Arch Rock 7, V21-36 (11S-419806-3716430, 15’x20’), Cliff Island, Little Corona Del Mar Beach, CA
After spending a day in Irvine, CA with Aunt Libby, we headed out to Little Corona Del Mar Beach the next morning for sunrise. Unfortunately, this was one of those early mornings when “….clouds got in my way.” There were a few moments of sunlight followed by dark clouds, a morning thunderstorm and then more clouds. Fortunately, our timing was impeccable. We watched the sunrise, took a few photographs and were safely sheltered at the Rose Bakery Café for fresh donuts before the rain started.
We waited out the rain and then returned to the beach and made our way to Cliff Island and the arch. It is probably an easy walk during a minus tide, but it was not and the low tide was not until mid-day when the light would be even worse, so we waded through tidal pools and navigated the slippery boulders to a suitable, though not ideal, vantage point. Fortunately, some Brown Pelicans flew by framed by the arch, so it wasn’t a total waste of time and within a few weeks the gashes on my leg had healed nicely.
The rope hanging from the arch is because many visitors cliff jump from the top of the arch. I checked our itinerary, and fortunately, this was not included.
On The Road, Summer 2022
We live in the beautiful Sonoran Desert, so when the temperatures consistently reach triple digits, we migrate and explore.
There is very little that is random on our itineraries since we strive to reach select wilderness destinations in the best light for photography. Coastal hikes often require low tides that correlate with sunrise or sunset and inland hikes to natural arches, waterfalls and other destinations that require long drives or hikes, often require pre-dawn departures to reach destinations before the light becomes too harsh and the temperatures too hot.
Even then, as Joni Michell wrote and Judy Collins first recorded, there are those pesky clouds:
“But now they only block the sun
They rain and they snow on everyone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way.”
In mid-June, we headed west to the Colorado Desert in southern California, then up the California coast before cutting inland to Pinnacles National Park and Mt. Shasta. From there, we traveled across southern Oregon before dropping down into southeast Idaho, northeast Utah and across to western Colorado for a week in the Fruita area. Afterwards we stopped in Boulder, Denver, Littleton and Del Norte, Colorado before heading into New Mexico where we made stops in Taos, Las Vegas, Abiquiu and Counselor before crossing back into Arizona, and arriving home.
Details are within the slide shows, but thanks to our friends and relatives: Libby, Sarah and Jason, Jim, Guy and Lisa, Steven, Bonnie and Myra, Karen and David, Marilyn and Joel, David and Judy, Ross, Kate and Greg, Bob and Carol, another Carol and Peter who fed us, housed us, hiked with us and guided us. We loved spending time with you all.
