THE WILD & DOMESTICATED DESERT DOG THAT STANDS TO FACE THE SUNSET

Hike review: San Elijo Lagoon, Solana Beach, CA. 5/21/05.

Went out Saturday morning for a refreshing jaunt into coastal California with my friend Steven. The trail begins at a roadside clearing in Rancho Santa Fe and meanders westward to the Pacific Ocean through a muddy eucalyptus grove, parallel to a marsh, under Interstate 5, over some wooden planks, and across some concrete rocks, all the while passing toyon bushes, dry yellow grasses, mustard plants, reeds, sedges, those little rattler pod plants I can't identify, those strange brown bushes that grow plastic orange angel hair pasta on the top, a singular bristlecone pine living in thick beach sand, alligator lizards, bleached white egrets, heard-but-not-seen owls, and snail trails making a reflective silver garland on the bunches of miner's lettuce that sprange up from last month's rains, which we picked and took a few bites of.

Later on that day we had a BBQ at Steven's house, where we cooked us some marinated porkchops topped with a mango, onion, and jalapeno compote, mushrooms sauteed in butter, lemon, and lime, grilled green onions, and bell peppers -- both red and green. Also, beer.