Dolphins!

Glad I decided to walk home from library along the shoreline. Plan was to use this restroom, exit beach using nearby rather steep car ramp, rather than attempt the stairs elsewhere. Oops, I forgot, restrooms locked; port-a-pot at your own risk. Might as well keep walking using the even steeper ramp at Junipero, yet I wanted to stick to my walking plan.

When I lived on 1st Street and later on Broadway, this is the beach area I used most often. At times I stuck to the beach closer to where I lived ~ #9 Lifeguard station, alas no restrooms. It was 1/4 mile in either direction to use a restroom at Cherry or to this one. After getting comfortable, forgetting dire warning "they'll steal your stuff", I started leaving the beach towel, snacks and stuff, taking keys, library book with me when I did the 1/4 mile walk. Anyway...

When I started walking along shoreline, I noticed a guy waist deep in the water, cellphone pointed toward a heron chilling on the ripples ~ can not call them waves exactly. Another guy was on the beach doing the same. Maybe they are Smartphones, taking videos, not still shots. The heron at a distance that I assumed the guys had zoom lenses or else the shore photographer was taking video of family/friends frolicking in the surf.

As I made my way 'round the shore guy, turned back to face the ocean, oh my ~ dolphins! They were filming dolphins. In the past I spent countless hours on our beaches and do not think I ever saw any dolphins. Stranded seal along the rocks, yes. Diving birds, yes. Lots of seagulls, lots of herons and other birds.

At first all I saw were fins, wondering: sharks? Then the dolphins did their arched back surface dives. Tried to count them; impossible to know how many as they would surface up ahead. Okay, that is three, I think. There were also more dolphins much further offshore. Those were all dark colored, maybe black. Some of the up close dolphins were silver; others the same dark color.

Amazing. At least one of the dolphins was so bold they approached the people in the water, including the cell phone guy. He jumped back a few steps. Sharks? I thought again. I was wishing I had not paid attention to weather report ~ water warm and I would have loved to attempt to swim with dolphins.

I continued my walk, as the dolphins swam east. They stopped surfacing just about the time I got to the area where this restroom is located. I was discouraged to see they also removed my once much used water fountain. I walked over to outdoor shower, hoping to get a drink by cupping my hand under the low, foot shower sprout. No dice. No water at all.

I peeked inside the locked ladies room to see if it was being remodeled. Does not look like; a bunch of trash strewn wall to wall. Are people throwing the stuff through the metal gate slots? Or did the restrooms get locked due to people trashing the restrooms? Never peeked inside the men's room previously ~ that one had a lot less trash littering the floors.

I think, perhaps because this is called The Gay Beach, the restrooms got locked to prevent people from having sex in the restrooms. They do, do that. I even knew one guy who got caught and fined for it. Homeless, myself included, hung out in the restroom as well. They did not trash this particular restroom as badly as they did some of the others.

Too bad all people who use the beach do not respect the facilities. People do need to use them and especially need a drink now and then.