{"id":322414,"date":"2023-04-11T10:35:10","date_gmt":"2023-04-11T17:35:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/?p=322414"},"modified":"2023-04-07T10:46:07","modified_gmt":"2023-04-07T17:46:07","slug":"bridle-trail-a-walk-along-the-wild-side-of-highway-163","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/bridle-trail-a-walk-along-the-wild-side-of-highway-163\/","title":{"rendered":"Bridle Trail: un paseo por el lado salvaje de la carretera 163"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first time that I ever walked on the Bridle Trail, starting on the south end right behind Nate\u2019s Dog Park, was with a photographers\u2019 meetup five years ago one summer evening. We opened the gate to the dog park and with dogs running up to us, hoping to make new friends, we walked straight across and opened two more gates. It was like stepping into a secret passageway through a tangle of trees, with the iconic California Tower in the background.<\/p>\n

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Trees along the trail make a popular photo spot.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A few weeks ago, that same trailhead looked like a scene from a children\u2019s fantasy, with garland daisies growing as tall as me and my husband as we stepped onto the trail. Slowly curving down and around, the path makes its way right alongside Highway 163. Though the hustle and bustle of traffic was just yards away, critters of all kinds, from squirrels to lizards to birds, were busily finding food and shelter among the trees. Sour Grass flowers beamed bright yellow among the lush green grass.<\/p>\n

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A black fuzzy caterpillar \u2013 one of many on the trail during March.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When we found ourselves directly below the arches of the Cabrillo Bridge, we had to stop and gaze at the architectural marvel. I remembered the first time I drove beneath the bridge on the highway at night when I first moved to San Diego. The lights on the bridge as I drove under the arches were like a kingly welcome.<\/p>\n

Walking on the Bridle Trail, named for the paths that once attracted equestrian enthusiasts, is a surreal experience. The cars and trucks zoomed by us while squirrels zig-zagged among the grasses. On the trail, we found several wooly bear caterpillars. At the top of trees, Anna\u2019s hummingbirds gleamed like miniature rainbows in the sunlight.<\/p>\n

A small redwood forest, from trees planted during the 1915 Panama-California Exposition in San Diego, was long part of the attraction to the trail. However, the grove was cut down in 2018 after dying from a lack of water. As a result, there are some holes in the view towards the sky from the loss of trees, yet the trail still holds much charm.<\/p>\n