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Mammoth Springs

Monday, April 11, 2016

On a high promontory over La Jolla


Leslie needed to go to the Del Mar Fair to meet a vendor yesterday. I don't recall the exact name of the show but it might have been a healthy living, new agey sort of thing, in any case probably not my cup of tea. She needed two hours and then we had brunch and bloody marys scheduled with friends.


I decided to cut out and drive to the Torrey Pines reserve for a short hike and hopefully an assignation with a Peregrine falcon or two. Leslie was up in Marin County recently and saw two of the sleek raptors and I feel a bit cheated personally.

I made my way through the line at the gate house and after paying the rather steep fee, maneuvered the car though the phalanx of bicycles and hikers scaling the steep hill.

I talked to a docent or two about where I might find the birds and I guess it is an iffy proposition. The nest is below the cliff line and not visible from on high. So either they fly or they don't and they didn't.

I made the best of it. Southern California is very beautiful right now. Yuccas and agaves are spiking throughout the backcountry and elsewhere. Lots of wildflowers, the recent rains keeping everything at an optimal happiness level. The kind, as we used to say.


And while I didn't see falcons I did see some other interesting flying objects.


Really not a bad place to spend a Sunday morning.


Cactus and ocean always make such a delightful combination.




The day really didn't suck. I am going to go back next time and I think that I will get my bird.


Shawn, Ricardo, BigDave, Wicki, Ted, all of you folks that fled the southland for greener pastures, well you left something nice behind too.


2 comments:

LJS said...

The photo with the father/son in the bottom corner looks like a Maxfield Parrish painting. Just beautiful!

island guy said...

Glad it's still a green pasture. It was a thrill seeing two deer in the marsh next to Cardiff 8 years ago. My time there in the 70's was often magical. If anything would ever get you to SE Asia I guess it would be the Chumphon flyover, when birders congregate to see literally thousands of migrating raptors pass overhead in a space of a few weeks. Never seen a falcon here but the still common Braminy kites are beauties. Thanks for sharing the Beauty Way, north County style.