Point Vicente

I drove down to Point Vicente today to hike a trail along the coast. It was more like a leisurely stroll. The maintained dirt path parallels the coast for a mile or so. Several people I have talked to recently have mentioned "June Gloom." Basically it's the thick marine cloud layer that has enveloped the city for the past month with a few breaks here and there. Today was overcast, but warm.

The hike was non-eventful for the most part. Before getting out of my car, I heard the news that Michael Jackson died today. That was reaffirmed by a couple of teenagers I walked past who were walking their dog. One kid was singing, "ABC, easy as 123, doh rey me, abc, 123 Michael Jackson's dead," making sure he emphasized the last phrase in the song as he walked past me.

Anyways, the trail wandered past a resort, where there were people walking around in white robes, sitting next to there outdoor brick fire rings, and eating fancy dinners on patios overlooking the ocean. Once upon a time I used to envision myself visiting a place such as this. Not so much anymore. I did sit on a nice beach chair for a few minutes however, and look out over the gray ocean. I bet it's real nice when the sun is out.

The highlight of the hike came towards the end. I was able to escape the comforts of the path and fences and walk along the rocky beach. After walking about 15 minutes I happened to look between a couple of rocks and experienced my first live encounter with starfish. It soon became apparent that they were all over the place. They looked real squishy and soft, but when I touched them, they were surprisingly stiff and solid.

Once I finished the hike, I drove up the 110 for the first time. It was a much nicer highway than I anticipated.