Last Day With Marni and Emma

Monday the 29th

Today is the last day of Marni and Emma's visit so we decided to spend time at the beach then go into town to the Historic Gaslamp Quarter and possibly SeaPort Village.

We got an early start and since it was Monday found a parking spot right alongside the beach. We gathered up the towels, umbrella and sun screen and walked down to the breach not far from where we were yesterday.

After putting the umbrella in the sand and spreading towels Emma and I headed for the water while Tina and Marni relaxed in the sun. The waves were much higher today and the surfers were really getting a chance to show their stuff.

A little later Tina gave a shout, she'd spotted some dolphins playing in the surf just beyond the board riders. They must have corralled a school of fish because they were all hanging about in one area. During this time we also watched a Navy Guided Missile Destroyer on what looked like defensive patrol just off the coast.

Before long it was time for the Captain to retreat from the water before his legs dropped off. Sitting on the towel under the umbrella I spotted a strange ship off in the distance. At first we thought it was a container ship, but eventually it resolved itself into the Naval Hospital Ship, the USNS Comfort returning from Baltimore after the relief mission to Haiti. We watched as it came closer to the bay, eventually taking on the Harbor Pilot and edging on into San Diego Bay.

As the USNS Comfort was passing beyond the north end of Coronado into the bay, another ship, a Guided Missile Destroyer, was exiting the harbor to take up defensive duty. Pretty cool! Before long it was time to gather everything up and head for the car. Once we were back in our street clothes we headed for downtown San Diego and parked at the 6th and Market parking garage.

This put us in the heart of the Historic Gaslamp Quarter. We walked over to 5th Street and checked out several shops then Tina announced she was hungry so we asked for good place to eat lunch and ended up at "Nick Rotten's Beer and Burger Joint" where the mayor goes for lunch. We got seated in the loft overlooking the old bar and had a really great lunch. By the time we left everyone was full.

Leaving the restaurant we decided to make the trek over to SeaPort Village to look for some last minute trinkets to take home. I even found a new tank top for me!! Alas, it was finally time to return to the car so we could get Marni and Emma to the airport on time. We made it to the passenger drop off by 3:00 PM and said our good-byes!!

Once the kids made it into the terminal with all their stuff Tina and I made the drive back to the coach just ahead of the commuter traffic and basically decided to spend the rest of the day vegging out from our whirlwind visit! But it was really a fun time and I think everybody enjoyed themselves.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Visit to Coronado Island

Sunday the 28th

Today was supposed to be in the high 70's so we decided to spend the day on Coronado Island, visiting the shops, having lunch in town and visiting the beach.

Turned out to be an excellent choice. We made the drive around South Bay through Imperial Beach and up the peninsula (Coronado really isn't an island) to the city of Coronado. We parked on a little side street and walked over to the beach down by the lifeguard station just north of the old Coronado Hotel.

We spent a couple of hours walking the beach looking for shells, walking in the gentle surf, people watching and generally enjoying the day. With Emma starting to show signs of sunburn on her cheeks we returned to the car and drove into town for lunch at a nice restaurant, La Terraza Ristorante on Orange Avenue. We all had a very nice lunch then drove over to the Old Ferry Landing Shopping Center to do a little shopping. After wandering in and out of a dozen shops we stopped for an ice cream, yumm!!

By 4:00 PM the girls decided they'd had enough retail therapy so we headed for home making the loop across the CA-75 bridge to I-5 and south to Chula Vista. After taking the dogs for a long walk we called it a day and spent the evening watching movies.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Wild Animal Park

Sunday the 28th

Today we ventured out of San Diego up into the hills just south of Escondido to visit the Wild Animal Park, a part of the San Diego Zoo. This is a huge facility covering over 650 acres with the public kept within about 35 acres. We were fortunate to see a show with a young Cheetah and an Anatolian Shepherd. These two were raised together and are actually friends but in the wild, the Shepherd is used to keep Cheetah's away from cattle ranches. Shortly after that we were treated to a feeding of three fully grown cheetah's plus we were able to watch a male lion finishing a meal. Once again this is a world class facility and we had a great time.

After we returned home it was time to hit the pool for a little cooling off. So we all changed into our swimsuits and went down to the pool to splash around a little. After our pool time we walked over to th South Bay Grill for dinner and to watch the sun go down. What a fitting end to a nice day.

As I did yesterday, rather than bore you with a blow-by-blow account of our day at the Wild Animal Park, I recommend visiting our photo albums.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

San Diego Zoo

Friday the 26th

Today we visited the San Diego Zoo, definately a world class facility. We really enjoyed the time we spent at the zoo and rather than give you a blow-by-blow account, I recommend you go to our photo albums and see all our photos.

To get there, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Marni, Emma and Old Town

Thursday the 25th

The weather is warming up nicely as Tina continues to improve. After our usual morning routine we walked the kids one more time, cleaned out the car and headed for the airport. It was time to pick up Marni and Emma.

We got to the airport and went into the cell phone lot to wait. About ten minutes later we got the call, their plane had arrived and they would meet us at the Alaska passenger pickup just outside terminal one. We got there just as they came out the door. With hugs and greetings we packed them up and headed for our first stop, "El Indio" restaurant (http://www.el-indio.com/) for lunch. The restaurant is conveniently located about a mile south of Old Town and has a real following among locals. We had a nice lunch and chatted about work, home and their visit.

Leaving El Indio we drove to San Diego "Old Town" (http://www.oldtownsandiegoguide.com/) and found a parking place real close. Old Town is a historic park which, though somewhat commercialized, retains some of the flavor of San Diego's historic past and is considered to be the birthplace of California. This is where in 1769 the first of 21 permanent Jesuit Missions was established reaching all the way along the California coast. These missions provided a civilizing presence, attracted population growth and became the nucleus for future towns. We spent several hours walking around, exploring the historic buildings and visiting the shops.

Around 3:30 PM we saddled up and headed for home. We got back to the ranch and settled in for the evening. Once we were squared away we walked over to the Galley for dinner where we could watch the sun set. The rest of the evening we relaxed and planned our next days adventures.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Out and About

Wednesday the 24th

Tina is feeling much better today so we decided to go for a drive after lunch. We headed out of Chula Vista and drove through Bonita and on up to Sweetwater County Park. From there we continued out into the hills before turning around and pointing the car towards San Diego.

We came down out of the hills and hopped on the CA-54 fwy, merging onto I-5, then cutting over to Coronado Island on CA-75 which sweeps up and over San Diego Bay and ends up at the Navy Base at the north end of the island. This is a view of San Diego from the bridge.

We turned around and drove back into the town of Coronado where we passed the old Coronado Hotel, followed the coast road along the beaches north of town, then toured some of the residential areas before heading back across the island to the "Old Ferry Shopping Center". Once we found a parking spot we parked the car and spent an hour just walking around before Tina said it was time to go home.

Back in the car again, we headed southwest towards town where we got on CA-75 south along the peninsula towards the city of Imperial Beach. Driving through Imperial Beach we passed another really nice RV Resort before reaching I-5 and heading north towards home.

All in all we had a very nice afternoon.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

More Quiet Time

Tuesday the 23rd


Tina had a rough night but got up feeling a little better than yesterday. Still has a bad cough and her chest is really tight but the Robitussin seems to be helping to break things up.


With nice weather I decided to go for a bike ride up into the hills. I put some time in on the NetBook and mapped out a route. Once I was ready to leave and Tina was relaxing with a book, I hit the road and went through town on "E" St passing under the 805 freeway on Bonita Rd and eventually under the 125 freeway turning into the entrance to Sweetwater Reservoir County Park. This was the most challenging ride I've been on since leaving Whidbey. In fact it was a lo like riding on Whidbey with lots of very strenuous hills.


When I left the park I ended up riding farther out into the foothills before turning back towards National City. Then I rode south several miles and ended up back on Bonita Road and "E" St. I got back after two and a half hours having ridden about 28 miles, half of them in the hills.


After a quick lunch, I cleaned up the kitchen and headed for the pool. Tina was feeling much better but still didn't have much energy. She took the kids out for a couple of long walks, a good sign that she's on the mend!


Later that evening I decided to try a different place to shoot a little pool, so I headed over to the "Canyon Club Sports Cafe" which was only about four miles away on Telegraph Canyon Rd on the other side of Chula Vista. Turned out to be a neighborhood bar, didn't even get out of the car.

Got home and we spent the evening with American Idol, heh, heh!


No photos today (forgot to take my camera on my ride).

Quiet Time In Chula Vista

Sunday the 20th

A cool cloudy day. Tina is still not feeling well, coughing a lot, sore throat and no energy. I went to the pharmacy and got some cough medicine but that hasn't helped a lot. So we're just going to hang out and not do anything strenuous. I was going to go play a little pool after dinner but decided to stay in and watch "Life" on Discovery. Maybe tomorrow.


Monday the 21st

Another cool day outside. Tina still not doing well and only a few days until we pick up Marni and Emma at the airport. At least she's up and eating, that's always a good sign. We were going for a drive, just to get her out of the coach but after lunch she hit the wall so we gave it up for another day. Fortunately there was still enough leftovers for another dinner.

While Tina continued to rest and slowly get over whatever it is shes got I went into town to play a little pool at "Jolt'n Joes Billiards" (http://www.joltnjoes.com/). It's a pretty impressive place. When I arrived I got on the waiting list for a half hour then finally got a 9' ft table. Unfortunately it was so un-level that it was impossible to play on. After less than fifteen minutes I returned the balls to the bar, paid my tab and left. The only good thing was that I got home early so I didn't have to be away from Tina for too long. Hope she starts feeling better tomorrow.

No photos today.

Coronado and San Diego By Bike

Saturday the 20th

Tina's still not feeling well so I called Don and gave him the bad news. We were going to drive to LA and surprise Diane for her birthday. Alas it was not meant to be. Tina really didn't want to share her cold with the birthday girl so we reset our plans once again.

By eleven I judged it a good time to go for a bike ride so I got dressed in my riding gear, pumped up the tires on my bike and left Tina with the kids. The plan was to do the Coronado-San Diego loop. The route would take me south past the Power Plant and Salt Plant to the trail across the marsh but when I got on the trail I noticed another trail off to the left. So I let curiosity get the better of me and turned around to find out where it went. Turns out that it has its beginning only fifteen feet farther south from the South Bay Trail.

Once on the new trail it wound around through the marsh in a southerly direction for about half a mile then ended at a street in another industrial area south of the bay. I figured that if I followed it and turned west, at some point I'd get to Imperial Beach and that's what happened. The city of Imperial Beach is between the southwest corner of San Diego Bay and the Pacific Ocean. It is a bustling city with lots of new construction going on, restaurants and shopping centers.

Eventually I passed the restaurant where Tina and I had lunch two weeks ago. A mile further on the residential street I was on intersected SR 75 which runs up Coronado Island to the city of Coronado. Since it was Saturday there were a lot of people on the trail that runs parallel to SR 75 and I wanted a faster pace than would be safe on the trail, so I stayed on the side of the road pushing up island at about 18 mph.

It was a beautiful day with a light breeze and a temperature of about 76 so I made good time whoooshing past the beach where Tina and I stopped last week and on up the ten mile run to Coronado. This is obviously a very wealthy city with the navy base to the north, a large yacht basin with the Coronado Yacht Club and lots of very beautiful residential areas, golf courses and lots of shopping and dining places. There are lots of gorgeous Resorts and Condo towers too. Definitely a tourist paradise as well as a great place to live if you've got the funds.

Leaving SR 75 I slowed my pace and entered the trail that ran along the edge of the bay, underneath the large soaring bridge to San Diego and along the western shore of San Diego Bay. Along the way I passed through the "Old Ferry Landing" shopping center where the ferry to San Diego would eventually take me across the bay. But first I did some exploring, riding through several residential areas and on up to the gates of the Navy Base.

With my exploring don I wound my way back to the Ferry dock where I had to decide where to have lunch. Turns out the was a nice little pizza place called the "Village Pizzaria" right at the entrance to the ferry dock that looked like a fun place to eat. There were lots of people in their patio area, lots of bicycles parked at the entrance and good smells coming out the door. My kind of place.

With the bike parked and helmet off I went in and ordered my lunch, a Pear and Gorgonzola Salad with sugared walnut and a large iced tea. I sat just inside the door and watched all the people come and go. At one point I spotted a large container ship being pushed by tug boats into a slip across the bay and had to take a picture.

Finishing my lunch I walked outside and walked over to the automated ticket dispenser and purchased my ferry ticket. Then, with bike in hand walked down to the end of the ferry dock to wait for the next ferry. There was plenty of boating activity on the bay plus the beauty of the San Diego Skyline to admire while I waited.

The ferry came about 2:15 PM and disgorged its load of passengers. Probably 25 percent had bicycles, mostly rentals, to spend an afternoon riding around Coronado, and there were a lot of people on that small boat. Eventually we were allowed down the ramp to the ferry and after handing over our tickets were allowed to board. I wheeled my bike through the boat and out to the starboard deck, making my way towards the aft end where I could hook the handle bar over the deck railing.

Taking a seat on the bench that ran along the outside of the cabin I found myself with a cyclist visiting from Seattle on my left. He had started his morning in San Diego and was completing the same loop route as me. On my right was a couple from Oregon who were also doing the loop ride. They had started at the same place as me, the Chula Vista RV Resort. They are in site 53. What a nice surprise. We talked and took pictures on the way across the bay eventually docking between two huge cruise ships and the aircraft carrier Midway.

Once we were docked everybody worked their way off the boat. I stopped at the top of the gangway and took a couple more photos then headed south along Harbor Avenue whee I caught up with the couple from the Resort. We rode together for a couple of miles and chatted about where we'd been, etc., then I picked up the pace and quick timed it the rest of the way back home. It was a really beautiful ride and Tina is looking forward to doing it when she is feeling better.

Arriving home around 4:00 PM I had a shower then spent the rest of the day with Tina and the kids. To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Fooza At Cirque Du Soleil

Friday the 19th

Got up this morning to a light sea mist and heavy dew on the grass. I had to get a dog towel and wipe the kids feet before coming back in the coach from our morning walk.

We were going to go up to "Old Town" but Tina's still not feeling well. Since Old Town was we decided to just spend the day relaxing and see if she would feel better later. We had tickets for the 8 o'clock performance of Cirque du Soleil's "Kooza"(http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/kooza/default.aspx). They were an early birthday present from Tina and I really wanted her to be able to enjoy the show with me.

With the dinner dishes done and the kitchen clean by 6:00 PM it was time to go. According to the news I-5 was pretty much jugged up so we decided to leave a little early. The performance was at the Fairgrounds in Del Mar, about 30 miles north of Chula Vista. We got on the freeway at "J" Street and surprise, surprise, the bad traffic was only in the southbound lanes.

We flew through San Diego and arrived at the fairgrounds around 6:40 PM. Since we couldn't get in until the early show was out we hung around the gates for fifteen minutes. Once inside, we spent some time looking at souvenirs grabbed a cup of coffee and a small table outside our entry into the tent.

The entry to the main tent finally opened and we went in. We were five rows back from the stage, on the right (facing the stage), really great seats!! The clowns worked the crowd and got things going as the tent filled with people. It was packed! The show started on time and we were absolutely enthralled by every one of the acts. Rather than try to describe what we saw, I hope that everybody gets a chance to see a Cirque du Soleil performance. It was wonderful!! There's a show opening June 3rd in Seattle at Marymoore Park. If you are interested, get your tickets now, they sell out fast.

We got home around 11:30 PM and took the kids for a walk then headed to bed. Tina did have a great time so it all worked out well, except she lost her voice.

No photos today.

Don and Diane Visit

Tuesday the 16th

Not much to report today. Tina's not feeling well, she thinks she may have picked up something from the train or bus or the lady that was coughing and sneezing behind her at lunch. So we just took it easy, walking the kids, sitting in the sun and reading.

Wednesday the 17th

Another glorious morning, Tina's feeling a little better. Don and Diane drove down from LA and arrived around 11:20 AM. We had a really nice visit then it happened!!

Surprise!!

Diane presented Tina with her Christmas present. It was a beautiful hand made blue and yellow summer tote bag that looked like it came from Provence, France! Inside were a really beautiful pair if Dragonfly earrings, a Dragonfly pin, Dragonfly stickers, and some iron on embroidered Dragonfly appliques!!

Then it was my turn to be surprised as Don presented me with my very own set of special gifts all wrapped up in a beautiful black fishnet stocking!

Reaching inside I slowly removed a series of alien items including a small container of Galactic Putty, suitable for patching small micro meteorite punctures (in the hull of our Warp Drive ship of course), a beautiful Burlwood Box containing a "Round To It", a small, hand painted box with one of my lost marbles, a Decision Coin with "eat in" on one side and "eat out" on the other, a small multi-hued pastel candy cane and my very own "Marvin the Martian" license plate that says, "My other Car Is A Rocket Ship". Way tooo coooool!!!

After laughing and joking our way through our receipt of these surprise gifts, I went into the bedroom and grabbed a small bag which I brought out and handed to Don. He gingerly reached in and what do you think he pulled out?

A small container of Galactic Putty!! Heheheh!! Followed by his very own alien egg ready to be hatched!! Great minds do think alike - heh, heh!!

After a lot of laughter we walked over to the Galley for lunch. Sitting on the outside deck we could enjoy the sunshine while looking out over the marina. Don, Diane and I had Fish and Chips which were really, really good. Tina had a delicious Chicken Gorgonzola Salad with walnuts and sliced apples.

Walking back along the marina we returned to the coach and continued our visit but soon it was time to say good bye as it's a two plus hour drive back to LA. We promised to get together when we get to Hemet and waved as they drove away. What a nice time we had!!

The rest of the day we just hung out letting Tina continue with her recovery.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

A Day At Balboa Park

Monday the 15th

We've been having a really great run of weather for the last week and today is no exception. By 10:30 AM it was nicely warmed up so we drove to the transit station and caught the MTS commuter train into San Diego. Getting off at the College City stop we jumped on the Number 7 bus just before it left the station and rode it up to Balboa Park (http://www.balboapark.org/). Between the two we were at our destination by 11:30 AM.

Getting off the bus we walked over to the San Diego Air and Space Museum which is at the southern end of the park. The museum, affiliated with the Smithsonian, houses a collection of aircraft and spacecraft dating back to the very early 1900's and includes a working eplica of Lindburgh's "Spirit of St Louis" and the actual Apollo 9 Command Module.
It was interesting to see all the displays set up with time sensitive materials, old cars and posters of the era. They also had flight simulators usedfor training but available to the public. We watched as several young men took their turn in the simulator. There were two large screens set up outside the display that let bystanders see what the"pilot" was doing and what he was seeing as the simulator responded to their maneuvering. The Museum also had a section set up to explore the SETI (or the search for little green men) and the science behind what we are learning about the planets being discovered in other galaxies. Very interesting.

From the Air and Space Museum we started north along the Mall where we found the San Diego Automotive Museum. Even though this is a relatively small display there are ove eighty vehicles from Brittain, France, Germany, Italy, Chechoslovakia, Japan, Viet Nam and the US. From early Benzes and International Harvesters, Morgans, Kaisers, Cadilacs, Fords, Overlands and Touristers the museum has done an artful job of displaying their vehicles.

In addition, there are a large group of motorcycles including Indians, Harley Davidson, Ariels, Vincents, Triumphs, BSA's, BMW's and several others. It was really nice to see all of them, including a WW I Harley Davidson courier bike.

But most surprising was Louie Mattar's modified 1947 Cadillac (click on this link for part one of a two part video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yT8aznVAC4 , for part two, click on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhYdzzYngwc&feature=related) on which he took five years and $75,000 to set up for long distance non stop racing. In 1952 he and his team made a nonstop trip from the West Coast to the East Coast and back covering 6,320 miles, all without stopping. In 1954 he and his team did the same thing only this time going from Mexico City to Anchorage and back. Both trips included refueling on the road, cooking, cleaning, fixing flats, etc. all while on the go. Pretty amazing stuff.

By now it was after 1:00 PM and we were getting hungry so we continued up the mall past the Organ Pavillion and over to the Japanese Friendship House where we had a bite to eat.

After lunch we set off for the Sculpture Gardens only to find they were closed on Monday along with the Museum of Art. So we regrouped and decided to visit the Botanical Building, reputed to be one of the most photographed sights at Balboa Park. When we got the it was easy to see why. A large reflecting pond stretches from the walk to the entrance. Built for the 1915-1916 exposition, the building is one of the largest lath buildings in the world. We walked in and were immeiately faced with a huge display of orchids, all of them in bloom. In fact, everywhere we looked were different varieties of orchids in amongst the more than 2,100 plants of the permanent collection. With fern like palm trees stretching all the way to the arched roof the display was simply magnificent. We must have spent an hour there and probably only really saw half of the plants. It was really something.

Proceding out of the Botanical Building we slowly worked our way through the Casa Del Prado and over to the Natural History Museum. When we arrived Tina suggested we might want to return when we had more time as this would be a very interesting museum to visit.

So we looked at the map and decided to stop and look at the Cactus and Rose Gardens located just on the other side of Park Avenue which is where we would pick up the bus for our return trip home.

Leaving the Natural History Museum we cross over Park Avenue and immediately had the Cactus garden on our left and the Rose Garden on our right. Heading to the left we were astonished to see an absolutely magnificnt display of cactus from all over the work including Australia. The gardens stretchedout for hundreds of feet in all directions and down over the hill to I-5. It was truly a marvelous place. From there we went over to the Rose Garden which wasn't nearly as striking even though the roses that were in bloom were qute beautiful. Maybe it was just too constrained, too formally layed out compaired to the freewheeling cactus garden. Oh well, it was still very nice.

We left the gardens and headed for our bus stop down on Park Ave. Ten minutes later we were headedfor the transfer station at the City College Station. Fifteen minutes later we got off the bus and within five minutes were headed southbound on the rails. Half an hour later we reached our car and returned to the RV Resort. After walking the dogs we headed for the pool to take a nice refreshing dip.

At the pool we met a nice couple and spent tenty minutes floating and talking. We left them with an invitation to stop by and see our coach. They are looking to upgrade. We got home a little after 5:30 PM and did a little clean up. They stopped by about 6:30 and visited for as half hour. Really nice people!

Since it was dinner time and nothing was on the stove we decided to walk over to the "South Bay Restaurant" for dinner. We arrived in time to be seated o the deck overlooking the marina harbor just as the sun was going down. It was really spectacular and our dinner was great too! I had a cup of Clam Chowder (scrumptuous) and a couple of Mahi Mahi Tacos that were excelent. Tina had Shrimp and Chips with six of the biggest shrimp I've ever seen. Mmmmmmm, mmm!!

By the time we finished dinner it was dark so we walked along the shoreline under the lights getting home around 8:30 PM, just in time for one last trip for the kids. A great day!!

To see all our photos, click on

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Ride To Silver Strand Beach

Sunday the 14th

To day we decided to ride our bikes over to Silver Strand Beach (www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=654) on Coronado Island. We left the coach around 11:00 AM with the temperature about 65 degrees and blue sky. We headed south past the South Bay Power Plant, the Salt Works and onto the South Bay Bicycle Trail. The trail skirts the south end of San Diego Bay pat the salt evaporation ponds and over to Imperial City at the south end of Coronado Island.

Coronado is really an Isthmus rather than an Island and the city of Imperial Beach anchors the ten mile long Silver Strand Trail which runs up to the city of Coronado in the north. The Silver Strand Beach is located about half way between the two cities. As we rounded the south end of the bay and started north we passed through the Silver Strand Nature Preserve, a great place for birding. With a fresh breeze blowing out of the northwest we slowed down to a more moderate pace.

As we got close to the beach we could see several kite surfers trying to enjoy the waves. After crossing SR 75 we entered the beach area and parked the bikes so we could walk down to the beach. There were lots of people out, plenty of shells and time to enjoy ourselves.

Once Tina was satisfied with her finds we remounted our bikes for the return home. Stopping in Imperial Beach we found a taco stand and had a nice lunch. We decided to wait on exploring the area so returned to the trail. It is amazing how many beautiful flowers are in bloom and I made lots of stops to take photos.

To see all our pictures, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Bicycling In Chula Vista

Friday the 12th

A beautiful day with blue sky and no clouds though a bit chilly in the mid 60's. Regular morning until noon then we took the bikes and headed north out of the resort thinking we'd stop at the Chula Vista Sweetwater Marsh NWR (http://www.fws.gov/sandiegorefuges/Sweetwater.htm).

After a mile we reached our turn off and followed a bus through the gate. Before we'd gone a hundred yards a women pulled up next to us in a car and started shouting that we weren't allowed in there. Eventually she calmed down enough to tell us that the only way to get to the Sweetwater Marsh was to take the shuttle bus. We thanked her for the information and returned to the parking area where we decided to come back another day.

So we returned to the trail and continued our ride north. Soon we reached a point where we were riding next to the southbound lanes of I-5, separated only by a chain link fence. As we approached a major interchange the trail crossed a large river flowing down out of the hills and into San Diego Bay. We paused here for a photo then continued into National City where the trail continues on the streets on up to San Diego another four miles away.

After doing a little riding around the area we found Pepper Park on the banks of the river where we could launch the kayaks to explore the river or the bay. With the wind out of the northwest we had a quick ride back home arriving in time to take the kids for a long walk. Then it was time to go to the pool with our books to get a little swim in. Getting out of the pool someone mentioned a pizza party so we checked the bulletin board. Since it was Friday, the resort was hosting a pizza and karaoke night starting at 5:00 PM.

Back at the coach we decided to join the festivities so we went up to the clubhouse around 5:15 PM. They had set up a tent and karaoke machine in the street with tables and chairs for dining. We got some drinks, grabbed a plate and got in line to get some pizza. We got two pieces each of different "Papa John's" pizza's and sat down to dinner as the DJ was belting out a country standards. The pizza was okay, the music was okay but with the wind blowing and the temperature dropping we decided to pass on the entertainment so we returned to the coach and watched a movie instead.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Kayaking The Marina

Thursday the 12th

A beautiful day in Chula Vista. Today we started to explore the bike routes in Chula Vista. With the temperature in the mid 60's and bright sunshine, we left the coach and rode over to the Marina where we checked out our put in for kayaking. Looks like its going to be pretty easy. From the marina we continue south on Bay Blvd past several corporate parks. Once over the "J" Street/I-5 access we were into a more industrial area with a huge power station, South Bay Power Plant (owned by Duke Energy), followed by the South Bay Salt Works, a division of Western Salt where we passed several large piles of salt.

Eventually we entered the Bay Shore Bikeway (http://www.efgh.com/bike/bayshore.htm) that runs along a berm separating marshlands from the bay. This is a really well developed, paved recreational trail much like the Green River Trail in the Kent Valley. As we followed the trail around the south end of San Diego Bay and onto Coronado Island we came to the junction with SR 75 which runs up the island, eventually crossing the San Diego-Coronado Bridge into San Diego. This is a route we plan to ride next week doing a complete loop of the bay.

We decided to turn around and return to the coach for lunch as we planned to take the kayaks out for an inaugural paddle. With lunch over and the kids walked we drove over to the south breakwater where we could launch the kayaks. Taking them down from the car, donning our life vests and grabbing the paddles we carried the kayaks down to the dock. We lowered the kayaks into the water and as I held Tina's she climbed aboard and held my kayak as I got in.

We paddled out into the marina to get used to our new toys, With the wind blowing at about ten knots we decided to just stay in the marina area rather than going out into the bay. A good idea as it let us get comfortable with wind and waves.

After spending about 45 minutes paddling around we returned to the dock. I climbed out first, hauled my kayak onto the dock then stabilized Tina's kayak as she got out. Everything went well if not gracefully. Carrying the kayaks to the car, it only took us a few minutes to load everything up and return home.

While Tina took a short nap, I went down to the pool for a swim and some sun bathing. This is a really nice facility! After a short swim and soak in the hot tub I stretched out for a fifteen minute sun soak.

Then it was back in the pool and a return to the lounger, this time face down for a little sun on my back. Finally deciding to not over do it, I grabbed my stuff, hooped on my bike and rode back to the coach just in time to receive a call from our good friends, Joe and Marsha.

Marsha works for Estee Lauder as a regional manager and had several meetings to attend in San Diego. She was wrapping up her day and as they were staying overnight in SD wanted to get together.

They arrived around 5:00 PM and we sat around and visited until the resort security people asked us to move their car to the visitor parking area.
This gave us an excuse to head into town for dinner. Joe drove and eventually we ended up at "La Quinta Grill" on E Street. We all had really excellent dinners, the best Mexican meals we've had so far, and lots more time to visit.

After dinner Marsha invited us to stay at their place for the Long Beach Grand Prix April 16 to 18. Since we'll be in Hemet at that time it will be an easy drive to their place. We also made plan to visit in early May. After they dropped us off and we thanked them for the visit and nice evening we pretty much called it a day.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Kayak Research Day

Wednesday the 10th


A beautiful day even though the temp won't break 60 degrees and the wind is up. We spent the morning catching up the blog and doing a few chores. Tina wanted to do some more research on Kayaks so we had a list of four stores we could visit. We had already determined that a Pelican 100 would be a great starter kayak as it was very similar to the ones we had been in before.

By 11:00 AM we were ready to go so we headed to our first stop, "Sports Fanatics" in downtown Chula Vista. We got there too late, they were no longer in business. Bummer! Oh well, on to our next stop in Otay where the "Sports Authority was located. Bingo! We walked in and went to the back of the store and they had a Pelican 100 on display, priced at $250. This is a 10' recreational kayak which has received very good reviews and is highly recommended for the type of kayaking we plan to do.

After spending half an hour with a sales person we learned that we needed floatation vests, dry bag, paddles and a carrier. They didn't have the car top carrier we would need, so they suggested the "REI" out in Otay Ranch. Since that was last on our list we thanked him for his time and headed to our third stop, "Play It Again Sports" up in the foothills just north of Otay Ranch.

Once again another place out of business. Double Bummer!! That's two strikes. So it was on to "REI" at Otay Ranch Town Center. We got there around 12:30 PM and met with one of their kayak people to talk about carriers. "REI" carries both Thule and Yakima carrier systems. For our 2009 Hyundai Sonata which doesn't have factory roof racks like most SUV's we needed a complete system. After referring to the spec sheets and putting together the parts list he came up with a price of $400 setup and ready to go. We thanked him for the information, took a catalog and since it was lunchtime walked across the way to the "Jalapena Fruit and Grill" where we both had a spicy burrito.

Sitting there looking at the Yakima catalog we made a decision. Whipping out my cell phone I called the "Sports Authority" and asked if they had two of the Pelican 100's in stock. After checking his inventory he told me they did so I had him put our name on them and said we'd be back to pick them up. After lunch we went back to "REI" and they put together the car carrier package only to find they were short two pieces.

A couple of phone calls and the parts we needed were located. Fortunately for us the Yakima rep was in the store and offered to go pick them up. Since we were in the town center it would be easy for us to spend a little time shopping and cruising (on foot) the huge outdoor mall that is Otay Ranch Town Center. So I moved the car around back for the installation guy and off we went.

Strolling past beautiful shops we ended up at a Barnes and Noble where we spent an hour or more perusing the books finally making a few selections from the discount tables. When we returned to "REI" the parts had just arrived so we went over and selected our floatation vests, a couple of paddles and a dry bag then settled down to wait while they finished installing the rooftop carrier.

Eventually the work was done, we rang up our purchases, thanked everybody and got back on the road to the "Sports Authority" to pick up our kayaks. When we arrived the staff helped us get the kayaks to the sales desk then out to the car. Tina and I spent 20 minutes getting the kayaks secured in their cradles and with safety tethers fore and aft. Then we started home.

We arrived back at camp about 6:00 PM much to the joy of the kids who were definitely ready for a walk. So off we went to the park for a quick walk before dinner. After dinner Tina and I put together a tentative activity plan and spent the rest of the evening relaxing after a long tiring day. Heh, heh! Tomorrow we plan to go kayaking along the shores of San Diego Bay.

No photos today.

Day One In Chula Visa

Tuesday the 9th

Not much planned for today. We had to go into town to do our laundry as bedding wasn't allowed in the resort facility. So we found the closest one on F Street about a mile away. We were done by 12:30 PM and stopped at a mexican restaurant for lunch.

From there we drove into town to Von's and did some grocery shopping. After we returned home and put the linens back on the bed and put the grocerys away the wind had come up and was gusting to 30 mph. Other than taking the kids out for a couple of walks we spent the rest of the day inside reading and watching a little tv.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Travel to Chula Vista

Sunday the 7th

Today we spent most of our time prepping for travel. It rained heavy during the night and continued for most of today. Did a little laundry and put everything away.

Monday the 8th

Well the rains pretty much stopped after 36 hours and the sun was out as Punky announced it was time to get up. We had a leisurely breakfast, disconnected our water and power and pulled out of our site, parking a little way up the street. Tina pulled the tow dolly off the pad and over to the rig. Once we hooked it up and drove the car onto it we secured the car to the dolly and drove out of Sunbeam Lake RV Resort towards I-8.

Once on the freeway we faced very stiff headwinds which kept our speed down to between 45 and 55 for the first 20 miles. Once past Ocotillo we started up the foothills into the In-Ko-Pah Mountains. Soon we passed the 1,000 ft elevation marker and headed up the steep grade to In-Ko-Pah Park at 3,100 feet. It was a slow grind as we crawled along at 25 to 35 keeping the engine RPM between 1,500 and 1,800 revs (optimum operating range). This kept the engine temperature right where it was supposed to be.

Passing the park we entered a series of mountain valleys which topped out at 4,100 feet elevation. As we started into Pine Valley we drove into the clouds where a heavy mist kept the windshield wipers going. Before long we were in heavy rain and fog with visibility down to 25 yards. Not a comfortable feeling when you can't see anything in front of you as we had slowed to 45 mph and were being passed by everybody returning from a weekend in the desert. And the big eighteen wheelers headed for I-5. A bit nerve wracking as we were going up and down through the valleys in limited visibility.

The rain continued to come down until we started our descent into Alpine. By the time we reached El Cajon the sun was out and we started smiling as we headed for the coast. Just west of El Cajon we turned off I-8 onto Hwy 125 South towards Chula Vista. Suddenly we were back in city traffic. WOW!! What a change from driving across the desert! It was actually worse than driving through the mountains. But we finally reached our destination, Chula Vista RV Resort and Marina on the southern end of San Diego Bay (http://www.chulavistrv.com/).

After checking in we pulled up to our site, moved the car off the dolly, disconnected the dolly and tucked it away at the back of the site and backed into our new home for the next 35 days. Once we were set up we took a bike ride around the community, out to the marina and located a small cafe for breakfast and a nice restaurant for dinner when Marni and Emma come down.

Distance for thisleg, 105 miles. Total for the trip so far, 6,381 miles.

To see all our pictures, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Painted Gorge

Saturday the 6th

Today we got up at 7:00 AM. For some reason our normal alarm didn't go off and we were 'allowed' to sleep in, heh, heh! The sun is out and the temp is in the mid 60's as we prepare for our last desert adventure.

As soon as I returned from my pool hall buddies, we had a quick lunch then loaded the kids into the car along with water, cameras, etc., and head on into the small town of Seely. Turning west on Evan Hewes we travel down a barely maintained road towards plaster city.

The first couple of miles we pass farmlands, then grazing cattle, then agricultural lands gone back to nature followed by desert. About ten miles along we come to a sign that says, "Welcome to Plaster City". Hmmmmm, looks like desert to us, no homes, no stores, no gas station just lots and lots of ocotillo cactus, mesquite and desert scrub.

A few more miles and we approach a huge factory rising out of the desert at the heart of Plaster City. A little research on our HP NetBook and we find out that USG (United States Gypsum) Corporation also owns the factory and the city. They also own and operate a large gypsum quarry located in the Fish Creek Mountains not far from where we're going. The deposit is estimated to contain over 25 million tons of gypsum. The factory in Plaster City makes sheetrock used in homes and offices worldwide. For an interesting history of the plant go to, http://railroadprototypes.com/goldexamples.htm.

One interesting fact we learned, USG owns and operates the last industrial narrow gauge railway in the United States. The 3 ft (914 mm) gauge line runs north for 20.5 miles (33 km) from the plant at Plaster City (formerly known as Maria) to the gypsum quarry. The line hauls gypsum rock from the quarry to the plant. Originally built by the Imperial Gypsum Company Railroad, just two years after completion of the line (1924), the track was sold to the Pacific Portland Cement Company. USG purchased the line in 1946 and in 1947 the first diesel engine was operated on the line. Currently the factory is served by Union Pacific and the Carrizo Gorge Railway taking the sheetrock to major distribution centers. (USG photo courtesy of Plymoth's 1957 photostream on Flickr).

Continuing on Evan Hewes Highway we passed right down the center of the factory. Another four miles and we turned onto a graded dirt road heading north, marked by a sign labeled Painted Gorge. After driving on the graded road for approximately 5 miles, we encountered a riot of color on the surrounding landscape.

The Painted Gorge, located on the eastern side of the Coyote Mountains, consists of sedimentary, metamorphic and ingenious rocks. Heat and movement over time has created fantastic shapes and colors. Orange, red, purple, and mauve mixed with brown and black found in the narrow canyon walls are the result of weathered rocks which contain copper, sulfur, and iron deposits.

We hiked around the hills for a bit taking photos and looking for a true canyon (never found one) then decided to head to Ocotillo for the Cactus Festival. We drove back past a gravel quarry, down out of the hills, past all the ORV campers and turned west again on Evan Hewes Hwy. Four miles on we came to the small community of Ocotillo where we stopped to ask directions to the festival.

We drove through town, past the road to Fossil Canyon and on to the Community Park where they were just wrapping things up.

Turns out the festival is mostly a spring celebration of desert cactus with discussions of desert flora and cactus plants available for sale. Well, that's the way it goes. A day late and a dollar short, heheheh!

We drove back through town to I-8 and returned home in time to go to the appreciation dinner in the clubhouse. The dinner is hosted by the resort owners in appreciation of all the volunteer help provided by the long term residents. They roasted three whole pigs and with potato salad, beans and apple sauce fed over two hundred people. Everything was delicious and the pork was falling off the bone good!!

With the day drawing to a close we spent the rest of the evening relaxing and walking the kids.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Friday the 5th

Another gorgeous day in SoCal's Imperial Valley!! Once again rising with the sun we got an early start on the day. As usual I went and shot pool with the boys for a couple of hours then came back to the coach.

Since it was my turn to do the laundry I gathered everything up and took it to the machines across the street from us. Once the laundry was started I came back and did the morning dishes while Tina watched a movie.

Then it was back to the laundry to load the clothes in the dryer. Once they were in and started I came back and did the blog for the past three days. Then we took the kids for a walk and had lunch.

After lunch I went back to the laundry. Since I was the only one there I took my time to fold everything. Being a tad slow Tina came to see what was holding me up and helped bring everything home. By now it's nearly 3:00 PM and we got ready to go to a movie in town.

We went to see Director Tim Burton's "Alice In Wonderland" in 3-D. Being big Tim Burton fans, "Beetlejuice", "Edward Scissorhands", "Nightmare Before Christmas", "Sleepy Hollow", "Corpse Bride", we really enjoyed it!! But it was definitely not a children's movie.

After the movie we went to "the "Exotic Thai Bistro" for dinner which was excellent. We started with "Thom Ka Gai" soup, a chicken soup in coconut milk with curry and mushrooms. Followed by "Shrimp Dumplings" (shrimp wrapped in a won ton) and a plate of spicy "Phad Thai" (rice noodles with chicken, shrimp and vegetables with peanut sauce).

We finally got home around 7:30 PM. The kids were overjoyed to see us and wanted to go for a walk right away. After their walk and dinner we settled in for the night.

No photos today.

In Search Of The Salton Sea

Thursday the 4th

Today we decided to go in search of the real Salton Sea. Tina had gotten directions to the other section of the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge (http://www.fws.gov/saltonsea
) area which was on the southeastern shore of the sea.

We took the kids and headed north eventually coming to the end of our route and finding that all access was prohibited. Phoooey! Not to be deterred, we continued driving on the back (unpaved) roads in farming country until we came to another road that looked promising. Sure enough, we came to a sign that said "Sonny Bono National Wildlife Refuge" two miles.

Arriving at a parking lot with a very nice bird viewing tower we got the kids leashed up and were about to head for the beach when we came to another "Restricted Access" sign. Fortunately there was a trail we could go on that led out into the marshes along the southern end of the sea so we were able to go for a nice walk anyway. We had several opportunities to take pictures of snow geese and ducks but nothing as spectacular as we've seen so far on our trip. And we still couldn't get to the shore.

Falling back on my boy scout days, we once again set off on a quest to find access to the "Sea" shore. Returning to a pave road and continuing west, we saw a road that actually looked like it might go all the way to the water. Turning off we followed a car all the way to the Salton Sea!! A police car - heheheh. Turns out he was taking a break for lunch and said it really was an open access. So we parked and took the kids for another walk.

This time we actually made it to the edge of what is considered the Salton Sea. We walked along the beach which was piled high with barnacle shells. The water was down about two feet from its high leaving a scene of desolation with salt pans, dead trees, and a road to nowhere. We walked about a quarter mile before turning around and heading back to the car.

On the way I had Tina get Punky to climb up the bleached trunk of a downed tree so I could take a picture. I walked over to the them aft I took the picture and Tina pointed to a small pill bottle tucked into the roots. It was very strange as the bottom was covered with barnacles. It had a note on it that said "Geocache". Opening it up we found a note explaining what was going on and a list of people along with dates of people who had found this particular cache. To learn more about this worldwide game go to: http://www.geocaching.com/.

After adding our names and date we put everything back in the pill bottle and replaced it in its hidey hole. Then it was back to the car where we gave the dogs feet a quick wash and dry before they went into the car. No sense leaving their feet covered with all that crud from the 'beach'.

Since we finally accomplished our goal it was time to head home. Tina made fish tacos for dinner and as usual they were absolutely fantastic!!

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Tuesday and Wednesday

Tuesday was pretty quiet. I played pool while Tina went shopping. When she got home we went downtown El Centro to pick up some screws and a couple of light bulbs. With the hardware in hand we decided to check out the local antique Car Museum. Turned out to be closed, as in , no longer in existence. By now we were hungry so we stopped at the Lucky Chinese Restaurant for lunch. Should have known better. Nice place, mediocre food. With nothing else to do in town we drove home, change into our swim suits and headed for the pool where we spent the rest of the afternoon.

Wednesday started out the same as Tuesday, sunny, blue sky, 70's. While I played pool, Tina did some house cleaning. After I got back we had lunch then drove to Calexico to check out the Flea Markets. Arriving at the first one, we parked, paid our $2 entrance fee and entered a world of shoes, clothes and more shoes and more clothes, etc, etc, etc. Covering a couple of acres we walked around the periphery and found little to stop and look at. Basically a bust, we drove to the other one two blocks away and found the same thing so we drove home and went to the pool for the rest of the day.

Desert View Tower and Yuha Geoglyph

Monday the 1st

Definitely getting addicted to the warm weather down here in the desert. It's still a bit chilly when we get up at 6:15 AM (Punky Alarm Time) but the heat is only on for an hour. Then it's off for the rest of the day.

After breakfast and clean up I went over and shot pool with the guys, managing to be on the winning team nearly every game. Around 11:30 AM Tina and I had a light lunch then headed out. We had a plan to do some driving, sightseeing and a little hiking today. We ended up accomplishing all three goals, just not the way we planned.

Our first stop was the Desert View Tower at the top of the pass through the In-Ko-Pah Mountains, half way between El Centro and San Diego. Located at an elevation of just over 3,000 feet, the Desert Tower was built in the early 1900's. The men who built it were paid a Dollar a day plus a jug of wine. They used from planks from the original plank road that crossed the desert dunes.

The tower looks out over the mountains and across the Imperial Valley and is in the middle of a boulder field. The boulders are faulted intrusive granitic bedrock which has weathered into giant piles of jumbled boulders. The jumbled piles provide lots of little caves, nooks and crannies to crawl through. During the depression, numerous animal sculptures were carved from the rocks and placed within the boulder piles making a great playground for kids of all ages, heheheh!

After I purchased tickets allowing us to go up in the tower, I went outside to get Tina only to find her hobbling back down the steps to the car. She had twisted her ankle while taking pictures and could barely make it back to the car. So I had to make the climb to the top of the tower alone.

The building is four stories high, built around a central core with a spiral staircase running upward along the inside of the outer wall. Each floor is a museum with display cases and artifacts, from ancient pottery to old rifles. I made the climb to the top floor which has no windows but is open to a 360 degree view of the surrounding countryside.

From the forth floor there is a last spiral leading up to a small widows walk, barely large enough to turn around in. After taking in the views I made my way back down and outside to see how Tina was doing. The pain from her injury was easing off and she was able to join me in a kids crawl through the boulders.

After our exploration we returned to the car and headed back to I-8 for the trip back down to the desert.

Then it happened, "FIRST CONTACT"!! As we pulled out of the parking lot, we spied an old alien scoutship which appeared to be trying to lift a small desert runner up with it to the mother ship. Before it moved, Tina saw a couple of aliens in the motor home. WOW!! Maybe it was an alien abduction in progress.

Arriving back at Ocatillo we exited to Hwy 98 which runs down the Davis Valley to Calexico. Our first stop was to find the access road that would take us to the Yuha Geoglyph. Constructed by native americans several thousand years ago, a geoglyph is a pattern etched into the desert floor by clearing lines of small dark stone, known as desert pavement, to expose the lighter colored bedrock below. The Yuha geoglyph is a huge spiral covering a couple of acres but can only be seen properly from above.

We pulled off the highway at a staging area and consulted the BLM map for the route in to the geoglyph. According to the legend we could follow route 272 for a couple of miles, then cut over to 274 for a half mile to the site. With directions in hand we started off cross country only to pull off to the side and walk due to the poor road condition. After hiking a couple hundred yards, I thought we should be able to drive so I went back and got the car.

Crossing several rutted gullies and dry washes, I picked up Tina and continued our drive into the heart of the Yuha Desert. The flats weren't too bad, but there were several gullies where we bottomed out on our engine pan or nosed into the sand before heading up the other side. It would have been really fun in a four wheel drive high clearance vehicle. As it was I was a little nervous, not wanting to get stuck somewhere and having to call for help.

Eventually we made it to where the map showed we should find the fenced in area. We parked and got out to look. Nothing. Hiking up a hillside to reach a high point to survey the area and still nothing. I figure I misread the map. Rather than continuing our search on really iffy desert roads, we hiked back to the car and started back to Hwy 98.

It was a little easier going back as we could take our time and do a better job navigating the deeper gullies and washes. We managed to make it back to pavement with only a few bumps and clangs. Wiping the sweat from our brows and thanking our lucky stars we pulled onto Hwy 98 and continued down Davis Valley in search of our third stop, the Crucifixion Thorn Natural Area.

Known for its bounty of desert plants and wildflowers, the area is covered with Ironwood, Crucifixion Thorn, Palo Verde, Mesquite and Creosote. We only had general directions and apparently missed our turn off. At this point we decided we had seen as much of the Yuha Desert area as we wanted, much of it up close and personal, so we continued down Hwy 98 until we reached the Seeley cutoff. From there it was only a few miles until we were back at camp much to the joy of the kids.

The rest of the afternoon we spent working on the photos and blog. Taking a break to go for several walks with the kids and enjoying the sun.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Ice Cream Social

Sunday the 28th

Well the rain and wind we were supposed to get yesterday finally came late last night. But by 6:00 AM this morning it was all gone. The sun was shining, everything was dry and I was happy taking the kids for their morning walk as we didn't need to use the feet wiping towel!!

A quiet morning, Tina went shopping in El Centro, the kids and I went for a long walk. After lunch, Tina and I went for a long walk then stopped in at the club house for the "Ice Cream Social". We both got Banana Splits and took them out beside the pool to eat. What a life!!

We spent the rest of the day watching the last of the Olympic events. When the Canadians won the hockey game for the Gold Medal, all the Canadians in the resort were honking their horns and yelling in celebration. The rest of the evening we watched the closing ceremony.

No photos today.