Singing in the Rain

OK, so maybe I wasn't actually singing in the rain, but I was hiking in it. President's Day was Monday the 19th of February and it was pouring out for the entire morning, and well into the afternoon. Rain like that doesn't happen too often in San Diego, so when it does it's a rare opportunity to revel in it. My friend Ryan stopped by and woke me up at the crack of 8 a.m. all decked out in his rain gear. I promptly (though groggily) donned my own rain gear and we set out. First stop: breakfast at Cafe Forte. Second Stop: Torrey Pines State Reserve.

Torrey Pines is perhaps the nicest chunk of undeveloped costal land in San Diego County. It boasts a visitor's center and 8 miles of hiking trails. The nice ranger at the guard station called us "hearty folks" for heading to the reserve in the downpour. As far as I'm concerned, there couldn't have been a better time to visit the park. With the exception of just a few others, we were the only people in the whole reserve. That would never happen on a typical sunny day in San Diego.

The rain came down steadily for the first half of the hike and then lightened up a little. The waves hitting the shore were huge and awesome to watch. We had hiked in with our camping stove and made nice hot tea while we sat on a wooden deck and watched the ocean in the rain. Good rain gear is so great to have. How else can you enjoy such a great day on the shore without getting cold and wet? Ryan brought a polaroid camera and took a few pictures when he wasn't jumping in puddles. Here are some of the shots from the day.

Here's me all set up to make a nice cup of tea.

Here's Ryan Splashing around in a puddle.

Here's an attempt at a self portrait.

The seaside cliffs aren't too stable, especially when it rains!

This is my favorite shot. The crows were perched on the rail. Ryan was sneaking in on them for a picture, but they got spooked and took off. I like them mid-flight better than if they had stayed on the rail.