Weeks Five and Six of the Covid-19 Lockdown: Doing the Scofflaw Thing in La Jolla
I took it seriously because as a person with multiple risk factors, I have a lot to lose. I also pay attention to what is happening to other people. Even if I am lucky enough to avoid this deadly virus, I know that others did not stand a chance. A vector is like an arrow. Hit or miss. Some people were unprotected. Others may have put themselves unnecessarily at risk. Regardless, by mid-March we all understood that the virus had been among us in some form or another since the New Year. It did not migrate to California and the U.S. some time in January. With the prevalence of air travel what it was last year, containment of such a threat could only be achieved through deliberate actions and changes.
I told readers of this forum that I have been visiting my parents with groceries and birthday celebrations as well as spending time with our daughter. Other than that, I bought about eight hundred dollars worth of meat, canned goods, chips and cookies. Initially I went to the grocery store way too often, perhaps putting myself at risk. Then I wised up and paid a little more just to pop by the liquor store or maybe RiteAid drugs for essential supplies. I got to the point that I jumped at any opportunity to leave the house. Our Sheriff Department, (North County,) has taken this much more seriously than SDPD. One time, coming home from Poway to visit our kids, I took an old road home so we could enjoy the lack of traffic and avoid I-15. I picked up a Sheriff who followed me for five miles on Pomerado Road!
So eventually I began to plot little road trips in the general direction of the Coast. Somehow Mrs. Junior was never up for it. My best idea was to start out in Cardiff and come home via the Torrey Pines Grade. So finally about a week ago, I rolled by Windansea Surfing Beach. I was quite surprised to see as many people near the street as I might see on a sunny day in August. Except for that they were only on the street and around the periphery of the various stairways and beach accesses. So there was yellow tape across the famous Windansea parking lot of yore. A motorcycle was parked on the asphalt, but only butted up against the yellow tape. BTW, local architect and pioneer surfer, Jim Neri had successfully redesigned the parking lot about fifteen years ago. The handicapped spot for divers to pull over and unload was empty. Bros were sitting around on the old wooden handrails around the landing to the wooden stairway down to the beach. People were sitting around the guard rails that kept the cars from falling down to the sand. But no one at all was down the stairs or on any trails. No one was on the beach, let alone in the water. The sand pristine. All was at rest. The public benches were inhabited by young families as the fathers sat on the sidewalk in beach chairs. Kids, Gen-Xers, Millenials and even myself as the last remaining vestige of the 1975 slacker crew milled about happily. I had recalled my adventure on the private beach in a previous comment thread.
So today, I had Mrs. Junior with me. We didn't leave the house until 5:00 p.m. and thus arrived at the perfect time of day. We started out on Prospect Street. I tried to tempt her with the dangerous prospect of a jaunt along the old Coast Walk by the Cave Curio Shoppe. She didn't bite. I noticed that there were premium parking spots all along the little hill leading down to the La Jolla Cove. I think we were on the vanguard as it was only today that restrictions had been lifted. We parked and spent about an hour at the zoo. Luxuriating, sleek, fat and happy Harbor Seals and Sea Lions lounged and occasionally climbed about with great effort on the rocks surrounded by wondrously enormous and well-preserved Brown Pelicans. This sight alone brought out my camera. I have yet to edit the photos. I look forward to the opportunity with enthusiasm. Walking to a vantage point, (leaning on the old white fence posts,) I did a study of the happy Cormorants, relaxing and feeding their young, their blue throats billowing in the brisk wind just below.
Ten minutes later we thought we would again visit Windansea. lolz. The handicapped ten minute parking was occupied by a white Parks and Rec vehicle. The officer had artistically wrapped yellow tape around his own rear-view mirrors and even in front of his truck which was at a careless angle at the ready to peel out on to Neptune Avenue. Out of the corner of my eye, I spied this joker. Yellow tape was in abundance, tangled around every available loop like it had been laid out by five-year-olds. No one was anywhere near the beach, although the public sidewalk was still open. Much to my amazement, there was a Border Patrol truck in the emergency vehicle only spot that had been open just one week before. As we rounded the familiar corner to the promenade, we were greeted by a SDPD SUV squad car. Gone were the crowds of happy people sitting with their families enjoying the day. Instead pedestrians kept moving in one direction like a lnely parade.
Oh well, let's see what's going on at the private beaches. The one I went to last week had the yellow tape back up and only one or two cars daring to park nearby. I finally spotted the super-secret private beach only to remember that it only led to a dangerous cliff. A couple of people had been hanging out. Finally, we made it to North Bird and parked our car. Windansea was a police enforcement area even while the tourist area a little bit to the north was without any police presence whatsoever. Finally, we stopped by Don Bravo's Bahia to get enchiladas and tacos. I asked Don Bravo if they were still selling wine. He gave Mrs. Junior a cup of wine as big as a small lemonade. We ate on a city bench in the business district of Birdrock, California.
Photos to come tomorrow. Flying Junior
Comments
Post a Comment