giving me no rest.

It was warm enough to get naked sometimes, but I spent most of my time under a fleece poncho.  I figured out that it wasn't going to get any better and left about 3pm.

March 7, 2005: Black's Beach

I carefully hiked down the Burro Trail, noting a few improvements, mostly sandbagging to fill the crevice.  I set up my bulletin board at the bottom and took off my pants and shoes.  Then I headed North to my usual spot in front of Valentine Slide.  I raised my flag and set up another bulletin board under it.

Then I set up a few things to make myself comfortable.  Some of my friends raked spots to soften the sand and spread sheets.  I sat in a chair off the wet sand.  I set up a reflector to warm myself after a swim.

I went swimming twice.  I saw dolphins before my first swim and heard them during the swim, but I didn't see them while in the water.  I caught some good waves.  One time I was tossed in front of the wave and given quite a tumble.

The flies were a nuisance, giving me no rest.

It stayed warm until it clouded over about 4:30pm.  The sun went behind some clouds preventing me from watching sunset.

March 6, 2005: Black's Beach

I carefully hiked down the Burro Trail, slipping a little.  I set up my bulletin board at the bottom and took off my pants and shoes.  It wasn't warm enough to take off my shirt.  Then I headed North to my usual spot in front of Valentine Slide.

I didn't think I'd be staying long, so I didn't raise my flag or set up much.  Some of my friends to the south had a little fire going, burning driftwood.  They were cooking potatoes and chicken.

We spotted a landslide between the Goat Trail and Spencer Canyon about 1:30.  We hiked south to check it out.  One man told us it had been slipping all day.  The flies were a nuisance, giving me no rest.

It stayed warm until almost sunset, so I waited until about 5pm to pack.  I watched sunset from the trail.  There was a distinct green flash.

February 28, 2005: Black's Beach

I carefully hiked down the Burro Trail.  I set up my bulletin board at the bottom, then moved a few sandbags from the beach back to the trail.  Then I headed south to a spot in front newly fallen boulder.  It was about the size of a small car.  It wasn't there a week ago, but it was there Friday.  I raised my flag and set up a few things.

About 2pm I set up reflectors and windbreaks.  That warmed me up too much and I had to cool off in the surf.  I sent swimming once.  I didn't see any wildlife.  I did catch a few waves, one of which gave me a good tumble.

I was too cold about 5pm, so I packed and left.

February 27, 2005: Black's Beach

I carefully hiked down the Burro Trail, slipping a little.  I set up my bulletin board at the bottom, then moved a few sandbags from the beach back to the trail.  Then I headed North to my usual spot in front of Valentine Slide.

I raised my flag and set up a few things.  I sat in a chair because the sand wasn't quite dry.  There was dryer sand closer to the slide, but it seemed within reach of an imminent rock slide.  I set up a reflector, in order to warm up after a swim.

I sent swimming once.  I didn't see any wildlife.  I did catch a few waves.

It was cooling off about 4pm, so I packed and left.  I watched sunset from the trail.  The sun went down behind some clouds.  They had the appearance of a distant mountain range.

February 26, 2005: Black's Beach

I only went to take better pictures of the storm damage to the trail.  I carefully hiked down the Burro Trail, taking a few pictures on the way.  I helped a lady through the muddy ravine, then hiked back up.

February 25, 2005: Black's Beach

I carefully hiked down the Burro Trail, taking a few pictures on the way down.  I set up my bulletin board at the bottom and undressed at the trailhead.  Then I headed north to my usual spot beyond Valentine Slide.

The beach was wet and littered with bamboo and driftwood.  When I reached my spot, I found very little dry sand.  I wasn't planning to stay long, so I only set up my bulletin board, without the flag.  I sat in a chair to keep dry. 

About 2:30pm I decided to leave.  It was already starting to cloud over and I wanted to beat traffic.

February 21, 2005: Black's Beach

I met with the same two friends for an expedition to the rain-soaked beach.  The rain had been pouring down since 1am.  We got started about 10:30am.  We hiked down Salk Canyon Road again.  This time there was quite a rush of water down the road and in the storm drain to the side. We reached the beach and headed north.  Periodically we would see landslide.  None of them were huge, but they were big enough to be deadly.  One slide hot so close it really got our hearts pumping.  We also saw quite a few mud flows.  There were several mud flows right at the state-city boundary, and they were about to bury the signs. There was quite a flow of water coming down the Burro Trail.  We went a little way up it to take some pictures.  We wanted to see how water flows down the trail.  We could see that water had been diverted from much of the trail, but not all.  Hopefully our data will enable Black's Beach Diggers to make the trail more resistant to storms. We continued north, taking video of Spencer Canyon and Valentine Slide.  Both sites had spectacular waterfalls.  Valentine slide was where we saw the most landslides. We hiked as far as Indian Canyon, collected more video and headed back. We were nearly to the top of Salk Canyon Road when I looked back and saw a patch of bushes sliding down the road.  We walked back down and saw that the bush had stopped in the middle of the road and had left a few rocks along its path.

February 20, 2005: Escondido Swim with Naturally California

I arrived about 7pm and checked in.  I undressed and swam a mile.  There were nearly fifty people there.  I passed around a few underwater pictures and even took a few pictures, at the request of the subjects.

February 19, 2005: Black's Beach

I gathered two friends with the intent of seeing and photographing the beach in the rain.  About 3pm we parked on La Jolla Farms Road, near Black Gold Road.  Then we hiked down Salk Canyon Road.  I was overdressed in a 3mm wetsuit, carrying a waterproof camera.  We hiked as far as our usual spot at Valentine Slide, but there was no rain.  The only waterfall we saw was at Box Canyon.  We did find that our hut had been demolished.  We also found some recently fallen rocks.  We know it was recent because we could still see the craters.

February 5, 2005: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  I undressed at the trailhead and set up my bulletin.  Then I headed north to my usual spot beyond Valentine Slide.  There was still plenty of bamboo on the beach, but much of it was in piles. I raised my flags and set up another bulletin board under it.  I never set out my stuff because I knew I wouldn't have time to sit down.  I immediately helped with the hut construction.  I had to put a T-shirt on to stay warm and soon put on a fleece shirt.

It was about 3pm when I started up the trail.

January 31, 2005: Black's Beach

Parking at 10:30am	street parking: plenty gliderport: plenty, some mud
Visibility	I could see a hazy Long Beach all day.  After sunset I could see San Clemente and Catalina islands.
Burro Trail	damp, clear signs of erosion, two steps still broken
Climate	warm and sunny, steady wind
People	a few dozen
Activities Observed	swimming, body surfing, surfing, paragliding, RC gliding, hut building
Water	temperature: 64º surf: 8' curl visibility: better than 5 feet current: carried me south
Wildlife Observed	western gulls, ring-billed gulls, whimbrels, marbled godwits, sanderlings,  squirrels, dolphins, cormorant
Lifeguards and Law Enforcement	I saw city lifeguards in their white trucks.

I hiked down the Burro Trail and spotted a pair of dolphins on the way down.  I undressed at the trailhead and set up my bulletin board at the bottom.  Then I headed north to my usual spot beyond Valentine Slide.  There was still plenty of bamboo on the beach, but much of it was in piles.

I raised my flags and set up another bulletin board under it.  Then I laid out my own stuff, which included reflectors for later.  The flies were becoming a problem while I was sitting.  Fortunately, I found something to keep me busy.

I joined in an effort to build a hut from bamboo and we enjoyed some success.  I went swimming once. I only swam out to the breakers and caught a few waves.

About 4:30pm I was so cold I had to get dressed, T-shirt and shoes.  I only put on my pants just before heading up the trail.  I watched sunset from the trail.  The sliver of the sun turned a pale green before disappearing below the horizon.  I paused on the trail and noticed a few islands silhouetted against the orange sky in the west.

January 30, 2005: Black's Beach

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

The beach was wet and littered with bamboo and driftwood.  When I reached my spot, I found my friends already in the process of clearing an area.  It took several people, none of them working hard, but the cleared area grew to a large stretch by the end of the day.

I raised my flag and set up another bulletin board under it.  I raked an area for myself, set up reflectors and helped in the cleanup while it dried.  Eventually I had a warm dry spot and laid my stuff out.

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

About 4pm I was so cold I had to get dressed, T-shirt, shorts and shoes.  I watched sunset from the trail.  The sliver of the sun turned a pale green before disappearing below the horizon.

January 24, 2005: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail. I didn't even bring my bulletin board, because the weather looked bad when I left home.  That was a mistake.  I undressed at the trailhead then headed north to my usual spot beyond Valentine Slide.

I brought my flag, but didn't raise it.  I thought it would cloud up soon and I didn't want to spend all my time setting up and then putting things away.

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

I left about 2:30pm, even though it was still warm.  I had to.  My ride was leaving.

January 17, 2005: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail and fixed a handrail on the way.  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 flag.

I set up reflectors for later in the day. It was so hot, I had to stay away from them until after my swim.

I went swimming twice. I only swam out to the breakers and caught a few waves. I only caught one ride.

The sun set while I was heading up the trail, but I missed it.

January 16, 2005: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail.  It was very slippery near the bottom, so I went down on all four; better safe than sorry.  I undressed right away and headed north to my usual spot.  A bulletin board had already been set up.

I raised my flag and set up my stuff, including reflectors for later.  I went for a swim to the sand dollars.  I saw a lobster, took a pictures and tried to catch it.  But, it got away and the picture didn't come out.

I watched sunset, and I saw a green flash.  Then I headed south to the trail and hiked up.

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