At about 6am, clouds above San Miguel Peak.
Early sun radiates off false peaks while editor trudges.
Our editor does not enjoy sleeping much past 4:20am these days, the time she woke us to head for
San Miguel Mountain, another favorite hike. The reason for the early departure is, of course, to see the
show the sun provides each morning. We have said many times before, it is not always the place of the
hike that reveals beauty but rather, the time. The problem with early hikes is that to reach a summit,
one has to leave well before sunrise. The higher the peak, the more accentuated is the challenge.
This presents its own issues such as walking in the dark, leaving very early in the morning as well as
finding one's way over rugged terrain with illumination from a flashlight. The answer might be to do
the hike in the late afternoon when there is sunlight for the climb. However, then one descends in
the dark. Putting those hazards aside, the rewards far exceed any hardships. Both times have merit.
Early morning sky above East County.
From part way up San Miguel Mountain, looking towards Mexico.
We were saying to our editor the other day how fortunate we feel to have her all to our self now
that the kids are out the home—well, it's nearly four years since the youngest left. However, we were
reminiscing and as time goes by so fast, we brought up the topic again. "Look how much fun we can
have with just the two of us around, especially once Robbie returned to San Francisco after a
surprise visit this week."
We were impressed and in a state of anticipation when she replied, 'Wait until you see what
I've planned."
We were so excited that we could hardly eat. The thought of a surprise, together with the twinkle
in her eye and wink, kept us in a state of abeyance. What could we expect from our young wife?
The next picture displays what she considers an adventurous, action packed and exciting
few moments of marriage bliss:
What a sixty-two year old woman considers having fun. Woe is me. You should have seen her nearly
3 hours earlier when she made the barbed wire fence climb in the dark.
On our return from the hike, which we did together with Sean Bradford, a delightful young man half
the editor's age, we took a quick look at our marriage contract. We don't remember what Jenni's
parents promised when her hand was asked in marriage. We decided to read the small print to ascertain
whether we could expect further surprises.
Coronado Bridge and Downtown San Diego catch first sunlight.
Particularly exciting scene as we look east.
A mountainous, misty scene in San Diego from San Miguel.
Homing beacons are positioned on San Miguel Mountain. The signals emitted provide aircraft heading towards
Lindberg Field Airport a path to follow onto the runway. We mentioned once before, whenever we are in the
area, we like to assist pilots by pointing them in the correct direction, in case the radio is not operating.
Hell, if we can do our bit to help, why not? Should you be flying into the airport in the future, we can
understand your wishing us to be hiking in the vicinity on that day.
The hike, depending on who you ask, is 7 to 8 miles with an elevation gain of over 2,000 feet. In places,
it is very steep and a little slippery. It is a terrific experience enhanced by having a low level of users.
We recommend it highly.
Contrast the scenes below, which are at coastal level, of sunsets as opposed to the above sunrises.
The sun outlines the clouds on the horizon in silver, gold higher in the sky.
Golden clouds, orange and black too, set in a blue sky.
Rays travel up and outwards as sun moves down.
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
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