California is in our Rear View Mirrors

We enjoyed our three weeks in San Diego but checked out of Chula Vista RV Resort a week before our scheduled departure.  The park is beside the water, well cared for, nice hedges divide the campsites, trees and floral plantings are lovely,  pool looked inviting but the weather was too cool, plus the clean dog area was very close to our site which suited old Dixie perfectly.

There are a couple of problems with the park but the one that drove us to distraction was the fact that it is bordered on two sides by busy roads producing loud vehicle noise all day.  Cars without mufflers and motorcycles, many racing and blasting music, constantly jarred us out of relaxation mode.  The park backs onto a public waterfront park where noise is another issue.  Three ice cream trucks that circled the park daily playing their jingles over and over and over including “Do your ears (or other parts) hang low, do they wobble to and fro? and various Christmas carols.  The very southern location of Chula Vista, about ten minutes from Mexico, is a negative in that the majority of sites we wanted to visit were a long, traffic-laden drive away.

We did many fun bike rides and walks along the water; a particularly pleasant path followed an estuary around many seabirds, protected in the marshes; salt flats where sea pools  evaporate into white crystals and low tide revealing driftwood and stones holding clusters of oysters.  We regularly saw a dog walker along the trail whose multiple leashes held upwards of fourteen pooches.

One aspect of San Diego and towns around it that did not impact us directly, is the large population of homeless folks. Some live in makeshift cardboard homes or flimsy tents, some in their cars, under bridges, beside parks and along the railway tracks.  It is a huge social problem around California’s larger cities.  There are some really sad cases out there.

Despite the longer drives, we did take in a few downtown San Diego museums and enjoyed our last afternoon and evening high above the Pacific Ocean at Cabrillo Point.  

There’s always a showoff at the beach!

What’s over the hill Chris?

Oh, bikini volleyball!

selfie

The museum offers lots for train enthusiasts, children, creative and curious folks alike.  “The boys and their toys” have created a few wonderful railways complete with city and country scenes, waterfront loading zones, human dramas, entertainment venues,  farm scenarios,  small town and large city action and all measure of stations, crossings, bridges, lights and sounds.  Allow about ninety minutes if you plan to visit.

California is known for its fresh food and healthy trends in cuisine.  We found a few fun places to enjoy fish-of-the-day tacos, Swordfish and Halibut,  shrimp, stellar vegetable creations, Scallops and Striped Bass.  Fresh baked sourdough bread is a classic California side and we sampled lots of it.

In Imperial Beach, eat at “Brigantine” before or after a walk on The Pier.

Islands of Mexico on the horizon.

Planes from many eras hang from the rafters or sit at ground level for close-up inspection.  The collection covers the history of flight, WWI and WWII, experimental and stunt aircraft, murals, posters, memorabilia, interactive displays and a great collection of hand painted portraits of aviators over the years. Plan to spend a couple of hours if you visit.

See the boat way in the distance.

Cabrillo Point is one of the most beautiful areas in San Diego.  The monument of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo celebrates the Spanish explorer’s discovery of the port into the modern day site of San Diego.  In 1542, he claimed “The Coast of New Spain”.  With the Naval Base, Harbour, Marinas, Coronado Island, Lighthouse, the Pacific, Kelp Forests, Whale Watching, World War bunkers, Cliffs, and a RSich ecological array of plants and birds, all at 422 feet above sea level, there are so many things to experience!

Views of the West Coast and Pacific Ocean.

We spotted three Grey Whale blows.

Grey Whale spine.

We explored the rich tide pools here on our last visit.

Navy maneuvers.

Awkward embrace.

Views East…

Coronado Hotel

Navy Seals.

Old Point Loma Lighthouse (modern lighthouse station at the foot of cliff)

We were treated to a great shadow show as sun the began its descent.

“I wanna marry a lighthouse keeper and keep him company.”

“I wanna marry a lighthouse keeper and live by the side of the sea.”

Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.

Paradise Valley, really?

Short period of low clouds, fog and rain.

The Imperial Valley was home to many a gold hunter back in the day.

Imperial Sand Valley Dunes, an off-roading mecca.  The dunes were formed with sands from the Ancient Lake Cahuilla and opposing winds.

Looks like a modern home but is a pile of cement road blocks.

Adios Blog readers.  Stay tuned for more adventures as we head back to Ontario.  In the mean time some of you may want to check out my personal blog: I take my coffee with milk

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