La Jolla

It seemed to me that there were about four different roads with Torey Pines attached to their names in La Jolla. Torrey Pines North, TP South, Scenic Torrey Pines, and then one more called just plain Torrey Pines. Is it any wonder I got lost a few times? Same goes for La Jolla--village, scenic, shore, what have you. Fortunately I found folks willing to point me in the right direction!

Dropping Bruce off at the job site, early Thursday morning, I took the plunge, with directions from the hotel on the passenger seat, and drove. I actually drove in California, however, not without trepidation! This Florida girl is used to the straight and narrow when it comes to roads, and these roads were anything but. Winding up and down the hills,  I kept reminding myself it was no big deal--there were plenty of cars sharing the roadways, and if they could do it, so could I. My first stop was the LaJolla beach which I found with a little help from my friends.

Don't be fooled by this blue sky because this was taken after a very long walk on the beach under a dreary sky. I don't know what I was expecting but black sand mixed in with gray wasn't it. There were tons of surfers, probably because there are very few beaches where they can surf.

Wet suits--you bet. 63 degree water at sunrise makes them a necessity. I kept walking...

until I got to where you see the red shirt--pretty much the end of the line during high tide, however, I learned from a photographer on the beach that after 3 the coast would be clear. Yikes!! An unintended pun!

Turning around I came across this fellow who seems to be doing some stretching before hitting the water:

I'm showing you a side view of the pier and here's one from underneath:

which I thought was very cool. So did a few other people as it turns out. Visiting a cafe for a late breakfast on the purely rocky side of the area (pictured below), I saw a huge orange version of it which made me laugh.

I was wearing a light jacket thinking it would be much cooler than it was, but most folks were not, probably Californians, not a wimpy Floridian! So, it seems as if the pier belongs to the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, but I wouldn't quote me on this.

Seeing the Red Cross station I couldn't help wonder what sort of accidents warrant one on the beach. That's a cafe on the top left.  People were walking, surfing, exercising, and riding bikes. Although there was a sign clearly stating "No Pets", this fellow seemed to think it did not apply to him.

After testing the water myself I made my way back to the Jetta. How weird is it that Bruce was given a Jetta right after Jonathan bought one? It's no Mini Cooper, but it drove just fine and was very comfortable. I took a road off of the main one, landing on a short street with both shops and restaurants. Perhaps it is everywhere, I know I'm seeing a bunch of it here, but Halloween decorations were pretty over-the-top in the parts of California I saw. No political signs, but by golly, the yards were full of stuff. This restaurant, however, probably wins the prize and I'm showing you only the tiniest part of their "decorations."

Before leaving Orlando, Matt and Angela described their trip to La Jolla and the cave kayaking available. Well, here's a shop that does just that.

Back on the road, and onto Prospect Street, which leads one into downtown La Jolla and the Cove, a name I learned once I got to a fork in the road, and didn't know which way to go! So, here's one from the Cove,

No wetsuit for this guy!! I saw the sign saying the swimming was good with water temperatures 63-65 degrees. Let me tell you, there were a lot of swimmers way out in the ocean, apparently following the buoys. Before I go further, on our drive back up to LA, I decided to read up a little on La Jolla. I was shocked to learn that the area, pretty much from the beginning was an area that practiced anti-semitism to the tenth degree! More about that if you click on the link.

The waves crashing on the rocks were a spectacular sight to this blogger. Funny how only a week before I was raving about that on the Atlantic side of our great big country. No comparison that's for sure!

Those who actually read this will undoubtedly recognize the pier in the distance. As I walked along the coastline I saw the group on the right:

You guessed it--birders! I had a little chat and they were all very, very excited, raising their binoculars as we spoke, to see some rare bird sighting, which, if memory serves me correctly had "frigate" in the name.

The area is famous for the sea lions, (who look very much like seals to me) that hang out on the big rocks:

There were quite a few in several different areas, and I'm not sure if it was them, or the huge number of pelicans and other shorebirds, but the area smells pretty pungent. If you look down on the rock below the "Torrey Pine," you will see the rocks and bird of which I speak. Not to mention all of the poop!

I would show you it closer, but then again, this ought to be enough! After having my breakfast I climbed about three flights of stairs to arrive on Prospect Street, adjacent to the new restaurant that Darden has purchased:

Although we would have liked to try it, time did not permit. Before Bruce became embroiled in this California mess, he was to have built one in Tampa. Perhaps another time.

While roaming Prospect Street I found a great vantage point to photograph the entire scene:

Swimmers on the middle right. Brave souls if you ask me.

I could go on with more, however, I know better than to get too long winded! After getting thoroughly lost one more time, I eventually made it back to the mall where Bruce is working and waited for him to call it a day. It seemed as if the time change and the miles of walking I'd done were finally catching up with me. We'll head into downtown San Diego in our next visit.

Until then, have a delightful day!