San Diego Es Bonita!

January 2 – 16, 2022

Our transition back to just the two of us was a bit tough after having our family together for Christmas.  We managed this conversion while camped at Sweetwater Summit Regional Park, located in Bonita, California. Bonita translates as “pretty” in Spanish and I have to say, it truly was!   We stayed at site 129, which was at the end of the campground, overlooking the trails below and to the sides of the camping area.  This entire region is quite the equestrian area.  You came across horses on the trails more frequently than you did dogs!  It was fun hiking behind a large group of men out for a Sunday ride on their steeds.  They had music playing and would occasionally have their well-trained horses do a little dance!  This campground is located fourteen miles southeast of San Diego.   Interesting sights in the campground included my very first encounter with a scorpion!  I was letting Frankie out before bedtime and wondered what was crawling away from me.  Dick brought a flashlight and sure enough, it was a scorpion.  Just so you know, they look exactly like the pictures you see!  Snails, roadrunners, hummingbirds, rabbits, and coyotes were other frequent visitors in the campground and out on hikes.  Apparently, rattlesnakes are also prevalent; however, we only saw signage warning hikers about them.  I was okay with that!  

We made it to one more mission while we were here.  Mission San Diego De Alcala was established July 16, 1769.  This was the first mission established by Father Serra.  The bell outside of the mission marks the beginning of El Camino Real.  The King’s Highway begins here and extends six hundred miles north to Mission San Francisco Solano in Sonoma, CA.  All twenty-one missions are located along this route.  

Unique features we noticed at this mission include the crucifix behind the altar.  It features Christ without arms.  I don’t believe I have ever seen this before.  It is to remind us we are the arms of Christ.  Also, above the crucifix is a rare Old World representation of God the Father.  In present day Catholic churches, only Christ is depicted.  This marked the eighth mission we have been able to tour.  I fell short of making it to all of them but what the heck!  We have to leave something for our next trip to California!

A day in Coronado was simply delightful!  It all started out with a stop at a coffee stand where we picked up a Mexicali coffee.  This is a delicious coffee infused with Mexican chocolate.  Fully armed with all the caffeine, we were off exploring.  We hadn’t thought to bring our bikes with us, but we quickly remedied the problem at a rental bike shop.  Speedier than a rattlesnake can shake its tail, we were riding along the beach and headed for Hotel Del Coronado!  What nostalgia the hotel has!  Visions of Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis playing in the sand filled our minds.  Yes, we couldn’t resist watching Some Like it Hot after we got back to the camper that night!

These birds were also having some fun playing in the sand.  You might recognize it as a “Seagull”; however. you would be incorrect!  Our new fact for the day is there is no such thing as a “Seagull”.  There is a wide variety of gulls, just none that go by Seagull.  I believe this guy is a Western Gull. 

It was fun getting splashed by waves and discovering why the waves had gold flecks in them.  Apparently, the gold flecks are mica which was washed out of mountains over the Mexican border and carried north by the tide.  It’s rare for a beach to have these sparkles of gold it in.  Coronado Beach is truly a unique and special beach! 

Our bike ride took us on the trail along the Silver Strand, so named from all of the silver shells along the beach, and then back to the other side of the island.  There was a great farmer’s market we took full advantage of!  Fresh greens, beets, almonds, dates, olives and olive oil all made its way into my bag!  Taco Tuesday on the island called for a dinner of street tacos along with a yummy margarita!  

                                          

Old Town San Diego is now a state park.  We celebrated Dick’s birthday exploring Old Town and taking in its history.  Many of the original buildings have been restored and are still used as stores.  I recommend you stop by the candy shop and try some of the anise candy.  The recipe is a five-hundred-year-old secret!

What's a birthday without taking in a local brewery?  Chula Vista Brewery provided the perfect venue for the celebration of Dick's 66th birthday.  They were happy to provide 70's rock music, good beer and cater in burgers from next door.  Who could ask for more?

Balboa Park is definitely worth spending some time at.  It is a twelve-hundred-acre historic park developed for the 1915-16 Panama-California Exposition.  It commemorated the opening of the Panama Canal.  Within the park is Spreckels Organ Pavilion which houses the world’s largest outdoor pipe organ!  Free concerts are held every Sunday rain or shine!  I wish I had known this ahead of time and had been able to attend a concert.  As it was, we were able to catch someone practicing!  Lucky timing on our part!  The park is filled with museums that I would have loved to have gone into.  A number of the museums have reopened but I have not gotten to a place where I’m comfortable going indoors in public locations yet. Covid is still a bit too scary for me!  We stuck to the gardens instead.  The cactus garden was my favorite.  Had it not been in the middle of winter, I’m sure the rose garden would have been stiff competition for it!  The architecture of the entire park was amazing!  It was all Spanish Renaissance-style buildings and so very beautiful! 

The San Diego Zoo is also part of Balboa Park.  A trip to the zoo called for a day of its very own!  I think this was the very first trip to a zoo Dick and I took on our own.  It was a little strange at first to be walking around and not worrying where the kids or grandkids have wandered off to!  It didn’t take long for me to adapt and simply enjoy the exhibits.  Highlight:  seeing the two-year-old hippo calf, Amahle (translating to “beautiful one” in Zulu) nurse from her mother, Funani – underwater!  Maybe this highlight signals some underlaying missing of the kids and grandkiddos! 

The day before leaving, we woke to the weather alarm sounding on our phones.  We had a Tsunami alert!  Being perched atop of a large hill, miles from the Pacific Ocean, we really weren’t concerned; however, it was pretty weird to awaken to!  Near the Pacific island of Tonga, an underwater volcano erupted the night before.  The tsunami it caused calmed down significantly before it hit the coastline; however, it coincided with high tide.  No damage was caused and I don’t believe there were any casualties.  I have to admit I struggled with whether to drive to the coast to see the large waves come in.  Seemingly, I wasn’t the only one who tussled with this temptation.  The news broadcasts continually warned people not to go see the waves.  Come on!  How many opportunities do you have to see a tsunami????  

Before we knew it, it was time to leave Sweetwater Summit Regional Park and head to our next destination.  It was a wonderful location to recalibrate ourselves back to being just the two of us and get our mojo back on!  

Next up:  Palm Springs!