Girl's Gone Child: Places to Go: The Mushroom Caves at San Elijo, Solana Beach, CA

During Spring Break we took a family hike around my old Encinitas/San Elijo stomping grounds -- a trail that closed for two decades and recently re-opened to the public...

I hadn't been since I was... twelve? Thirteen? But as kids, we spent many days camped out in the caves, pretending we were lost boys and girls... My brother even had his birthday party below the caves. Cake and ice cream and Happy Birthday to you, sung between exploring sessions.

It's off the beaten track a ways... just far enough if you're planning a trip with children, but worth it -- SO VERY worth it. Every inch of the trail is flanked with views of the lagoon and the creatures who dwell there...

In the Spring the wild flowers are out in full force and the air smells like sage and everything is green... and yellow and purple...

Bo serenades the lagoon

If you didn't know where to look, there's a good chance you'd shuffle right by... Please don't. Because, magic...

For more on The Mushroom Caves and hikes around San Elijo, go here and here. Keep in mind that ONLY RECENTLY have the caves been opened up to the public. The "no trespassing" signs are no longer. Still, one should enter (and explore) at his/her own risk...