Lunch and Old Town

San Diego Metro KOA

Chula Vista, CA

January 10, 2022 

Old Town San Diego is a state protected park in San Diego and rightfully so.  

It is known as the birth place of California.  History states that  in 1769 Father Junipero Sierra, along with a group of Spanish soldiers established the first permanent settlements on a hill overlooking the San Diego River and what is Old Town today.  Presidio Park, built by Father Sierra, is a beautiful Mission with lots of history that I wrote about in a blog post five years ago in January 2017.  It was the first time we met Jeff and Fran and what a treat it was to have locals as guides that day as we explored the park.  If you are interested, the "featured post" side bar (top right) is a link to that fun day.  

Thank you Jeff and Fran !

For the years since then, when visiting San Diego having lunch with Jeff and Fran is something Joe and I look forward to.  Today we met them at Casa Guadalajara (Jeff and Fran's choice and what a great choice it was!) in Old Town.  Their company, laughter and conversation was the highlight.  

The patio setting at Casa Guadalajara was perfect!

And it's worth mentioning that the food we were served was nothing short of a masterpiece of yummy goodness that I forgot to photo.  

We have visited Old Town several times, and I still enjoy perusing the streets there. The colors make me happy.

Joe's mom always said, "Things don't just grow in California, they flourish."  I couldn't agree more !

At first glance, I thought this tree was decorated...

What an interesting flower... 

There is so much history in Old Town.  Much of the history and the stories center around old buildings...homes, businesses, barns, etc. that are now museums.  One building,  The Church of the Immaculate Conception, is still a functioning church.  Today, it serves over 300 families and visitors from around the world.  It was dedicated in 1858 and the cornerstone to the present church was laid in 1868. 

It is often called the Old Adobe Chapel on Conde Street today.      

Stained glass window from inside the church

The bell tower...the church was seismically retrofitted to withstand earthquakes in 2019.

But sometimes, the history of a place is found in the food we enjoy !  And aren't we happy about that?  Handmade tortillas made from scratch the old fashioned way usually draws a crowd.  The dough gets hand pressed and rolled out and with a lot of practice...no presses needed here... a perfectly round tortilla is born.  Everyday in Old Town, over 3,000 corn tortillas are made using between 300-400 pounds of corn and 5,600 flour tortillas are made using about 700 pounds.  Now that's a lot of tortillas !  The dough rises and bubbles while they cook on large flat grills and the air fills with the smell of deliciousness.  Yet another reason to enjoy perusing the streets !       

Tortillas date back to 10,000 BC to the Mayan time.

    

I'll close with a few more favorite photos ...

The week is off to a wonderful start.  It actually began at San Diego's biggest farmer's market on Sunday...more on that later.  Until next time, 

HAPPY TRAILS !

Presidio Park

San Diego Metro KOA
Chula Vista, CA
January 8, 2017

Ahhh...blue skies, sunshine and warm temps yesterday were the perfect combination to get out play.  An awesome day for a walk in the park.  And, an especially terrific day when a local says we will meet you there.  Fellow blogger Jeff and his wife Fran are residents of San Diego and generously offered to guide us.  We walked, shared stories and had lots of laughs.  For everything San Diego check out Jeff's informative blog here.  

This was a first visit for Joe and I to Presidio Park.  Why ? I don't know!  It's beautiful and full of history and the walking/hiking trails are easy with lots of hills to climb and descend.  Our first stop was the Junipero Serra Museum.  

Serra was a Spanish Franciscan friar who founded the first Spanish mission in California in 1769.  


Between that time and 1784, he established 8 more missions along the coast.





The museum stands atop the site of the first permanent European settlement, a presidio, in what would become the State of California.  Prior to the Spanish, native Kumeyaay people had lived on and around the hill.  After Mexican independence (1821), the presidio fell into disrepair.  It's materials were used to build Old Town.  In the early 20th century, George Marston began buying the land on and around the hill to create what would become todays Presidio Park (35 acres).  In 1929, the Museum was dedicated on the site.

The main tower exhibits tell the history of the area, the missions, and Father Serra.

A display shows the original presidio.

The upper tower displays exhibits from the year and day the museum was dedicated in 1929.


Our personal guides...Jeff and Fran.

 Our walk made a nice loop to Inspiration Point, through Palm Canyon,  along The Arbor, and ended at The Padre and The Padre Cross.

We stopped several times along the way.  Jeff is full of information and one of the uniquely interesting things I learned was about cochineal.  Cochineal is a scale insect which natural red dye is made from.  The white spots on the prickly pear are evidence of the insect.  Jeff scraped off a piece and yes, we saw red !  Totally amazing !  You may have already heard of this as it is in a lot of food.  If not check it out.  Type in cochineal in the search bar. 

Our trusty guides lead the way.












Inspiration Point is the highest point in the park.

 Jeff pointed out Palm Canyon is home to a native palm tree.  

The California Fan Palm can live up to 90 years and grow to 75 feet tall.  The leaves can reach to about 6 feet long.

The Arbor at Presidio Park is a popular site for weddings...that's no surprise !  Its beautiful. 

The Arbor is located at the top of another hill...yes, there are a few to climb.  The views opened up and we could see Point Loma.

The Padre and The Padre Cross are located just across from the museum. 

The bronze statue of The Padre was created in 1908 by Arthur Putnam and relocated to Presidio Park in 1933.  It is not meant to depict Serra, but represents all the Franciscan Padres who served California's 21 missions.  I wish I had gotten a close up of the detail in his face.  

In the same area is The Padre Cross, made from tiles from the Presidio ruins and erected in 1913.  

Fran snapped this picture of us from one of the grassy knolls.  Thanks for sharing Jeff ! 










From the park, we took the 1/2 mile walk to Old Town along The Old Presidio Historic Trail.  The plaque states that families used this trail to walk down from the presidio to tend their gardens  and around 1820, some families began to build homes beside their gardens and Old Town was born.






 We enjoyed great company and yummy food at The Coyote in Old Town.  Thank you so much Jeff and Fran for a wonderful day in the park.  You guys are awesome ! (And thanks for sharing your picture.)

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

 Cheers from San Diego !

Until next time,

HAPPY TRAILS !

Winding Down...

San Diego Metro KOA
Chula Vista, CA
February 7, February 13, 2015

What a treat it is to meet up with friends for dinner. Lynn and Dave have been stomping around these parts for quite some time now and one of their favorite places to visit is Cafe Coyote in Old Town San Diego. 


  Cafe Coyote has been serving up award winning Mexican for over 25 years. Dave made reservations (The line was long...reservations are recommended for the week-ends.) for 5:00pm on the upstairs outdoor patio.

How nice it was to visit with Dave, Lynn and their son Richard as the sun's setting glow lit up the hillside across the street.. And yes, if you see a frozen concoction on the table, it would be mine. Absolutely the best Margarita made with the best Tequila I have ever had! In fact, Cafe Coyote has Tequila Ambassadors to educate and entertain guests. Over 100 tequilas are on the list that are served there. Did you know that...

More tequila is sold in Old Town San Diego than anywhere else in the world...

And, Cafe Coyote is a certified "Tequila House" by the Academia del tequila, Mexico City and is one of only two in the United States. 

This was our first visit to Historic Old Town at night. What a difference the night makes. It is way more festive and alive! 

Last Friday, we all decided to take a bike ride from the Bernado Shores RV Park where The Perkin's have lived for the past few weeks after a stay at Mission Bay Resort. The bikepath to Coronado is just down the street...how convenient is that? Well, we didnt make it all the way to Coronado, but we did ride to Silver Strand Public Beach area.

 Meet Allie...Dave and Lynn's 15 yr old Yorkie. What a cutie and a trooper she is. She is loving life with her family after two bouts of cancer and  with kidney issues that require dialysis.  

Bayshore Bikeway lined with bright yellow California Sunflowers...

We worked up a good appetite so it was off to Imperial Beach for lunch and a walk on the beach...once again, Dave and Lynn hit the jackpot. Their choice was Barrels Wine and Beer. It hasn't been open very long, but has become a popular spot to gather for a glass of wine with a view of the pier and beautiful sunsets.  

We all had way too much food with homemade chips and fries...but that didn't stop some of us from cleaning our plates!

Imperial Beach park just next door to Barrels was a flurry of activity...

We did drive to the south end of the beach...

There is a boardwalk and watershed where we parked along the Tijuana River.

Tijuana River with Tijuana on the hill in the far distance.

Imperial Beach Pier from the south end of the beach...

A beautiful sight, sound, feel and smell...

 Until next time, take care, and...

...happy trails!