Week 10: Sauntering around the Quarry Loop

Admiral Baker golf course and the San Diego River.  So close, so far

 So once again we do not advance upriver today.  Simply put I have a deadline at work and taxes and we are a bit too harried to spend the day on the lake.  We still want to do so, it's just not gonna happen this weekend.  So we have found a more local section of river to explore for the time being.
I had actually considered doing this trail as part of the original river walk.  We would have been here Week 3 (and likely Week 4) had we done it.  We chose instead to follow the south bank for three reasons:
1.  Public transit in Tierrasanta is pretty much non-existent during the weekend
2.  Getting to this neighborhood from the mission is non-trivial and involves a lot of walking through neighborhoods with no real sense of the river.
3.  it would have been a lot longer.
I did however want to check of the Quarry Loop, which looked like it might afford some nice views of the valley, and so we found ourselves driving along Tierrasanta Blvd. past the neighborhoods we might have been walking through had the universe been just a little different.  Finally Tierrasanta Blvd. ended and there began our walk.

Kind of like "Where the Sidewalk Ends" except better

Every end is a new beginning.

I read somewhere that the origin of the word "Sauntering" dates back to time when beggars went village to village seeking contributions for their journey to the "Holy Land,"  which in French is "Saint Terrier."   At some point a fellow mocking their behavior coined the term "Sauntering" and it went the renaissance equivalent of viral.  I have always loved this story as I like to believe that in my own sauntering I seek some sort of holy spirit, and that the "holy land" is all around me, especially here in the neighborhood of "Tierrasanta" which also translates roughly to "Holy Land".  Sixty years ago however it was more a "holey land" than a holy land.  The military used to do a lot of target practice out this way before they deeded it to the city.  Though they did an extensive cleanup before deeding it to the city there are still unexploded munitions lying around.
So we wandered down a jogging path that began at the end of the road and found that it ended maybe 100 yards later.  But where it ended, a more crude trail began, winding up along the backside of the subdivisions.

We think this is a trail.

Panorama of the quarry

It was not long before we were treated to the first of many stunning vistas.  While the legality of this route was questionable it was clearly enjoyed by many locals, including a jogger who had passed us early on.  As we continued our climb we saw the trail marked with stone borders and cairns.  Never far from us was the quarry for which "Quarry loop" is named, and the signs advising us that going beyond the fence would be a really bad idea.  Whatnot with all the blasting, and steep dropoffs and potentially unstable slopes I was happy to heed such warnings and enjoy the land through which we were wandering.

Looking further up river.

A vestige of what must be the old wagon road or something.

 The problem with these unofficial trails, however is that they have a habit of petering out and ceasing to become a trail.  I enjoy bushwhacking, but can't really shake the feeling that I might be trampling sensitive vegetation.  It was with relief that we soon found the official Quarry trail of Mission Trails Regional Park.  Set back a bit from the dropoff, it still afforded amazing views as we climbed higher and higher.  We were passed by mountain bikers, joggers, other hikers.  Pretty much everyone passes us.  We are not in a hurry, but we do cover ground if given time.

Season of blooms.

Deerfield loop

Looking back on Grantville and the great bowl in which it lies.

Over the hills: the land beyond the gorge.

You don't need to be at the highest summit to get the best view. Sometimes its all about the sight lines.  I have summited all the peaks of Mission Trails, and found something special with every view.  On Nearby Cowles, the Kummeyaay built their observatory not on the summit, but on the shoulder where the sight lines at winter solstice made the sun appear to split in two.  When bragging rights cease to be top priority, one discovers many more subtle wonders. The trail up to the quarry loop is not a particularly prominent summit, but appropriate for river walk.  It affords some lively views upstream and downstream.  We spot El Capitan through the eye of a needle.  Downstream, the topographic bowl of Grantville that lies at the confluence several canyons is obvious.  It's been awhile since we were looking at the river west of Mission Trails and it seems a bit of a different place.  The marine layer often ends right around here.  Further inland it is sunny and warm while we stay cloudy and cool near the coast.  After our time out by Lakeside I am a newly aware of the crowds.  We are changing on this walk, very slowly, but powerfully.

Cowles peak and the deerfield loop in 3-D.

The hill for which Del Cerro is named.

Mission Gorge in 3-D.

Looking through Mission Gorge where the river flows.

Mission trails visitor's center.

Little, purple, different!

Panorama from the highest point of our journey.

El Capitan in the distance.

Colorful wildflowers.

 As I said before this was a quick journey,  we look forward to returning next week however and weather permitting, getting a bit more upstream.  Until then . . .

Wandering back down through Tierrasanta.