Outdoor Adventures

I decided not to be a wimp and to actually attend the kayaking trip I had planned. I love to kayak and 62* water was not going to stop me. I drove out to La Jolla to start the fun.

I'm sure that this is the coolest picture ever taken of me. Not really. I was with a pretty large group of people, some of them children, so I feel bad about complaining about the cold. They were all troopers and didn't complain one bit although some of them had blue lips and were shivering.


I place this picture here to PROVE that I actually went kayaking and didn't wimp out at the last second. Most groups had two or even three people, so I kept warm keeping up with everyone else. Also, after the initial shock of having a wave break over me when entering the water I was able to survive. I kept thinking to myself - how many calories does one burn by shivering...

We kayaked out to a group of caves, but weren't allowed to go in because the waves were too fierce. But, we did see a lot of cool wildlife including sea lions, pelicans, and leopard sharks. We also learned about the massive kelp forest that keeps large sharks from coming too close to the shore, making it a pretty safe place to surf.

After almost freezing to death in the water, I decided that I didn't want to bask in the warm glow of the gray clouds hovering over La Jolla Cove. I decided a rejuvenating bike tour through La Jolla would be just the thing. It turned out I was the only person who thought so! After changing into dry clothes, I found out that I was the ONLY person signed up for the bike tour.

On the tour, I saw some pretty cool things. I don't remember half of them, though. (Hey, I learned a lot today!) What I do remember is that this thatched roof hut was built in the 1920s or 30s as a lifeguard station. You'll notice that the beach is very rocky here and so surfers can get injured easily if they crash against the rocks. La Jolla residents re-thatch this hut every year and even have a Christmas celebration, decorating the hut with lights.

After looking out at all the crazy surfers in the water, we went to the Children's Beach. The city of San Diego built the sea wall that you see so that there would be a really calm area where children could feel safe to play. Obviously, the harbor seals really liked the place too. There was a court battle to determine who got to use the beach, seals or children. Eventually the court ruled that both groups could use the beach area. The logic: there haven't been any recent seal attacks that could be referenced; also, children and seals look and act alike so the species should get along together comparatively well.

After hanging out with the harbor seals, we visited the Cave Shop. During my kayaking trip, the waves were way too high to explore the caves that way. But, not to worry. Some crazy person dug a hole into one of the caves and built an observation deck there for all to enjoy. It was a long way down and a long way back up. Apparently, when you look out of the cave, you see the outline of Sunny Jim. I had no clue who that was so I had to Google him.

Finally, after kayaking and biking all day long, I had myself a chicken sandwich and a beer at PapaLulus. It was awesome. So relaxed and ... beachy. No one was in a hurry and we were all just enjoying a good drink after a full day of exploring. I sat at the La Jolla Cove beach again reading and laughing at all the silly birds. It was a great day... even though the clouds were out.

San Diego - Day One!

I headed out to San Diego today for my solo-vacation. I was super excited to be going to the beach. The excitement didn't last long when I got there and it was cloudy and COLD! According to the locals, this has been the coldest summer in the last 80 years. Oi!

I stayed at the KOA Kampgrounds in Chula Vista, CA. I was about 15 miles from the border of California and Mexico, which is the closest I have ever been to leaving the United States. Sigh. I have big, big plans for the next vacation Michael and I take. Anyway, the grounds were lovely and very clean. Although, when I got to my campsite, my stupid neighbors had taken my BBQ! Not only that, they had all the BBQs in the area! What hogs!

Here is the only picture you're going to see of sunlight! I set up the tent and the clouds broke and rays of sun glinted down on her majestically. Needless to say, I was stoked. Time to go to the beach...
This is a random snapshot of Ocean Beach. It was wet, it was cold, it was gray. I... was sad. I love sunshine, probably even more than I love the beach, which is saying something. I tried to get into the water, but decided against hypothermia on my first day in Southern California. I started to read a book on the sand, but the darned sand flies kept buzzing around me. Entire colonies (flocks, hoards, groups - what is the group name for sand flies?) kept circling me. I ended up moving up the beach away from the Kelp.

When I got back to camp I was too hungry to wait for another grill to be delivered to my campsite. (They forgot anyway, as I never received the promised grill.) The thing was really heavy and I had to drag it from the "empty" campsite next to mine. I started grilling these awesome kabobs when a group of French people pulled into the campsite where I had purloined the grill. Ooops. They totally knew I was the culprit because of the drag marks from their campsite to mine. The Frenchies got me back by snoring very loudly at night, though.

Day One of Blogging

I guess I should introduce myself in the first posting... I guess there really are no rules to this, but I'm very used to posting on Shutterfly.com for all the family to see. That page is representative of the whole family: Myself, Michael, and Athena. You can see all our photos there and download them if you like. This page, however, is for moi! It's a place for me to share my frustrations and insights. This is totally a "me" thing and if you find that you connect with it, great!

This is my family. We all love to hike and camp. Michael and I were married on March 27, 2009. If you want to see all of our pictures, including all the wedding pics, just follow this link to our shutterfly homepage. I would describe our family as a matriarch. Although, I think my husband might disagree. I would argue that I am the alpha-female and my "pack" puts up with me. I am excited to start this blog even if I am just sharing it with my husband and some friends. (Although, it's going to be tricky when the hubby drives me nuts... Do I blog about that? Would he be offended that I published it? Hmmmmm...)