Taking a Walk Carlsbad Style

I love visiting the blogs of some of my British friends who take us on walks around their neighborhoods.  Usually there are scenes of country cottages, fields, grassy tracks, cows, sheep and ponies, as well as verges of wild flowers all appropriately named. I thought this was something I would like to do for those who visit my blog, but our landscape is so different.  

So last week when Moth and I decided to go for a walk, I grabbed my camera and we hopped in the car-- yes, the car, to go for a walk.  Otherwise we tramp the sidewalks of our neighborhood, which I have to say is quite nice but a typical area of what we call tract homes.

Our walks usually take place at the beach front or at the harbor. If you are sweltering in triple digit heat or melting under pouring rain and/or humidity, I apologize in advance.  Our typical 'normal' San Diego weather is 76 at the beach, getting hotter by degrees as you travel inland.

Once we're down at the ocean front,  the next item is to find a parking spot. Cars and people are everywhere. Moth usually ends up dropping me off and parking a couple of blocks away.  His walk to find me is considered part of his exercise.

But once we're together again the views are worth the effort.  If you're a beach person, which we're not, you can start drooling now.

The beach is endless.  From where we start walking there is a good 25 miles of beautiful beach coast line. Double click on the photo above and way off in the distance you can see La Jolla which is just this side of San Diego. We don't walk on the beach.  Too hard on the knees and too many bodies.  

This is the first and most popular way down to Tamarack Beach.and here Moth and I part company once again. Moth goes down the hill and I stay up top.

The City of Carlsbad has worked very hard to make this area attractive.  In the picture below  you can see that there are two levels for walking.  The railings at the top are interspersed with benches as stopping places.  Ideal for me and I can hang on to the railings if I get dizzy. Down below they have built a special  walk way. This is a favorite for most people.  Both walks, top and bottom are at least a mile long.  But if you choose the bottom walk way, be warned, the only way out is up a lot of steps (set at intervals along the path) or turn around and go back the way you came. It didn't look very busy when these photos were taken, but by this far along the walkways people have begun to spread out.

I measure my progress by the numbers on the life guard stations.  I'm not getting very far yet -- two to three life guards and back again is definitely my limit.  20 minutes probably.  Meanwhile Moth walks about 45 minutes to an hour along with his CD's -- courses from "The Teaching Company".  I sit on a bench and wait at the place where we started and people watch -- or more aptly, dog-watch.  This area abounds with dog walkers (baggies and bins provided)  moms with kids in strollers, serious walkers and runners as well as health conscious couples. No skate boarders or in-line skating.

But at the end of all our exertions we visit the surf shop where we started and....

...Harbor Fish and Chips.  All that hard walking lost forever!

But that was last Monday.  We don't always end up with fish and chips --truly we don't!