Winding up the Month with Katie…

We sure have been enjoying our extended visit from Katie and have been revisiting lots of our favorite spots here in San Diego. Sharing what we have seen and experienced here with our daughter is one of the best gifts we can give her during her holiday break. We took her for a walk in the downtown area so she could get a feel for this large urban city. Of course being a sports person she wanted to stop by and see Petco Park the home of the San Diego Padres. We enjoyed getting lost in the forest of skyscrapers and condominiums they call San Diego...

Another of our favorite places to go for a walk is the sunset cliffs on Point Loma. The steepness of the cliffs overlooking the dark blue waters of the Pacific Ocean is a beautiful place to get in a few miles of great walking. With all the low pressure systems rolling in from the northwest there have been some really large waves here this year. And on this particular day the surfers were out in droves…

 

Sunset cliffs also offers up some very photogenic opportunities as the striking black rocks and cliffs against the blue water and sky make for some some great pictures. Lots of homes of all sizes and shapes are situated here and all well over a million dollars in value. This is a diversity of interesting architecture to look at and enjoy all along the shoreline. We even stumbled across a couple of impromptu art pieces that have become part of the landscape here as well…

 

Of course no visit to the San Diego area is complete without a visit over the long toll bridge to Coronado Island. One of the most popular beaches in town, there is always a lot of people visiting this island. With the stately and historic Coronado Hotel located on here the beach is very popular with the tourists. The day we went wasn’t any different as there were throngs of people in town during this holiday break. Of course we walked all along the shoreline and into the Coronado Hotel to get a sense of its history and charm.

We have also been taking Katie to the nearest beach to us at Mission Beach and Pacific Beach. The three mile walks we talk along the boardwalk are always enjoyable as we can hear the surf, take in the sights and sounds of the beach and the boardwalk is always great for people watching…

And an added treat to the beauty of all these great spots in San Diego is that there is nearly always a great sunset at end the day…

Cabrillo National Monument, San Diego, CA…

Not far from our park here in Mission Bay is the Cabrillo National Monument. The monument is on the western end of the land where Point Loma is located The road to the monument passes through Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery where the precisely placed white grave markers sadly enough seem to go on forever. Veterans from as far back as 1846 have been buried there. After we arrived at the entrance to the National Monument the  $5.00 entry fee was waived because of .our Annual National Parks Pass.

 

Our first stop was at the Visitor Center for information about the tidal pools and to get directions to the area best visited at low tide. We were also told to look for people in blue shirts who volunteer to answer questions and point out interesting sights at the pools.

The hike down to the Tidal Pools Trail was a short one from the parking area.  These are the largest and most prolific tide pools in all of San Diego County. Since it is best to come here at low tide to see all that it has to offer we planned accordingly.  We had fun hopping around the rocks looking into each puddle of salt water hoping to see something interesting and new. We saw a few fish and some interesting things such as crabs,chitin, shells as well as lots of varied anemones.

After hiking amongst the tidal pools and all the weathered sandstone features near the surf we close to meander back up to the statue of Cabrillo. This monument marks the landing of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo who led the first European expedition in 1542 to explore what is now the west coast of California,  We found the monument to be interesting and the panoramic views surrounding it were absolutely awesome!!!  On the crisp and clear day we were there we could see all of downtown San Diego and much of Mexico and her islands offshore. With the blue Pacific Ocean in the foreground of San Diego and the sailboats floating like toys in a tub the views across the bay were simply stunning…

Nearby is also the Old Point Loma Lighthouse which sits high up on the peninsula but as fate would have it it was actually too high and when the fog rolled in none of the ships could see it through the dense fog, Hence it was abandoned and a newer one was built lower down near the sea where it was much more visible and useful. We heard this is a great spot for whale watching during the winter months but despite our search we were unable to see any spouts out in the blue sea…

After spending a few hours at the park we stopped by the Nazarene College but since there was so much construction on campus we only stayed a short while. After our stroll through the campus we elected to drive through the neighborhoods to look at all the interesting homes. Before heading home we stopped at the Noodle House in Ocean Beach ( a Guy Fieri spot) and enjoyed happy hour craft beers before heading home. It was fun sharing another fine day on the road of retirement with our daughter Katie who is enjoying a nice winter break visiting us here in sunny San Diego…

Tis’ the Season to be Jolly…

As another year is coming to a close it is that time again to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays. Where ever each of you live or are parked, may all your dreams and wishes come true in 2015 as they did for us in 2014… Safe travels and safe health my friends!

Urban Stroll through Balboa Park in San Diego…

With Katie in town it only seemed logical to visit one of San Diego’s gems, Balboa Park. We first visited this park a few years ago and hadn’t been back since. Balboa Park is one of the nation's oldest city parks which was established in 1868. There are over 1200 acres of trails and trees but what makes Balboa Park unique are the museums, theaters,and artists' colony. Balboa Park is also host to one of the world's finest zoos which we have yet to visit but will do so very soon. Parking in the park is free and there is also a free trolley that runs every 15 minutes or so for one to hop on and hop off at will.  We found a parking spot near one of the museums so did not take the trolley this trip.

Most of the buildings in Balboa Park were built as a result of San Diego hosting the 1915 Panama-California Exposition and the 1935 California-Pacific International Exposition. Several of the buildings built for these expositions still stand while others are replicas of those that were destroyed. The architecture is quite intricate and interesting with many picturesque arches along the way. Also upon closer inspection one can see many interesting cornices…

 

We strolled throughout the entire park enjoying the gardens and cool buildings. We saw plenty of trails available for a good urban hike here as well. After walking across and all around the entire park we ended up at the west gate entrance which as I understand just recently opened back up after work was done on the bridge. Here there is a plaza where a Spanish styled building called the California Building stands with its stunning and colorful tower stand. The California Building is where the San Diego Museum of Man is  located and we almost went in to check out the exhibit on craft beer but thought it might be better to just go have one instead…

 

Before heading out to find a nicely crafted beer we took Katie over to see the artist’s village where there are many shops of local artists displaying their crafted and delicately created pieces. With Christmas around the corner it was fun seeing all the Christmas decorations in the artist village as well as all over Balboa Park… With this wonderful San Diego weather it is hard to believe that Christmas is right around the corner…

Loving our Time in San Diego…

Wow, it is hard to believe that Katie has already been here for a week and that Christmas is only a few days away. Not to mention our two month stay here in San Diego will also come to an end in about two weeks. This had me thinking about all we have done in our time here and things yet to be done.

Just before Katie came to visit we had dinner with a couple we met through RVillage. We first met for a walk around the Liberty Station area and stopped for a light lunch at the Stone Brewery. A week or so later they invited us over to dinner at their home.. They have a very nice home sitting on the hillside overlooking Mission Bay, the airport and much of north side of San Diego. We had a fabulous dinner with Dave and Patty and as an extra bonus they invited us to help adorn their Christmas tree with ornaments.

Since we have been on the road nearly four years we have not had a tree nor had this experience. What a treat it was to place ornaments on their tree and what a neat thing for them to invite us to share with them. To cap off the evening Dave offered us four passes to the San Diego Zoo (where he works)! Wow, what a special treat that was. Why did we get four passes? Dave knew we would have Katie here with us and that her roommate who has never been to California will fly in after Christmas to stay for 5 days until we leave here. Four people, four tickets…how awesome! We just couldn't thank him enough... Thanks Dave!

After our visit to the market we walked around Little Italy and discovered some cool art embedded in the sidewalk in front of one of the business. I simply had to walk around the block and find all the cool little Italian art pieces I could find.

Another fun outing once Katie arrived was to take her over to the Little Italy farmer’s market. We feel it is a must do in San Diego. Just about everything imaginable is offered there and many vendors offer tastes or samples of their products. Some mighty unique and tasty food can be found at this market. We saw one vendor selling sea urchin ceviche to customers. I saw one fellow buy one and I asked him what it tasted like. I expected him to tell me but instead he offered us all of a small taste. It tasted a little like a fish mousse to Sharon who thought it was ok whereas Katie did not like it at all. But we felt, nothing ventured… nothing gained.

In addition to our beautiful walks right outside our park on both sides of the Bay, we have enjoyed taking Katie to Pacific Beach which is just a short drive away.  With some of the strong storms battering the northwestern states we have had some really big waves come into this area. After our ocean walks there we have on several occasions visited the Guava Beach Bar at happy hour for some tasty craft beers as Katie enjoys craft beer, too.  It has been fun to show Katie our favorite haunts!

We still have lots to do here in beautiful San Diego. It has been a bit chilly here lately but another warm up is on the way so we are making a list of several new things to see and do...

Showing our Daughter San Diego…

The first place we took Katie to see was the boardwalk and pier at Pacific Beach.  She enjoyed snapping photos and sending her friends phone Snap Chats of the beach.  Our next sightseeing trip was the beautiful rugged coastline of La Jolla, California. It was a real treat to share this beautiful spot in California with her and it was fun seeing her excitement in seeing all the seals and sea lions. Although the weather has been a bit chilly the cold front that came through this past weekend left us with some fabulous huge waves. As a result the surfers are out in mass (in wetsuits) taking advantage of the larger than normal waves. Watching the surfers seemed to be another thrill for Katie.

 

We have also shared with her some of our favorite walks were in the RV park and in Mission Park. Katie and I venture over to the water’s edge nearly every evening to watch the beauty of the sun setting over the bay. Sharon typically comes along but sometimes stays back to  prepare a fun dinner for us. It is always a treat for us to all cook up some of our favorites that Katie has missed while we have been apart.

Katie has also turned into quite a good cook and recently shared one of her newest dishes, eggplant rollatini.  We all had fun in the kitchen each doing one part of the task to make this dish which was a labor of love as it required lots of preparation. We were able to share some eggplant tips with Katie such as slicing it thinly and letting sit on newspaper or paper towels with some heavy weight on top of it to assist in extracting some of the water out of it. The homemade sauce we made along with the stuffing of four different cheeses made this dish very delectable. Although it took a lot of work to make this dish I am sure we will adding it to our menu of meals. Yep it sure is great having Katie with us during this Christmas holiday season sharing this slice of our life here on the road of retirement…

Sunsets and Future Plans…

While staying in southern California along the coastline we have really enjoyed some beautiful sunsets. One out of every four or so days the sunsets are stunning… We tend to gather at the waters edge around 4 pm with a cold adult beverage to await nature"s final act for the day. It frustrates us that the sunsets occur so early this time of year.  They usually happen just after 4:30 here and although they are beautiful they signal the beginning of another long night ahead.

   

We have been here in Mission Bay for almost 7 weeks and I can feel the tinglings of hitch itch settling in… As a result we are starting to talk about future plans and about what direction we will head this coming year. We have pretty much decided we will once again move east but to where we are not sure yet. Our first stop from here will be a few weeks stay in Yuma to include a visit or two into Mexico. From Yuma we plan to boondock in Quartzite for 5 to 6 days.

We have never been to the big show in Quartzite and I figure we have RV’ed long enough now that we should go at least once… so we will. I am not into big crowds so I would guess it will be my one and  only visit but I am looking forward to attending the Woodstock for RV’ers. We hope to see some old friends there and look forward to making some new ones as well…

 

After Quartzite we will make our way over to the Phoenix area for 2-4 weeks. We plan to schedule our annual physicals at the Mayo Clinic in Mesa. We love going to the Mayo Clinics to have all of our medical and optical needs taken care of as they may be in our opinion, one of the most efficient medical facilities in the world. The Mayo accepts our Blue Cross Insurance and for RV’ers like us the Mayo Clinics are perfectly situated to meet our medical needs during our travels. In addition to this one in Mesa AZ there is also one in Rochester, MN (the original one) and one in Jacksonville FL   which we visit when we winter out east.

 

We know we will be heading to Texas to see our grandkids in the spring but we haven't decided what route we will take from Phoenix to there yet. Where we decide to go from Texas also remains elusive but we are considering exploring more of Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina but who knows what we will actually decide to do This uncertainty is one of the beauties of this lifestyle as we are able to change our minds daily if we wish but these are our soft plans for now.

New adventures await us here in San Diego as our daughter Katie just arrived and will spend the rest of December with us while she is on break from school. She successfully completed her first year in Physical Therapy school and it is weird to think she will have her Doctorate of hysical Therapy in two more years. Hopefully we won’t need her services anytime soon…