Yesterday, Jesse got off work at 4, so we decided to find adventure somewhere new. If you have ever driven south on the 5, in Encinitas, and looked right, you have probably noticed a lagoon. Also next to the lagoon are these cliffs. To me, these cliffs look nothing more than just boring old cliffs with tons of brush around them. Boy, was I wrong!!! This location is incredible, and nothing like what I ever expected! Lets start from the beginning. I Googled how to find the trail and where to park. I couldn't find the answer I was looking for. I found that the area is called San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve. So, naturally, I just mapped it on my phone. What came up was, to me, the place to go: San Elijo Lagoon County Park. We exited the freeway, drove to the end of the road and got out; so excited for our adventure. We found this trail, (AKA not the one we wanted) but still a cool trail. So, back on the road we went. We exited Manchester, turned left, and parked in Mira Costa College parking (after asking the police officer if that was alright). We crossed the street and were shocked to find... DEER!! Who would have thought?? Now, I'm trusting you with telling you these directions, in hopes that you will not disrespect nature, in ANY way!!! I want others to enjoy it, like Jesse and I did. Please don't litter, carve or destroy the nature. We continued on, until we found this fence. A jogger was coming toward the fence from the other side, so we crossed through. How pretty is that? I love hot air balloons! We passed parts of the lagoon and I am now convinced that the Loch Ness Monster lives in the lagoon!! (Ok, not really, but something creepy like it!) Not only did we see at least 3 snake-like creatures, but we saw, and mostly heard, more under the bridge. And, no, it wasn't our imagination, or ducks, ok?! We continued on the path, reached another fence, walked along the trail, and finally reached the bridge. You want to walk under the freeway bridge. My anxiety was pretty high, because it was nearing 7PM, so the sun wasn't going to be up much longer. We had a ways to go, and still wanted to enjoy it. So, we started jogging. There were two trail options, after the bridge. Take the right path. We did pass a few of these. Oops. Sorry mom. The true thrill, lay behind the yellow signs.. Of course, my monkey had to climb. :) Ah, my dangerous monkey scares me sometimes. I had to tell him to get down, 'cause he didn't realize how high he had climbed!! I considered doing some climbing of my own, but then I thought, mmm..better not! Lol Like I said, some parts get extremely narrow! I was beyond excited when I realized we had made it to the top in time to watch the sun set!! Sadly, we had problems taking motion shots :( But it was still fun. We do this jump everywhere. We were sad to leave this beautiful site, but it was getting so dark and creepy, we had to! Something you must know about me is that I am terrified of the dark!! Yes, I will openly admit that. Mind you, it was basically pitch black on our way back. We chose to take a different way back, due to the fact that it was a bit quicker, and the other way back didn't seem too appealing. At one point I was basically on Jesse's back as he macheted through "the forest", with his hands and body. We sometimes choose to make our own trail. (respecting the wildlife, obviously) Famished when we finally reached the car, we decided to stop and grab a bite at The Habit, off Lomas Santa Fe. This place is amazing! Awesomely delicious food, super cheap (like In-n-out) and unbelievable shakes and malts. The Habit Burger Grill was established in 1969, in Santa Barbara! They donate to various charities, schools, food banks, humane societies and more. I ordered the strawberry milkshake with a charburger + avocado. MMM! The best part? They have caramelized onions on their burgers!! Heaven! Jesse got the teriyaki charburger, which has pineapple; and he also got the chocolate malt. All in all, another amazing adventure. Now, here is my favorite picture of the day! Thanks for reading! Until next time! Ciao
3 Comments
|
AuthorA passionate lover of food, adventure, traveling, and enjoying life! Archives
October 2017
Categories
All
|