California Coastal Images, Scenic Photos. Beach, Ocean, Scenic Coastline, Surf and Surfing Photos of Southern California's Coastal Encinitas, Leucadia, and Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Ca. and Live Beach Surf Cams.
Photo Images of the California Coastal, Beach Stairs of Encinitas, Luecadia, Cardiff, Cardiff Reef, San Elijo State Beach Campgrounds, Swamis Beach, D Street Beach, Moonlight Beach, Stone Steps Beach, Beacons Beach Trail & Grandview Beach, Ca. Encinitas Photos by Kyle Thomas, Encinitas Photographer.
Cardiff Reef Beach Sunset. The Thomas Girls, Perla, Franselica & Casandra, of Encinitas.
Photo by Kyle Thomas Encinitas Photographer.
In March of 2007, I reached the half-century mark. I’m an old school, Encinitas Local, graduating San Dieguito High School in 1975, and a fourth generation San Diegan. I grew up in, smaller, more rural California Coastal San Diego and Encinitas. When I received my first drivers’ license in 1973, gas was 45 cents a gallon, and there were only two stoplights from Del Mar to Leucadia. They were on the Coast Highway 101 at D Street and E Street in Encinitas.
$375/month rent for a three story three bedroom with killer view in Cardiff in 1976
My first house that I rented (with the Red Bougainvillea bush) on my own, in 1976, after graduating San Dieguito, was three stories, three bedrooms, on the Hill in Cardiff with a view from La Jolla to Carlsbad. Rent was $375 a month, which I split three ways with my two roommates.
My image of Encinitas Ca, California's scenic coastal beach community was documented by photographs. I remember hiking the El Camino Real Trail when I was in the Boy Scouts. It was a twenty mile hike that began at the San Luis Rey Mission in Oceanside and ended at the Boy Scout camp at the base of Black Mountain, at the far east end of Del Mar. What I remember of the scenery along the "trail" was nothing like what it would look like today. It was pure green country, unobstructed wilderness, from Oceanside to Del Mar and absolutely no civilization in-between.
Photo Image Swamis Beach and Yogananda's Self Realization Fellowship Encinitas Ca. Photos by Kyle Thomas Encinitas Photographer.
I've always been drawn to nature and the wilderness and it's beauty and isolation from the rest of the world. this is when I'm the most at peace and come the closet to experiencing contentment. I've spent a lot of time over the past years searching for these areas of wilderness to escape to whenever I can. Backpacking in the remote High Sierra wilderness along the John Muir trail was probably the most removed from civilization I was ever able to experience. Unfortunately though, that was an occasional rare treat.
Full Moon Setting at Swamis Beach in Encinitas at 5:00 am on Easter Weekend, March 2008. Photos by Kyle Thomas, Local Encinitas Photographer.
Swamis Beach Stairs Encinitas, 2008 alongside Photo of Swamis Beach Stairs taken in 1978.
Here in California coastal Encinitas though, I found my other favorite area to be able to experience the disconnection from civilization. This magic area is the California coastal stretch of beach beginning at the foot of the Stone Steps stairs, north to the foot of the Grandview stairs. There were periods of my life when I almost "lived" down there days at a time. The way I figure it, once on the beach, there are only three public beach access points; StoneSteps, Beacons Trail, and the Grandview stairs. To the east you've got the cliffs and to the west, you've got the coastal Pacific Ocean. This creates quite an isolation barrier...even in the day time.
Spectacular Photo Image, California Coastal View of Beacons Beach Trail Encinitas California, San Diego, North of Cardiff, Swamis and
Stone Steps looking north towards Grandview. Encinitas Photographer Kyle Thomas.
Stone Steps Beach Stairs, 2007, along side Stone Steps Beach Stairs taken at the Stone Steps Surfing Contest 1975. Encinitas Photographer Kyle Thomas.
Spectacular view of Swamis Encinitas, from San Elijo Campgrounds Cardiff State Park south of, D Street,
Moonlight Beach, Stone Steps, Beacons Beach, & Grandview
2007 View from D St Encinitas beach stairs north of Cardiff Reef, alongside 1978 view of D Street Beach Stairs after it collapsed.
Now at night, that's another matter altogether! You can spend an entire night down on the beach, especially between Beacons and Grandview and actually never see another soul. I've found very few places in San Diego where you could make this same claim, and have this experience.
Grandview beach stairs north of Beacons, Stone Steps, D st. Swamis & Cardiff Reef Encinitas Ca
Over the years I spent allot of time of time getting to know my "secret world". Each individual stair-step leading from the beach up to the real world became familiar to me. Each had it's own distinct personality and had it's own story to tell. Some of the stairs were ancient, dilapidated and falling down, barely still there, like some long forgotten memory. Other stairs stood straight and proud, newly stained or freshly painted. Of course I would always wonder who or what was at the top of each stair, though I never did find out or meet anyone from "the world at the top of the stairs"
Encinitas Beach Stairs south of Grandview North of Beacons, Stone Steps, Swamis, & Moonlight Beach.
This being the other quality of the isolation of this special world...no-one from the "upper worlds" ever seemed to come down those stairs. This is the other critical factor that truly makes this area, for all practical purposes, cut-off. Most off these stairs are at least a hundred feet long or more, and at a very steep angle, making it on heck of a work-out to travel down to the bottom and eventually back up.
Encinitas Beach Stairs south of Grandview north of Beacons Leucadia Ca Kyle Thomas Photographer
Each individual Stair also marks a period in History. These Stairs below have been my hands down favorite since I was Fifteen years old. There will never be another like it because of coastal zoning laws. This is the only structure having been allowed to be built at the bottom of the cliffs, at tide level. I can only imagine what It must be like to spend the night in a little beach shack like this. The sound of the surf must be deafening at three o'clock in the morning, the surf pummeling the the cliffs!.
My favorite Encinitas Beach stairs, between Grandview and Beacons since I was fifteen years old
During the summer of '78 I lived in the Old Encinitas Aldrich H Street Castle perched high on the cliffs at the top of "H" Street in Encinitas, with three other roommates. I occupied the North-West tower of The Castle which had a view of a sheer drop-off overlooking the reef. To get into my room, you had to crawl through a trap door in the floor. It was definitely the coolest room in the castle. The sound of the waves battering the cliffs at night was unbelievable! It wasn't for the faint of heart or a light sleeper. My first night sleeping in my new room was so intense that I wasn't actually able to complete the entire night in this room. It wasn't until the second night that I was able to brave it out. Tell you what...sleeping in the castle, the waves crashing relentlessly all night...you knew what was the mightiest force in this town...the Pacific Ocean!
That was a magic summer, during which time seemed to stand still. We'd wake up in the morning when the rising sun sun would come flooding through the cathedral windows on the east side of the castle. Then we'd make our way up the stairs that led to the roof where we would stare out at the reef directly below, which could be easily seen through the crystal clear, emerald green water,
mesmerized by the rare beauty of what was our 'front yard'.
Rare Photo of Aldrich "H Street Castle"Encinitas, taken 1978. Photo by G. Kuhn, Along side Photo taken in 2007 From the Site of the former Aldrich Castle at the top of "H"Street
Perla Thomas South of Grandview Beach, Encinitas April 2007
One thing about the beach, the world at the bottom of the stairs ...here everybody's equal. Did you know that there is actually no law preventing a person from being on the beach at any hour of the night or day...unlike in the "upper worlds" at the top of the stairs. Here there is a curfew at ten o'clock p.m. If your found by the Police in one of the parking areas you could be harassed, issued a ticket and a fine, or even arrested! Of course if your an affluent property owner living along Neptune Avenue you don't worry because for one thing there is no need to be hanging around at one of the parking lots along Neptune or at one of it's many view-point areas...your sipping cocktails on your porch with your own private view. With a view like that you never even have to actually come down your private stairs to the beach.
Encinitas Beach Stairs between Beacons Beach and Grandview Beach, Encinitas
I'll never forget an incident during the summer of '95. I was feeling extra Huck Finish that particular summer. I ended up staying down on the beach for two days straight, spending on night on the beach a little south of Grandview with a small beach fire. One of the upper world Neptune residents took offense to my presence drawing the conclusion that I must be some sort of homeless vagrant. I guess he couldn't wrap his mind around the concept that I just wanted to give myself a treat and be a free soul for two days on "his" beach. What he didn't realize that we were actually almost neighbors. I was roommates with Candy Canes brother, Chris that particular summer and was living at the south end of Neptune near Rossetta Street. II remember feeling violated and a little hurt that I could be judged by some Orange County transplant that just happened to be wealthy enough to afford a house on Neptune Avenue and felt that I had less of a right to be on "our" beach than he did. That's actually how I discovered that there are now laws preventing an individual from being on the beach at any hour of the night or day. This is because as a result of this incident I actually called the Sheriffs Department in Encinitas and asked them about this issue. They made it quite clear that I had just as much a right to be on "our" beach as a property owner and that nobody could force me to leave as long as I wasn't violating any laws.
Encinitas Beach Stairs between Beacons Beach and Grandview Beach, Encinitas
The seasons also play a great role in the isolation of the two worlds. During the colder winter and fall seasons, allot less people are wondering the beach or visiting from the upper worlds. Then of course, the time of day or weather or not it's evening or 3:00 in the morning.
The early morning hours are my favorite times, especially in the summer time. I love taking those 3:00 am swims when the weathers warm, even in those early morning hours.
Surfers on the Beach Cardiff San Elijo State Park south of Swamis, D street, Stone Steps, Beacons & Grandview
Cardiff Campgrounds, San Elijo State Park Beach Stairs south of Swamis north of Cardiff Reef