Bikeways...

San Diego Metro KOA
Chula Vista, CA
January 24, January 28, February 2, February 3, 2015

Sweetwater Bikeway
    Our first bike outing was a bike path we took right out of the KOA. It is a path that follows the Sweetwater River all the way to the yacht harbor at the mouth of the river. Round trip it is about 6 miles on a mostly asphalt surface. 

There is a great little outdoor grill located there that really serves up a good burger and fish and chips. 

 
Or there is a park for picnic. 

 Mission Bay Park/Bikeway
   What a beautiful ride this was! From where we parked, we did a 3 mile ride right past Sea World, under 2 interstates, and around the cove to the jetty. When we returned to our parking spot, we continued on for 3 miles in the other direction around the bay. The complete ride is described as a 19 mile loop...maybe one day?

Bayshore Bikeway
  Bayshore Bikeway is a 24 mile loop. We parked just past Hotel del Coronado and went south towards Silver Strand State Beach for about 6 miles. The scenery is beautiful...salt flats, wetlands, marinas and the Scenic Silver Strand highway. I'm pretty sure this loop is not one I will ever complete. Part of the loop is actually a route on the highway with vehicles zooming past...not for me! 

All along the way there are places to pull over and stop. 

Riding back into Coronado...

On a stretch of the bikeway behind Hotel del Coronad we saw this sand castle.

Mission Beach Boardwalk
  Mission Beach lies on a thin strip of land between the ocean and Mission Bay. The southern end of the beach is known as The Strand. The Strand is almost 3 miles long with a paved promenade behind it for its entire length. The promenade is booming with activity...two lanes of bicycling, rollerblading, running, skateboarding, and moms with strollers. Lining the promenade are expensive beach homes and cute little cottages...all with wonderful patios and gorgeous plants! After you pass Belmont Park, and head further north to Pacific Beach, the path narrows. Here you find restaurants and shops. Today we parked at Mission Park and rode 6 miles one way. I had to stop and regroup two times on the more narrow path. I'm not so confident when it comes to deciding when I have time to pass on the left or not. 

Carol takes in the view...

Mine is the purple one!

A huge thank you goes to Carol for picking our paths and the order in which she did them. Each one was a little more challenging than the one before it and all of them were great confidence boosters for me. And a huge thank you to Ronnie for getting us to each of these bikeways. 

Hope your week is going well. Until next time, take care and...

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!