San Diego, CA

September 9, 2009

Arriving in San Diego on I-15 begins north of Escondido, about 50 miles away from the southern extreme of San Diego at Tijuana, Mexico. Our RV address took us to within a few miles of that border. Our site at La Pacifica was pool side, a fact we both took advantage of.

We had all the expected tourist destinations planned, but first flew to Dallas for a quick weekend with our son. Other non-tourist activities included visits to an eye doctor, ordering new glasses, installing our new satellite, and watching the stock market. All so exciting! We are enjoying the reliability of the satellite service.

Our first excursion was the Maritime Museum at the harbor. We got to board the oldest merchant sailboat that still can be sailed in its original method, no engines have been added. We learned that volunteers at the museum earn the right to crew the Star of India by passing certifications and serving volunteer hours. It is quite an honor to be among the 60 hands needed to fully man the steel hulled beauty. A USSR Foxtrot submarine is on the tour as well as a USA experimental sub, the Dolphin. A historic luxury steam yacht that also served in both World Wars is a study in teak and fine living. The HMS Surprise is a replica of the original frigate that was used to film Master and Commander. It displays original cannons and photos of the movie. The Victorian era Berkeley would be a wonderful way to ferry between Berkeley and San Francisco. The modern Stars and Stripes is docked along side these antique versions of sail power providing lovely contrast. We walked along the dock to the Navy World War II monuments near the USS Midway carrier. A different day we walked downtown enjoying lunch in the Gaslamp Quarter and a stroll through Little Italy at opposite ends of downtown. Returning to the car felt a little like a forced march, but it was a beautiful day.

A happy coincident: Any time we are in Dallas, we have to visit Half Priced Books at Northwest Hwy. They always have something surprising. This time I picked up a copy of Two Years Before the Mast, a first person account of merchant ships in the mid 19th century. The author, Richard Henry Dana, saw southern California when it was a part of Mexico as a sailor on ships that transported hides east. Reading his diary account of ports from San Francisco to San Diego gives a glimpse of the land and culture of 1835. It was especially interesting to have walked on a bark like Star of India, much like the author’s ship, the Alert. There could be no better time to read this American classic.

We drove around Balboa Park and spent a great afternoon at the famed zoo. We rode the sky lift tram, the tour bus and moving sidewalk in addition to a lot of walking to see all the exotic animals and plants. Gorillas and polar bears really put on a show, while pandas and koalas sort of allowed us to gaze upon them. We were fortunate to visit the gorillas at the same time as one of their greatest fans. This frequent zoo visitor told us names, how to identify each gorilla of the family and shared many of their antics. San Diego actually has 2 families and rotates them into view. According to our new friend, we got to see the more interesting group of a male, 3 females and a baby, Adam.

We spent an afternoon at La Jolla, walking at the cove, park and beach. Russell wants the concession that allows other reluctant tourists the option of not watching the “smelly blobs,” aka, seals. I thought they were cute! No smelly blobs at the Hotel Del Coronado! All is pristine and upper crust! Our location south of Chula Vista allowed us to follow CA 75 up the beach to “Coronado Island.” The area actually became a peninsula when it was connected to the mainland at Imperial Beach and the highway was built. Another highway connects the city to downtown via a dramatic bridge. You can still ferry across from the downtown harbor and walk the quaint streets to arrive at the hotel. Staying at this historic Victorian beauty would be a real treat and step back in time.

October 1 came and it was time to leave San Diego and California. 2.5 months is not enough time to see everything we had wanted, but it was certainly a great start.

NEXT TIME: Stay north of the city. Visit San Juan Capistrano. Balboa Park museums!