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:
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