Vol. Mmviiieditor: Lloyd Johnsonissue: March

Vol. MMVIIIEditor: Lloyd JohnsonIssue: March

Equinox:

The equinox lies ahead, March 19th, about 9:45pm. It gives us a day and night of equal length, 12 hours. It's also a day when the sun sets in the west, rather than northwest or southwest. This should give us a silhouette of San Clemente Island at sunset March 18-20. Afterwards, we will have progressively longer days and sunsets in the northwest.

The Beach in General:

There were only a few warm and sunny days in January and February. There was a great deal of rain. Often there are only dozens of people on the beach, but there have been over a hundred people on hot days. Usually we lose much of our sand by this time, but it’s still here. Very high tides do leave us with little dry sand and very low tides leave us with islands and pools in the surf. Water temperatures have been a steady 57.

Parking Lots:

The north lot will be closed occasionally, for the glider runway. This forces people who use the north lot to share the west and east lots. There is still adequate parking. You just may not park where you prefer.

Calendars:

We are again offering two Black's Beach Calendars, each filled with photos taken at Black's Beach. National holidays are listed as well as our picnic dates and Catalina sunset dates. One features Sunsets and the other is a wildlife theme, all from free dives. It includes crustaceans, fish, jellyfish and other invertebrates. Low-resolution samples are available on our "merchandise" page. The price is $20, shipping already included.

Sunsets and the Green Flash:

A popular activity for locals and tourists at Black's Beach is watching sunset. With a sharp horizon and a clear sky, it should be possible to see the green flash following sunset. Once the sun gets low enough in the sky and the refraction of our atmosphere separates colored images of the sun, we can see the green image above the red image.

I set a video camera on a tripod, set it at maximum zoom and focused on infinity. I took this frame from my February 27th footage. In the upper left is a passing bird. The oval near center was pale green, the green flash. The lighted area under that was the red glow of the setting sun.

Flies:

This is the time of year when the flies can become a bother. They don’t bite, but they are annoying. When there is a lot of seaweed and no wind, they don’t leave us alone. On those days you will find seaweed covered with flies that swarm every time anybody comes near. The remedy is to move every single piece of seaweed far from yourself, and out of the path of by passers. It’s also a good idea to use some kind of repellent.

Spring Tide:

Spring tide is a condition of very high and very low tides in the same 24 hours. The highest occur about 12 hours apart, but I only list the higher, of the two. This time of year it’s mostly a matter of knowing whether there is dry sand far from the cliffs.

Spring tides are closely bound to new and full moon, but comparably high a few days before and after. Also the time of highest tide gets about 40 minutes later each day.

Tar on the Beach:

The currents sometimes wash tar up onto our beach this time of year. Some of us try to pick it up, but more keeps washing up. Watch your step and watch where you spread your towel. It’s very hard to get it off. To remove it, use any oil-based product. Some people carry baby oil, or suntan oil just for that purpose. Even lip balm will work in a pinch. Because some people pick it up, it’s less likely other people will step in it or ruin a towel. If you’re going to pick it up, consider using a kelp leaf.

Clothing Optional Oases:

I’m providing a list of some of the other clothing optional opportunities in and around San Diego, for the benefit of readers who don’t yet know. Consider them a backup plan for cooler days. There are links to all these clubs through the Black's Beach Bares website, on the "clubs" page.

San Diego Naturist Club is a new club in San Diego County. Camping Bares is a travel club that meets for potlucks, day hikes and camping. The nudist resorts in the area include De Anza Springs and Sun Island. A little farther away are Glen Eden and Olive Dell.

Black's Beach Diggers:

When it was first built seven years ago, it was hailed as the Stairway to Heaven, because it bridged a treacherous part of the trail. Recently people started calling it London Bridge. Finally, Black's Beach Diggers have taken aim at the problem. Much of the staircase has already been removed and replaced with earthen steps, supported by lumber and steel spikes. Other bad spots in the trail have been identified and targeted for improvement.

The Diggers are not paid, and they buy their own supplies. They are simply nudists who want to keep the trail open. So far this year they have spent nearly $500 on supplies. They accept donations of cash and lumber. You can give them donations when you see them or send it to me and I will forward it.

Your Submissions Please:

Long-time readers must notice that many things are repeated month after month. Much of this will continue, as there is information that first-time visitors may appreciate.

You can help add variety to these newsletters by submitting an article of your own. You can mail it, email it or give it to me personally.

Membership and Subscriptions:

There is no official list of members and I rarely check subscription expirations. Subscriptions by US mail are $10/year, and I ask $2/year for email subscriptions.

Many people take free copies from the bulletin board and the people who read newsletters from the website are uncounted too. These free sources of the newsletter will continue, because keeping people informed is the point.

Please consider making a donation anyway. There are monthly expenses for operating the website. You decide if the newsletter, the website or the trail have made your visit better, and donate accordingly.