Left Mission Bay RV Park for a day…

One of the very strange rules at Mission Bay RV Resort is that when staying for 31 days you must leave the park for a full 24 hours before returning. When we booked our two month stay we were informed about this rule and also remembered it from the last time we stayed there. Two years ago we simply moved out to the parking lot in Mission Bay Park just across the street from the RV park for the required 24 hour period.

Well fast forward two years later where we planned to do the same thing but the city of San Diego in its infinite wisdom passed a new no parking ordinance this past summer. The new rule states that no RV’s are allowed to park on any San Diego streets from  midnight to 6:00 am. That meant we could no longer park across the street so we had to look elsewhere for a place to stay.

We toyed with moving to Encinitas to explore that town and the Stone Brewery but the weather forecast was for solid rain so instead we opted to drive 30 miles to our east and boondock at the Sycuan Casino. There is overnight parking located above the employee parking lot.  For longer than a one night stay you must register with the casino  security . Prior to our arrival we discovered there was a current special for new casino club members of one free buffet with a new member sign up. So not only were we able to stay for free but we would receive free dinner too! Pretty sweet deal.

We pulled into the upper parking lot around 10:00 am as we were trying to beat the rain. Everyone in San Diego has been happy about their first significant rainfall event in quite some time as the drought here has had a strong grip on this region. We no sooner set up when the sprinkles began. Our spot overlooked the casino among the chaparral covered hills surrounding it. Throw in all the Christmas decorations and it was actually a pretty nice setting.It also was pretty quiet overnight even though there were a few other campers in the lot.

While staying at Sycuan Casino we made a quick road trip over to the small town of Alpine to meet up with our RV friends Merlene and Dan whom we first met at Betty’s and have seen at several  other places while traveling over the USA. We were delighted they picked Alpine Beer Company to meet up as it was a very quaint and homey brewery located in the hills of Alpine California. We had a fun time reminiscing and talking about future plans. It appears we may even see them again before we exit Arizona…

Overnight the rain continued and we were greeted with more rain in the morning, As I type this blog the hills have strands of fog interlaced among the slopes and the rain is pitter pattering on the roof. Last night the buffet was featured as a “surf and turf” with New York Strip, Crab Legs and Shrimp on the menu so we certainly had a feast. A normal $26.00 buffet price was free for us and as much as we didn’t want to overeat we certainly did… As buffets go this one was very good and much better than I expected . Even the desserts (which can be weak on most buffets) were all very good much to the sadness of my stomach. Yep, I left the buffet with a food baby…

Well in a short while we will move back over to Mission Bay RV Resort for another 31 days. I should mention that the monthly price includes 31 days no matter what month you book. Also unlike most monthly stays there is no up charges for anything including electricity which is free. Throw in no tax on the charges and we can stay on the scenic waterfront near downtown San Diego for less than $28.00 per day, quite the bargain in this area!