good-times-rollin

Friday, January 12, 2024

Seaport Village and Beaches

San Diego Metro KOA

Chula Vista, CA

January 12, 2024

Harbor Drive in San Diego

Wednesday's destination was Seaport Village. It's a fun outing...we can walk, shop, eat and never have to move the jeep and it's less than 10 miles from the KOA.

The walk along the harbor passes by store fronts, patio cafes, a very green park with trees and picnic tables and benches, and a marina on one side. The beautiful bay with various size boats going out or coming in, Bay Bridge, Coronado Island and the Navy shipyard are on the other side.

Fun stores to browse...

A beautiful green park...

Looking toward Bay Bridge which connects San Diego and Coronado Island...

Looking toward San Diego...

Navy shipyard across the bay...

Getting closer to the marina...

Passing by the marina, we always take time to read the names of the sea going vessels..."Snaphappy" was our favorite this time...

The history of Seaport Village's reclaimed land can be traced as far back as 1782 when sailors aboard a pair of Spanish expedition ships anchored in the bay. As the story goes, the sailors began to fall ill from scurvy and were buried there. Then in the 1930s, train tracks were laid along Harbor Drive when the land was converted into a railroad yard to ship goods and materials to San Diego.

It wasn't until the late 1970s that someone had a vision for Seaport Village which officially opened in 1978. Today it is a 14 acre waterfront complex with lots of color, a laid-back vibe, and unique shopping and eating choices.

And while there, don't forget to look up or you might just forget you are right smack dab in the middle of downtown...beautiful San Diego !

Walking and shopping sure makes me hungry. Our lunch choice was Edgewater Grill...they serve brunch until 3:00 ! It was little chilly for the outside patio, but we had a very nice window table with a really nice view of the bay.

Joe patiently waiting while I washed my hands...

The service was stellar and the food was yummy. Joe chose fish and chips served on a bed of mixed greens with fries and malt vinegar. I had brunch...not a surprise...and chose crab Benedict with local crab, poached eggs, house hollandaise, english muffin, avocado, and breakfast fries. I ate every morsel !

We did make one small purchase...

Friday's destination was Mission Beach. We joined Ronnie and Carol for a much needed beach walk...I was in heaven! Our walk began at a grassy knoll somewhere at Mission Beach and ended past the Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach. Some of the walk was sandy ocean and some on the boardwalk where beach reparation was in progress.

One of the last of San Diego's beach communities to be developed, Mission Beach got its start in 1914. It is built on a sandbar between the Pacific Ocean and Mission Bay.

Mission Beach...glistening rocks

This family friendly beach spans nearly 2 miles of ocean front. A boardwalk runs along the beaches on both the ocean and bay front areas. Since our arrival and thru this morning there has been a high surf advisory with winds gusts up to 45 mph and breaking waves between 12-18 + ft. high with water finding its way to nearby boardwalks and roads. Piers were closed and I even read that the sea wall at the Children's Pool in LaJolla has damages as well which is not good for the seals and sea lions who birth their pups this time of year.

I have always enjoyed the challenge of capturing waves as they roll over...

I'm guessing this surfer feels the same.

Crystal Pier, first built in 1927, is an 872 ft long wooden pier.

It is usually open to the public for fishing, people watching or just relaxing to the sounds of crashing waves, but that portion of the pier was closed due to the high surf. But, Crystal Pier Hotel and Cottages were open for rentals. Imagine a night of sleeping over the ocean...

Each cottage features a private deck on the pier...

Also built in 1927, the hotel primarily features original cottages...restored, renovated, and rustic...a reminder of days gone by.

Past the pier, the glistening rocks disappear and we enjoyed the shore birds and their funny antics scooting in and out, chasing each other and probing for tasty morsels. Lots of Marbled Godwits...

and Willets.

Back at Belle, we had a really nice rainy Wednesday night. Rain in Belle is awesome especially when it's a good steady rain and no winds are involved.

The three of us enjoy the flowers and the grass here at the KOA and get plenty of walks around the resort.

Of course an afternoon nap is nice too !

I'll close with a few photos...

Until next time,

HAPPY TRAILS!

Tuesday, January 9, 2024

Walks and Birds

San Diego Metro KOA

Chula Vista, CA

January 9, 2024

Sweetwater River

Sweetwater River...photo taken from bike path

Sweetwater River runs beside the KOA Resort. Along the river is a nice two lane biking/walking path that goes to Pepper Park...a beautiful green space. The tidal portion of the river starts here in National City before the river empties into SD Bay. We have biked this section of the path several times and enjoyed fish and chips at the outdoor grill at the marina. We don't have bikes anymore, but sometimes we walk there. As you can see in the photos, the water is very low and looks like it has been that way for sometime.

We saw a variety of ducks and other small shore birds.

Northern Pintail and Willets

Buffleheads

American Wigeon

I was excited to spot a kingfisher on the way home. We have seen kingfishers here and there in our travels, but I had not ever photographed one. This Belted Kingfisher sat for awhile and what a real treat it was to take his picture.

With it's top-heavy physique, energetic flight, and piercing rattle the Belted Kingfisher seems to have an air of importance as it patrols up and down rivers and shorelines. It nests in burrows along earthen banks and feeds almost entirely on aquatic prey. This is one of the few bird species in which the female is more brightly colored than the male.(All About Birds)

For most of our walk, the path was lined with Brittlebush...

...so bright and cheerful and a nice way to log in a few miles!

San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge

San Diego Bay NWR encompasses about 2,620 acres and was established to protect a rich diversity of endangered, threatened, migratory, and native species and their habitats in the midst of a highly urbanized coastal environment.

San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge

This area is one of those "been there" places and has become a favorite to walk and look for birds. We usually begin our walk in Imperial Beach at Bayshore Trail. It is a short dirt trail that connects the parking area to to Bayshore Bikeway. This section of bikeway traverses what is known as the Silver Strand...a narrow piece of land that connects Coronado Island to Imperial Beach. First off, our mornings have been chilly...lazy, second cup of coffee chilly...so we haven't been out and about as early as I like in order to catch the birds at their usual feeding time. The walk was nice with Ronnie and Carol joining us and I managed enough birds to make taking the big zoom lens worth the effort.

I have several favorite birds to photograph and Snowy Egrets are on the list. These slender, elegant herons are quite photogenic and their slow, deliberate, stalking movements make capturing them easy. I was happy to see so many of them...

We enjoyed watching the Black-necked Stilts...another new bird to photograph.

All About Birds states that these birds are among the most stately of the shorebirds with long rose-pink legs, long thin black bill and elegant black and white plumage. I also read that these pink legged birds have the second longest legs in proportion to their bodies of any bird...exceeded only by flamingos. Sooo cool !

Somethings we just never forget...and photographing a Long-billed Curlew for the first time is one of those experiences for me. I literally chased it around the grassy area near the front office at Cocopah RV & Golf Resort in Yuma in February 2014 determined to get a picture.