Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve.........

Torry Pines State Natural Reserve is home to the rarest pine tree in the country....Pinus torreyana. They only grow here, and on an island off the coast of Santa Barbara. This nature area is very fragile, and off-trail hiking is illegal. That said, the trails are really nice and well marked. Its hard to go off them accidentally. A couple of the trails go down to the beach from up above. For more information, click here.

heading down the hill to Torrey Pines State Park

There it is now

a bit chilly up here today (though probably not for long)

Torrey Pine

So, this was our first visit here, and we followed the signs to the Visitor Center so we could get hiking information before exploring the area. There is parking along the beach, which is free, and then you can walk up the hill to the trails, and take a trail back down to the beach, and then your car. We didn't know that, so we continued on in the car up the hill (yah!) and paid the state park fee of $10. Just sayin' in case you are interested in going and don't mind walking. We would have walked up the hill had we known, since we wanted the exercise anyway.

We got our map from the Visitor Center, and headed out on the Razor Point Trail. All of the trails are on the short side, so you can combine them if you want a longer hike. Its a beautiful place! And there are lots of folks there enjoying it too...tourists and the more knowledgeable locals that know enough to park at the beach! Many runners here too-running along the trails. Lots of large groups of runners too, at least when we were there.

we are heading out that way....the red rocks

not too many Torrey Pines on the trail

Razor Point trail begins

close up of a hummingbird hamming it up for the camera

nice views along the trail

one of the overlooks

heading along the trail...they switchback often

standing on the red rocks....and I'm on my way up too

the view from above

I think that is the trail we need

Torrey Pine

dangerous near the cliff edge...hence the wire

beautiful

heading down to the overlook

I'm coming!

great views

desert plants right next to the ocean

lots of switchbacks

The view is great! Looking for whales migrating, but didn't see any

is that a quail?

another Torrey Pine (there aren't that many on the trails)

so sweet

lots of steep drop-offs and fragile areas near the edge

so cool

really nice walk down here

close up

looking back 

ahhh...the view up the coast

looking for migrating grey whales?

what a nice place this is....

Because of the time of year, we were treated to lots of spring blooms. I couldn't help myself...I had to take a couple of pics. Bear with me.

We walked on a bunch of different trails, eventually making our way back up to the Visitor Center. Check out this Torrey Pine. What is that? A symbiotic relationship with another pine? Or is it some sort of a growth surge in that one spot? We didn't know.....it certainly was interesting though. From a distance, it looks like a giant nest of some sort.

is that a huge nest?

looks like the growth of needles went crazy

springtime :)

Though the trail heads up, it is not strenuous at all due to the tons of switchbacks and different trails you can take. Meandering back up the hill, we seemed to focus on flowers. I know...

lots of switchbacks 

a very pretty trail

gorgeous

what a beautiful day...it cleared up nicely

great view

everything is blooming

still going up....i see the red rocks with people on it up ahead

cool Torrey Pine

so pretty

these plants are growing new leaves too

cool

Well, it was starting to get pretty hot. Even Tom had to take his jacket off! You know its hot when that happens. And someone forgot her hat...which was not too smart! It may have been cloudy and cool when we started, but eventually the sun burned off the clouds and there was brilliant sun.

oh no....Tom is hot...don't see that often!

now you tell me!! (about the rattlesnakes!)

so so pretty (we love the desert too! and the ocean! and the mountains!....)

close up

The view coming down the hill from the Visitor Center. See the cars parked along the beach? That's where you want to be if you are here for the exercise, as well as the views. So, since we didn't take a trail down to the beach, we parked the car in the parking lot (you need that park pass to park there), and headed to the beach for just a bit.

heading down to the beach

locals know to park along the beach (for a good workout!)

hey, at least we have a parking pass now.....the other parking is full now

I guess it was high tide, because we had a bit of narrow beach to cross to take our little walk by the cliffs. There is a thick layer of smooth rocks to cross to get to the sand. It is not too easy to walk on such a thick layer of rocks. Hahaha. We experienced this before in Oregon.

no lifeguard on duty today

inspecting a little closer

its empty

walking along the rocky beach...so pretty

smooth................

the water seems to come right up to the cliffs up ahead (during high tide)

there's something about the ocean....so special

water was a bit rough

walking near the cliff not recommended

isn't that cool?

What a beautiful day we had. The ocean was just gorgeous, and the breeze coming off it was nice and refreshing. (Or as Tom would say, the gale wind was freezing....hahahahha).

such a refreshing ocean breeze

Old Town San Diego.........

So, continuing from yesterday's blog post, we went to Old Town San Diego as a final stop of our sight-seeing day. First thing these starving tourists did was settle in for a late lunch! 

Old Town San Diego Historic State Park - the birthplace of California - is the first permanent Spanish settlement in California. The park preserves the rich heritage of the early settlers to this area, with museums and exhibits that depict life back then. For more information, click here. I really like exploring to catch a glimpse of how people lived back in earlier times. Very interesting to me. Especially the homestead....the rooms are so different from the colonial times back east, and some of the pioneer homes we've seen in the west. The Spanish and Mexican influence in the details, and the tiled floors and plastered walls seem unique to this area. Many of the buildings were recreations and were modernized to "sell" things, such as candles and soap. 

I might add that there are many delicious Mexican restaurants in the area, and the one we lunched at was terrific. Besides the state park, there are many shops and restaurants in the area and its a mecca for tourists. We had a fun and educational afternoon.

ready for a good Mexican lunch (sick of peanut butter!)

chicken fajita-and another plate of stuff I'll never be able to eat

essential oils and soaps available here

one of the main streets in town

the print shop

printing press (makes you really appreciate your printer, doesn't it?)

the candle shop

artist demonstrating his craft

welcome to the homestead

one of the vegetable gardens

the shop...hmm...i see fabric

dining room

a bedroom

the kids bedroom

more

the study

master bedroom

giant flower in the courtyard

nice woman in the courtyard...answering anyone's questions

the kitchen

There were many little shops along the streets, and most had a demonstration going. This candy shop was making taffy in the window. I went in just for a peek at what they were doing, but had to leave so I didn't make a huge purchase! Hahah.

the candy store

too much candy here

We continued to visit some of the other buildings from back in the day, such as the courthouse. There were just two offices, the sheriff's and the judge's, with a jail cell out back. Guess there was no jury?
The building was really small.

checking out the law and order in Old Town

the jail cell

I have become fascinated by the stage coaches and early western transportation, because quite frankly, some of this land is very inhospitable....deserts, huge mountains, rocks everywhere, and I just can't even begin to imagine going long distances in those stage coaches. The stage coach stops looked pretty good...a nice place where weary travelers could get a meal and a rest.

pretty fancy...but I bet that's a rough ride 

stage coach rest stop

rest stop for travelers

The coolest tree in the courtyard of Old Town was just huge. Not sure what kind it was, but it was a piece of nature's art...ahahah. Not sure why its leaning so hard, if its phototropism, wind, or an accident early on in its growth.

such a cool tree

loved the "pattern" looking up

Another area had lots and lots of restaurants and shops, and we just skimmed through, looking casually at  a few shops. It was almost like being in a Mexican shopping center-very colorful and festive. I really liked all the color everywhere and the artwork.

uh oh....looks like shopping ahead Susie  

fun art

hey-I'm not a big shopper!

cozy courtyard

bright eyes!!

We continued on the other side of the courtyard, with lots of other visitors. There were several more buildings, and a huge barn that contained some of the stage coaches and other forms of transportation from back in time. Though a bit touristy, we really enjoyed our afternoon at Old Town San Diego!

this little dog was attracting a lot of attention trying to keep up 

one more house to check out

huge hotel and restaurant

Jess-this is for you!

fancy!

bet that took a while - to get mail!

another "room" at the depot

looks pretty fancy

is that countertop granite?

more shopping? (just window-shopping!)

really cool house near the parking lot-that's what we like about San Diego-all the houses on the hills are all different from each other