The best way to start a day according to Sharon is to drive to La Jolla and go to the beach. We usually enter at the southern edge of La Jolla Shores by car and then drive north along Coast Street to street parking near Jenner and Prospect Street (2 hour free parking) unless we are lucky enough to land some of the 3 hour free parking near the La Jolla Cove.
A stroll along the shoreline from just south of 
the Children's Pool north to the La Jolla Caves really cleanses one’s soul with the panoramic ocean views, the white sand beaches, the sandstone cliffs and the waves rolling in and crashing onto the beach. Now Sharon is still a bit nervous along the cliffs especially with all the warning signs (like the one above) but she is starting to get over the fear of falling again and her healing has been going exceptionally well.
Besides simply walking along this 3/4 mile of beach there are other activities we find very fun, free(great for the budget) and interesting to do:
- we enjoy simply observing the artistic beauty of the slowly eroding sandstone cliffs that, over time, leave behind some of nature’s art.
- another interesting activity we enjoy doing is exploring the tidal pools to observe the remnants left behind by the high tide, such as the anemones that are always fun to watch
- all along the shore there are opportunities to watch birds, seals and other wildlife; we saw many California Ground Squirrels, Harbor Seals, Sea Lions and I also got to see several juvenile Spotted Sandpipers and some Black Turnstones…
- A couple of blocks away from La Jolla Village there is a place known as La Jolla Cove. It is accessible by a stairway and at low tides the tide pools hold hundreds or even thousands of hermit
crabs.At the bottom of the stairs lies a small and popular sandy beach. At this beach the surf is lessened because it is in a cove making it excellent for a swim, to just sit and catch some rays or to look at the tidal pools at low tide. Also at La Jolla Cove there was some excellent snorkeling where we were able to observe two things we have never seen before… we saw lots of Garibaldi, the California state fish which are a striking orange color and we got to swim with Harbor Seals and Sea Lions!!!
We read that one can snorkel with Leopard Sharks at La Jolla Shores Beach but have also heard they may have already left the area. We may return if we hear anything more about them being there as that too sounds like fun. We are definitely enjoying the weather and water temperatures. It brings us a smile knowing that once again we have a beach bag packed and ready in the car in preparation for any spontaneous beach stop in the days ahead…
My daughter lives in San Diego. It is a great place if you can afford it. Both my kids went to UCSD and my son in law is a professor there. I'm glad the weather has been good for you after the gloom you experienced in the North.
ReplyDeleteUsed to snorkel at La Jolla Cove while in high school, really miss that wonderful place. Glad you are enjoying it.
ReplyDeleteI loved La Jolla, but it's sure expensive. It was back in 1982 when we saw our first one million dollar house. Great beach!
ReplyDeleteSounds wonderful. We LOVE snorkeling, but when we moved from Hawaii, we got rid of all our fins and goggles(except my prescription goggles, which may be in our storage unit...can't remember where we put them).
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the rest of your time there. Glad you have a few weeks.
Susan
Great ideas ... this post gets pinned for future reference ... Mui will love the snorkeling opportunities.
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