Otay Lake Trail (#3)

May 25, 2010 - On the southern end of Lower Otay Lakes in Chula Vista is a small, pleasant County park. It was at this same location, a loong time ago... let's say about 32 or 33 years ago, that there used to be some pretty righteous parties with live rock and roll music, a few kegs of beer and lots of good friends. I wasn't there, mind you, I just heard about it from some good friends. Anyway, it is at this spot that I recently went for one of my walking adventures. I began with a climb up to the top of Otay Lake Trail peak.
It was a very good trail, about a half mile to the top, with some real nice views. Naturally, I could see the beautiful lake that I have come to know over my my years in this area. There is also an interesting view looking west over at the 125 Toll Road Bridge. On a clearer day, and with a higher zoom factor, you should be able see the houses in my neighborhood. That whole stretch of green will actually become part of the Otay River Valley Regional Park system.
Also, looking east from the peak, you can see the Donovan Estates or, more accurately, the Donovan State Prison. The truth is, right as I arrived at the top, a VERY loud outbreak of gunbursts ensued. I came pretty darn close to throwing myself to the ground with visions of a jail break in my head before I reminded myself that 1) the prison was several miles away and 2) that there is a firing range by the prison. Since it only took me about 45 minutes round trip to return to the base of the peak, I decided to do some further explorations on the surrounding fire roads and trails. I'm glad I did. Not only did I get more much needed exercise (did I tell you my alternate name for this blog is "Walking My Fat Butt Off?"), but my off trail exploration led to me finding this really lush canyon oasis which appears to be where the Otay River Valley ends as it butts up against the hills. That has given me an idea for one my future hikes which will be from my home, eastward under the bridge, all the way to this canyon. Pretty cool, huh? I'll let you know how that goes.

MAP

Rice Canyon Trail (#2)

May 24, 2010 - Day two of my quest for walkin' & bloggin' found me close to home once again. Perusing "Trails.com" (of which I am now a contributing member) I selected the Rice Canyon trail for my next stroll. The trailhead is directly across from Discovery Park where you will find the very cool cactus garden pictured above. Much of the 4 mile there and back trail is wide and well groomed. The canyon trail is surrounded on both sides by the nice neighborhoods of Rancho Del Rey, Chula Vista. The best part of the walk was on my return trip when I crossed over to the south side of the canyon and found the narrow trail you see here. This part of the trail crosses some really nice meadows on the canyon slope and gives much more of a sense of being out in the wilderness. A very nice walk! MAP

The First Steps - Otay Valley Regional Park (#1)

Whether it's hiking a trail or learning how to create a "blog," you have to start somewhere, right? For me, this is one such beginning. You see, I plan to walk/hike, obsessively, around and throughout San Diego County and beyond, while journaling my experience and reflections on this here bloggy-thingy. Why? Because I want to walk... and I want to blog. So here I go! May 22, 2010 - My journey began only three miles from my home on this Otay Valley Regional Park System trail. The trail head we used (top photo) is off of Main Street in Chula Vista, CA, just west of the 805 freeway. My wife and, synonymously, best friend, accompanied me on this walk which amounted to a four mile loop westward to 3rd Avenue and back. If you live in the South Bay area and have not been on this trail, you would be pleasantly surprised. The trail will eventually link all the way to Imperial Beach.        Map