16 posts tagged “california”

On the weekends we can often see several dozen boats off the coast from our vantage point. It has become customary to yell Ahoy! whenever you spot the Dana Point Frigate (not actually picture). As is the case in this photo, there are often false alarms (no Frigate).
If you compare this sunset photo from the ones taken back in March it makes it drastically clear how far the sun shifts  from Winter Summer. Before it was setting south of Santa Catalina Island, now it Sets over Dana Point/Laguna Beach

These Clay flowers are amazingly realistic even up close.

The wetsuits we have are 3.2mm thick, typical thickness for surface water temperatures, but don't be fooled, our hands, faces and feet were cold -- the water was about 59`.  We both ended up holding our feet above the surface unless we were swimming with them - like jen is doing here.
In the background you can see the large shadowy brown kelp.  They anchor to the ocean floor and grow up to 80 feet long.  Kelp is abundant in this area of the Pacific -- it frequently washes up on shore, and litters every beach we've been to in SoCal so far.

San O' is one the top surfing locations in southern california. I has nice long breaks over sandy shallows. On the weekend there can be line to get in after the park fills up. One car out one car in. We saw an old VW bus trying to conserv gas while waiting by putting the bus in nutral and have the kids get out and push.


The great thing about San Onofre is that you can park you car right on the beach--through on your wet suit grab your board and you are surfing.

Can you believe someone actually said we hadn't been posting enough sunset pictures. here is a good "going going gone" sequence of the sun setting over now the northern tip of Santa Catalina Island. When we first arrived the sun was setting south of the island. It is kind of fun to have such an obvious landmark along the horizon--makes it easy notice the days getting longer.