Sunday, June 23, 2024
We woke early, still on East coast time. After breakfast at the Grill, I headed off to hike the Reserve. The Reserve at Torrey Pines is a state park with cliffs that overlook the Pacific Ocean. I was a bit hesitant to hike alone because in addition to fox and coyotes, the reserve is home to bobcats. But the concierge assured me that I’d be totally safe so long as I stayed on the trails. He did warn me that Torrey Pines is known for its sandy, unstable cliffs and that there have been several recent accidents where the cliffs have given way and collapsed. Yikes. He also suggested that I might want to take one of the guided hikes offered by the resort. I’m glad I declined his offer. I’m not a fan of doing things with a group.
Here’s a close up of the wonderful California poppy that grow just below our balcony. We’d never seen these flowers before…you can see the trees in the photo below.
Pic taken from our balcony.
The balcony is well shaded and a nice size.
It’s all about the view
And it is spectacular ♥️
Can you spot our balcony? Of course not..it’s obscured by the tree.
We brought the Times with us to breakfast, but didn’t read much of it … instead we watched the golfers fetch their carts and tee off.
We enjoy people watching … and Sunday morning on a golf course, is a target rich environment. That’s the Starters shed on the right.
My bacon, cheddar and scallion omelet was perfick.
I asked Tim to hop into the party cart for a quick pic and surprisingly he declined. What the actual heck? He used to be such a good sport.
Anyway, I parked him on a rock and took a few photos.
This smoker is in use all day and night.
The rocking chairs remind us of the rockers at Sea Pines on Hilton Head.
That’s the pro shop behind Timmy. (Happy to report that I didn’t buy a thing ♥️) IYKYK
This is Justin… I think he’s the bell captain. He greets arriving guests and is very nice…he also warned me about the unstable cliffs.
Another view of the entrance.
I set off for the trails, passing the North course. So yes, Torrey Pines features two courses.
You can’t bring your dog and you must keep your clothes on. Really? This is clearly not the California of my youth. Whatever.
The trails are wonderful, the air is amazingly fragrant with sage and the views are spectacular.
At times I did experience some vertigo, but I was very careful to stay well away from any and all cliff edges.
I wish my phone could have captured the deep, deep blue of the ocean. It was some kind of blue💙
So here’s a point where I wanted to go closer to the edge but I just could not. …because if I fell off the cliff…the trip would be ruined and all my months of meticulous planning would be for naught.
Okay, so in the next two photos you have to look really closely to see other hikers. Way down close to the beach. If you are reading this on a phone, good luck.
This cactus is soooo green.
Here’s the full version.
Off in the distance was a couple with a little boy. He was waving so I waved back. (Remember this piece of information for later).
Surprisingly, walking back up was not as difficult as I expected it to be.
Snapped this as I exited the trail.
The trail gives way to blacktop and the going became easy.
Bikers and hikers in harmony with nature…life is beautiful.
Why does the walk back always seem twice as long? It felt good to spy the golf course, I knew I was minutes away from the lodge.
♥️
There’s the smoker with the Grill restaurant behind it.
After checking in with Timmy and a quick shower, I made a bee line for a shady spot at the pool.
I read the paper, enjoyed a nice California rose’ and relaxed til the sun made its way to my side of the pool. Then I joined Tim on our balcony and told him about the kid on the trail. Remember the family on the trail? The one with the little boy? Waving? Well, as I exited the reserve, I hear a voice yelling, I mean yelling: “Look mommy, there’s the old lady that waved to me. The one in the blue hat.” Ouch.
Whatever…thanks for following along.♥️
