A Walk in the Park

San Diego Metro KOA
Chula Vista, CA
December 9, 2015

The warm sunshine and bright blue skies lured us to Balboa Park today. Our reward was an amazing walk among magnificent architecture and pristine gardens. 


For me, any trip to San Diego must include a visit to Balboa Park. This 1200 acre park, ( for info, click here ) includes museums, gardens, performing arts, and recreation opportunities. 

The Botanical Garden was our first stop. It was built for the 1915-16 Exposition and is one of the largest lath structures in the world.  

The lath structure with the Lily pond and lagoon is one of the most photographed scenes in the park.

The Botanical Building plantings include more than 2100 permanent plants featuring ferns and orchids. It also features seasonal flower displays and it was the poinsettias that stole the show today.

It doesn't matter if you look up...

...or down, you are guaranteed to see beauty!

We did stop to watch a mama duck with her 12 ducklings in the corner of the pond.

What a treat...

 And then there is the flamboyant Spanish architecture...

... and immaculate landscaping.

 We also decided to go to the Car Museum. It was a $6.00 ticket each to enter and we both agreed we wished we had paid the same amount to walk through the Japanese Friendship Garden instead.

The Steve McQueen exhibit was my favorite.

And the most interesting exhibit was the Louie Mattar's $75,000 1947 Cadillac. It seems Mr. Mattar and two other men drove from San Diego to New York and back (6,320 miles) without a single stop from Sept. 20-27, 1952   

The backseat featured such luxuries as a refrigerator, electric stove, iron and ironing board, TV washing machine, chemical toilet, shower, medicine cabinet, and kitchen sink. 

 There were platforms built all around the car to stand on for servicing. The shiny trailer provided the dining table as well as a reserve tanks for water, gas and oil. Louie also made a second trip from Anchorage to Mexico City, over 7482 miles.

Oh, we did see a celebrity...

Until next time, take care and let the good times roll...

HAPPY TRAILS!

Barely Scratched the Surface...

San Diego Metro KOA
Chula Vista, CA
January 27, 2015

 Balboa Park is ranked the nation's largest urban cultural park...a mere 1,200 acres. It is home to 15 major museums, performing arts venues, gardens, and the San Diego Zoo.

 According to Google, it was envisioned by civic leaders in 1868, developed in 1892, and master-planned in 1903. It is named after Vasco Nunez de Balboa, the first European to sight the Pacific Ocean. 

 Many of the "highly ornamented, flamboyant" Spanish-Renaissance style buildings were constructed for a World's Fair called the "Panama-California Exposition" held there in 1915-16.











Our walk through Balboa took a few hours. It was a beautiful day so going inside museums was not on our agenda. 

Carol and I did, however wander through the Botanical Gardens... the view of the Botanical Building with the Lily Pad and Lagoon in the foreground is one of the most photographed scenes in the park. 


It was and remains today "one of the largest lath buildings in the world". 

In the few hours we spent walking around Balboa Park, we barely scratched the surface...but were totally awed by the beauty and appreciative of the insight a few folks had many years ago. 

Until next time, take care and

 happy trails!