The Silver Strand

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We have seven days in this beautiful, most southern part of California. On Saturday, we drove with great anticipation to the Borderfield State Park, Tijuana River Estuary, an area recommended by the birding guide for southern California. We got there and found that, because there had just been significant rainstorm, the area was highly contaminated with sewage from Tijuana, via the Tijuana River, and was closed. They recommended that we go further north to the Tijuana Slough, largest salt marsh in this part of the state. This area is supposed to be good for birding and also allows dogs. We’ve been back there several times. The trail passes a Naval airfield where there are supposed to be burrowing owls. We haven’t seen them yet but we were charmed by western meadowlarks, black phoebes, many assorted sparrows, and several pairs of harriers.

The rv park (Bernardo Shores) is very quiet and the hedges around each site provide a lot of privacy. The park borders San Diego Bay and has lots of birds, literally a stones-throw away, including several of our favorite water birds (American avocet, black-necked stilt, long-billed curlew, black skimmer, etc). There is a bike, walking trail that passes nearby. It runs north towards Coronado along the peninsula called the “Silver Strand”. We’ve done different parts of the trail on different days. On one day, we walked north to the Silver Strand State Beach. The tide was low and the mud flats wide. We saw lots of water birds including (in addition to those mentioned earlier), marbled godwit, semipalmated and golden plover, dunlin, sanderling, dowitcher, yellow-legs, willet, etc. There were also many species of ducks and geese on the bay, most notably surf scoter and black brant. Several species of loons (beyond the breakers on the ocean-side), gulls, terns, and grebes also required our attention. Osprey were everywhere.

We got a reminder on the global nature of weather. On the day we arrived it rained a little bit most of the day. However, it rained so little that we only used the windshield wipers to clean off the damp dust. A bit further north, in La Jolla, they received several inches and we all got quite a lot of wind and big surf. We then watched this storm hit the mountains to the east and create great skiing. It then clobbered the mid-west and finally today (2-26) is threatening the east. New York and Vermont are supposed to get much snow. All this from a little bit of rain and wind in California.

Yesterday, we drove to La Jolla trying to find a good place to go kayaking. La Jolla and adjacent Torrey Pines are so developed that we could not even find the water and ended up doing our kayaking on the San Diego bay. It felt good to use the kayaks after dragging them across the country. Several of our planned stops heading north will also be great for kayaking.

The bay side of the Silver Strand has lots of gated communities and the ocean side many high-rise condominiums. The US Navy has a large presence in San Diego with a large base and shipyards, training facilities, and airfields. Between the Navy and the Border Patrol there are a lot of uniformed people around town.

Later in the week we returned to Border Field State Park and found it open, although we saw more border patrol personnel than visitors. The black fence separating the US and Tijuana was evident in the hills leading down to the Pacific Ocean. The Mexican side of the border was heavily populated; the US side was a barren salt marsh. We walked down to the beach and headed south to the point where the fence met the sea. The only other visitors we saw were a group of men on horse-back who rode passed us and then left the beach. Where the fence met the sea it was replaced by a row of long, vertical metal stakes, most close enough to prevent passage, but with several gaps. Mexican sunbathers relaxed on the other side of the barrier. We watched as a (presumed) Mexican waded out into the surf and then swam around the end of the barrier. He then came ashore on the U.S. side, waved to us, and walked back through one of the gaps in the fence, all to the cheering of a large group of spectators above the beach in Mexico. There were no border patrol evident in the area and it seemed to be a little game they were playing. The atmosphere was festive!

Our next stop will be a three-day visit to El Capitan State Beach north of Santa Barbara.

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Photos

Bernado Shores RV Park
Located at the south end of San Diego Bay at the beginning of Silver Strand Blvd.

Bernardo Shores RV Park
Each site is isolated from the next by hedges. The park calls itself an "Adult Park"--somehow we got in!

Birds at the South End of San Diego Bay.
Water's edge at the north end of the park was great for wading birds, especially at low tide

Black Brant, San Diego Bay
A small goose that breeds on the arctic coast and spends its winters from the Puget Sound south to the Baja.

Luxury living on the San Diego Bay
Aside from state park land, US Navy property, and the city of Coronado, most the Silver Strand is taken by upscale, gated communities.

Condos Facing the Pacific Ocean, San Diego, CA
Global warming and rising coastal water levels may cause some problems here.

Bridge to the Silver Strand from Downtown
Note the yellowish haze over the city--smog. We launched our kayaks from the boat ramp in the foreground.

Yacht Club in San Diego Bay
This club dates from 1887.

Famed Hotel del Coronado.
Long list of notables have vacationed at this hotel.

US Navy Presence in San Diego
On land

US Navy Presence in San Diego
In the air

US Navy Presence in San Diego
At sea.

Tijuana River and Estuary with Mexico in Distance
This area is part of the Tijuana River Estuary Wildlife Refuge and the Borderland State Park.

Border with Mexico
Note the black "security" fence. The large circular structure is a bull fighting ring. Also seen is a lighthouse.

Horseman
On the way to the border we are passed by several horseman.

Western Terminus of the Security Fence
The vertical stakes extend a short distance out into the Pacific Ocean.

Spectators and sunbathers
People on the Mexican side of the border seemed to be having some sort of festival.