Category Archives: The Natural World

Highs and Lows

Posted on December 13, 2011 by jdewyze

I’ve written before about the unique pleasures of San Diego’s winter low tides, but last Friday I discovered another facet to them : biking on the wide, hard-packed sand.  My friend Howard Zatkin has organized an informal low-tide beach ride for … Continue reading →

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The Forests Below

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Jeannette De Wyze

If I had to come up with a short list of the coolest plants in and around San Diego, the giant kelp that grows just offshore would have to be on it. One of the fastest growing organisms on Earth, … Continue reading →

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Second most overdue

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Jeannette De Wyze

Hats off to the Voice of San Diego‘s Morning Report for alerting me to meteorologist Rick Knabb’s provocative declaration on the Today show’s website this morning that San Diego is the US city that’s most overdue to be hit by a hurricane.  … Continue reading →

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The Nature of Louv

Posted on May 7, 2011 by Jeannette De Wyze

The campus of Pt. Loma Nazarene University is becoming synonymous in my mind with literary pleasures and pursuits.  That seems fitting, given the fact that 100 years ago, this site atop the point overlooking the ocean was the intellectual heart of San Diego.  The property served … Continue reading →

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About 10 inches

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Jeannette De Wyze

For years, I’ve told visiting tourists that the coastal region of San Diego gets “about 10 inches” of rain per year.  As an approximation, that’s true enough. But I’ve always felt a bit guilty about not being more precisely accurate. … Continue reading →

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On Top of Old Mt. Miguel

Posted on March 3, 2011 by Jeannette De Wyze

I tend to think of Jerry Schad as a god, omniscient about all good hiking trails in Southern California. So I was shocked when it was recently pointed out to me that His Bible (Afoot and Afield in San Diego … Continue reading →

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Snow Days

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Jeannette De Wyze

I’m often asked by visitors whether it ever snows in San Diego.  I’ve always explained that while our local mountains can get a lot of snow, the only whit(ish) stuff the city ever receives is the occasional, fleeting hailstorm. That’s what … Continue reading →

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The Purpose-Driven Hike

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Jeannette De Wyze

I’d never disparage the idea of hiking without a clear-cut destination.  Moving down a trail can be pleasurable in and of itself, even if you don’t care where you’re going. But hiking to something can also be a lot of … Continue reading →

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Our Lovely Marine Layer

Posted on December 28, 2010 by Jeannette De Wyze

They can be depressing, as when they linger for days or even weeks in late spring/early summer (and justify the nicknames May Gray and June Gloom).  If you’re planning an outdoor wedding or a beach party or the like, one can spoil your … Continue reading →

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Winter Lows

Posted on December 13, 2010 by Jeannette De Wyze

I’ve added something to my Must-See list for visitors to San Diego in the winter: one of our super-low tides. Although the local shoreline has low tides (usually two) every day, the lows only get remarkably low when the moon lines … Continue reading →

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