There is no such thing as a perfect day, but there are days that are more pleasant than others. Yesterday was a pretty good day on this particular hilltop. It began with me having a kick-off meeting on a new case that I’ve just been assigned. By now I can tell if a case is going to be well-structured and organized or whether its going to be chaotic and all over the place. This kick-off meeting was very crisp and clear and I came away feeling as though I had good direction to get started right away and yet would have enough time to get the work done without a firedrill. There is also a nice feeling logging in an hour’s work at the start of the day, because it makes you start your day in a productive mode. We then gathered up in the truck and called Faraj & Yasuko to start our caravan over to Solana Beach to find the fabled Annie’s Canyon. Annie’s Canyon Trail is a short, popular hike in the San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve, between Solana Beach and Encinitas in San Diego County, not far from our hilltop.
What makes it distinctive is that the trail features a rare Southern California sandstone slot canyon. Hikers can either squeeze through the narrow slot — which requires tight squeezing and scaling a metal ladder to reach the top or bypass it via an easier switchback path. The overlook at the top rewards visitors with panoramic views of the lagoon and the Pacific Ocean. The slot canyon area was once known as “The Mushrooms Caves” and was off-limits, frequented mainly by vandals who defaced the sandstone with graffiti. A generous donation by a supporter known only as “Annie” funded the land acquisition, and volunteer groups cleaned it up and built the official trail, which opened in 2016. Another unique feature is that it also overlooks the #5 freeway and has that blend of urban/rural that exemplifies life in San Diego County. The trail has multiple branching options and is about 2.4 miles round-trip as a loop via Solana Hills Trail, with roughly 426 ft of elevation gain, taking 1–1.5 hours (a shorter ~1.4-mile out-and-back option exists from the North Rios Avenue trailhead, as well as other various options to get in an out of the trailhead). There is free parking at the end of Solana Hills Drive, though there are no public restrooms or water at that trailhead, something we discovered and caused Kim to agree to join us after her morning mission was accomplished. Leashed dogs are allowed on the main trails but not inside the slot canyon itself. We took Buddy, but we also took along a new sling harness to carry him. The idea was to let him walk the trails with us and then carry him through the slot canyon. It proved hotter and harder on the trail than Buddy liked, so I put him in the harness early and he seemed fine with the program of being carried around the track. He and I found a shady log to sit on while the crew went up into the slot canyon and the cooling sea breezes made it a pleasant respite so long as you stayed in the shade. The said that the tight canyon walls can feel confining for anyone sensitive to enclosed spaces, especially when other hikers are in there with you, but it wasn’t so crowded as to create a problem. Wildlife in the reserve supposedly includes osprey, snowy egrets, Ridgway’s rail, fish, turtles, and rattlesnakes, but I’m not sure we saw any of those on this hike.
We initially parked both trucks at the Solana Hills Drive trailhead, but when Kim chose to hang back, we agreed she would meet us at a western exit on Holmwood Lane. Given the hilly nature of the terrain and the fact that Carolyn managed to slip and skin her shin, that proved to be a real salvation and a reminder that in the future we should always consider that the preferred option. That way, we got in about a 75 minute hike and then all piled into the truck for the quick ride back from Holmwood to Solana Hills Drive. We had planned this as a picnic outing, but since we were unfamiliar with the venue and didn’t know if there were picnic tables nearby, we knew we had the option to go find a friendly beach to visit for our repast. I know Annie’s Canyon is an unofficial park and is all manned by volunteers, but I do think that it would benefit from a few more benches and perhaps a picnic spot or two…but then I imagine the volunteer logistics of it all are complicated.
After our hike and reclaiming our vehicles, we headed off to the nearest beach, which was Fletcher Cove Park in Solana Beach. Parking was relatively easy and nearby and there were plenty of picnic tables for our use…not to mention, nearby playground equipment for the girls to enjoy for a moment and a nice array of clean municipal bathrooms. We sat in the sun with the cool ocean breeze and the views of the water and bathers/surfers. As usual, Faraj & Yasuko brought a veritable feast of delicacies that blended their Persian and Japanese cultures as well as their unmatched culinary skills. We had chicken karaage, a Japanese fried chicken, made with soy-ginger-garlic marinated thigh meat, coated in potato starch, and double-fried for a crackly crust with juicy meat inside. They also brought Persian rice sprinkled beautifully with two types of sesame and sumac. Add to that some sliced fresh peppers and egg bites and we had a feast. Our contribution was a bit more plebeian, but good old chicken salad is still always a favorite and crowd-pleaser.
We gathered up our baskets after lunch and just trundled the 20 minutes back to our little hilltop, marveling once again that we are fortunate enough to live in an area that has such great recreation areas that are so accessible and interesting. We are also thankful to have such wonderful local friends as Faraj & Yasuko, who constantly enrich our lives.
Everyone kicked into their own program for the afternoon. The girls had games and puzzles to do. Kim had a nap to take (she is still recovering from her big reunion weekend). And I had a new case to dig into and start to read up on as a way to productively pass another great summer afternoon. Even Buddy was done in by our little 9,000 step excursion and picnic at the beach.