May 12 to 15, 2003, San Elijo State Beach. One of the joys of being unemployed is the ability to visit local places of interest mid-week and off-season. San Elijo State Beach has a campground and day-use area tucked along the coast just north of Solana Beach and just south of Encinitas. What is that area anyway? Cardiff By The Sea?
Our site was on a 60-foot high bluff overlooking the beach and the ocean. There was plenty of room for the van, Lorri's Explorer and our friends, Dru and Edith, their tent and Expedition, with room left over for a few friendly games of beach bocce.
Left: The bluffs are inhabited by zillions of ground squirrels which over the years have made lots of tunnels and holes which cause the bluffs to collapse in the Pacific Ocean. California would extend many miles out into the Pacific if the little critters would move to Arizona. Middle: Here we are setting up camp. Lorri is saying how tasty my specially prepared pecans are. Edith is sizing up the red bocce balls, and Dru, thankfully is doing something useful: making gin and tonics. Right: Dru again is demonstrating an essential of camping: fire building. Notice the tent-like structure.
Left: The ladies prepare to cooking area while sipping red wine. We feasted on chili spaghetti which Edith had prepared ahead of time from a secret family recipe. Middle: Lorri (with her eyes shut as in 98% of her photos) and Edith showing off their wine slippers which allegedly help one distinguish his or her glass from others glasses. This system works well except when a certain semi-colorblind individual has had a martini or two and it got dark and, well, I won't name names. Right: Edith, Jack & Dru and Krispy Oyster Crackers. Farther Right: Drinking coffee the morning after.
Unfortunately, Dru and Edith had to leave Tuesday afternoon because they had to go to work the next day, or some such thing. The weather took a turn for the worse, gettin cloudy, windy and cool. I was able to bbq some chicken but we spent the evening mostly in the van. The next day was cloudy and cool to with a few light rain spritzes to add to the ambiance. But late in the afternoon the clouds broke and the sun popped out long enough for a nice walk along the beach up to Moonlight Beach in Encinitas and a nice walk back down PCH with a short stop at a local watering hole for a beverage.
As the sun was sinking, there was some nice light so I snapped a couple shots of Lorri with her eyes OPEN!
Left: Here I am getting the fire ready for an evening of story-telling and campfire songs. Middle: The sun setting on the Sportsmobile. Well actually it was setting out over the ocean somewhere but it made the Sportsmobile look like this. Right: The sun barely peaked through the cloud layer. You can see a couple surfers braving the chop if you look at the lower left.
Thursday, May 15th dawned clear, sunny and beautiful, so we left. No we rode our bikes up to Encinitas for a cholesterol packed power breakfast, and then we left.
