Week 2: Carlsbad Village to Poinsettia

So we caught the train from old town this morning due to several extenuating logistical issues.  We also got a bit of an earlier start taking the 9:53 train northwards rather than the 12:27.  There was a bit of a marine layer that became apparent as we emerged out of Sorrento Valley.  Ahead of us today we have the power plant. On a clear day you can see it from just about anywhere along the coast.

 Anita looks quite excited for this leg of the voyage.
 There are so many flavors of beach access along the coast here.  This is one of the more discreet examples  Check out the view of the water between the buildings.

There's my lady wondering when I'll stop snapping pictures and join her.

Tower 38.

Tower 37

 The ocean and the grey sky

Tower 35 (Did I miss 36?)

Anita Smiling back at me.  I apparently have a bad habit of putting my left finger in front of the lens.

Outflow for Agua Hedionda Lagoon

There I am updatign my facebook status.

We have now reached the primary landmark for this leg of our journey:  The Carlsbad power plant

I am perpetually in admiration of the life here.  This Squirrel was fairly agressive.  I suspect a number of people have fed the qildlife here.  There are often fishermen on these jetties at the outflow of the lagoon

This dude on the right was being weird.  I kept offering to let him pass while he insisted on waiting until Anita started trying to take a picture at which point he saw it fit to walk right through WTF?  Don't I get a hug?

Heading down the other side of the outflow.

A popular activity on this beach is making charcoal sketches on the seawall with debris from the firepits.  Some of it is quite good actually.  This is not a "Wild" coastline, but one of human construction, and it is the Anthropocene time where WE are the greatest terraformers. 

Anita has a special association with the number 33 and we marked the occasion of our passage here with a little artwork of our own.

The outflow for the Carlsbad power plant.  Quite a current!

And there it is now

Tower 30 (not sure what happened to 31 or 32, sorry)

Birds beneath the powerplant

God that looks phallic!

And we continue on

Much of the Beach here is "armored" to protect the homes.  Paradoxically this has the effect of eroding the beach seaward of the walls by intensifying the wave energy rather than letting it run out inland.  South of the power plant we have our first encounter with limited walkability on the shoreline.

Looking back the power plant now behind us

Barefoot time!  The water feel delicious!

We are now along a stretch of beach with less houses and more cliffs, where the wild is allowed to be.  Here the cliffs are not so tall, and have some interesting bits of grafitti etched into their faces.

Now it's all behind us.

A second outflow, not sure to what creek

Tower 29,  that was a long slog from 30!

We have finally reached South Carlsbad state beach.  Time is getting short, but we keep finding so much beauty.  Here is a piece of rock that used to anchor some kelp.

I promise Anita that it will be the 3rd staircase and no further and that we won't get lost this time.  And after a brief stroll we are indeed there.

Heading up the 3rd staircase

The view from the top

A secret passage through the subdivision

Poinsettia Station

We made it here with time to spare.  It was not clear which side of the track we were supposed to be on, fortunately the other riders had us covered there.  I recall chatting with a friendly woman in a Yoga outfit.