Category Archives: The Natural World

The local sharkscape

There’s talk that never before have so many leopard sharks congregated off the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club. That would be strange if true. This species (Triakis semifasciata) is known for showing up en masse when the water is warmest … Continue reading

Posted in Beach Culture, Free and fun, The Natural World | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Biking the Bay

Why would people NOT want to bicycle all the way around San Diego Bay? Here’s my guess.     Because they don’t like biking anywhere. Because they don’t realize how awesome the sights are. Because they think it would be too hard. Because they … Continue reading

Posted in Great bike rides, San Diego Sights, The Natural World, Transportation | Leave a comment

The Eureka Zone

If ever there was a time to drive up to Chief Mountain in the Pala District, shell out $60, and spend a couple of hours washing rocks under the blazing sun, this is it. The mountain, which lies just down … Continue reading

Posted in San Diego gems and mining, The Natural World, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Sisterly Love

Samuel Johnson told Boswell, “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.” I’m not sure if the same can be said of San Diego County, but … Continue reading

Posted in The Natural World | Tagged | 2 Comments

Pamo Valley Treasure

  Rose quartz Although the San Diego Natural History Museum‘s new “All That Glitters” exhibition gives visitors the impression the county is home to many family-owned gem mines, only a few remain. One that I recently had the fortune to visit was featured … Continue reading

Posted in The Natural World | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Look Who’s Moved Back into La Jolla

 My friend Wes Mudge has passed along a piece of happy news. He often hikes along the cliffs above Blacks Beach, and he reports that peregrine falcons, which disappeared from there back in the 60s due to the harmful effects of … Continue reading

Posted in The Natural World | Tagged | 1 Comment

Fish and Birds

The Port of San Diego is reporting two comforting bits of news about San Diego Bay. First, the San Diego Oceans Foundation at the end of May released another 30,000 young white sea bass into the netted pens provided by … Continue reading

Posted in On the Waterfront, The Natural World | 1 Comment

Down by the River

  I could hardly believe my eyes. There it was: the San Diego River, looking big enough to swim in. And close enough to Presidio Park so that the back of the Serra Museum was visible in the distance. How had I … Continue reading

Posted in Free and fun, San Diego Sights, Special Events, The Natural World | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Tiptoe through the Ranunculus

  When the Carlsbad flower fields are at the height of their bloom, as they are now, walking through them always reminds me of that scene in the Wizard of Oz where Dorothy and her companions come upon the poppies. But … Continue reading

Posted in San Diego Sights, The Natural World | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Our Local National Park

  California is so rich in national parks (we’ve got 8), it’s a little startling when you realize that the closest one is a solid 3-hour drive from San Diego. That’s Joshua Tree, which wasn’t even a national park when I … Continue reading

Posted in Desert Life, The Natural World | Tagged , | Leave a comment