Walking Batiquitos and Twitter

My wife and I have been walking at Batiquitos lagoon recently and in case you live in San Diego County or you're willing to come here, remember Batiquitos. I really haven't walked there since I was a kid with my older brothers and there was no Four Seasons or any houses to speak of. My dad used to refer to this as "the slough" and we used to smell it miles away in Leucadia in the 70's. I think that odor doesn't happen as often now, but then, I live farther away from the water as a dad than I did as a son.

Sunday morning we walked three miles and last night at dusk we did two. I remembered back to a time when the falling darkness would have been mucho scary. Lots of people on a Sunday morning. As the stars came out Tuesday evening, not so much - we found ourselves alone for the final leg back out of the dark "forest". Either way it feels good to walk. Maybe we'll walk on the beach tonight. We'll see.

I have been following people and vice-versa on Twitter recently. Some of those folks are walkers, too. It's good to be connected to other walkers, exercise junkies and such so we can keep each other encouraged and motivated. You can click on the title of this post to see my profile on Twitter. I hope to see you there.

Solana Beach vs. Encinitas

When I was young I lived with my family in Encinitas and Leucadia. We moved from Melrose in Encinitas to Patty Lane in Leucadia when I was five. We were there until my dad, the country boy from Illinois, thought it was too crowded on the coast. (That was 1976! He "escaped" us to the wilds of Valley Center. Talk about bad timing in the real estate market...long story short...the house he bought for 37,500 in 1968 he sold for 62,500 and within 18 months it had been resold three times. In early 1978 it sold for $198,000!) I remember not making that much of a distinction between Encinitas and Leucadia back then as both had the same zip code. Even today I'm amused and sometimes annoyed at the smaller and smaller areas around here giving themselves a name. (Part of the branding revolution, I guess.) I was a number-oriented kid and still am. I follow politics and I really like FiveThirtyEight.com, which focuses on the numbers involved in politics and polling.

Lately I've been really noticing that my walking numbers have been down. I need to get a new pedometer. You may have experienced this, too. I find that the accurate measurement - that counter you can check whenever you want - really keeps me motivated. Some may say that it's just one strategy, but it is definitely a strategy that works for me. Find the strategies that work for you. The other day I was counting steps in my head again while walking on the beach with my honey.

We had decided to go to Solana Beach because there was no parking anywhere remotely close to Moonlight Beach in Encinitas. It was a hot day, but I don't remember that lack of parking happening very often. (Maybe my dad was right.) Was it the combination of the heat and my quietness (I was counting in my head - mouth closed.) during the first half of the walk that made me see Solana Beach in a new way? Because Moonlight Beach was my default beach when I was a kid, it was the beach I tended to visit even after I moved and still what I think of when I picture the beach in my mind.

Solana Beach at low tide was unbelievably beautiful to my eyes. The flat beach between the cliffs and the ocean reminded me of Lawrence of Arabia, one of my favorite movies. We saw a few sandpipers and other birds. They were doing a dance up and down and my wife wondered if it was a mating dance. It was about 5:30 and the light at that time of day just seemed perfect. I would say that it was the best 2 mile walk I've ever had except for the one on Catalina where I met her years ago, but that's another story. Marianne and I will pay more attention to low tide and we'll be visiting Solana Beach again soon.