Escape Day Three

Day 3 brings an open day, we have nothing planned, no schedules, just site seeing. We take off in the Lincoln heading north, go towards the coast at Torrey Pines and catch 101 North. Beautiful sceanry up the coast. We stop at this pier I believe in Carlsbad and walked out to the end.

 We drove as far up the coast as San Clemente, which didn't see much there that was worth anything. Then headed back down I5 to San Diego. But that was not to be easy. The traffic was stop and go, mostly stop for quite a ways, then at Oceanside we decided to get off the Interstate to head over to the Coastal Hwy again, but being later in the day the traffic was all backed up there also. In Oceanside they had the main highway closed for a parade, so had to wind our way thru back roads.  Finally found our way through. Got back to Torrey Pines then headed back to I5 which at that point was moving smoothly. We then took a ride out to Cabillo Monument at Point Loma. Visited the old lighthouse.

 Here is a picture of the new lighthouse.

 Then we took a hike down the Bayside Trail.

 Which went down the hill to along side the ocean.

 The bay was busy with many sailboats and other commercial vessels.

Now we're headed out to dinner at Lighthouse Restaurant at the end of Harbor Island.  And I better get my act in gear or I will miss dinner. So Good Night! (Sorry, no editing as I'm late, so sorry for any errors.)

Escape Day Two

Friday morning brought the usual early morning overcast, but with a promise of another nice day here in San Diego. After breakfast at the Club Lounge we headed off to the Zoo to catch all the animals (both human and mammal) before the stampede. First we start at the hotel we are staying at.

 Thought we would get to the zoo before the animals took their morning naps, but guess we were just too late. This lion had his breakfast and was fast at the zzzzzz's.

 This guy was wide awake and looking all around for something to get into mischief with.

 Here's the chief overlooking his tribe.

 Another napper after his morning breakfast.

 Panda's are just so cute.

 After spending 3 hours at the zoo, getting lost on their numerous trails, seeing all the animals and having a hot dog, it was time to move on for another adventure.

 We took the 2 hour harbor cruise on the Adventure ship. It was a pleasant sightseeing cruise, although a bit chilly. The winds picked up in the afternoon and out on the water cooled it right down. Below is a Southwest flight landing at the airport just next to the bay (and our hotel).

 We were treated on our cruise to have the opportunity to see the USS Carl Vincent Aircraft Carrier coming into the bay to dock. It is just returning after a 6 month tour at sea. As most of you NCAA basketball fans know, the beginning of last season, one of the opening games was played on this Aircraft Carrier when it was in dock. It was between North Carolina and Michigan State and I believe that North Carolina won.

We were treated to many wonderful sailing boats out on this beautiful day. Notice the men up on the front mast.

 Of course, we got thirsty enjoying all the beautiful scenery.

After getting off the cruise ship, we took the shuttle back to the hotel. But what a ride we had, it took over 50 minutes that should have taken only about 15 minutes. The driver thought he was a fabulous tour guide, but in reality he was a bit strange. His mouth never closed for more than 2 seconds to take the next breath and he talked so loud that the person in the car next to us could hear. Instead of just taking the stops on the route, he kept circling around and going back to the stops again. But we finally made it back to the hotel. I'm almost afraid to take the shuttle again, but believe me if this driver is ever present again, I will not step foot on that bus!

After that experience, we definitely needed a wine down time on our deck overlooking the fabulous view.

Escaping the Heat

Where else do Tucsonian's go to escape the heat except San Diego. A 6 hour drive west of Tucson we arrived at a beautiful 75 degree sunny day, oh the glorious relief from the 100+ degrees we have been having in Tucson. Since this was a quick get away for 3 days, the motorhome stayed parked in Tucson and we drove over and am staying using our Starwood points at the Sheraton Hotel and Marina on the Harbor Island. As you can see our view out the window is spectacular.

We arrived in San Diego just before noon and we immediately took off from the hotel and walked the approx. 2.5 miles down to the USS Midway to take the tour of this aircraft carrier. It was quite interesting and quite BIG. After 2.5 hours of winding our way through this ship, we started back to the hotel. Needless to say, by the time we walked all the way back, my legs were quite tired. I was ready for a beer, but we will have to wait for that pleasure.

Our hotel room is a Jr. Suite, since we are platinum members of Starwood so we get an automatic upgrade on our room. For dinner we took the shuttle down to the piers then walked into Little Italy looking for a spectacular restaurant, which we found after walking only about 15 minutes. After dinner we took the shuttle back to the hotel then went up to the Club Room (only for silver and platinum members) on the top floor and enjoying some cookies for desert watching the boats on the bay.

Here is another view from our room as the sun is setting. After I finish this post, I'm heading for bed, my feet and legs are tired.  We need to rest up for another fun filled day tomorrow. And guess what - another day filled with walking many miles. Maybe tomorrow night I will be able to stay up late enough to take a pictures of the city lights.

Reid Park Zoo

Last Saturday presented itself with not much on the agenda, so I suggested we visit the zoo, it's been a long time since we have been there. I always enjoy seeing the many feather/furry friends there. It promised to be another hot day, but we started out around 9:30 and with the zoo being quite shady, the heat did not pose a problem.

Here are several of the many animals we saw. The first one is an anteater. I always pictured them being much smaller, but he(or she) was quite sizable.

 It was nap time for several of the residents.

 There were several unusual birds like these two. Don't know how he can eat with that long beak.

 This is the first all white peacock I have ever seen.  He put on quite a show.

 Here is the normal peacock that I'm familiar with.

 I just love a giraffe's expressions.

 This parrot has such beautiful color.

 Then there is the stalking tiger.

All in all, our few hours at the zoo was quite enjoyable. Even though the Tucson zoo is small, it is well kept and has many animals. It's well worth the minimal admission that they charge.

Memorial Day - Christopher Moon

Memorial Day is a holiday in remembrance of all our men and women who have given their lives for this country. When one of those fallen heroes is one of your own family, this holiday especially takes on a special meaning.
Chris you are a special spirit who lives on in the many people you impacted during your short time on this earth. You are always in our hearts and minds. Thanks for the sacrifice you made for your country.

The lives of those who we honor continue to have value; they live on in our memories and in the effects of all they did and said. I am grateful for each and every person who has served in our military to keep our freedoms we so cherish.
I relish the thought of the time when people agree to settle their disagreements using peaceful means to find common ground and the use of weapons are no longer needed.

Enjoyable Saturday

Greg invited us over yesterday for an afternoon of golf and an evening of great food and conversation. The day turned out to be quite pleasant in the 80s but with 20 mph winds which made the golf a little challenging.

Greg lives on the 8th fairway of Dorado Golf Course. This makes it convenient for him to own his own golf cart.

 And quite the golf cart he has with the fancy wheels and of course the flames on the side.

 After a challenging and windy round of golf, we headed back to Greg's place for a few beers and glasses of fine wine to ease the beating the golf course issued, plus a delicious BBQ dinner. And don't forget the peach/raspberry pie for dessert.

We enjoyed the flowers that are blooming in his backyard while enjoying the evening on his patio. Greg is such the accomplished gardner.

It was a great day! What more could one ask for - golf and great food and great company. Thanks Greg.

Phone Line Trail

It's been awhile since my last post, so that was the only excuse I needed to head to Sabino Canyon to take pictures. The day proved to be perfect for a hike starting out in the mid 70s this morning, climbing to mid 80s in the afternoon. I wanted to hike the Phone Line Trail, which for people not knowing the area, this trail is along the side of the canyon wall.  Not sure of elevation change from the valley floor, but about halfway up the side of the mountain. The trail is about 4.5 miles long one way.  Knowing I would not be able to hike both ways, I copped out and took the tram to the farthest point, then took the next 2 3/4 hours hiking back to the beginning.

Here are some of what I experienced along the way. This is looking to where I need to go - the trail is along the side of the left about 1/2 way up the mountain, all the way through the canyon.

The buds are showing up on the Saquaro.

There were some wildflowers still hanging on.

Came up to this thistle with the puffed heads and blooms with threatening long spikes.

 Surprising, the wildflowers that were still present were quite small and delicate.

A nice couple stopped and offered to take my picture when I rested on a rock enjoying the beautiful scenery - wanted to prove that I was really there.

 There were several butterflies gracing the trail along with me.

 Most of the blossoms are on the cactus now, such as this one on a cholla.

 It's a bug's life enjoying a Mexican Poppy.

 As you can see, the flowers are starting to dry out.

 Another cholla bloom.

Ran into a friend along the way.

The hike was a little longer than my usual treks, but it was well worth it. I always enjoy nature especially when I am able to photograph flowers. But it's coming to the time of the year that the temperatures will prohibit mid-day hikes, so either I will be on the trail at daybreak or need to travel somewhere to find cooler temperatures.