Week 3: San Elijo Lagoon

Week 3: January 15-21, 2023

This week I felt the call of Mother Nature. Its always good to get out of the house and into the great outdoors, and San Diego has a lot to offer. After a quick scroll through my Saved folder of potential places to explore on Instagram and a Google search for "hikes near me," I picked San Elijo Lagoon in Solana Beach.

I obviously had to start my morning off with a lil treat from Starbucks. I have a tendency to reward myself with treats sometimes. Ok...maybe a lot of the time. Hey, but this Starbucks was new. I really liked the art on the wall (and my iced matcha latte).

The North Rios trailhead was only eight minutes from the Starbucks. A strange little entrance sat at the end of a residential street lined with massive coastal homes. I knew we were in the right place because even a block away, there were CamelBak-clad caucasian families speed-walking toward the entrance.

It was sunny & cold, perfect weather for an easy hike. We decided to take the easier, less muddy trail to the Nature Center. I mentally bookmarked the other trails available, especially one called Annie's Canyon. Apparently Annie requires ladder-climbing and scrambling through narrow spaces. Maybe that can be an activity for a week when I'm feeling more adventurous.

The walk itself was easy, and it was nice to have enough breath to actually hold a conversation. I always feel embarrassed when I try to have a meaningful discussion while winded.

I saw two bright green Skittles on the trail. It felt like they were left in an attempt to lead me to San Diego's version of Totoro's den.

There were a bunch of families on the trail, but thankfully it did not feel crowded. I noticed that every older couple would nod and say "Good Morning" to us as they passed. The younger people kept to themselves, and the kids were probably too busy (understandably) looking for more Skittles.

About halfway through the walk, we came across this fun tunnel.

It echoed inside the tunnel, so naturally I made whale sounds as we passed through.

Syann is the perfect model for my haphazard shots.

The tunnel led us to another trail and a viewpoint. It was complete with a birding couple that reminded me of my dad. I have a bunch of photos of him in this exact position - hat, blue jeans, massive lens and all.

We came across some mysterious science-y machine. Bits of research evidence were scattered throughout the lagoon. I really wanted to see the machine in action and press a button. Syann absolutely did not let me press a button. Maybe its for the best. I don't want to cause irreparable damage to San Diego's lagoons.

Signage around the lagoon had information about conservation efforts and "home improvement." I like to imagine tiny birds with hard hats and clipboards.

I wish I had hard-hat stickers. They would have come in handy here.

I know the conservation work is being done by human scientists, and people like Gabriel Buhr, not avian construction crews, but a girl can dream.

The last stop on the trail before we headed back to the car was the San Elijos Nature Center.

The center is a well-designed building, fit with interactive displays, live snakes and tarantulas, and a full wet lab in the back. I wondered what the water samples looked like under microscopes after the recent storms.

Going to places like this makes me miss the Tilden Nature Center. I love the kids in City of Berkeley Recreation programs. They are persistent. They would beg to go to the Tilden Nature Center, even though it was the same thing every single time we went. I don't blame them. It feels very nostalgic and fun.

I must present my favorite part of the nature center. In honor of schoolhouse rock, behold... The pupation station! It is almost as good as "conjunction junction."

A final highlight (literally) of this week's activity occurred when we were returning to the car. A pair of boys, probably in middle school, were milling about near a lemonade stand. The lemonade itself was neon in color, and the boys could not be bothered to smile or market their product to passersby. I told Syann that I simply would not trust lemonade from a bunch of "Fortnite-ass boys."

I hope this poorly executed photo captures the impression I had of the indifferent lemonade vendors.

Overall it was really nice to get outside, appreciate nature, and do something new. I definitely plan to return to Solana Beach and San Elijos Lagoon. I hope the quality of the lemonade is better next time.

See you next week.