Wrapping Up San Diego

San Diego Metro KOA

Chula Vista,  CA

February 3, 2024

Friday (Jan. 26)

The Hotel del Coronado has been on my radar for some time.  We joined Carol and Ronnie for a morning on the island to take it all in.  The hotel has quite the history dating back to 1885 when two entrepreneurs bought the entire peninsular we call Coronado Island today with the idea of building a magnificent hotel that would be the talk of the western world.  This destination resort first opened it's doors in 1888.  It was indeed magnificent with electricity, telephones, private bathrooms, elevators and a state of the art fire alarm system.  It was outfitted in fine china, linen from Europe, and luxury furnishings from the east.  The Del, as locals call it today, offered a variety of activities...swimming, boating, archery croquet, golf, bicycling and fine dining with special rooms set aside for indulgences such as reading, writing, chess, cards, music and yep...smoking.  

Today, the The Del is one of the last wooden Victorian beach resorts in the world.  It is also the second largest such structure in the United States. It is recognized as the first commercial building to have electricity.  Thomas Edison, himself,  came to the hotel shortly before it opened to oversee the installation of electric lighting.  And in 1904, Edison returned to debut the world's first lighted Christmas tree which stood on the hotel's lawn.  

Nearly a dozen US presidents have visited The Del along with a long list of well-known folks...both from the past and present.  

The Hotel del Coronado was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977.

The beach the hotel sits on is a white sandy beach and makes for a very nice walk.  Even though it is owned by the hotel, it is open to the public...you can even rent chairs, loungers, and umbrellas and have lunch served on the beach as a non-guest.  We just walked.  Every time we have walked on the beach, the waves have been amazing...

We stood at the jetty for a few minutes to enjoy the sound of the waves crashing into the rocks and to take photos.

Waiting was half the fun...
(Thank you for the photo Carol.)

Success...

along with the feel of the cool spray on my face and the taste of saltwater on my lips... 

and a new bird sighting for us...a Black Turnstone.

We all laughed out loud as we watched the California Gulls having their mid morning snack.  

If finding the perfect clam wasn't hard enough opening the darn thing sure is...

...it flew up pretty high and dropped it half a dozen times or so...

working so hard to crack it open.

Finally...yum, yum!

We also saw a flock or two of Royal Terns.  They are a social species and found in large, noisy groups.

I read that a flock of Royal Terns is known as a "highness," well befitting its regal name.

They also make us laugh out loud...

Saturday (Jan. 27)

  

Saturday was hiking day.  The four of us chose a new to us hike...Annie's Canyon.  It was almost a bust as when we got to the trailhead...a nicely dirt, gravelly, wide trail...and looked down the very, very steep hill we all said nope.  We would have to climb back up that very, very steep hill on the return. Carol saved the day when she spotted a paved bike trail and off we went. I'm not sure how far it was from here to the trail, but all total, we logged in a healthy 4.2 miles.  There was a decent on the bikeway, but not as steep or slippery. 

 

Annie's Canyon is a short trail...once you get there...thru a slot canyon.  There are ladders and steps to climb at the end of the trail to an overlook.  It was a Saturday...not a good day to do this very popular hike.  Everybody and their moms, dads, grannies, grandpas, and children were there and they expected to take the four legged members of the family as well even though the signage said "No Dogs".  Little dogs, middle size dogs an big dogs were all there to join in the fun.  So, we made it to the ladder, with a very long line of folks making their way up and we strategically...it was not easy as we were all squeezed into a very narrow space...turned around and went out the way we came in.  Would I go again?  Yes... but not on a weekend and hoping for less folks.  

The short trail to the canyon is well marked and easy.

The beginning...

The up shot...

The squeeze...

Annie's Canyon is nestled within the San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Preserve.  I read that it was once vandalized by transients and plagued with illicit drug use.  I saw photos of those beautiful canyon walls covered in paint and graffiti.  Local residents had the area cleaned up and designated a trail there.  The canyon was named after Annie, a 30 year resident of Solana Beach who was a very active conservancy supporter.  

Sunday (Jan. 28)

The four of us enjoy market days in San Diego so we were off bright and early and headed to one of San Diego's oldest neighborhoods...Hillcrest...Sunday morning. 

Even though this urban setting is home to cafes and bakeries, galleries, and museums and exploring this area sounds yummy and fun, we have yet to meander here except on market day.  

Every Sunday (9:00-2:00) booths and tents line the street...about 175 of them...artisans, growers, and yummy things prepared on site to nibble on or drink while you peruse. 

Our bags were full...red curly lettuce, green curly lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, sourdough bread, berries, cauliflower, broccoli, flowers and a blueberry lime scone that I wish I had gotten half a dozen of.  

The market is cheerful and colorful with live entertainment and (even though Little Italy is a cool place to be too) we all agree, Hillcrest is our favorite San Diego market.  

Monday (Jan.29)

Monday dawned a gorgeous day.  We had plans with Jeff and Fran for lunch on The Island, but an email from Jeff arrived early that morning.  Fran's brother had a fall a was hospitalized.  We were sorry we didn't get one last visit with them, and wish Bobby a speedy recovery.  Until we meet again friends...

Our last day...a gorgeous day...what to do? I know !  A beach walk and pizza and the Bledsoe's were all in !  Mission Beach and Luigi's make for a nice walk and fun lunch.  

Plovers

Green Flash...art at the boardwalk on Mission Beach

Beach stuff always gets my attention...

We were not sure where the surfer was...

So that is a wrap on our San Diego get away.  It was such a fun trip.  We all enjoyed ourselves.  

We left SD on Wednesday and enjoyed our first Arizona sunset for the year that night in Dateland. 

And we were up for a pretty sunrise this morning.  Adventures are fun, coming home is wonderful, and life is good !

Until next time, 

HAPPY TRAILS!

Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve

San Diego Metro KOA

Chula Vista, CA

January 12, 2022

Torrey Pines SNR is located within the city limits of San Diego yet it remains "one of the wildest stretches of land on the Southern California coast".  

Thanks to the efforts of naturalist Guy Fleming (May 1884-May 1960) and all the dedicated people who followed his lead, we can enjoy these 2,000 acres of land just as they were before San Diego was developed.

This includes the maritime chaparral , the rare Torrey Pine, miles of unspoiled beaches, a lagoon, and a salt marsh.  When reading about the reserve, it says to keep in mind that a reserve is not a park. A reserve is a protected area targeted for conservation with an emphasis  on protecting threatened plants, animals, habitats or a specific geological feature.  Reserves have restrictions that parks do not have. Examples include no food or drink allowed except water, no pets and no smoking.   

TPSNR includes eight miles of trails offering a variety of distances and a Visitor Center commissioned in 1922.  An entrance fee per car is collected at the gate and hours are from 8:00 am to sunset. 

We have hiked in the reserve several times over the years.  It is amazingly beautiful and peaceful and there is something quite magical about meandering among the rarest of all pines in the United States.  The rare Torrey Pines are only found at this reserve and on Santa Rosa Island and are listed as endangered.  It all began in the 1980s with a combination of drought and a bark beetle infestation.  Over 650 Torrey Pines have died as a result.  Efforts began, and are still ongoing, to trap the beetles. Because Torrey Pines is a Reserve, the policy is to let nature take its course.  

This grove of Torrey Pines on the northwest side of the Guy Flemming Trail is gone.  When we first visited the reserve in February 2015, there was a nice grove here on both sides of the trail .  The blue tubes are seedling Torrey Pines that have been transplanted from other sections of the reserve.    

I found it interesting that it takes around 3 years for a pine cone on these magnificent trees to mature and produce seeds. 

 

It's also interesting to note that many animals eat the pine nuts and even the seedling trees and very few seedling trees grow to maturity.  

Many older cones remain on the tree, but if you do see one on the ground...it is illegal to remove it from the reserve.

I could go on and on...nature is so amazing and fascinating !

It's not hard to find other things to photograph when walking these trails.  There are flowers...

Agave

  

California Poppy

Milkmaid

Verbena

Sea Dahlia

And one of my favorites...Prickly pear Cactus

We all spent awhile at one of the overlooks watching the dolphins play... 

This photo was taken from an overlook way up on a cliff.  I was so wishing I had my big lens on the camera.  

the fog roll in... 

listening to the  pounding waves...

and hoping to see a pair of Peregrine Falcons that the docent said were nesting in the cliff wall.

I'll close by adding that if you are in San Diego, we think Torrey Pines is a must see.  And as with most posts, a few more photos !

Growing on a cliff face...

  

California Towhee

Something old, something new...

Looking towards LaJolla

Until next time,

HAPPY TRAILS!