Keep on trekkin’, San Diego 🥾

13 Questions with John Ploetz, President of The Canyoneers of The San Diego Natural History Museum

The Canyoneers volunteers hiking group from the San Diego Natural History Museum

John Ploetz (in the center, looking up), on a Canyoneers hike. | Photo via Stacy Keck

Today, we talk about hiking — and there’s no way to do this without The Canyoneers, a group of volunteer naturalists leading free, guided hikes through San Diego County’s diverse trails since 1973.

The Canyoneers are part of the San Diego Natural History Museum, inviting locals to trek annually during prime hiking season from September-June. The 2022-2023 season starts this Sun., Sept. 18, and marks a milestone: The group’s 50th anniversary highlighting the gorgeous trails + biodiversity of San Diego County. 🏞️

We spoke to Canyoneers president John Ploetz about the group’s history + good work, must-see hiking spots, trekking tips, and why it’s important to care about the preservation of our region’s wide open spaces. Lace up those sneaks — let’s get outside. 🥾

A historical 1973 photo of The Canyoneers of San Diego — The first-ever Canyoneers class of volunteers in 1973. | Photo via The San Diego Natural History Museum

Q: Who are The Canyoneers?
A: The Canyoneers are an outreach program of the San Diego Natural History Museum. We have ~75 active members leading hikes — ~20 frequently leading — and ~140 total members. Next year — 2023 — will be our 50th anniversary.

Q: Can you give us a brief history of this longtime group?
A: This is a healthy, all-volunteer organization that grew out of a group of people who worked at the museum — either as staff or volunteers — who got organized out of an attempt to pave Florida Canyon and turn it into a parking lot.

There were a lot of native plants and habitats that were going to be destroyed, so they got organized. There was a very active woman who became the founder of our organization — Helen Chamlee Witham.

They saved the canyon and they started leading hikes to the site from the museum because they thought, ‘Here’s a living laboratory, right outside our door.’

For more history, visit The Canyoneers website, too.

The Canyoneers volunteer hiking group from The San Diego Natural History Museum — The Canyoneers will lead 60+ free, guided hikes during their 2022-2023 season. | Photo via Alan King + The San Diego Natural History Museum

Q: How many hikes will The Canyoneers lead during their upcoming 2022-2023 season?

A: There’s at least one every week; we’re going to do 60 this season starting Sun., Sept. 18, and going through June 2023. Our sponsor is Subaru and they do a lot for our program.

Q: How do locals sign up for these hikes?
A: It’s free and accessible. The best thing to do is pre-register on The Nat’s website, this way we can get an idea of how many people are coming and if we need more guides, we can put the word out to our people.

GREAT LOCAL HIKES

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Today

Pacific Beach Farmers Market | Tuesdays | 2-6 p.m. | 901 Hornblend St. | Free | Fresh food, art + ocean air are calling. 🥝
Fea | Tues., Sept. 13 | 5:30 p.m. | The Ché Café at UC San Diego | $15 | The San Antonio-based punk band performs. 🤘
Josie Cotton | Tues., Sept. 13 | 8:30 p.m. | Casbah | $20 | The American singer-songwriter with guest Soraia. 🎸

Wednesday

Guided Nature Walk | Wednesdays | 9:30-11 a.m. | Mission Trails Regional Park | Free | Meet at the Visitor Center for a morning trek on the trails. 🥾
OB Farmers Market | Wednesdays | 4-8 p.m. | 4900 block of Newport Avenue, between Bacon + Cable streets | Free | This eclectic, beachside market has been running for 30 years and is a prime spot to grab produce, honey, kombucha, flowers + more. 💐
Cooking Class: Chinese Dumplings | Wed., Sept. 14 | 6-8 p.m. | Quigley Fine Wines, 1551 Fourth Ave. | $59 | Learn the art of dumpling wrapping in different shapes triangular, crescent, pleated. 🥟

Thursday

Taste of One Paseo | Thurs., Sept. 15 | 6-8 p.m. | One Paseo (throughout the plaza) | $20 | Nosh your way through samples from participating eateries, plus one drink from Harland Brewing at the Carmel Valley shopping + dining destination. 🌮
15th Anniversary: Mongolian Hot Pot | Thurs., Sept. 15 | 5-9 p.m. | $15.50 (all-you-can-eat) | 4718 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. | Try the savory Chinese meal served in a large metal pot as this local eatery celebrates 15 years in business. 🍲

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

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100+ MORE EVENTS

Business

A note from our CEO 🤝

Ryan Johnston-CEO-Company retreat-by Ash Photography.png

CEO Ryan Johnston with City Editors and Branded Content Studio Editors during the 2022 6AM City company retreat in Nashville, TN. | Photo by Ash Photography

Good morning, SD — new voice here. My name is Ryan Johnston and I am the CEO of 6AM City, the parent company and publisher of SDtoday. First, thank you for waking up with us every morning and looking to our City Editors, Michael and Monica, to help you start your day and get excited about everything SD has to offer.

We launched SDtoday on Nov. 15, 2021 and we couldn’t be more thrilled at how this city has taken to us. We now wake up with 35,382 readers and reach 4,719 people via social media — a big step up from day one.

We built this product based on both reader and advertiser demand. Readers like you were looking for a quick and convenient way to find everything in one place — focused on all things positive and written in a way that is digestible — and (in an effort to keep our product 100% free to readers) we work with advertisers who want to connect with readers like you.

We have a number of different opportunities to advertise directly in this newsletter — find out more by clicking on the link below.

HOW BRANDS CAN WORK WITH US

Weather

78º | Low morning clouds, then sunny | 8% chance of rain

Sunrise + Sunset

Rise: 6:31 a.m.
Set: 6:58 p.m.

Tide

Low: 5:34 a.m. + 6:19 p.m.
High: 11:50 a.m.
Water Temperature: 75.4º

Civic

Local leaders + the Lucky Duck Foundation are celebrating the completion of the Rosecrans Shelter in the Midway District, which will provide a safe place to stay for ~150 locals experiencing homelessness. The bridge shelter will take in its first residents this week. 🏢

Transit

SANDAG accepted a $300 million state grant that’ll help advance a project to move the train tracks off the eroding Del Mar Bluffs + potentially create a tunnel. The plan also includes double-tracking the vital railroad across the San Dieguito Lagoon. Construction could begin in 2028 and be completed by 2035. 🛤️ (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Development

Chula Vista will unveil Fitness Court this morning, an area added to Rohr Park that offers an outdoor workout experience for adults of all ages and skill levels. Users can download the Fitness Court app to enhance their workout. The addition was funded by a grant + Measure P tax funds. 💪
The Ocean Beach Planning Board approved the city’s concept design for the expansion of the Ocean Beach Library. The project aims to add 4,300 sqft for expanded book collections, a community meeting room, study rooms, new restrooms + more. Construction would begin in winter of 2024 and be completed by spring of 2026. 🏗️ (OB Rag)

Ranked

US News & World Report named UC San Diego No. 34 on its annual best colleges rankings, which looked at 1,500 US colleges based on 17 indicators of academic quality like graduation + retention rates, financial resources, and graduate indebtedness. The rankings also focus on universities committed to groundbreaking research. 🎓 (US News & World Report)

Number

$5.348. That’s the average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in San Diego County — rising yesterday for the 10th consecutive day. The cost has increased 12.6 cents during this period, but it’s $1.025 less than the $6.373 record set on June 15. The national average is $3.716. ⛽ (KPBS via City News Service)

Announced

Comedian + actor Kevin Hart has added a second show at San Diego State University’s Viejas Arena. The funnyman’s “Reality Check” tour will take over the venue on Sat., Oct. 15, in addition to the sold-out show the night prior. Tickets go on sale this Fri., Sept. 16, at 10 a.m. 🎟️

Cause

The Emilio Nares Foundation — a nonprofit that helps Southern California children battling cancer — will host its 19th Annual Harvest for Hope fundraiser this Sun., Sept. 18, at Coasterra. The event features food and sips from San Diego restaurants like Solar Ristorante, Great Maple + Sweet Cheeks Baking Co., plus live music and activities. 🍲

Travel

Orlando for the holidays, anyone? Frontier Airlines will add seasonal nonstop service between San Diego International Airport + Orlando International Airport between Sat., Nov. 5, and Tues., Jan. 3, 2023. Flights between the cities will operate daily; the last time the airline offered this nonstop route was in spring of 2021. ✈️

Sports

Get stoked. The annual Nissan Super Girl Surf Pro will spotlight 100+ world-class female pro surfers competing this Fri., Sept. 16-Sun., Sept. 18, at Oceanside Pier — the largest female surfing event in the world. The free event will also feature women vendors, activities, and live entertainment. Let’s go. 🏄‍♀️
The World Lacrosse Men’s Championship will be held in San Diego from June 21, 2023-July 1, 2023 — and tickets are now available. Games will be played across three local venues: Snapdragon Stadium, Torero Stadium + SDSU Sports Deck. Prices start at $79, but will increase on Tues., Oct. 11. 🥍

Watch

In the Sept. 8 episode of MTV’s “Jersey Shore: Family Vacation,” the cast visited Lions Tigers & Bears, the accredited big cat and bear sanctuary in Alpine. The reality TV stars took a private tour of the 93-acre facility that’s home to 65+ animals rescued from exotic trade. 🦁

Learn

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Cheers to Negroni Week 🍹

Cheers to Negroni Week in San Diego

Fifth and Rose cocktail bar at the Pendry hotel in San Diego

Fifth and Rose is the cool cocktail bar inside Pendry San Diego at 550 J St. | Photo via Pendry San Diego

Negroni Week is underway through Sun., Sept. 18 — an annual event where participating bars and restaurants across the world mix classic + modern variations of the drink to raise money for charitable organizations.

Pendry San Diego’s chic cocktail bar, Fifth & Rose, is offering a special menu of negronis this week — with a portion of proceeds supporting the San Diego Food Bank.

Now, a classic negroni is a 1:1:1 cocktail mixed with equal parts gin, vermouth + Campari. Fifth & Rose’s negroni specials include a classic version, plus these two fun spins:

🍹 The Rosita: Reposado tequila, Campari, sweet vermouth, dry vermouth + angostura bitters.
🍹 The Rose Sbagliato: Strawberry Campari, blanc vermouth + rosé.

Check out the Negroni Week map to find bars + restaurants participating in the event. We spy Madame Bonnie’s in downtown San Diego and Little Italy’s Kettner Exchange among many other local participating hotspots.

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Monica.

Editor’s pick: I was sipping a lavender latte with a friend at Light Bulb Coffee in La Mesa over the weekend when a wonderful SDtoday reader, Alyssa, walked up and said hello. 👋

Alyssa, it was lovely to meet you, your friend Katie, and Katie’s beautiful baby, Maya. Your sweet energy made my morning. If you can’t tell, we love meeting our readers. If you ever see us around town, please say hi. Or, you can always drop us a line. 💞

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Let’s take a gamble: The history of the SS Monte Carlo in Coronado.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Monica Garske, Michael Beausoleil, Trevor Peters, Britt Thorson, Ashlea Hearn, Emily Shea | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

Sales: Allie Wetteland | Advertise with us.

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