Surf City, USA

If images of famous California surf songs come to your mind when seeing Huntington Beach, you are right on target. Surfing, USA!!! Places like Huntington Beach is exactly what inspired the Beach Boys. Little did I know that they actually hold some of the pro/am surfing competitions. Will return just for the thrill of seeing some of the world's champions on surfboards. That's in June.

I arrived bright and early, 0700 hours. The best way to really get out and explore the LA area and the vicinity. It was a beautiful grey morning with a bit of mist in the air coming off the ocean. People were already walking the boardwalk, getting set up for volleyball tournaments, artisans setting up booths for their artistry, and the local cafes filling in with folks: Sugar Shack Cafe was definitely the most popular eating vendor. Starbucks came in a running second.

And of course the surfing. People out and about with surfboards tagging under arms or doing the surf float waiting for the perfect wave. Black dots were plenty visible by the Huntington Beach Pier. Every so once in awhile a Black dot would rise from the grey water to glide on water and spume to merge back into the depths and await for the next ride. Surfing shops abound in all of the glory. And there is a Surf Hall of Fame stars along a part of the main street boardwalk.

But of course the main reason for my day of adventures was to visit the Bolsa Chica Ecological Preserve along the coast. A fellow ASU friend met me there and we watched the birds to see. Snowy egrets, great egrets, a snowy plover, curlews, sandpipers, grebes (at least four different species), cormorants, and more! This is a hot spot for migrating birds. So any birder would absolutely love to spend hours on ends in search for the rare sighting. And indeed my friend has a passion for birding so got the opportunity to hear about the more detailed species available than just the common names. I was able to say, "Oh, there is a curlew!" And I would get a response saying, "A long - billed Curlew." At least I am good at knowing the general species but not able to distinguish between different subspecies. For an amateur birder that is pretty good by my standards without any previous knowledge except the knowledge of birds through my parents. I guess I have learned a lot more on birds than I originally suspected.

So indeed are rare gems among the proliferating metropolis at large to be found. It is easy to forget there is country or smaller towns not too far away as the city landscape is seemingly miles on ends in all the four directions. So gems, I seek thee. To glory in all of your simplicity of beauty.