good-times-rollin: February 2019

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Ocean Beach, Wildlife Refuge, and Point Loma

San Diego Metro KOA
Chula Vista, CA
January 2019

Ocean Beach
Having visited this colorful neighborhood a couple of years ago with Lisa and Hans, we had an idea of what to expect and where to go at Ocean Beach. Unfortunately, OB Municipal Pier was closed for repair from damage caused by strong winds and waves.

At 1,971 feet, OB Pier is the longest concrete pier on the West coast.

The tide was just right for a walk along the trail. A small section of the trail is concrete. Erosion has caused so much damage.

A different view of the Pier...

Small cottages and bungalows line the narrow streets of this beachfront neighborhood.

It was news to us that wild parrots are also part of the OB (and other urban beach communities in SD) culture. Native to northern Mexico, it is believed these colorful birds came to California in search of a suitable habitat as areas of Mexico became deforested. Food is plentiful...they survive on seeds, nectar, and fruit from tropical trees and shrubs.

Lunch at the beach is a real treat...especially when oysters are on the menu.

In addition to 6 on the half shell, the days special was a fried oyster po-boy. Yummy !

San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge

SD Bay NWR is located at the south end of SD near Chula Vista. Approximately 2,600 acres of land and water not only protects a diversity of migratory and native species of birds, but also protects what remains of SD Bay's historical coastal salt marsh and intercostal mudflat.

The largest contiguous mudflat in So Cal.

Cabrillo National Monument/Point Loma

In 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was the first European to set foot on what is now California.

This sandstone statue stands 14 feet tall, weighs 14,000 pounds, and was dedicated in 1988.

The park was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.

In addition to a great story lesson, the park is also home to a wealth of natural resources. Bayside Trail was our reason for visiting the park. It's a beautiful 2.5 mile hike with great views of the bay, Ballast Point (where Cabrillo landed), the skyline of San Diego, sandstone cliffs, and plant and animal life.

There is also WWII history along the trail.

When we arrived at the park it was sunny!

The park is also home to one of eight original West Coast lighthouses. The first lighthouse on Point Loma was in operation from 1855 to 1891.

Low-lying fog rolled in during the morning.

The lighthouse was built on the highest point at Point Loma. It soon became apparent that low-lying fog obscured the light that shone above the fog bank making it useless.

After some fresh air, fresh seafood hit the spot.

Known as "The Freshest Thing in Town" Point Loma Seafoods offers a huge selection of fresh caught fish.

Shrimp tacos

You can choose to dine inside or outside. But whichever you choose, don't forget Kelly's famous lemonade. They also make their own sourdough bread.

That's a wrap on our San Diego visit. We have been settled in at the Lazydays KOA since Feb 1. The weather has not been all that great with cold nights and breezy, rainy chilly days, but we are visiting with friends, getting things done and necessary appointments taken care of. More on that later.

I'll close with a few random pictures from January. Until next time...

Ocean Beach color...

The marina at Point Loma Seafoods

Quirky art at Ocean Beach

Ummm...

...nope!

Point Loma

Bayside Trail at Cabrillo NM

Galley At the Marina in Chula Vista for a sunset and fish and chips.

HAPPY TRAILS !

Sunday, February 3, 2019

So Much Color...San Diego WEEK 4

San Diego Metro KOA
Chula Vista, CA
January 26, 2019

Old Town
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

The State Historic Park preserves and recreates Old Town as it existed during the Mexican and early American from its settlement in 1821 through 1871.

One of the original five adobe buildings in Old Town was constructed in 1827 by the Estudillo family.

The home represents one of the oldest surviving examples of a large Spanish-Mexican one-story home in California. The adobe home is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Carol, Ronnie, Joe and I enjoyed a nice, but a little chilly, walk around Old Town before meeting Jeff and Fran for lunch.

Jeff's choice was Casa de Maria.

Thanks for the photos Jeff!

And a great choice it was...locals know all the good places ! The courtyard was bright and sunny, but it was quite breezy so we settled in at one of the inside restaurant tables.

L to R: Carol, Joe, Jeff, Fran, me, and Ronnie

The food was yummy and the small frozen concoction we were all looking forward to was huge and also very yummy ! Great conversation and lots of laughs all made for a very nice lunch.

Coronado Beach Doggie Park
We really wanted to go to the doggie beach on Coronado Island every week, but little Jack over did it on our first trip. A few days after that first trip, we had to make a trip to South Bay Veterinary Hospital. (We took Dover there in Jan. 2017 and credit them for saving her life after 4 days in ICU from acute pancreatitis.) Jack was quickly X-Rayed and thank goodness his spinal cord is all aligned and looks great. Blood work was also done.

It was determined that Jack had a severe case of "I over did it" with all the running and jumping he did. After a few days of "puppy Tylenol" and muscle relaxers he is back to normal. Our lesson learned is at 11+ years old he is no longer a puppy. So from now on, we will keep the ball low to the ground and won't throw it so far. Dr Deo is awesome and made a follow up call the next morning with results from his blood work and to check on Jack.

Seaport Village
Seaport Village is a downtown waterfront shopping and dining experience.

Such a beautiful, bright and sunny California morning!

Can you believe this gorgeous area was once a railroad yard where goods came through the area? Today it houses over 70 shops, galleries and eateries.

For me, care-free and colorful best describe this unique complex. We didn't walk the 4 miles of paths or go to the park, so I am pretty sure a return visit next trip will be on the list. We did peruse a few specialty shops though. My favorite was Swings and Things...