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

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Don't read too much into my reports.  Gaps in coverage sometimes indicate bad weather, but also reflect my schedule.  I'm a strong swimmer and generally don't notice currents unless they are very strong.  I'm not a surfer and don't really know how to measure a wave.  Nobody believes my temperature readings.  They all come from a Suunto Mosquito dive computer.

November 3, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised my club flag, and I set up another bulletin board under it.

I did one swim to the reef, with a buddy.  We both wore spring suits.  On our way out, a seal surfaced and barked at us for a while.  It disappeared as soon as I got my camera ready.  I managed one dive to the reef, despite the added buoyancy of the wet suit.

It was cooling off so I dressed and headed for the trail about 3:30pm.  Then it warmed up before I started up.  I collected my bulletin boards and hiked up, leaving the parking lot about 4pm.

November 1, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised my club flag, and I set up another bulletin board under it.

I did one swim to the sand dollars.  The surf was very small, but I managed to catch one good wave.

It was cooling off so I dressed and headed for the trail about 5pm.  I saw the sun set while hiking to the trail.  There was a bit of a green flash, but it was more like a fade to aqua.  I collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.

October 22, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised my club flag, and I set up another bulletin board under it.

I did two swims beyond the sand dollars, but didn't see any.  The surf was pretty rough and I managed to catch one good wave.

I headed for the trail about 5pm, but it suddenly warmed up for my hike.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up..

October 17, 2009: Black's Beach

I waited in the parking lot for my dive buddy, then we hiked down with our gear.  Once on the beach I hiked north about a quarter mile to my usual spot in front of Valentine Slide.  I set my stuff down and raised my club flag.

We set up our gear, then did our dive much later.  The fog was a problem.  I usually watch for markers on the cliff to triangulate and find the reef.  I knew this would not be possible with the fog.  I chose a bearing where I believed the reef would be.  A thirty minute surface swim should get us the right distance from shore, then the lobster trap markers would tell us exactly where.  We never saw the markers.  We overshot to a depth of 56'.  We made a few tries, but no reef.  We submerged and explored the sandy bottom while swimming toward shore.  We came to shore at Indian Canyon, then had to walk south.

I fired up the grill and made some hamburgers.  Hardly anyone else used it though.  Later in the day the hot coals were useful for helping treat a stingray wound.

About 4pm I was starting to feel a little cold, so I put a shirt on and started packing.  I dressed and hiked to the trail.  I left the parking lot a little before 6pm.

October 11, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised my club flag, and I set up another bulletin board under it.

I swam half way to the reef, once.  I could see lots of lobster trap markers, but I didn't think I could make it with the lower temperature.  As I was returning through the surf, a seal swam in front of me, under water.  It was way too fast to get a picture.  I signaled to my friends on shore, but none of us saw it surface.

About 5pm I was starting to feel a little cold, so I started packing.  I dressed and hiked to the trail.  I collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot a little before 6pm.

September 27, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised my club flag, and I set up another bulletin board under it.

I swam to the reef once.  Our marker was still there.  Later I went in the water for some body boarding.

I packed and headed to the trail about 5pm.  The sun came out, just in time for my hike up the trail.  I left the parking lot before 6pm.

September 24, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised my club flag, and I set up another bulletin board under it.

I swam to the reef at 11am and again at 2pm.  Our marker was still there.  At 11 the water was clear enough that I could see garibaldi from the surface.  From the surface I even saw a seal swim below me, across the reef.  I didn't see him surface.  I also saw a seal in the surf, while I was on shore.  At 2 I saw dolphins on my way to the reef.  I tried to get video of them, but no such luck.  Later I went in the water just to catch some waves and cool off.

I packed and headed to the trail about 6pm.  It was still hot.  Just as I was dressing at the trail head and collecting my bulletin boards, the sun descended into a thin layer of fog.  It cooled off but not much.  I left the parking lot before 7pm.

September 20, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised my club flag, and I set up another bulletin board under it.

I swam to the reef once, with buddies.  Our marker was still there.  I did a few dives to the reef.

Clouds began to cover the western sky about 5pm, so I started packing.  I hiked to the trail about 6pm, dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I hung around the parking lot and watched the sunset.  I left before 7pm.

September 15, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised my club flag, and I set up another bulletin board under it.

I swam to the reef once.  Our marker was still there.  I did a few dives to the reef.  I actually found and photographed an octopus during a free dive to the reef. About 5pm I packed and headed to the trail.  I collected my bulletin boards, dressed and headed up.  I left the parking lot about 6pm.

September 13, 2009: San Onofre

I carpooled with two other people.  We entered with a season pass and parked at Trail 6.  I hiked down Trail 6 wearing sandals.  Once on the beach, I turned left and hiked another half mile to the nude section.

Allen Baylis, of Friends of San Onofre, was already there, along with Ron Mercer of Deep Creek Volunteers. They already had a few dozen picket signs and they were standing them up in the sand.  I added my Nude Beaches Yes sign and put another pole in for my club flag and bulletin board.

I saw a few old friends, a few people I had met only a year ago, and made a lot of new friends.  With a little help, I passed around my Nude Beaches Yes tattoos.  Later in the day it was hard to find someone who wasn't wearing one.

There were reporters with three different agencies there, KTLA, San Deigo 10 and Orange County Register.  We later learned that San Diego's local Fox news did a shoot from the parking lot and from the cliffs above.  They never came down to the beach. The rangers were no-shows.  We were there in force, with news coverage.  I called to Black's Beach to report on the situation and learned that the sun only came out there for a short time.

I swam past the surf and into clear water twice.  The first time, I brought back some hermit crabs and gave them to a family with kids.  It was a  play and release program.  I nearly lost my new mask in the surf.

It was still warm, but we had accomplished our mission and we had a long drive ahead of us.  We packed up and hiked up the trail to the parking lot, about 5pm.  The only Park presence I noticed was one man in the booth who waved at us as we left.

September 12, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised my club flag, and I set up another bulletin board under it.

I swam to the reef once, with a buddy.  Our marker was still there.  I did a few dives to the reef.  While swimming to shore, I caught a good wave.  It was so good that it ripped my mask off my face.  I never found it.  All my "friends" got a good laugh.  That's the third mask I've lost in the surf.

The day wasn't looking as good as I'd hoped.  About 2:30pm I had decided to leave and make other plans for the rest of the day.  The day improved somewhat as I approached the trail.  I headed up the trail.  I left the parking lot about 3pm.

September 10, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised my club flag, and I set up another bulletin board under it.

I swam to the reef once, with a buddy.  Our marker was still there.  I did a few dives to the reef.  I also swam to the sand dollars with two friends.

About 3pm some clouds covered the sun.  It cooled off some, but not much.  About 5:30pm I packed and headed to the trail.  I left the parking lot about 6pm.

September 7, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised an American flag and two of my club flags, and I set up another bulletin board under one.

I joined the work crew setting up for the picnic.  We set up tables, grills, umbrellas and games. I even set up an umbrella for myself.

I swam to the reef twice, once with buddies.  I did a few dives to the reef.  As I was swimming back from the reef about 11am, the wind picked on and there were white caps on the waves.  The water got very choppy.  I also swam once to the sand dollars, with buddies.

About 6pm some clouds covered the sun.  It cooled off some, but not much.  I packed and headed to the trail.  I left the parking lot about 7pm.

September 6, 2009: Black's Beach

Parking at 9am	street parking: plenty gliderport: plenty of spaces
Visibility	I could see past Flatrock.
Burro Trail	good condition
Climate	hot and sunny, wind from west
People	a thousand or so
Activities Observed	swimming, volleyball, paragliding, hang gliding, Frisbee, surfing, body boarding, body surfing, scuba diving, fishing
Water	surf: 4' tide: I was highest about 11am. temperature: 79º current: I was carried south. visibility: 20'
Wildlife Observed	crows, western gulls, Hermann's gulls, terns, willets, marbled godwits, whimbrels, pelicans, squirrels, garibaldi, gorgonians, sponges, rock fish, sardines, sargo, kelp bass, blacksmith, star fish, keyhole limpets, bat rays, yellowtail, lobster, sea pens, halibut, morey eel, corbina
Lifeguards and Law Enforcement	There were city lifeguards in white trucks and a camper.  They also had a jetski on the beach, boat off shore and a man on the perch above.  There was a state lifeguard there for a short time too.

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised an American flag and two of my club flags, and I set up another bulletin board under one.

I joined the work crew setting up for the picnic.  We set up tables, grills, umbrellas and games. I even set up an umbrella for myself, but I hardly sat down to enjoy it.  I was in the water much of the day.

I swam to the reef and did a few dives, while a man fished from a paddle board.  As I swam back to shore, an expected friend arrived with his boat.  I climbed aboard and we headed toward shore while inflating a floating island.  He anchored about 200 yards from shore and I swam to shore.  Eventually I led several friends to the boat and float.  Then we headed to the reef with the float in tow, while I prepared for a scuba dive.

We anchored at the reef and I tied a bottle to an old lobster trap, as a marker.  I assisted some friends to dive to the reef and see the sights.  Some friends swam back from the reef, while others stayed on the boat as it headed back to shore.  About 200 yards out, we jumped in the water and swam to shore.  The boat headed back out to sea with the float in tow.

There was some sort of rescue while we were at sea, maybe a water rescue.  Once on shore, I learned one of my friends suffered a serious head injury while playing volleyball.  Lifeguards were busy bandaging his head and took him out in their truck.  I saw him later in the evening, so I know he's ok.

I was still on the beach at sunset, but I missed it.  I dressed and left the beach about 7:30pm.  I left the parking lot about 8pm.

September 5, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised an American flag and my club flag, and I set up another bulletin board under it.

I set up an umbrella for myself, and I really needed it.  I had to get in the water a few times just to cool off.  The sand was also very hot.  I had to wear sandals everywhere.

I swam to the reef twice and did two other swims to the sand dollars.  I saw a few yellowtail.  Visibility was very good.  I could see sponge formations and star fish on the reef, from the surface.  I saw dozens of bat rays closer to shore.

There were two simultaneous cliff rescues.  First there was a man about half way down the cliff.  I don't know how he got there.  Before they could get him to safety, a paraglider got his parachute caught and was hanging from the top.  He was taken up to the top.

The state ranger came to the beach in a white truck, followed by another truck.  They were there to pick up a dead seal.

I was still on the beach at sunset, but I missed it.  I dressed and left the beach about 7:30pm.  I left the parking lot about 8pm.

September 3, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised my club flag, and I set up another bulletin board under it.

I set up an umbrella for myself, and I really needed it.  I had to get in the water a few times just to cool off.  The sand was also very hot.  I had to wear sandals everywhere.

I swam to the reef twice and did two other swims to the sand dollars.  I saw a few yellowtail.  Visibility was very good.  I could see sponge formations and star fish on the reef, from the surface.  I saw dozens of bat rays closer to shore. 

I was still on the beach at sunset, but I missed it.  I dressed and left the beach about 7:30pm.  I left the parking lot about 8pm.

August 30, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised an American flag and my club flag, and I set up another bulletin board under it.

I set up an umbrella for myself, and I really needed it.  I had to get in the water a few times just to cool off.  The sand was also very hot.  I had to wear sandals everywhere.

I swam to the reef twice and did a total of eight dives down.  I saw a few yellowtail, but not as well as Friday.  I took out the lazy surfer twice and actually caught a wave each time.

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

August 29, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised an American flag and my club flag, and I set up another bulletin board under it.

I set up an umbrella for myself, and I really needed it.  I had to get in the water a few times just to cool off.  The sand was also very hot.  I had to wear sandals everywhere.

I swam to the reef twice and did a total of twelve dives down.  I saw a few yellowtail, but not as well as yesterday.  I also did a little body surfing.

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

August 28, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised  my club flag, and I set up another bulletin board under it.

I set up an umbrella for myself, and I really needed it.  The sand was also very hot.  I had to wear sandals everywhere.

I swam to the reef twice and did a total of eight dives down.  There must have been a hundred yellowtail circling me above the reef.  I got pictures and video.  I also saw three or four giant sea bass.  I may have seen one of them twice. I dressed and left the beach about 7pm.  I left the parking lot about 7:30pm.

August 25, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised  my club flag, and I set up another bulletin board under it.

I set up an umbrella for myself, and I really needed it.

I swam to the reef twice and did a total of four dives down.  I got some good looks at yellowtail, but didn't manage to get a picture.

I dressed and left the beach about 7pm.  While in the parking lot, I looked over at the sun one more time.  I was just in time to see the green flash.  I left the parking lot about 7:30pm.

August 23, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom.  There was already a bulletin board set up, so I headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up where I raised  my club flag.

I didn't take any long swims, but I did do a little body boarding.  Late in the day it clouded over and I had to put on a shirt.

I packed, dressed and headed to the trail about 7:30pm.  I cleft the parking lot about 8pm.

August 20, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised  my club flag and I set up another bulletin board under it.

I laid out my sheet, but didn't set up an umbrella until much later in the day.  It was cloudy and kind of cool.  I put on a shirt at times.

There was a lot of tar on the beach.  I spent some time picking it up, but there was still plenty more.

I packed, dressed and headed to the trail about 5:30pm.  I collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.

August 16, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised  an American flag and my club flag, and I set up another bulletin board under it.

I joined a work crew setting up for the picnic.  We assembled tables and grills.  We got out body boards and other toys.

I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food.  I definitely needed it for shade too. I swam to the reef twice, first by myself and later with three buddies.  I saw and photographed yellowtail and the giant sea bass.  None of if was high quality stuff, since they never get very close, or let me get close.

Some clouds blocked the sun starting about 5pm.  It was cooling off, so I packed my things and headed to the trail about 7pm.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 7:30pm.

August 15, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised  an American flag and my club flag, and I set up another bulletin board under it.

I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food.  I definitely needed it for shade too.

I swam to the reef twice, first with two buddies and later by myself.  We did a few dives there.  During my later dive I could see a few yellowtail circling me near the surface.  I took a picture, but it was out of focus.

Some clouds blocked the sun starting about 5pm.  It was cooling off, so I packed my things and headed to the trail about 7pm.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 7:30pm.

August 14, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised  my club flag and I set up another bulletin board under it.  I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food.

I swam to the reef with two buddies.  We did a few dives there.  Only I made it down to the reef.  My buddies got down about 20 feet to see the fish, including the giant sea bass.

There was a lot of tar on the beach.  I spent a little time picking some up, but there was plenty more still.

Some clouds blocked the sun starting about 4pm.  It was cooling off, so I packed my things and headed to the trail about 5:30pm.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 6pm.

August 13, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised  my club flag and I set up another bulletin board under it.  I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food.

I swam to the reef with some friends and on a lazy surfer.  We hung out for a while above the reef while I did a few dives and the others watched fish near the surface.  Then we drifted to shore.

There was a lot of tar on the beach.  I spent a little time picking some up, but there was plenty more still.

I packed my things and headed to the trail about 6pm.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 6:30pm.

August 11, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised  my club flag and I set up another bulletin board under it.  I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food.  

It wasn't long before I realized the sun was not going to come out.  I decided to cut my losses and go scuba diving.  I packed my things and headed to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 1pm.

August 9, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised an American flag and my club flag and I set up another bulletin board under my flag.

I joined the work crew setting up for the picnic, and the wedding.  We set up tables, grills and umbrellas.  We built a bamboo arch and decorated an aisle with sand castles, shells and flowers.  The sand was too hot for bare feet.  We had to wet the sand several times to cool it for the wedding party.

I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food.  I hardly sat down the whole day.  I was either cooking, passing out food, swimming, preparing for the wedding or attending the wedding.

It was a beautiful wedding, performed by Mici.  Dave and Chrissy had two hundred or so friends there sharing their special day, most of them nude, a few clothed.  It was a traditional Beta Zoid wedding.

I went swimming to the reef twice, both times with buddies.  I found, and photographed, a sheep crab and a lobster.

It was a long, full day.  I wasn't done packing until after dark.  I collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 8:30pm.

August 8, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised an American flag and my club flag and I set up another bulletin board under my flag.

I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food.  The sand was too hot for bare feet.

I went swimming to the reef twice, both times with buddies.  As we were approaching the reef, I could see a seal approaching us.  I only saw him from a distance, never up close.  The water still had that yellow film that became yellow foam, but nowhere near to the last few days.

I had an evening appointment to keep, so I packed up early, 5:30pm, while it was still hot, and headed to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin board and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 6pm.

August 7, 2009: Black's Beach

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

I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food.  At first it was windy and I was concerned that my umbrella might blow away.  The sand was too hot for bare feet.

I went swimming to the reef once.  As I was finishing one dive and heading for the surface, a seal swam along side me, also heading to the surface.  I couldn't reach my camera fast enough.  He turned to the side and disappeared in the cloudy water.  I looked around for him at the surface, but I never saw him again.  The water still had that yellow film that became yellow foam.  The yellow foam was everywhere, due to the wind producing whitecaps.

I had an evening appointment to keep, so I packed up early, 5pm, while it was still hot, and headed to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin board and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 5:30pm.

August 5, 2009: Black's Beach

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

I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food.  I very much needed the shade.

I went swimming to the reef twice, once by myself and once with three buddies.  For our group swim, two of us made it down to the reef and brought back star fish to show the others.  We took group photos and a few other photos, some at the surface and some underwater.  There was a yellow film on the water that turned to yellow foam when we splashed and stirred it up.  I also swam to the sand dollars and did a little body boarding.

I headed to the trail about 7:30pm.  I dressed, collected my bulletin board and hiked up.  I saw three green flashes, as the sun descended below inversion layers.  I left the parking lot just before 8pm.

August 2, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised an American flag and my club flag and I set up another bulletin board under my flag.

I joined the work crew setting up for the picnic.  We set up tables and grills, and put toys out for everyone.

I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food.  I did not need the shade, because the sun never came out.

I went swimming to the reef twice, once by myself and once with nine buddies.  For my first swim, there was a boat with scuba divers there ahead of me.  They were spear fishing.  For our group swim, three of us made it down to the reef and brought back star fish to show the others.  We took group photos and a few other photos, some at the surface and some underwater.

I headed to the trail about 7pm.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards, hiked up and left the parking lot about 7:30.

August 1, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised an American flag and my club flag and I set up another bulletin board under my flag.

I joined the work crew setting up for the surf event.  We raised a banner, set out boards for participants and set up a registration table.

I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food.  I did need the shade, but only for a short time.

I went swimming three times, once to the reef and twice to the sand dollars.  I had buddies for my sand dollar swims.

The surf event got a late start.  There were hardly any waves.  I video taped as much as I could.  Later, there was the body surfing and body boarding competition.  I started out video taping with two judges, but they left to go surfing.  They left me to judge and tape.

The sky clouded up around 6pm, but it wasn't cold.  I stuck around until 7pm.

I headed to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards, hiked up and left the parking lot about 7:30.

July 31, 2009: Black's Beach

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

I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food.  I did need the shade, but only for a short time.  The sand was too hot for my bare feet, but only early in the day.

I went swimming three times, once to the sand dollars, once to the reef and once half way to the reef.  I had buddies along for each dive.  I lost count of how many dives I made to the reef.  Some of my buddies made it down too.

The sky clouded up around 2pm.  Much later in the day I got cold and had to put on a shirt.  I stuck around until 7pm.

I headed to the trail, dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 7:30.

July 29, 2009: Black's Beach

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

I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food.  I did need the shade, but only for a short time.

I went swimming twice, once to the reef and once half way to the reef.  I saw a giant sea bass one of my dives.  I didn't get my camera powered up fast enough to take a picture.  It was probably 200 pounds.

The sky clouded up around 5pm and I got cold.  I stuck around until 7pm.

I dressed and headed to the trail.  I collected my bulletin boards, hiked up and left the parking lot about 7:30.

July 26, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised an American flag and my club flag and I set up another bulletin board under my flag.

I got busy with some friends setting up for the picnic.  We cleared seaweed, set up tables, assembled grills and set up umbrellas.

I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food.  It was hot enough that I needed the shade.

I swam to the reef twice, once with buddies.  I did a total of six dives at the reef.  There were a dozen or more yellowtail swimming circles around me above the reef.  They kept a distance of 15 feet or so from me, so I could hardly get a good pic.  I did shoot some video, but it wasn't very clear.  I also did some body boarding.

There was a lot of hot food from the grill, hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, peaches, bananas and a variety of sausages, 

About 8pm I packed and headed to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot before 8:30pm.

July 25, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised an American flag and my club flag and I set up another bulletin board under my flag.

I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food.  It was hot enough that I needed the shade.  The sand was too hot for my bare feet, so I wore sandals.

I went out body surfing.  Later I swam to the reef, and to the sand dollars with buddies.  I lost count of how many dives I did at the reef.

About 5pm some clouds covered the sun and it cooled.  It was still plenty warm, but it gave us a cooler climate for the climb up the trail.

About 7pm I packed and headed to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot before 7:30pm.

July 24, 2009: Black's Beach

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

I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food.  It was hot enough that I needed the shade.  The sand was too hot for my bare feet, so I wore sandals.

I went out body surfing.  Later I swam to the reef, and to the sand dollars with buddies.

About 6pm some clouds covered the sun and it cooled.  It was still plenty warm, but it gave us a cooler climate for the climb up the trail.

About 7pm I packed and headed to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot before 8pm.

July 19, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised an American flag and my club flag and I set up another bulletin board under my flag.

I helped set up for the picnic.  We assembled two tables and two grill.  We set out toys and body boards for everyone to play with.

I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food.  It was hot enough that I needed the shade.  The sand was too hot for my bare feet, so I wore sandals.

People were using the grills to cook an assortment of meats and vegetables.  Some of the food included, hot dogs, hamburger, pineapple, zucchini, squash, carne asada, chicken, lamb and bratwurst.

I went out body boarding a few times.  Later I swam to the reef, with buddies, and returned with a star fish, for the kids.  I eventually took out the  lazy surfer and drifted with a friend.

About 6pm some clouds covered the sun and it cooled.  It was still plenty warm, but it gave us a cooler climate for the climb up the trail.

About 7:30pm I packed and headed to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 8pm.

July 18, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised an American flag and my club flag and I set up another bulletin board under my flag. 

I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food.  It was hot enough that I needed the shade.  The sand was too hot for my bare feet, so I wore sandals.

I swam half way to the reef, twice, once with a buddy.  I swam to the reef later, after the water had warmed some.  I did a two dives to the reef and shot some short video clips.  The water was warm at the surface, but much colder just a foot under.

I went out for a little body boarding, twice.  I also took out the lazy surfer and drifted beyond the surf for a while.

About 6pm some clouds covered the sun and it cooled.  It was still plenty warm, but it gave us a cooler climate for the climb up the trail.

I packed and headed to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 7pm.

July 17, 2009: Black's Beach

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

I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.  It was also hot enough that I needed the shade.  The sand was too hot for my bare feet, so I wore sandals.

I swam to the reef twice, once with a buddy.  I first hurried to the reef because I saw a boat with scuba divers going in.  They were with Scripps Institute of Oceanography doing a scuba exercise.  I did a total of four dives to the reef and shot some short video clips.  Later I swam to the sand dollars with a buddy.  The water was warm at the surface, but much colder just a foot under.

I saw a seal jumping out of the water.  It was heading south.  I saw it jump out twice.

Early in the day there was virtually no surf.  Then it picked up late in the day.  I went out for a little body boarding.  I needed fins, but I caught a few waves.

About 7:30pm I packed and headed to the trail.  It was still warm.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 8pm.

July 13, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.

I raised my club flag and I set up another bulletin board under my flag. 

I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.  It was also hot enough that I needed the shade.  The sand was too hot for my bare feet, so I wore sandals.

There was a cliff rescue just north of me.  The boat was off shore as a spotter.  There was a news copter circling above.  On my way to the reef the boat came along side to find out where I was going.

I went swimming once, to the reef.  I did three dives to the reef and shot some short video clips.  I also took out the lazy surfer and drifted off shore.  I went out for a little body surfing and another time for body boarding.

About 7pm I packed and headed to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 7:30pm.

July 12, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.

I raised an American flag and my club flag.  I set up another bulletin board under my flag. 

I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.  It was also hot enough that I needed the shade.  The sand was too hot for my bare feet, so I wore sandals.

We had two hot grills.  Some of the food included hot dogs, hamburgers, squash, peppers, shish kabobs and chicken.

I went swimming four times, twice to the sand dollars and twice to the reef, sometimes with buddies.  I did four dives to the reef and shot some short video clips.  I also took out the lazy surfer twice, once with a friend.  Dolphins swam close while we were drifting.

About 7:30pm I packed and headed to the trail.  The sun was setting as I reached the trail, so I paused to watch.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 8pm.

July 11, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.

I raised an American flag and my club flag.  I set up another bulletin board under my flag. 

I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.  It was also hot enough that I needed the shade.  The sand was too hot for my bare feet, so I wore sandals.

I went swimming three times, twice to the sand dollars with buddies, once to the reef.  I did three dives to the reef and shot some short video clips.  There was a seal swimming by during one of my swims.

About 7:30pm I packed and headed to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 8pm.

July 10, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.

I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.  It was also hot enough that I needed the shade.  The sand was too hot for my bare feet, so I wore sandals.

I went swimming three times, once to the sand dollars, once to the reef and once just for some body surfing.  I did two dives to the reef and shot some short video clips.

About 7pm I packed and headed to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 7:30.

July 8, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.

I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.  It was also hot enough that I needed the shade.  The sand was too hot for my bare feet, so I wore sandals.

I went swimming once, to the sand dollars.  I saw a guitar fish in the water and I saw a fisher catch and release a smaller guitar fish.

About 7pm I packed and headed to the trail.  On the way I stepped on a bee and got stung.  I also stopped to see what the fisherman had caught.  He caught corbina and surf perch.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 7:30.

July 5, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.

I joined the work crew setting up for our picnic.  We raised an American flag and two of my club flags with another bulletin board under one.  We set up two tables and two grills.  Se set out toys, body boards and umbrellas.

I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.

I went swimming once with a buddy.  We only swam out to the sand dollars.  The water temperature was down quite a bit from previous weeks.  I also went in for a little body boarding.

About 7pm I packed and headed to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.

July 4, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.

I joined the work crew setting up for our picnic.  We raised an American flag and two of my club flags with another bulletin board under one.  We set up two tables and two grills.  Se set out toys, body boards and umbrellas.

I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.

I went swimming three times, twice with buddies.  We only swam out to the sand dollars.  The water temperature was down quite a bit from previous weeks, 63-66.  I caught some waves for my swim back to shore.

It clouded over late in the day, so I put on a shirt.  But it came out again and I was warm again.

About 7pm I packed and headed to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I didn't leave though.  I stuck around for more food and fireworks.

Some friends were having a barbecue in the parking lot.  I joined in and stayed until about 10:30pm.

July 3, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.

I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised my club flag with another bulletin board under it.  I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.

It was warm when I first arrived, but eventually cooled off.  I had to wrap myself in a sarong toward the end of the day.

About 6:30pm I packed, dressed and headed to the trail.  I collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 7pm.

July 1, 2009: Black's Beach

There was quite a delay on Genesee, due to construction.

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.

There was a live baby seal and a bigger, dead seal.  I called Sea World Rescue and they showed up in just a few minutes.  That means they were already on their way from some earlier call.

I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised my club flag with another bulletin board under it.  I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.  I inflated a recliner for sitting in comfort.

It was warm when I first arrived, but eventually cooled off.  I put on a sweater for much of the day.

I saw two snakes, both in Valentine Slide.  One was a rattlesnake.  I didn't get a good look at the other, but it was not a rattlesnake.

About 5:30pm I packed and headed to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 6pm.

June 28, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.

I raised an American flag and my club flag with another bulletin board under it.  I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.  I inflated a recliner for sitting in comfort.

I went for one swim, with four buddies, to the sand dollars.

About 7pm I packed and headed to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 7:30pm.

June 27, 2009: Black's Beach

I  stopped on my way to the beach to duplicate a special alert notice.  I hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board, attached the notice and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.

I raised an American flag and my club flag with another bulletin board under it.  I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.  I inflated a recliner for sitting in comfort.

About 7pm I packed and headed to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 7:30pm.

June 19, 2009: Black's Beach

I  hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.

I raised my club flag with another bulletin board under it.  I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.  I inflated a recliner for sitting in comfort.

I did an interview for clothesfrre.com, Geoff too.

I had to wear a shirt much of the time.  It was cool with a slight mist.

About 3pm I gave up on the weather and packed in a hurry.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 3:30pm.

June 17, 2009: Black's Beach

I  hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.

I raised my club flag with another bulletin board under it.  I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.  I inflated a recliner for sitting in comfort.  The sand was too hot for my bare feet.

I went swimming twice, once to the reef and once to the sand dollars.  The kelp bass, near the surface were very curious, and posing in front of my camera.  I did three dives to the reef, taking a few pictures.  I caught a few waves returning to shore.  I also took my floating recliner past the surf and drifted for a while.  I actually caught a wave and rode it nearly to shore.

The volleyball players set up another court, away from the hot sand and close to the water.

Late in the day some clouds started to form, but they didn't block the sun.  It was still warm when I packed and headed to the trail about 6:30pm.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 7pm.

June 15, 2009: Black's Beach

I  hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and dropped my pack to the sand.

I raised my club flag with another bulletin board under it.  I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.  I inflated a recliner for sitting in comfort.  The sand was too hot for my bare feet.

I went swimming twice, once to the reef and once to the sand dollars.  I caught a few waves returning to shore.

Some clouds obscured the sun about 3:30, but it stayed hot until about 5pm.  About 6pm I dressed, packed up and headed to the trail  I collected my bulletin boards and we hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 6:30pm.

June 14, 2009: Black's Beach

I  hiked down the Burro Trail barefoot.  I undressed at the bottom, set up my bulletin board and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and dropped my pack to the sand.

I raised an American flag and my club flag with another bulletin board under it.  I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.  I inflated a recliner for sitting in comfort.

I went swimming three times, once to the reef and twice to the sand dollars, once with buddies.  I caught a few waves returning to shore.

About 7pm I dressed, packed up and headed to the trail  I collected my bulletin boards and we hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 8pm.

June 13, 2009: Black's Beach

I was planning a scuba dive.  I assembled all my gear into a backpack and hiked down the Burro Trail in my neoprene boots.  I stopped to set up my bulletin board at the bottom and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and dropped my pack to the sand.

I undressed and raised my club flag with another bulletin board under it.  I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.  I inflated a recliner for sitting in comfort.

I started my reef dive about 2pm and returned about 3:30.  I had a camera malfunction, so I don't have any pictures to show.  I saw octopi there for the first time.  I also saw a lot of cabezon, mostly very small.  I don't think I would have noticed all that with my camera on.

I dozed off for a while and woke up to cooling weather.  About 7pm I dressed, packed up and headed to the trail  Geoff collected my bulletin boards and we hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 8pm.

June 12, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I set up my bulletin board at the bottom, undressed and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.

I raised my club flag with another bulletin board under it.  I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels. 

I did two swims, once to the sand dollars and one half way to the reef.

It was gradually cooling off.  About 5pm I had to put on a sweater.  I packed and hiked to the trail about 6:30pm  At the trail I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 7pm.

June 7, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  The trail was wet, must have rained last night.  The beach was also wet from rain.  I set up my bulletin board at the bottom, undressed and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.

I raised an American flag and my club flag with another bulletin board under it.  I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels. 

There were plenty of clouds, but they rarely blocked the sun.  There was a wind all day, but not a problem.

I did three swims, twice to the sand dollars and once to the reef.  I had a buddy for the reef swims.  I did three dives to the reef, taking pictures and video of the fish.  I also went out with a floating lounge, and did a little Boogie boarding.

It started cooling about 5pm.  I packed and hiked to the trail about 6:30pm  At the trail I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 7pm.

June 6, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I set up my bulletin board at the bottom, undressed and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.

I raised an American flag and my club flag with another bulletin board under it.  I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels. 

There were plenty of clouds, but they rarely blocked the sun.  There was a wind all day, but not a problem.

I did two swims once to the sand dollars and once to the reef.  I had buddies for both swims.  I did two dives to the reef, taking pictures and video of the fish.  I also went out with a floating lounge.  The surf was a little too big for it.  It was a little difficult getting past the surf, and not quite warm enough to relax on the water.

I packed and hiked to the trail about 6:30pm  At the trail I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 7pm.

June 5, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I set up my bulletin board at the bottom, undressed and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.

I raised my club flag and set up another bulletin board.  I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels. 

It was sunny, but also windy.  There were white caps on the waves.  I put on a sweater a few times, when clouds obscured the sun.

I did two swims once to the sand dollars and once to the reef.  I did three dives to the reef, taking pictures and video of the fish.

I packed and hiked to the trail about 6:30pm  At the trail I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 7pm.

June 3, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I set up my bulletin board at the bottom, undressed and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.

I raised my club flag and set up another bulletin board.  I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels. 

The sun only came out a few times and only for a few minutes at a time.  I was never cold, but I soon realized it wasn't going to be a sunny day.

I finally gave up around 12:30.  Just about the time I finished packing, it started raining.  As I was hiking to the trail, it started hailing.  Some of the biggest were the size of grapes.

I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.

May 25, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I set up my bulletin board at the bottom, undressed and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.

I raised an American flag and two of my club flags and set up another bulletin board.  There were four of us setting up for the picnic.  We assembled tables and grills.  We raked seaweed, clearing an area.  We laid out toys and Boogie boards for general use.

I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.  After that I swam out to the reef and did three dives.  I knew I wouldn't have time later.

There were many people at the picnic, and more used the grill this time.  There were hot dogs, sweet corn, chicken, banana, shish kabobs, sausages and lamb.

I wore a sweater much of the day.  I only entered the water one other time, that was to body board.  The sun came out occasionally, but only for a few minutes at a time.

Late in the day I saw a hot air balloon going down.  It was north of Flatrock and it didn't look high enough to clear the cliff.

About 7pm I packed and hiked to the trail.  The sun finally came out as I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 7:30pm.

May 24, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I set up my bulletin board at the bottom, undressed and headed north.  I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.

I raised an American flag and two of my club flags and set up another bulletin board.  There were four of us setting up for the picnic.  We assembled tables and grills.  We raked seaweed, clearing an area.  We laid out toys and Boogie boards for general use.

I set up an umbrella for myself and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.  After that I swam out to the reef and did three dives.  I knew I wouldn't have time later.

There were many people at the picnic, but few put anything on the grill.  There were hot dogs, sweet corn, chicken, banana and pineapple.

I did three other swims, one to the sand dollars and two just to do some body surfing.

It was cloudy and cold early, so I wore a sweater for a while.  It may have been 2pm when the sun finally came out in full force, and it was warm from then on.

We saw sailboats again.  Now I know they were doing the return race from Oceanside.

Late in the day I saw a paraglider higher than ever before.  As I was pointing it out to Dave a parachute opened and the skydiver landed at the gliderport, as far as we know.  We don't know who dropped the skydiver.

About 7pm I packed and hiked to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 7:30pm.

May 23, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I set up my bulletin board at the bottom, undressed and headed north.

I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised an American flag and my club flag and set up another bulletin board.  I set up an umbrella and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.

I did four swims, one to the reef, one to the sand dollars and two just to do some body surfing.  I did three dives to the reef, finding it twice.

Around noon I saw a lot of sailboats way off shore.  I guess it was a race.

About 7pm I packed and hiked to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 7:30pm.

May 22, 2009: Black's Beach

As I pulled into the parking lot there was a man taking pictures of a baby rattlesnake.  I got out my video camera and got a little footage too.

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I set up my bulletin board at the bottom, undressed and headed north.

I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised my club flag and set up another bulletin board.  I set up an umbrella and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.

I did two swims, one to the reef and one to the sand dollars.  I did three dives, finding the reef twice.  I caught some waves while returning to shore.

Elvis was spotted running on the beach.

About 6pm I packed and hiked to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 6:30pm.

May 21, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I set up my bulletin board at the bottom, undressed and headed north.

I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised my club flag and set up another bulletin board.  I set up an umbrella and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.

I did four swims, one to the reef, one to the sand dollars and two just beyond the surf.  I had buddies for three swims.  I did two dives to the reef.  I caught some waves while returning to shore.

It was sunny until about 5pm, then there were a few clouds.

About 6pm I packed and hiked to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 6:30pm.

May 20, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I set up my bulletin board at the bottom, undressed and headed north.

I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised my club flag and set up another bulletin board.  I set up an umbrella and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.

I did three swims, one to the reef, one to the sand dollars and one just beyond the surf.  I did two dives to the reef and returned with garibaldi pics.

A paraglider landed on the cliff.  I called lifeguards for a cliff rescue.  The man seemed ok.  Three lifeguards rappelled down to him, then brought him down to the beach.

It was sunny until about 1pm, then overcast and warm.  About 5pm it got cold.

I packed, dressed and hiked to the trail.  I collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 6pm.

May 17, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I set up my bulletin board at the bottom, undressed and headed north.

I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised my club flag and set up another bulletin board.  I set up an umbrella and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.

I was only warm so long as I was active.  I was wearing a shirt and sometimes a sweater for much of the day.  I spent the day reading and talking with friends and family.  I was never warm enough to get in the water.

I saw a sea lion swimming back and forth a little.

I dressed about 5pm.  Later I packed and headed to the trail.  I collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 7pm.

May 15, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I set up my bulletin board at the bottom, undressed and headed north.

I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised my club flag and set up another bulletin board.  I set up an umbrella and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.

I did one swim, to body surf.  The waves were too messy and I didn't get any good rides.

There was a strong wind the whole day, sometimes sunny.  About 3:30 some thick clouds covered the sun, and it got cold fast.  I put on a sweater right away, and soon put on a wind breaker over that.

I dressed, packed and headed to the trail about 5pm.  I collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 5:30pm.

May 13, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I set up my bulletin board at the bottom, undressed and headed north.  The sand was too hot for my bare feet, so I put on my sandals.

I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised my club flag and set up another bulletin board.  I set up an umbrella and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.

I did one swim, to the reef.  I didn't find the reef, but I know I was close.  I entered the water three more times, to body surf and to body board.  The waves were pretty good, but I didn't always manage to get on them.

It was warm until about 6pm.  I put on a sweater while packing.

I packed and headed to the trail about 7pm.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 7:30pm.

May 9, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I set up my bulletin board at the bottom, undressed and headed north.

I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised my club flag and set up another bulletin board.  I set up an umbrella and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.  I had to anchor them pretty deep in the sand, to stand up against the wind.

I did one swim, intending to swim to the reef.  I made it about 2/3 of the way and turned back.

The sun came out for less than an hour, around 1pm.  I was wearing a shirt and windbreaker much of the day.  I held out hope for better weather, but it just didn't happen.  In May and June, you can't count on the San Diego forecast.  You have to look at microclimates.  The hot weather inland spoils the beach weather.

I packed and headed to the trail about 4pm.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 4:30pm.

May 8, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I set up my bulletin board at the bottom, undressed and headed north.

I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised my club flag and set up another bulletin board.  I set up an umbrella and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.  I had to anchor them pretty deep in the sand, to stand up against the wind.

It didn't take long before my sheet was getting covered in sand.  I set up in wet sand and it was still blowing across my sheet.  I decided to leave early.

I packed and headed to the trail about 3pm.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 3:30pm.

May 6, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I set up my bulletin board at the bottom, undressed and headed north.

I stopped in front of Valentine Slide and set up.  I raised my club flag and set up another bulletin board.  I set up an umbrella and used it to hang my food out of reach of the squirrels.

I went swimming three times.  The waves were big and there was a short interval between them.  I never got past the waves.  I decided to body surf instead of swimming.  I can't say that I caught any good waves.  I can't say that I rode any waves.  I can say I got tossed around by a few big waves.  There were a few waves I went for, but once on the curl, I assumed the fetal position.

It was very hot at 4:30pm, but I had an appointment to keep.  I packed and headed to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 5:30pm, and made it to my appointment with time to spare.

May 3, 2009: Black's Beach

I was planning a scuba dive.  I arranged all my gear into a makeshift backpack.  I hiked down wearing neoprene boots.  At the bottom, I turned north and kept going to my usual spot in front of Valentine Slide.

I set down my stuff  and raised my club flag.  I set up an umbrella, for shade and to hang food and swim gear.  I friend brought the bulletin boards later.

I must have gotten some help from a rip current, because I reached the reef ahead of schedule.  I went under about 2pm, down to a maximum depth of 45' for 39 minutes.  Visibility was very poor.  I dropped down a little further east of the reef than I'd planned.  I followed my compass west until I found the reef.  I swam around to the west side where I found better visibility and a big sheep crab.  I explored the reef, looking into the deep holes.  I found the sheep crab again.

When I was getting low on air, I headed east and up.  I did a three minute safety stop and surface 2/3 of the way back to shore.  The currents were taking me further north than I wanted.  I tried to fight it, but it wasn't working out.  I finally came to shore and walked south.

It was still warm at 7pm, when I packed and  hiked to the trail.  I left the parking lot just before 8pm.

April 19, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  At the bottom I undressed and set up my bulletin board.  Then I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  The dead seal was still there.

I set down my stuff  and raised an American flag and my club flag.  I set up an umbrella, for shade and to hang food and swim gear.

It was still hot at 6pm.  About 6:30pm I packed and  hiked to the trail.  At the trail I dressed and collected my bulletin boards.  I left the parking lot about 7pm.

April 18, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  At the bottom I undressed and set up my bulletin board.  Then I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I passed a dead seal on the way.

I set down my stuff  and raised an American flag and my club flag.  I set up an umbrella, for shade and to hang food and swim gear.

I saw a few sail planes.  I saw one of them launched.  They launch them by pulling it with a winch.  They close part of the parking lot to make room.

It was cooling off about 6pm.  About 6:30pm I packed, dressed and  hiked to the trail.  At the trail I collected my bulletin boards.  I left the parking lot about 7pm.

April 17, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  At the bottom I undressed and set up my bulletin board.  Then I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I passed a dead seal on the way.

I set down my stuff  and raised my club flag.  I set up an umbrella, for shade and to hang food and swim gear.

It was cooling off about 5pm.  About 6pm I packed and  hiked to the trail.  At the trail I dressed and collected my bulletin boards.  I left the parking lot about 6:30pm.

April 12, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  At the bottom I undressed and set up my bulletin board.  Then I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I passed a dead seal on the way.

I set down my stuff  and raised my club flag.  I set up an umbrella, for shade and to hang food and swim gear.

It was cooling off about 6pm, so I packed, dressed and  hiked to the trail.  I left the parking lot about 7pm.

April 7, 2009: Black's Beach

I loaded up all my dive gear and hiked down the Burro Trail, in neoprene boots.  At the bottom I turned north and kept going.  My pack was too heavy to stop for a break.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.

I set down my gear  and raised my club flag.  I set up an umbrella, for shade and to hang food and swim gear.  I started assembling for my dive while waiting for friends.

It was still warm at 6pm, but I was ready to go.  I dressed, loaded all my gear onto my back and  hiked to the trail 6:30pm.

April 6, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I undressed and set up a bulletin board at the bottom.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.

I raised an American flag and my club flag, and put the other bulletin board under it.  I set up an umbrella, for shade and to hang food and swim gear.  The sand was too hot for bare feet and I brought sandals this time.

It was still hot at 6pm, but I started packing anyway.  I hiked to the trail, dressed and collected my bulletin boards.  I watched sunset from about half way up the trail.  I left the parking lot about 7:30pm.

April 5, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I undressed and set up a bulletin board at the bottom.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.

I raised an American flag and my club flag, and put the other bulletin board under it.  I set up an umbrella, for shade and to hang food and swim gear.  The sand was too hot for bare feet and I'd forgotten my sandals.

It was still hot at 6pm, but I started packing anyway.  I hiked to the trail, dressed and collected my bulletin boards.  I watched sunset from about half way up the trail.  I left the parking lot about 7:30pm.

April 4, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I undressed and set up a bulletin board at the bottom.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.

I raised my club flag and put the other bulletin board under it.  I set up an umbrella, for shade and to hang food and swim gear.

I saw a few sailplanes flying overhead as well as many paragliders and a few hang gliders too.

About 6pm it started to cool.  I packed faster than it cooled and it was still warm as I hiked to the trail and up.  I dressed at the trail head.  I collected my boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 6:30pm.

March 31, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I undressed and set up a bulletin board at the bottom.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.

I raised my club flag and put the other bulletin board under it.  I set up an umbrella, for shade and to hang food and swim gear.

About 5:30pm it was cooling off.  I packed, dressed and headed to the trail.  I collected my boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 6:30pm.

March 28, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I undressed and set up a bulletin board at the bottom.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.

I raised an American flag and my club flag and put the other bulletin board under it.  I set up an umbrella, for shade and to hang food and swim gear.  The sand was hot, but I brought sandals this time.

Starting about 3pm there was an intermittent cool wind.  Several times I thought the day was over, but I was on the beach until sunset.

I was at the trailhead, pulling some hazards out of the trail when the sun set.  I dressed, collected my boards and hiked up.

March 27, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I undressed and set up a bulletin board at the bottom.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.

I raised my club flag and put the other bulletin board under it.  I set up an umbrella, for shade and to hang food and swim gear.  The sand was so hot it burned my feet.

At 6pm I couldn't warm up after my last swim, so I packed and headed to the trail.  At the trail head I dressed collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I found a rattlesnake about half way up the trail.  I warned a few people off while I took a little video.  Then it crawled away.  I left the parking lot about 7pm.

March 25, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I undressed and set up a bulletin board at the bottom.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.

I raised my club flag and put the other bulletin board under it.  I set up an umbrella, for shade and to hang food and swim gear.

It was still warm at 6:30, but I decided it was time to go.  I packed, hiked to the trail, then dressed collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 7pm.

March 13, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  I undressed and set up a bulletin board at the bottom.  I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.

I raised my club flag and put the other bulletin board under it.  I set up an umbrella, but only used it to hang food and swim gear.

I spent some time picking up tar.  There was a lot.  Some of it I picked up on my soles, so I had to clean my feet with baby oil afterward.

About 5pm I feeling a chill, so I packed.  I hiked to the trail, then dressed collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 6:30pm.

March 1, 2009: Black's Beach

I was planning to scuba dive to the reef today.  I had arranged everything I needed on my BC and hiked down the Burro Trail, wearing neoprene boots for my dive.  I was not carrying bulletin boards.  Geoff was carrying those for me.  I simply headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide, while Geoff set one up at the trailhead.

I set down my scuba gear and undressed.  I raised my club flag and put the other bulletin board under it.  I set up an umbrella, but only used it to hang food and swim gear.  I started assembling my gear for a noon dive.

About 5pm I was mostly packed.  I dressed and hiked to the trail.  The sun set while I hiked up.  It wasn't easy, but it wasn't as difficult as last time.

February 28, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  Once at the bottom, I undressed and set up my bulletin board near the trailhead.

I went swimming three times.  I swam way out, past the surf.  The waves were good, but I just couldn't seem to get my timing right to catch one.

About 4pm the sun went behind a thin cloud and it cooled off.  I started packing, but it warmed up again.  I waited a little but not long.  I was already packed so I headed to the trail.  I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.

February 20, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  Once at the bottom, I undressed and set up my bulletin board near the trailhead.

I set up an umbrella, but only used it to hang food and swim gear.  I set up reflectors to keep me warm.  The squirrels were terrible.  Anytime anyone was eating, they were surrounded by squirrels.  They weren't cute.

I went swimming twice, to the sand dollars.  I had a close encounter with dolphins, and got another video clip underwater.  The clip wasn't as good as the other two, so I'm not posting it.  I counted six dolphins in the clip.  I also caught good rides on the waves on the way back to shore.

About 4pm it was getting cool, so I packed, dressed and headed to the trail.  I collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.

February 18, 2009: Black's Beach

Parking at 12pm	street parking: full gliderport: plenty of spaces
Visibility	I could see beyond Flatrock.
Burro Trail	some erosion from recent storms, some new steps
Climate	sunny, cool wind from north
People	a dozen or so
Activities Observed	surfing, volleyball, paragliding, hang gliding
Water	surf: 3' tide: It was way out when I arrived and rising. temperature: I didn't get in
Wildlife Observed	crows, ring-billed gulls, dolphins, squirrels
Lifeguards and Law Enforcement	I saw city lifeguards in a white truck.

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  Once at the bottom, I undressed and set up my bulletin board near the trailhead.

I didn't set up an umbrella.  I did set up reflectors to block wind and keep me warm.  Without them I would have been too cold.

About 4pm I stepped out of my heat shield and it was all over.  I knew I wouldn't warm up again, so I dressed, packed and headed to the trail.  I collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.

February 1, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  Once at the bottom, I undressed and set up my bulletin board near the trailhead.

I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised my club flag and put another bulletin board under it. I set up an umbrella, but only used it to hang food and swim gear.  I set up reflectors to block wind and keep me warm. I went swimming twice, half way to the reef.  I had a close encounter with dolphins, and got a video clip.  I counted six dolphins in the clip.

About 4pm it was getting cool, so I packed and headed to the trail.  I dressed at the trail, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  The Diggers were working on the trail.

January 31, 2009: Black's Beach

I was planning to scuba dive to the reef today.  I had arranged everything I needed on my BC and hiked down the Burro Trail, wearing neoprene boots for my dive.  I was not carrying bulletin boards.  I simply headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.

I raised my club flag and waited for Geoff to bring the bulletin boards later.  I set up an umbrella, but only used it to hang food and swim gear.  I started assembling my gear for a noon dive.

I went swimming twice, just to body surf and cool off.  I also did my reef dive.  About 12pm I started suiting up.  I wore a 7mm wetsuit with a hooded vest.  I was hot as I trudged to the water about 12:30.  I cooled off as some water got into the suit.  It took me about 30 minutes to swim to the reef.  Then I did a 36 minute dive down to a maximum depth of 49 feet.  I had nearly circumnavigated the reef and I was down to 1,200psi.  I checked my compass and headed east across the sand, looking for more wildlife.  Soon I was down to  1,000psi, so I headed for the surface, still heading east.  I surfaced after my 3 minutes safety stop and found that I had already swam 1/3 of the way back to shore.  I made it back to shore almost exactly at 2pm, as I told everyone to expect. About 5pm I was mostly packed.  I watched the sun set, finished packing and started the hike to the trail.  I was already hurting before starting up the trail.  I hiked up with two friends and taking a few breaks.  It was exhausting and it was painful, but I made it.

January 30, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  Once at the bottom, I undressed and set up my bulletin board near the trailhead.

I set up an umbrella, but only used it to hang food and swim gear.  I set up reflectors to block wind and keep me warm.

I went swimming twice, half way to the reef.  I did some body surfing on the way back to shore.  I didn't catch a good ride.

About 5pm I saw the sun getting low, looked up at the moon and spotted Venus just below the moon.  A few minutes later the sun set.  I was mostly packed.  I finished and headed to the trail.  At the trail I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.

January 28, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  There was a new platform in the middle of the trail.  Once at the bottom, I undressed and set up my bulletin board near the trailhead.

I set up an umbrella, but only used it to hang food and swim gear.  I set up reflectors to block wind and keep me warm.

I went swimming twice, to the sand dollars.  I did some body surfing on the way back to shore.  I caught a few good rides.

About 4pm I packed up and hiked to the trail.  At the trail I dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.

January 19, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  Once at the bottom, I undressed and set up my bulletin board near the trailhead.

I set up an umbrella, but only used it to hang food and swim gear.

I went swimming three times, each time beyond the sand dollars.  I did some body surfing on the way back to shore.  I caught many rides.  One big wave threw me out in front, then picked me up and threw me down again.  It was a rough ride, but good.

I put on a shirt about 4pm.  About 5pm I packed up and dressed.  I hiked to the trail, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.

January 18, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  Once at the bottom, I undressed and set up my bulletin board near the trailhead.

I set up an umbrella, but only used it to hang food and swim gear.

I went swimming three times, each time beyond the sand dollars.  The waves were getting bigger and I did some body surfing in the afternoon.  I caught two smooth rides and one big, rough ride.

I couldn't warm up after my last swim, so I put on a shirt about 2pm.  Clouds were covering the sun, then uncovering.  I was back and forth between warm and not so warm.

About 4pm I packed up.  I hiked to the trail, dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.

January 17, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  Once at the bottom, I undressed and set up my bulletin board near the trailhead.

I set up an umbrella, and used it for shade.  It was hot.

I went swimming three times, each time to the sand dollars.  The waves were getting bigger and I did some body surfing in the afternoon.

I couldn't warm up after my last swim, so I packed about 4pm.  I hiked to the trail, dressed, collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.  People were working on the trail as I passed.

January 16, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  Once at the bottom, I undressed and set up my bulletin board near the trailhead.

I set up an umbrella, and used it for shade.  It was hot.  A little later the wind picked up and I was cold.  So, I moved farther from the water and set up a wind break.

I went swimming twice, both times to the sand dollars. I saw seals on a few occasions.  There were also whale spouts and even a tail spotting way off shore. It was about 4:30pm when I packed and headed to the trail.  At the trail I dressed, collected my boards and hiked up.  I saw sunset from the trail, no green flash.  The diggers were working on the trail as I passed.

January 14, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  One the way down I could see seals swimming along the shore.  Once at the bottom, I undressed and set up my bulletin board near the trailhead.

I set up an umbrella, and used it for shade.  It was hot.

I went swimming twice.  Although I swam the distance to the sand dollars, I didn't see them.

I saw seals on a few occasions.  I never saw one come to shore.  They were just heads above the waves.

It was about 4:30 when I packed and headed to the trail.  At the trail I dressed, collected my boards and hiked up.  I saw sunset from the trail, no green flash.  I left the parking lot about 5:30pm.

January 13, 2009: Black's Beach

Parking at 10am	street parking: full gliderport: many spaces
Visibility	I could see islands, San Clemete and Catalina.
Burro Trail	mostly good condition, under construction on my way up
Climate	hot and sunny, hardly any wind
People	a few hundred
Activities Observed	surfing, swimming, body surfing, body boarding, volleyball, whip cracking, Backgammon
Water	surf: 4' tide: It was just past high when I arrived, and went way out. temperature: 57º current: I didn't notice any. visibility: 10'
Wildlife Observed	crows, western gulls, ring-billed gulls, heermann's gulls, glaucous-winged gull, pelicans, willets, dolphins, guitar fish, sand dollars, whale
Lifeguards and Law Enforcement	I saw city lifeguards in a white truck and another in a white Jeep..

I hiked down the Burro Trail, with shoes for a change.  Once at the bottom, I undressed and set up my bulletin board near the trailhead.

I set up an umbrella for hanging food and spread a sheet to lay on.  I later moved farther from the water to get away from the flies, and it worked.

I went swimming four times, twice to the sand dollars.  I rode a few waves back to shore.

We could see whale spouts way off shore.  We could also see a glimpse of tail once in a while.

There was a Sea World truck on the beach, probably rescuing a seal.  I didn't see anything in the cage, but they are hard to see.

It was about 4:30 when I packed and dressed.  I saw sunset from the beach, no green flash.  Then I hiked to the trail, collected my boards and hiked up.  People were working on the trail as I hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 5:30pm

January 11, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  The ground was cold, so I hurried.  Once at the bottom, I undressed and set up my bulletin board near the trailhead.

I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised my club flag and put another bulletin board under it. I set up an umbrella for hanging food.  I set up reflectors, just in case it cooled off or got windy. I went swimming three times, once with a buddy.  The dolphins were very active.  I even had a close encounter.  Three swam under me and I got a good clip of one.  The other two were just shadows.

Click on the thumbnail to see the clip.

It was about 4:30 when I packed and dressed.  I saw sunset from the beach, no green flash.  Then I hiked to the trail, collected my boards and hiked up.  I left the parking lot about 5:30pm

January 9, 2009: Black's Beach

I hiked down the Burro Trail, wearing sandals because of the cold ground.  There were Diggers working on the trail.  Once at the bottom, I set up my bulletin board near the trailhead.  It was too cold to undress right away.

The tide had been high enough to soak the mud flows and make them soft again.

I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised my club flag and put another bulletin board under it.

I set up an umbrella for hanging food.  I set up reflectors to block the wind and give me more warmth.

It wasn't  getting any warmer, so I packed and left about 2:30pm.  I dressed, packed and headed to the trail.  I collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.

January 7, 2009: Black's Beach

Parking at 10:30am	street parking: full gliderport: many spaces
Visibility	I could see beyond Flatrock.
Burro Trail	mostly good condition a new bridge and some missing steps replaced
Climate	warm and sunny, cool wind from north
People	a few dozen
Activities Observed	surfing, swimming, body boarding
Water	surf: 4' tide: It was way out the short time I was there. temperature: 57º current: I didn't notice any. visibility: 5'
Wildlife Observed	crows, western gulls, ring-billed gulls, pelicans, willets, dolphins, seal
Lifeguards and Law Enforcement	I saw city lifeguards in a white truck and a Jeep.  There were also state lifeguards in a white Jeep.

I hiked down the Burro Trail, barefoot.  There were Diggers working on the trail.  Once at the bottom, I undressed and set up my bulletin board near the trailhead.

There were still a lot of mud flows across the sand, from the December rain.  It looked dry on the surface, but I could find a few places where I would sink a little.

I headed north to my usual spot near Valentine Slide.  I raised my club flag and put another bulletin board under it.

I set up an umbrella for hanging food.  I tried to get by without, but found that I needed a wind break.  I set one up and barely kept warm out of the wind, especially after my swim.

Scripps was there continuing their coastal erosion study.  There was a man on an ATV zigzagging the beach with GPS, also two with a GPS cart in the surf.

I went for one swim, just past the surf.  I could hear dolphins, but didn't see them while in the water.  I caught a good wave for a ride back to shore. There was a seal on the beach.  Geoff pointed it out as it came to shore.  I moved to a better spot and took a few pictures.  It dove back into the waves after only a minute or so on shore.

It was only  getting colder, so I packed and left about 2pm.  I dressed, packed and headed to the trail.  I collected my bulletin boards and hiked up.