Tuesday, January 6, 2015

San Diego Beach Scenes

We're all settled in at Mission Bay RV Resort until the beginning of February and are enjoying copious quantities of beach time and idyllic weather. Here's a little taste of the beauty to be had along the San Diego coast line...

Our first evening parked at the Bay we enjoyed the sunset from John and Pam's Bay front site and
had the pleasure of meeting John and Sharon as well.


A Sunday morning walk along Pacific Beach.

Crystal Pier from another angle.

Water so clear you just wanted to jump right in...but the 62 degree temperature made us think twice!



Afternoon low tides have been wonderful for bird watching along the Bay.

Gotcha!

Sunset reflections from John and Pam's awesome site.

The sunset above was one that just kept on giving...

There's miles of paved bike and walking paths right from our RV park.

A glorious day for biking...that's our RV park right behind Hans.

One very low tide day we drove over to Sunset Cliffs with John and Pam for some walking and tidepooling, followed by dinner at OB Noodle House.

Plenty of tasty little fishies for the Egrets.

From the bluff we could look down into crystal clear shoreline, as the receding tide exposed colorful grasses.
Notice the woman at bottom right, she was about 10 feet above the water and we were at least 20 feet above her.

At the South end of Sunset Cliffs Blvd. there are stairs leading down to the tidepools and an excellent surf break.
On this day the tide was headed for a low of -.7, giving us plenty of rocky coast to explore.

Hans, Pam and John stroll along, pausing at pools to search for tide stranded critters.

Though we didn't see many critters, we did enjoy colorful pools and the search itself.


Pam admires colorful layers of sandstone.

Afternoon glow lights up the cliffs as we head back to the stairs and the bluff.

Good drink specials and pho at OB Noodle House with good friends!

Another day we walked the cliffs and noticed this guy spearfishing in camoflage!

This person caught our attention as s/he flew right over the RV park.

San Diego is a wonderful place to spend the winter months, we're feeling pretty spoiled with the perfect weather (and no bugs). The only drawback is how congested a big city feels after months on the road with only short bursts of big cities. But after decades of living here, we know what we're getting in to! Soon enough we'll mosey on down the road destined for new sights and adventures...


Thursday, January 1, 2015

10 Days of Driveway Docking in Poway

This year we added a house/pet sitting gig to our San Diego layover. After a month at Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve we headed for Hans' brothers driveway in Poway. While their family spent a week in Utah we enjoyed the perks of a big kitchen, good water pressure and large shower, free laundry and got to spend quality time with Bentley the sweet pit bull and Tabby the kitty who loves to be brushed more than any animal I've ever met.

Our home tucked away in a deep, peaceful cul de sac in Poway.

Loads of room for the truck and trailer!

Our morning view includes a flock of Nutmeg Mannikins and Mourning Doves by the dozens.

Bentley is a happy boy and and so good on a leash!

Tabby is a sucker for brushing and massages!

Martin and Estella joined us for dinner and pool one evening.

Our driveway docking coincided with Christmas and New Years so lots of partying was on the agenda...

Dinner at Annie's with good friends.
Back to front: David, Hans, Lisa, Annie, Martin, Estella, Mary.

Christmas Eve dinner with Hans' parents

Christmas day at Lisa's parents.
Kylie tries on her new dress up clothes while Brother Travis, Grandma Rebecca and Mom Crystal look on.

Hans demonstrates how the tutu should be worn...

Lisa's dad and Hans start the Christmas buffet line!

And a belated Christmas dinner with Hans' family when they returned from their vacation.

It wasn't all partying during our Poway stay. One day we did a short hike with Bentley at Sycamore Canyon Open Space Preserve. This trail system is at the North end of the canyon we hiked from Santee Lakes.

Like most San Diego County canyons, Sycamore Canyon consists of rolling chaparral covered hills.

Recent rains have brought out a lovely green palette to the landscape.

We also enjoyed a walk and lunch at Del Mar with Hans' parents.

Hans, Turid and Fritz enjoy a perfect Southern California December day.

Another day we dropped by our old neighborhood and thoroughly enjoyed the ramen and craft beer at Underbelly in North Park.

Tasty vittles at Underbelly in a stylish, mostly outdoor, venue.

2014 was a wonderful year on the road, and once again we spent it entirely in the West. We traveled just under 5,000 miles and landed in only six states, with a few one month stays and plenty of one week stays, allowing us to explore many places in depth.

Some of our favorite stops were our month near gorgeous Sedona, AZ in March, slot canyons and other natural wonders in Escalante, UT in April, bubbling pits in Lassen Volcanic National Park, an amazing bear sighting and incredible beauty in NE Oregon, and visiting Mt St Helens up close,

We'll be in San Diego for another month; tomorrow we give up our posh driveway docking site and move on to Mission Bay RV Resort. Beyond San Diego, 2015 promises lots of adventure and new-to-us sights...we hope you'll follow along with our travels!

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all our readers and friends we've made on the road!