South x South-West
(the most South Western point in the USA)
This past weekends "Hike" was rather simple - Maria was tired and stayed home - so Allison and I packed up and headed south 15 or so miles to the Mexico-Tijuana border to visit the Border Field State Park - which is the most southerly and westerly point in the continental US.
We took a slight detour on our way there to visit Imperial Beach, the last San Diego beach town before Mexico.
(Note: Click on any image for full size version)
(Note: Click on any image for full size version)
Imperial Beach is the home to the US Open Sandcastle Building Competition. That's what this monument is.
You can see the skyline of San Diego off in the distance (15 miles)
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Imperial beach ends at the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve - the mouth of the river then empties into the Pacific (it's only a river in the Spring, otherwise its dry, which is typical of all rivers here)
The reserve is a popular Birding and Horseback riding site. It also has some sort of hybrid ground squirrel who was rather intrigued by us.
Said squirrels have quite the view - the mountains of Tijuana to one side, and the Pacific on the other
We took a quick picture (Mexico, and thus our destination, is in the background)
Since we had to get around the reserve, we jumped back in the car and headed a couple miles inland, then south, then back west to get to the actual park. Its rather barren on the way in - and the road is full of pot holes and loose rocks.
It cost $5.00 to get in (or you can park outside and hike in, but Allison wasn't in the mood)
We follow the border fence on the way in (that's Tijuana on the other side)
The park itself is rather small - BBQ's, a well kept washroom, and some decent views (That's San Diego in the distance).
We had our picture taken at the marker sign (ironically, the lady who took our pciture was from Toronto, and her husband graduated from the same university I did - "The Power of Chance Events"
The fence runs straight into the Pacific
And our neighbors our enjoying the beach as well (and they also get a nice viewing platform!)
We walked out to the beach to take a picture
You can tell San Diego is a Air Force town (Top Gun was filmed here)
The Border Patrol was present. They didn't recognize us as foreigners, luckily.
Americans or Canadians?
(she's sitting on the fence singing her favorite song "The Castle Song")
The Fence itself runs all the way back inland (about 554 km, off and on, into Texas)
We ended our mini hike by heading back the way we came. We stopped at a small farm and picked up some fruit - a big watermelon.
Allison approved!
The End!
