Vol. MMVIIEditor: Lloyd Johnson Issue: January / February

The shortest day of our year is behind us, but winter has just begun. Beginning January 3rd Earth moves farther from the sun, until July 5th.

The Beach in General:

November and December were wet and cool. Perhaps people in the rest of the country can accept such weather, but we pay the sunshine tax and expect warmer weather. There were at least a few nice, warm days.

The bad news is that we've finally been hit by the tides and storms that take away our sand. Even at low tide, the only dry sand is up against the cliff. We will need to bring tarps and chairs to relax in comfort. The high tides will now crowd us up against the unstable cliffs.

The days are short, warming late in the morning and cooling early in the afternoon. A few hundred now visit the beach on warm weekends, only dozens on weekdays.

Spring Tide:

Spring tide is a condition of very high and very low tides in the same 24 hours. The highest tides these three months occur at about 8:30am. As a result, we get a wide, wet beach during the busy day. While the highest tides are closely tied to the new and full moon, this month they are actually a little higher a few days before. You may want to bring a chair, or tarp, just to keep dry and away from the cliff.

moon / Low / High
Jan / 3 / full / -1.5 / 7.0 8:17am
Jan / 19 / new / -1.6 / 7.0 8:40am
Feb / 2 / full / -1.1 / 6.4 8:48am
Feb / 17 / new / -1.6 / 6.9 8:30am
Mar / 3 / full / -0.5 / 5.8 8:34am
Mar / 19 / new / -0.5 / 5.9 10:03am

Parking Lots:

The Buick Invitational will be early this year, January 22-29. The good news is that improvements will be made to the dirt lots, in preparation for the event. The bad news is that it always impacts our parking and slows traffic to a crawl. There will be no street parking. Attendants may try to bar access to the lot. When you reach the front, tell them you are going to the beach and they must let you in. Parking will still be hard to find.

Trail and Cliffs:

The trail suffered only minor damage from recent storms, but there’s sure to be more rain. Black's Beach Diggers have not made any improvements yet, but it's still early in the season.

The cliff above Valentine Slide continues to be unstable, as well as the area north of that. Water soaked cliffs fall as they dry. They fall more in the winter, but the time of greatest risk is night and early morning. Try not to be there when it happens.

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, or options to fighting Buick Invitational traffic. There are links to all these clubs through the Black's Beach Bares website, on the "clubs" page.

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 Swallows Sun Island. A little farther away are Glen Eden and Olive Dell.

2007 Calendars:

Black's Beach Bares has produced two calendars for 2007. Low-resolution pictures are available on our "shirts" page. These calendars don't have the "novelties" of last years', December 39 and the early Easter. You might want to buy one this year, even though they lack those qualities that make them collectible. $15 gets you either calendar and $5 more gets it shipped to you.

Flies:

We are entering the time of year when the flies can become a bother. 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 the seaweed far from yourself, and out of the path of by passers. It’s also a good idea to use some kind of repellent.

The Value of Etiquette:

Newcomers should come to understand that etiquette has made our survival possible, and continues to preserve our oasis, as well as others. In answer to the common question, Why can’t we go nude everywhere?

I can offer no rational reason for this beyond the political reality. The fact is that we are the minority, and the majority only allows us to exist within set boundaries. It’s all we can do to keep these small oases open. Nudity outside the boundaries provokes a backlash, like the FCC reaction to Superbowl flashing. Sometimes the backlash is devastating.

Please wear the clothing compulsive “norm” if you go north of Mussel Rocks, south onto the City Beach, or up any trail. Don’t try to expand our boundaries on your own. The more likely result would be further loss. That was the reason cited when we lost 1/3 of the beach in 1999. We can only keep this beach open if nudity stays within bounds.

Subscriptions:

This is a good time to remind people that subscriptions are $10/year. Please subscribe, renew or make a donation. I ask a $2 donation for email subscriptions. Free copies from the bulletin board and downloads from the website will continue, because keeping people informed is more important.

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