California Dreaming, Part 1: San Diego

We were in San Diego during the first couple of weeks of April.  We could not have asked for nicer weather--the nights were cool and the days temperate.  We stayed in a KOA in Chula Vista--probably the nicest KOA we've encountered so far.  The roads and sites were paved/concrete, not the norm for most KOA's.  There were a lot of trees, but our site had the perfect opening so that we had no problem with our satellite reception.  And there was landscaping!  Lots of roses, all blooming, as well as other spring-blooming flowers.

San Diego is home to a large naval base.  In the '60s and '70s, HeM was there twice--once for basic training and once to attend an A school.  We went searching for the specific facility where this took place.  What we found was a residential & shopping development in its place.  All that's left on the grounds is the Recruit.

This training ship has apparently been left in place to honor the history of the many, many veterans that were introduced to the Navy through their training there.  We were told that many of the buildings are still there, mixed in with the apartments and commercial buildings, but we weren't able to find any.

We drove up to La Jolla, simply because SheM has always liked the name.  We saw a lot of pelicans and some seals.  The overlook where we took the following picture had a strong updraft from the rocks below.  The pungent odor that greeted us caused a hasty retreat on our part.

Almost every city that we've visited over the last year has its zoo.  We've passed them all by, not sure how we truly feel about the whole zoo morality--captivity vs education/protection.  But the San Diego Zoo's reputation is so big, we couldn't pass this one, so we went.

The infrastructure of the zoo is impressive.  It appears that thought, effort, and money has been put into most of the living conditions of the animals.  It's certainly attractive to the visitors, anyway.

It is still a zoo, though.  And it's doubtful that any of the animals are really happy to be there.  The only shots we were able to get of many of them were their backsides--and we didn't really blame them.

Right next to the zoo is Balboa Park.  This area is full of museums, theaters, gardens.  If we were local residents, we would likely spend quite a bit of time there.

One area of the park is full of local artists--we're always happy to find something that's locally-made.

And we did!  We found a copper piece that is now hanging on one of the walls of the RV.

The USS Midway is now resident in San Diego.

Since HeM served on an aircraft carrier, it was especially interesting for us to take the tour through it.  The docents on the Midway are volunteers who are happy and proud to continue to serve in this manner.  HeM was wearing his USS Forrestal hat, a catalyst for lots of conversations with other Navy veterans that were there that day.  His job on the USS Forrestal was in the post office, so we naturally found that station on the Midway.

[Throughout the various decks and stations on the Midway, mannequins are placed to give the appearance of a functioning ship.  The mannequin behind HeM turned out to be a live person who surprised him by tapping his shoulder right after this picture was taken.]

The bridge that connects San Diego to Coronado was a daily view for HeM when he was here soooo many years ago.  He didn't have the opportunity to cross it when he was here then, so we did it now.  We found a restaurant and had a delicious seafood lunch.  It was right across the street from the Hotel Del Coronado.

The hotel is still in very good condition; the upkeep must be a major endeavor, being a wooden structure that's been in existence since 1888.  And it hasn't lost any of it's exclusivity--room rental rates begin at $400/night.  We walked through the lobby, took some pictures, and drove back to our modest abode at the KOA, stopping to smell the roses.

Next stop is Anaheim.