good-times-rollin

Friday, March 1, 2019

Tucson Botanical Gardens

Tucson/Lazydays KOA
Tucson, AZ
February 8, 2019

Tucson Botanical Gardens is one of the prettiest gardens we have visited. It's located on N. Alvernon Way...a busy street with businesses, eateries and apartments lining the street. Chances are you have ridden right past it and never even noticed it was there. Sue and Dave had not visited these gardens before. Knowing they love desert flora and birds, we asked them to join us.

The one room adobe building was the home of the Porters who started Desert Gardens Nursery in 1931.

The earliest buildings on the grounds date back to the 1920s and were constructed of adobe bricks made on site.

The Robert J Wick: Earth, Life, Man exhibit is featured at the gardens from January thru June. Each piece carries a living plant or tree.

Robert J Wick says, "The flora are not decorations; but are an integral part of the art defining it's character by quality, shape and nature of the plants used...My works of art are a union of art, man and nature"

The gardens are divided into three parts...the Cacti and Succulent garden, the Herb Garden, and the Barrio Garden.

Cacti and Succulent Garden...

The Barrio Garden...

I didn't get pictures of the Herb Garden this visit so if you haven't been to the Botanical Gardens, you will just have to add it to the "to do" list for Tucson.

Also at the Botanical Gardens is the Cox Butterfly and Orchid Pavilion. Butterflies from all around the world are featured October thru May.

A Wandering Violin Mantis...native to India

Sue and Dave enjoying the butterflies lined up on the windowsill...

An Orchid Mantis native to Malaysia...

We also enjoyed listening to and watching the birds...especially the hummingbirds and the thrashers. I only had my phone so I didn't get any pictures of them.

After our leisurely stroll thru the Gardens, we enjoyed a great Mexican lunch topped off with Sopaipillas at Guillermo's.

I'll close with just a few more pictures. Until next time,

Dave and Joe

HAPPY TRAILS !

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...