San Diego area - Dec. 13, 2005 - Jan. 12, 2006
Those who have experienced driving a 20-ton rig through the Los Angeles freeway labyrinth probably breaks out in a cold sweat at the memory. We never thought overly-paved (yet less crowded) Orange County could look so good! Clearly we survived, but are attributing a few gray hairs to the ordeal.
We selected the Chula Vista RV Resort about 8 miles south of San Diego for our holiday home. The resort is really lovely and a bit pricey. It is located adjacent to the Chula Vista Marina and Bayside Park with a view across San Diego Bay to the Silver Strand and Coronado Island. The facilities are meticulously maintained and offer a large heated pool and spa, and a very well equipped gym. Restaurants and the H Street Trolley Station are within walking distance.
Hint: If you call to reserve for a month, confirm that the monthly rate is available. The resort is limited to the number of monthly stays they can honor. Another very nice resort in the area is the Santee Lakes and RV Park. It is located inland on a series of small lakes. The KOA is right on the freeway and the Mission Bay Resort is not very well kept - but has a great location.
On December 18th we took the Trolley into San Diego to wander around Little Italy, a recently gentrified ethnic neighborhood with great shops, cafes, coffee houses and quite expensive loft/condos. We then walked down to the waterfront where a nautical event was underway including tall ships firing cannons at one another, and 19th century costumed pirates and sailors entertaining the tourists - and scaring the kids.
The Holiday Parade of Lights was scheduled for that evening so we found a likely watering hole at the Fish Market Restaurant next to the USS Midway to watch the event in comfort. The Parade of Lights was consisted of any water worthy vessel, from the most luxurious yacht to the lowly dingy, decked out in holiday finery. The boats, featuring carolers or recorded music, cruised from Harbor Island to Seaport Village and back. The mood of the sailors and observers was very festive.
During our stay we enjoyed two visits to several of the fifteen museums at Balboa Park. The park was developed for the 1915-16 Panama-California Exposition commemorating the opening of the Panama Canal, and further developed for the 1935-36 California Pacific International Exposition. The very ornate Spanish-Renaissance architecture is surrounded by graceful Mediterranean, desert and Japanese gardens.
Among the museums we visited were the Timkim Museum of Art that had a very impressive exhibit of Rembrandt's Apostles; the Museum of Photographic Art showing Graham Nash's (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young) work; and the San Diego Museum of Art with a special exhibit entitled "Only Skin Deep: Changing Visions of the American Self". This exhibit offered very powerful images of America's evolving ideas about race.
We enjoyed the Museum of San Diego History, which depicts the history and evolution of San Diego's architecture, culture and neighborhoods. We were sorry we did not tour this museum earlier as it would have enhanced and informed our exploration of the San Diego area.
We also visited several the beach towns including Ocean, Pacific, Imperial and Mission beaches. There were several high surf warnings during our stay so we went out to watch the surfers brave the waves and witness an exciting surf rescue at Seacliff. Everybody was ok, but I don't think one of the surfers recovered his board.
On a windy day we went over to Silver Strand Beach to watch the para-surfers. Silver Strand is located just south of Coronado, with the Pacific on the west and the San Diego Bay on the east. It is a beautiful long beach that stretches south to the Mexico border. We captured a few pictures of the para-surfers but a photo cannot capture the exhilaration.
On a less windy day we returned to Silver Strand Beach with our bikes and pedaled into Coronado, explored the "island" and the Del Coronado, and had lunch at bayside. It was one of those fabled southern California days - clear, warm, soft, beautiful. Perfect.
We traveled out to Point Loma to do a little whale watching a couple of days before we were scheduled to leave. We actually spotted three gray whales on their sojourn south…ok, so it was only the spouts and backs - but still exciting.
Of course, we were in San Diego for the holidays and two happy events coincided to make the holidays wonderful. On Christmas Day our friends Sheri and Allen were traveling from their Sacramento Delta home on Ryer Island to their Baja home just north of Cabo San Lucas. Since we are both rather mobile, we had not crossed paths since we became vagabonds over a year ago. We were finally able to get together for a great visit and Christmas dinner.
On New Year's Eve we were able to join our friend Leslie at her home in Bonita, about 8 miles east of our Chula Vista home. We played an interactive game called "Scene It" that tested our collective TV memories. It was groovy (a bit of 1970's TV influence) bringing in the New Year with Leslie, and meeting her friends and new family, Mike and daughter Stephanie.
The San Diego area is wonderful. There are so many things to do and see, the weather is fabulous and we just wanted to be out enjoying it all the time. Our next destination - Quartzsite, Arizona - should be quite a contrast.
On January 13th we pointed our home east and left California. Barring any unknown circumstances we do not plan to return for two years. California is a wonderfully varied state. We will miss its lush forests, fertile valleys, high mountains, beautiful coastline, exciting cities and diverse communities. It will always be "home".
