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Day 20 Tue, 1/17: We weren’t going very far today, so it was a leisurely breakdown and departure from Orangeland. Because we left late morning, the traffic south down I-5 toward San Diego was light and pretty uneventful. The sun was shining, the sky was clear blue and it was a pretty drive. Our destination was Santee Lakes, just east of San Diego. Once a gravel mine, Santee Lakes was created in the early 1960s to clean the wastewater of the surrounding city of Santee and send the treated water from the Water Recycling Facility to other parts of Santee for landscape irrigation and to divert it from going into the Pacific Ocean polluted. It is now a 191-acre park with a series of seven lakes that provides camping, fishing, boating, hiking, picnicking, special events as well as provide a rehabilitation of islands on several lakes to preserve native habitats. It’s a very popular park and unlike most RV parks, we were actually able to select our own site in advance.
We picked a site on a creek, not really knowing what the terrain actually would look like. We were really surprised at what a nice site we had. We backed right up to a small creek. No vegetation between us and the creek, so we could hear the babbling of the creek from our bedroom window. No neighbors nearby on either side. What a treat! We immediately got out the chairs and plopped ourselves down by the creek for a beer while the sun was still shining.
Day 21 Wed, 1/18: Today was sunny, but windy (the beginning of a series of rain storms approaching the California coast). We decided it might be a good day to explore old town San Diego. In researching, I discovered that there was a 1-hour docent led tour of the park at 11:30. Close to downtown San Diego, the drive took us less than ½ hour from our park.
Old Town San Diego is a State Historic Park and recreates the setting of California life between 1820 and 1872. This was the period when San Diego evolved from a Mexican pueblo into an American frontier town and its historic buildings, shops and restaurants reflect the many cultures involved in the community’s development.
We had an excellent tour guide and he gave us a tour of a number of the 23 historical buildings on the site as well as explained how the settlement evolved from a Spanish to an American town when the Americans declared war on Mexico in 1846 and won the territory of California in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. During the Gold Rush, Old Town became an important stopover for thousands of miners enroute to the gold fields in the Sierra foothills.
Day 23 Fri, 1/20: It’s still raining. Good day for museums. We headed to Balboa Park in downtown San Diego. It’s most famous inhabitant is the world-renowned San Diego Zoo. Not a good zoo day. The wind was howling, rain coming sideways. Like I said, a good museum day.
Balboa Park is located just a few minutes from downtown San Diego and is home to 15 major museums, renowned performing arts venues and beautiful gardens. The park has some of the most beautiful architecture you’ll see outside of Europe. The architecture and landscaping are the result of 2 Expositions. The 1915-16 Panama-California Exposition commemorated the opening of the Panama Canal and provided a major incentive for the creation of the park as it appears today. Most of the structures along Balboa Park’s famous El Prado pedestrian walkway are Spanish-Renaissance style buildings constructed for the 1915 Exposition. The 1935-36 California Pacific International Exposition was held to boost the local economy during the depression. Many of the buildings around the Pan American Plaza at the southern end of the park were created for the 1935 Exposition and represent architectural history of the Southwest
During both world wars, the park was handed over to the Department of the Navy to be used as barracks and training ground. Under the conditions of usage, upon closing, the Marine Corps returned the buildings they had used in the exact condition they had received them. In 1977, Balboa Park was declared a National Historic Landmark, National Historic Landmark District and placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The park today is 1,200 acres of spectacular landscaping, grounds and structures.
We picked up a map and information brochure at the information center. It was so soggy and cold, we quickly decided not to wander outside too much.
We headed for the San Diego Natural History Museum (NAT).
As soon as we stepped outside the information center the rain came down sideways again. We walked part of the way to the museum under the covered promenade, but had to venture out into the weather to cross the street and around the building to the museum entrance. Everything flooded quickly and there was no way to avoid getting soaked. This was no passing shower. Glad to be inside, but like many museums, the temperature was kept at a minimum. Brrrr.
The San Diego Natural History Museum displays the regional natural history of Southern California and the peninsula of Baja California. There are rotating special travelling exhibits as well as a 3D theater showing films with a focus on the natural world. The museum featured many interactive displays for children and examples of California flora and fauna. Our favorite exhibit was a special exhibit called Photo Ark. It was a multimedia exhibit showcasing National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore’s project documenting the world’s animal species. Labels on these fabulous photos indicated that many are on the endangered species list. These were absolutely beautiful photos and the exhibit even included a video that showed Joel photographing some of these animals in a studio environment at some of the world’s famous zoos. It was quite an amusing video…that guy has a ton of patience.
The rain let up so we high-tailed it to the car, avoiding lakes and rivers gushing down the sidewalk. We got caught at the beginning of rush hour, so the drive home was less than speedy.
Day 24 Sat, 1/21: As long as the sun was out and before the next storm came, we headed out for a drive to check out an RV park in Chula Vista, just south of San Diego. Chula Vista RV Resort was located right on the water adjacent to a park. A very nice location that we wanted to check out for a possible future option when we come this direction again. We continued south out of Chula Vista to Emerald Beach. It was a beach town adjacent to the Tijuana River and just over the Mexico border. It looked like the recent storms had hit it pretty hard with all the flood and debris in the streets. Heading north along Hwy 75 we had the beach on one side and the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge on the other. It was a pretty drive into Coronado, our destination. Though we've been there before, we wanted to stop at the world famous Del Coronado Hotel again. It's such a beautiful place.
Though windy and cold, we parked and walked along the beach (with a million of our closest friends, also enjoying the sun). We spent quite a bit of time inside the iconic hotel, exploring old photographs of famous people who had stayed there and taking pictures of our own. We even found a protected spot out on the pool terrace to have a glass of wine before the sunset.
Day 25 Sun, 1/22: Another windy day after an evening storm. At least the sun was shining! We headed back into San Diego for more sightseeing. Dave wanted to check out the golf course at Mission Bay. It’s an executive 18-hole course, but didn’t look very inviting. There was road construction going on, so all the fences had construction netting and there was road equipment everywhere. It runs right along I-5, so expected to be pretty noisy. The rain and windstorm from the night before left everything soggy and covered in debris. Maybe on a nice dry sunny day it might look better. Continued on to Point Loma area…cute beachy towns. I’d heard a prediction for high surf, but WOW!!!
We stopped at Ocean Beach Pier (aka OB Pier) to view the surf and walk on what is claimed to be the longest concrete pier in the world (1971 feet). The pier is one of the most visited landmarks in San Diego County and especially today. The waves were crashing against the concrete pilings and splashing up to the railing. The wind was just howling and it was cold. We had on wind gear, but many Californians showed up in shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops….just another sunny day in California for them, I guess.
Next stop…lunch. I’d read about Liberty Station on the internet and we decided we were nearby, so we’d stop for lunch. Liberty Station is located on the site of the former Naval Training Center in San Diego. The Naval Training Center has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, dozens of the historic buildings are being used for stores, offices, schools and market. This mixed use project by the city of San Diego is the largest historical preservation project in San Diego and it’s also the city’s largest arts and culture project in terms of size and scope. 15 buildings are currently being used, with more being restored for future expansion. Liberty Market was our particular interest. It occupies 2500 sq ft in Liberty Station and houses over 27 food, produce and artist vendors. Ooh…lots of good looking food and beverage. 
Stone Brewing Company, one of San Diego’s many local breweries, has a large brewery and restaurant in the market. Once we found it, we decided this was our lunch spot. Though it was sunny, it wasn’t warm enough to eat outside on one of the many outdoor patios. Surprisingly, Stone Brewing Company’s menu wasn’t your traditional brew pub food. Pretty gourmet with sandwiches like Pulled Wild Boar, BBQ Duck Tacos and Balsamic Fig-Jam Grilled Cheese. The beer was good too. After lunch we strolled around the market some more. Bought a loaf of really good Olive Bread. For dessert, Dave bought a cookie and I got an individual sized chocolate pie….just the right size with no leftovers! We walked around the grounds of Liberty Station, exploring galleries, gardens and some more of the lovely architecture. Back to the ranch before traffic got too crazy.Day 26 Mon, 1/23: Today we were expecting another storm in the afternoon with high winds. Decided this was a good day to stay home….besides, there’s laundry to do. We both went for a long walk to enjoy the sun while it was still out. Dave headed north outside the park, and I headed south encircling all the lakes. The whole environment was really beautiful. There were assorted varieties of ducks, geese, swans, pelicans, herons and egrets everywhere. For the most part, the paths on the east side of the lakes were paved and the west side dirt.
You can walk around each one individually, or walk the length of all the lakes on one side, returning on the other. It took me about 1.5 hours to walk the length of all the lakes and back. Good exercise. Dave’s walk was in a natural area and he said he saw a coyote which we heard at night (just like home!). There was a sign at the beginning of the trail that warns of snakes, so I wasn’t excited about going that way. The wind and rain started about 4pm and howled through the night. More flooding and downed trees (those eucalyptus don’t have much for roots).
Day 27 Tue, 1/24 Another soggy day. Showers on and off predicted, so we headed out. Thought today might be a good day to visit The Gaslamp Historic Quarter (kind of like our Pioneer Square at home). The 16 block Gaslamp Quarter Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places and was developed around the mid 1800s. Historic buildings today are home to several entertainment and night life venues as well as well-known restaurants. It is adjacent to the San Diego Convention Center and Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres.
Rain gear on, we walked for a few blocks before a huge downpour held us prisoner under a storefront awning. Once it passed, we dodged the overflowing curbs to continue our sightseeing. Raining again, we decided to stop for lunch and see if the rain squall would pass. Stopped at a cute little café that served breakfast all day. I couldn’t resist trying their special Tiramisu Pancakes (I know, they aren’t on my diet). They were delicious. Dave had a more traditional lunch sandwich, but ordered it with a soft boiled egg (he thought it would come on the sandwich, but it came on the side). Good lunch and the rain died down so we worked our way back to the car.
When we visited Old Town San Diego, we missed going a few blocks away to the Presidio, the original location of the Spanish hillside fort and settlement. We decided today was a good day to visit the monument. The drive up the hill was windy and steep. We’re glad we didn’t decide to walk it on our earlier visit. Got to the top and there were about 3 other cars parked there, two occupied by people just sitting there. We didn’t feel it was safe to walk away and leave the car, so I stayed at the car while Dave did a quick jaunt to the monument and back.
We climbed back down the hillside and headed for our last stop of the day: Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala. Mission San Diego de Alcala was California’s first mission founded by Father Junipero Serra. Established in 1769, it was the first of a chain of 21 missions that stretched north along the coast of California.
Mission San Diego became known as the mother of the missions. In1775, it was attacked by Indians who burned the buildings to the ground. Father Serra began rebuilding the church in 1776 and it was completed in 1790. In 1821 when Mexico gained its independence from Spain, Mission San Diego was given to Santiago Arguello. Too bad the weather was so overcast. On the road home before the traffic got crazy.
Day 28 Wed, 1/25: Weather today was promising: sun and lighter wind. It was a good day for a scenic drive to Oceanside for lunch (of course the real intent was to check out a couple more golf courses). We headed east out of Santee on Hwy 67 to Ramona, with a stop at Mt. Woodson Golf Course & Castle. Dave played this course many years ago and said the setting was beautiful and unusual. The golf course was nestled in the rock hills and valleys, a pretty picturesque and tranquil setting. I’m sure playing golf here wouldn’t have been so pretty…lots of lost golf balls for sure. Adjacent to the golf course was a private home-turned-event-center called Woodson Castle. It was a private home built in 1921 by wealthy socialite Amy Strong, a famous San Diego dress designer. Building materials for the main house were collected from the property. The Castle was constructed as a multi-level, 27 room 12,000 sq. ft. home with 8 ft. thick walls, a Great Hall with a 16 ft. ceiling, a swing porch, pantry, 4 fireplaces, a dutch oven, dumb waiter, complete intercom system and a gasoline-engine-assisted windmill.
The windmill pumped water from the springs to the redwood storage tanks and the room under the windmill was used to cool meats and vegetables. It was quite an elaborate and luxurious home for it's time and especially since it was located in this remote, hilly countryside. Modernized, today the facility is used as a meeting and event center.
We continued to Oceanside north on Hwy 78. The highway climbed up and over some rock hills, through vineyards, avocado orchards, orange and lemon orchards and dropped into downtown Escondido. What a pretty drive. We continued following Hwy 78 west to the intersection of I-5 just south of Oceanside. Our target in Oceanside was Goat Hill Golf Course for lunch. Their website said they had a restaurant, but when we got there they told us that they “plan to have” a restaurant. Oh well, there were other restaurants in Oceanside. Headed down to the waterfront pier area and decided we’d walk the pier as long as the sun was shining. Guess what was at the end of the pier? Ruby’s Diner!!!
Real milkshakes! (yah I know, they aren’t on my diet either). We each had a sandwich and a milkshake (we could easily have split the milkshake there was so much left in each container). The wind at the end of the pier was pretty strong and with wood pilings underneath, the pier kept swaying. It reminded us of being on a cruise ship in a storm. Good lunch stop!
We followed Hwy 101 all along the coast to Carlsbad, Encinitas, Cardiff-By-The-Sea, Solana Beach, Del Mar and La Jolla. We headed back east at La Jolla, but got caught in rush hour traffic. Way icky!!
Day 29 Thu, 1/26: Today was a day at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Golf Club in La Jolla. We were up early and on the road with all the commuters, but it wasn’t too bad a drive. Parking was at the Del Mar Fairgrounds Race Track and then shuttle to the tournament. The sun was out but a little windy, so a light jacket was just right. When we got out of the wind we actually got too warm, so it was a day of jacket-on, jacket-off, jacket-on, jacket-off. There were spectacular views of the ocean from many of the holes. It was a beautiful golf course. Because it was the first day of the tournament, the crowds were light, but most everyone was following 2 groups: Tiger Woods, Jason Day and Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker. You could tell who was on what hole by the size of the crowd alone.
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| Ricky Fowler |
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| Phil Mikelsen |
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| Tiger Woods |
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| Jason Day & Dustin Johnson |
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| Brooks Koepka |
The tournament was split between the North Course and the South Course, with different foursomes playing each course. Because the courses were adjacent, we were able to walk between the two and see players on both courses. We put in some miles that day. No problem getting those 10,000 steps in when we go to a golf tournament. The shuttle back to the parking area took twice as long on the return as it did in the morning….lots of traffic at 5:00. By the time we got to the car, we were starving. We headed into Del Mar for dinner, hoping by the time we headed home the traffic would be tolerable. We picked a locals-looking place called Bully’s, right on Hwy 101. It was definitely a locals place and had been there since the 60s. The specialty was steak and prime rib, and the place was packed. Neither of us took advantage of the house specialty, but just the same, both our meals were very good. On our drive south to the freeway, we somehow missed our turn and ended up going through the old village of La Jolla. Thank heaven for GPS. We got to the bottom of the long windy drive into the village and made a left, right onto Hwy 52 that leads directly back to Santee. Whew! Long day.
Day 30 Fri, 1/27: Another sunny day….and estimated to be in the low 70s!!! Good day to go back to Balboa Park and spend some time outside. We felt like old pros. We knew exactly how to get there and where to park. We parked in a lot near the zoo and as we approached, we saw tree trimmers working to remove a tree that was laying over 2 crushed cars. The cars were empty, probably employees working in the park. The combination of wind and saturated soil was too much for the old tree and they were working frantically to get it cleaned up before more people arrived at the park. We parked at the opposite end of the lot.
Our first stop was the Botanical Building. It’s one of the world’s largest wood lathe structures. Built in 1915, it contains over 2,000 permanent tropical plants along with seasonal floral and plant displays, a carnivorous plant bog, and a “touch and smell” garden. The special seasonal floral display was orchids..lots and lots of orchids. The whole building was gorgeous and the dappled light coming in through the lathe made for beautiful photos.
Lunch time. We purchased sandwiches, found a table in the sun out in the plaza and had lunch. Ooh that sun felt good. After lunch we proceeded to explore most of the 11 gardens in the park.
It was way too nice to spend any time inside, so we didn’t do any museums, but did get a closer look at the beautiful architecture in the park. The highlight of this day at the park was a stop at the Spanish Village Art Center.
The Village was an artist colony consisting of 37 small, colorful working studios representing 250 local artists. Many of the artists were actually working in their studios and you could talk to them and view them making their beautiful art. There were a few galleries representing artists outside the Village, but for the most part the art was made in-house. With the sun shining on these colorful buildings and painted pavers, it was like walking into a fairy-tale village. We spent a lot of time there. We headed back to the parking lot and saw the owners of the 2 crushed cars waiting for the tow trucks. The park had sent an email to all workers to notify them about the accident, so that’s how they found out about their cars. Both cars were probably totaled
Day 31 Sat, 1/28: Saturday was get a haircut for Dave and a color for me. After Dave got a haircut, he went in search of a new BBQ. Ours died the day before, and it was old, old, old. While Dave put the new BBQ together, I went to the store for groceries and steaks for dinner. It was such a nice day, we BBQd, sat out by the creek (now running with water again) and enjoyed the late afternoon sun. Rested up for a busy day tomorrow.
Day 32 Sun, 1/29: Up and moving early today as we were meeting Dave’s brother and sister-in-law for breakfast in Temecula. Preparing for a family party at their mother’s house, we had breakfast and then hit the grocery store for food and beverages. It was a nice day and saw relatives we haven’t seen for a long time. I think there were about 20 people there. It was a fun day and we all headed home about 4:30.
For some reason, we were thinking we were leaving Santee Lakes on Tuesday, so figured we had one more day. For some reason, I pulled up the calendar on my phone while we were on the way home and realized that we were supposed to leave on Monday….tomorrow! Dave thought I was joking but reconfirmed our online reservation confirmations and sure enough, departure day was Monday. Oh well, just a few things to do in the morning. Phoenix here we come
