Torrey Pines Sunset Hike

  A yearly trek to a local icon

Trip Report 20160216

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The Experience

It was a super-nice Santa Ana day with temperatures in the mid-eighties, clear and no wind.  So we decided to do a small four mile hike with our friends Robin and Jerry at Torrey Pines State Beach.  Starting at the crest of the ridge near the famed "Torrey Pines Golf Course" we hiked north, then west toward the cliffs to see the sun go down.

These photos were taken with a Sony A7RM2 body and a Zeiss 2/50mm Loxia manual focus lens. 

The photos below are what we saw.

From our parking area we had a nice view of part of the golf course.

The Pacific ocean is visible in the distance.

The grounds were pristine and in perfect shape.

A recent strong wind storm had damaged some protective netting by the driving range.  The netting was being repaired.  The wind had also blown over a number of trees at the course.

The "old road" that ascended Torrey Pines ridge is now a pedestrian walkway.

As we wound our way toward the crest of the cliff we got views of downtown La Jolla to our south.  It was a remarkably clear day with no breeze.

Above the road cut on Torrey Pines Road we got a sweeping view of the residential areas to the north east.  SR-56 intersects I-5 at the far left edge of the photo above.  Carmel Valley is at the center and the heavily-trafficked I-5 is in the center of the photo.

The road cut that is part of Torrey Pines Road exposes colorful layers of rock.  The houses on the distant ridge are in Del Mar.

The late-afternoon sun casts a yellow glow on the cliffs at Torrey Pines.

We were in time for the sunset and the photo above shows the calmness of the ocean surface.

A small amount of smog was present on the horizon toward L.A.  Note the erosion patterns in the cliffs.

The lack of clouds made for a sunset devoid of structure, but still colorful.

The setting sun through a notch in the ridge.  Note the person standing on the ridge to the right of the sun.

We hiked back to the parking lot at the golf course in the waning light.  Above is a 0.8 second exposure taken by bracing the camera on a fence in the parking lot.

The Torrey Pines area is one of the jewels in San Diego's crown.  We always bring visitors to the area, either on a hike or to the glider port.  It is wonderful to be so close to something so beautiful.  Thanks to Robin and Jerry for joining us on this hike.


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