Monday, February 03, 2014

Weekend Wanderings (1) : Hiking, Birding, Tidepooling and Surfing Photography

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Saturday, January 25, 2014

Light Hiking on top of the Bluffs @ Torrey Pines Gliderport and Scripps Coastal Biodiversity Reserve ( The Knoll )

We started our day early by hiking on top of the bluffs at Gliderport and The Knoll. We had two purposes: 
1. Hoping to catch hawks and peregrine falcons in their early morning breakfast hunt. It was a success, :) , NO!
2. Checking if hundreds of leopard sharks are swimming close to the shore, if we spot them, our plan was to go snorkeling. We did not see leopard sharks, just some dolphins busy feeding far from the shore, so, we decided instead to enjoy low tide first by tidepooling below.
Tidepooling @ La Jolla Shores

After tidepooling, we went to Ocean Beach, hoping to photograph some surfers and big waves. On our way to Ocean Beach, I saw from the car two ospreys perched on top of the pole by San Diego River Bridge, so, we decided to stop over first at Robb's Field. Robb's Field is a park adjacent to San Diego River Estuary. There are ample free parking spaces in the park, and from there, we could take a walk towards the bridge. Thankfully, when we got to the bridge, the ospreys were still there. 
Birds @ San Diego River Estuary ( bottom two are the ospreys )


San Diego River Estuary is one of the popular places in San Diego for birding. You can find my previous posts of San Diego River birds here ( white pelicans ), here (other birds) and here (ospreys ). My favorite shot here of the day at Robb's Field was not mine, but hubby's, a flying osprey.
Osprey in Flight ( shot by hubby )

When the osprey finally left us, we walked back to our car, but of course, I can't help to take pictures of other birds, despite I have lots of pictures of them already from before. :)

From Robb's Field, we went to Ocean Beach, target: surfing photography. It was a little bit past lunch time when we got there, so we decided to have lunch first at The Shades Oceanfront Bistro. It is a family friendly restaurant facing Ocean Beach. Though it was already past 12 noon, but they still serve breakfast menu, so I had calamari benedict (breakfast menu), while hubby had grilled chicken sandwich with baked potatoes ( lunch menu). 
Calamari Benedict and Grilled Chicken Sandwich

Their food was good, and they are not that expensive for an oceanfront restaurant. After lunch, we walked along the beach, then, to the pier, to enjoy the big waves, and take some surfing photos. 
Surfing and Waves @ Ocean Beach ( from OB Pier )

My favorite shot here is that of the Wave Curl.
My Favorite Shot of the Day for Waves ( at Ocean Beach )

We got impatient at Ocean Beach Pier taking photos of surfers, who seemed to have the wrong timing to ride the waves, haha, so, we did not stay long. From Ocean Beach, we went to Windansea Beach in La Jolla, where we enjoyed photographing surfers more who seemed to be more comfortable riding big waves.
Surfing at Windansea Beach (photos by hubby )

Hubby focused more on catching wave curls and barrels, while I focused more on videos. :) Here is a sample of surfing videos I took. 

We stayed until sunset.
After sunset, maybe it was the long day of wandering that I craved for some pizza, so we stopped by for pizza to go. 
We ended our Saturdate with pizza, onion rings and "very berry" smoothie. The very berry smoothie is how I call my own version of a mix of all fresh fruits such as: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, pineapple, pear and lemon. 

It definitely was a long fun Satur-date for us. From early morning hiking, to tidepooling, to birding, to ocean surf photography, to sunset. Others ask if we don't get tired at all, somehow, I believe those who are familiar with outdoors and physical activities would know that they are our body's way actually of relieving ourselves from tiredness. Physical activities out of the doors is our most powerful way of de-stressing from a week's mostly mental work. Knowing that, we always put it in our priority on weekends to rest and relax with nature, where exercise, fun, and rejuvenation are all one so we could start Monday's work with renewed energy and so much passion.

'til the next weekend wanderings, here in San Diego. 
♥♥
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14 comments:

  1. YAY! I was looking forward for this, Te Betchai! This is gonna be exciting! I'd always love to know how and where you spent your Weekend Wanderings :-) That wave curl capture was fantastic! I am so amazed! How do you ever take picture perfect captures like that?!!! Breathtaking!

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  2. The Wave Curl shot is fantastic! The food looks delicious. :D Geez! Thanks for sharing great photos, as always! :) tc!

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  3. I love the wave curl photo, galing! The food looks yummy too, the poached eggs = perfect!

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  4. Very nice outing photography and eating pizza...loved it!

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  5. oh dear, you have such a wonderful trip, what i like most is the surfing and the food too, what an incredible experience again. thanks for sharing.

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  6. Every shot is beautiful but my favorite are of the waves, you captured every minu0te details of it.

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  7. Wow! i love the big waves and the calamari benedict sounds soooo good. I don't know if I can surf, I guess I would not attempt.lol

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  8. That wave curl is an awesome shot, and the sunset ... I haven't seen a spectacular one in person in ages.

    If I was with you in this Saturdate, I can just overdose on your very berry smoothie. That will for sure be enough to sustain me :-)

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  9. Oh you're so lucky to be experiencing all these! I haven't been to the beach in like a gazillion years! Awesome shots, Betchai. Thanks for bringing the beauty of nature to people like me who rarely gets to go anywhere.

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  10. oh, my! amazing shots as always...stunning shot of the waves...that would be a great living room canvass decoration.

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  11. So love Khai's Osprey in Flight! and the wave curl! that is one awesome shot! the tidepooling photos gave me an idea to one time visit the beach area here were I could also enjoy the sight of starfishes etc....and what can I say more? those sunset photos simply take my breath away! :)

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  12. Oh! where do I begin to describe how beautiful and amazing your pictures Sis. My fave are the sunset. I love how they turned out, beautiful and so romantic :)

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  13. Awesome write up Betchai !!! I'm itching to go out there...anywhere !!!

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  14. wow those are awesome wave photos. I love them.

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THANK YOU SO MUCH!!