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Re released today. Bo Jack Russo on Jan 22, 2009
A little calming soothing place I used to love visiting.
I want to take you with me to a special place, with a little existential foreshadowing of Jimmy and Buck’s next adventure, you already got just a taste at the end of Jimmy & Buck, part two. It is not a fictional place, but certainly a magical one.
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Down here in San Diego town, there is an amazing place, that is a national historic protected landmark.
It’s called Padre Dam. This is where Father Juniperra Serra with help of the local natives built a flume and a dam to water their crops and lessen the flood plane. That was in 1769. The San Diego River, while not the mighty Mississippi, is a river that immediately increases ten fold at the slightest hint of rain, because it sits above an enormous body of water underground.
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It is almost impossible to believe, but the River starts in The Cuyamaca Mountains, and travels a mere 52 miles before it dumps into the Pacific Ocean. Fifty two miles might not sound like a lot, but if you could visualize the twists and turns this river takes, and the terrain it covers, you would be amazed. The river also separates often into many different veins.
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On what we call the San Diego end there is a little tourist guide center, describing the wild life you can expect to see there. There are literally countless species of birds, and sometimes new ones are discovered, There are deer in the deeper parts, coyotes, squirrels, some rabbits, rattle snakes, ducks and trout.
At one end of the road, three cities come together, San Diego(towards Mission Valley) La Mesa and Santee.
When you go down in this scenic place, You can start at the Santee side, and go down some hiking trails. It used to be a great kept secret, but no longer.
If you know the terrain, and go deeper into the marsh, it gets a little wet and mushy, but if you can press past this, it will become dry again. It is full of picturesque boulders, people rock climb there too. You will see many ducks also. The trees are wonderful, the rock shaping and formations are incredible and near the entrance of the trailhead are rocks where you can clearly see the age and transformation markings of the water at different levels. In many places you can see the indentations where Native Americans ground corn and other things.
There is another spot close to the entrance, there is a tree that is a miracle that I can remember since I was a child, On the other side of the river, but a spot close by can be crossed if you know how. The tree roots are exposed on one side in the river, and you could spend hours just watching in wonder, about how that tree never falls down.
In the rain, There is no better place I know of than to be down in that riverbed. An absolutely amazing change of scenery unfolds right before your eyes. Within five minutes the water will raise a foot and widen out very quickly, and the tree root scene turns into a mini white water rush.
What I really wanted to share is when you get past the marsh, you can go deeper into the riverbed, and it turns into a bit of a mystical forest. Down past where most people go, it gets a little ugly and then pretty again.
Near a big tree and a giant rock, there is a boulder in the middle of the river, with a flat surface. If you can jump far enough, or swing from the tree, you can land on the rock. It’s a little dangerous, and yes, your feet can slip on the rocks and you cam get hurt, but once you get on the rock, even if you have to go in the water, it is like heaven on earth.
So here is the best part. You lay on your back, and spend a little while staring at the sky and what’s around you, and let the serenity and ambiance sink in, you begin to feel at peace. Then you close your eyes and open your ears and listen to God’s symphony surround you. The water rippling in stereo, the wonderful plethora of sounds easing into your ears, the shuffling of the wind throughout the trees and bushes. You can enjoy the chirping birds all around, or a squirrel scampering through the leaves on the ground, a twig snapping on the ground, a quack from a duck or one just strolling by, minding his own business.
I haven’t been to a lot of places in my life, but that little hideaway was fantastic, and took me a million miles away, you know I have to end this with something funny, so here it is, but this one is true.
Twice in my life I got so relaxed and in total euphoria, I fell in the water. I had been lucky many times and it was just a hand or a foot, but even if you fell in, the price was well worth it.
Of course, I sure my magical place is no more, due to the tourist industry, all the freeways and the San Diego Trolley that bombarded the once sparcley populated utopia that was Santee and my riverbed.
One point I forgot to mention, as you go deeper and deeper into the riverbed, you can see evidence far above your head just how powerful this river can be at times, Pieces of clothing or debris caught in the trees that line the riverbed on both sides.
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