torrey pines

with the weather warming up and the days getting long it was time to hit torrey pines state park for a post-work hike. we took the broken hill trail, which runs from the 101 at the golf course down to the beach. first we witnessed the effect of the impending u.s. open, being held early next month on the links there. the formerly root-infested parking lot has been repaved, large tents abound (press/tournament administration areas?), and security is already onsite at night. plus there's a huge fleet of lexus rx 350's parked in the lot, it being the official car of the tournament and all. the biggest impact was the new fence that had been erected, cutting off the quickest route from the lot to the road - unless you jumped it.



it was strange to be at the beach with no wind, much less temperatures in the 80's in mid-may. we took the trail down to the newly-installed stairs that take you onto the beach. this washed-out part of the trail was closed for over 3 years as the city dragged its feet on making repairs to a severly eroded cliff, caused by the 2004-2005 winter season storms. the new staircase does make a very dangerous part of the trail (think 15 foot drop) a lot safer, and puts you right into the incoming waves at high tide.

swallows buzzed in and out of the hole in the cliffs above our heads, visible in the top right of the first image above. with the sun setting and the waves crashing in, cooling our feet in the 67 degree water, it almost felt like summer was here... at least until the marine layer returns. is this the weather that u.s. open viewers across the country will see in a few weeks, or will it be the usual cool and cloudy weather of early june in la jolla?