An iNat meet-up and outing in Southern California in September 2022
Hello everyone,
I (@susanhewitt) will be staying at the Moonlight Beach Motel in Encinitas, San Diego North County, for 16 nights, from the evening of Monday Sept 12th, to the early afternoon of Wednesday Sept 28th.
I would love to be part of an iNat meetup and nature walk one day during that time span, so some planning is in order. I do know the more obvious parts of the coastal nature of the area fairly well after many visits, and my taxon of special expertise is mollusks -- I know the Southern California marine mollusks very well.
I assume that a Saturday or a Sunday would be best for most people? There is the weekend of the 17/18th, and the weekend of the 24/25th. As for a destination, I was thinking maybe of the San Elijo Lagoon, or maybe the Torrey Pines preserve.
But I would be glad to listen to suggestions from other people. I won't have a car, but I can go somewhere in a taxi or bus.
Vasily Reinkymov suggested I might ask:
@juliabohemian
@ronvanderhoff
@silversea_starsong
@arboretum_amy
@jmillsand
@miguelgrande
@bugbob
@fmroberts2
And James (silversea_starsong) suggested I ask:
@anewmark
@madily
@u_phantasticus
@bridgetspencer
@nathanfrench
So please, if you get this message, and are interested in any way, let me know.
Happy iNatting!
Susan
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Normally I would absolutely be interested, but I'm actually heading down to Central America for 2 months starting next week. I'd love to join in next time!
@bridgetspencer @u_phantasticus @juliabohemian
@jmillsand -- thanks -- maybe next year. :)
@silversea_starsong -- thanks for the corrections!
I'm definitely interested! The best day for me is Sunday the 18th, I have a pretty busy month. I can try to make another weekend day work though, whatever everyone's schedules allow. Thanks!
Sunday 18th sounds good, but we will see what day works for other people. And @u_phantasticus, do you have any suggestions about where to go?
I always pass Torrey Pines on the way back from La Jolla but I've never gone. I just stopped at San Elijo Lagoon last time I went to La Jolla.
I can do Saturday the 18th or the 25th. Thanks for thinking of me.
I can do any of those weekend dates. Here's to hoping the weather cools down! (nasty heat wave we are having now)
Thanks Amy! I wonder what time we would need to have the meet-up start, in order to give everyone time to drive down here and park?
Susan
Thank you for the invite but coincidentally I will be out of town from the 11th-28th.
Oh, OK Nathan. Maybe next year...
I really enjoy San Elijo, especially since they've opened up new trails and done a lot of restoration work. Staying nearby the coast will be cooler as well. But I'm open to anything local! There's a chance I'll be busy in the afternoon but I'll hang out for as long as possible :)
It should take me about 70 min to get to San Elijo Lagoon, or 80 min to get to Torrey Pines. My husband is notoriously hard to get out the door in the early morning so I probably couldn't be any earlier than 9 am.
Parking is limited in their lot. There's a separate lot across the street.
Ah, that is good to know. Thanks. You are talking about San Elijo, right?
What would the tides be like during the day on Sunday Sept 18th?
Yes. San Elijo has a tiny parking lot near the main entrance that accommodates like 8 cars. Across the street is another small lot that might hold closer to 20.
On 9/18, you are looking at 2-4 feet above sea level if you go to the beach during the day. The lowest tide is just before midnight on the 17th, or around 1am on the 19th, between .8 and 1.1 feet above sea level. It's not a great low tide. I usually won't bother unless it is close to zero or below. One of the nice things about La Jolla is that you can tide pool in the middle of the night and no one bothers you. But the distance from the point where you enter the beach to the water is very short. So, that path will be entirely under water before the tide is at its highest. There are other beaches where you can tide pool for 2 or more hours before and after the lowest tide and still see plenty of things, but none in La Jolla.
There's a negative tide around 4am on 9/11 (which I realize you would miss), and one close to zero around 2-3 am on 9/23 and 9/24. Those are the lowest tides during your visit.
I do believe I will be free that weekend, unless Nathan wants to take me on vacation with him ;) ;)
So, it seems that our meetup and nature walk will take place on Sunday Sept 18th, starting in the morning, but I am not sure yet exactly what time we should begin.
It will take place at the San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve and Nature Center, the main entrance to which is at 2710 Manchester Ave, Cardiff, CA 92007. Parking is limited in their lot, but there may in fact be a sufficient number of spaces for us. If not, there is also a separate lot across the street.
There are numerous different trails in the Reserve, so in theory we don't all have to stay together, unless we prefer it that way.
So far the iNatters planning to attend seem to be:
@susanhewitt -- Susan
@u_phantasticus -- Elena
@arboretum_amy -- Amy and Joe
@juliabohemian -- Julia
@anewmark -- Andrew
Additional folks would be welcome, but let me know in advance if possible.
I will almost certainly be there unless something comes up.
My husband is coming with me.
@arboretum_amy -- great! what is his name?
And what time would be most convenient for you to get to the reserve?
@u_phantasticus -- what is your first name? (answer - Elena)
And what time would be most convenient for you to get to the reserve?
@juliabohemian -- if you can't come, let me know.
And what time would be most convenient for you to get to the reserve?
@anewmark -- what time would be most convenient for you to get to the reserve?
Hi everyone. I am trying to work out what time should be the official start of the event. Therefore I am looking for feedback from everyone as to what time would work best.
I guess we can meet up in the parking lot, or between there and the nature center, which is pretty cool.
I should mention that I have a wonky foot and therefore I can't walk long distances (more than about a mile and a half) or stand still for long periods of time (like more than 10 minutes). I might stick to the main trail that starts near the nature center and goes round in a loop. I will also be bringing a small portable chair. And lunch and water of course. There are multiple other trails at the Reserve, so if some people are feeling more adventurous, they are welcome to branch off of the group and go to another trail, either right away or after we finish the first loop.
If anyone has shells that they would like me to ID, they could bring the shells with them and show them to me.
So it turns out that I have something mid-morning I have to get to. If you guys are out early/late enough I'll join, but there's a chance I won't be able to make it. Sorry! I'll keep you updated.
Any time is convenient for me really, I'm an early bird
How about we start at 9 am? Does that sound OK for most of us/all of us?
9am is fine with me
Yes 9 am is good. My husband's name is Joe.
OK that sounds good. 9 am it is. I plan to be around for 2 hours or so, but anyone who wants to stay longer is welcome to do so.
@u_phantasticus Is 9 am early enough for you? Or not?
It should be, I can probably stay for an hour or so if that's alright. Thanks!
Sure, and you can leave whenever works best for you!
Apologies, I have to bow out for tomorrow. Family engagement happening at 10 that is superseding my entire life!!
I am thinking of doing a sunrise hike a little further south and then meeting up with you at San Elijo at 9am. I wish they opened earlier.
@anewmark -- OK Andy, maybe another time.
@juliabohemian. I hope you enjoy your sunrise hike. And yes, the Lagoon opens at 9 am.
I’ll be there at 9! Will only be able to stay for about half an hour or so, but I’m excited to meet everyone! -Elena
Hey Elena,
Even half an hour will be good!
If anyone needs to get hold of me at any point for any reason, my cell phone number is:
646 - 240 - 1179
Susan
Hope you all have fun!
Thanks James.
Thanks to all. I had a great time!
Likewise, thanks for a great morning! :)
Nice to meet you all.
I learned a lot, and saw several new things that I would not have found by myself, so thanks to everyone.
Glad you had fun, sorry I wasn't there to add to the adventure!
Assuming everything goes OK in our lives, I hope to be able to do another iNat meet-up and outing at about the same time next year.
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