 |
| Little Hamilton |
After the Bagel Shack we continued south to San Diego. We got to the hotel around noon, in time for
a 1PM game. We checked in and walked to
the game. The park and our hotel were located
in the Gaslamp Quarter, which was a really cool section of town blocks from the
field loaded with restaurants and bars.
While we were looking to park we spotted a little pig on a
leash. Aileen had to get out of the car
and go ask the lady all about the pig.
Cute little guy named Hamilton.
Petco Park is a great stadium. We entered the stadium along the outfield and
immediately found ourselves in a “park within a park”. The stadium had the feel of a minor league
stadium and that’s a good thing. There was
a mini baseball field with tons of kids hitting the ball and running the
bases. Next to the field is a large
grassed slope where you can sit and watch the game. Very cool spot.
The game was a great game, with San Diego tying it up and
then going ahead of the Rockies for good in the 8th. We met a nice older couple at the game, and
they gave us lots of tips and ideas for fun things to do while in San Diego,
like Hotel del Coronado, Cabrillo National Monument (can you say passport
stamp?), Hyatt top floor, and the Old Town trolley.
After the game, we walked around the Gaslamp
Quarter and had dinner at a Spanish tapas place. We sat outside and had fun watching all the
people walk by, and enjoyed some great food.
There were two different conventions in town with over 20,000 attendees,
and there was also some party called “Intervention” which from what we heard
was a large pool party scene for “twenty-somethings”. This was very obvious as we ate dinner and
tons of girls in bikinis walked by.
Tough life, indeed. After
enjoying the nightlife, we headed back to the hotel.
 |
| Hotel Del Coronado |
 |
| Cool tree at Coronado |
The next morning we ventured south to Coronado to check out the
Hotel del Coronado (Colleen had also recommended we go there). What a beautiful place. It’s a separate island that you take a really
neat bridge to get to, and is a resort/beach town, with a naval base, shops,
hotels and beaches. The hotel was very
grand and beautiful, and we ate a nice lunch at one of the restaurants
there. We were right on the beach, and
enjoyed the most magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean.
We walked around the hotel grounds, checking
out the shops, and the 2 and 3 BR villas on the hotel property, and did some
daydreaming about renting one someday with a group. Then we took a nice walk along the beach, and
as we were walking off the beach, we found an iPhone in the sand…tried to call
some of the numbers in the phone and left messages, but ultimately wound up
giving it to security at the hotel (hopefully they got their phone back). The security guy was really nice, asking
where we were from and what we’ve done so far in San Diego. He highly recommended we check out Ferry’s
Landing on the other side of the island before leaving, so we did. It was a cute little touristy area w/ shops
and really nice skyline views of downtown, right on the San Diego Bay. We picked up some postcards (and an ice cream
cone), walked around a little, took lots of pics, and then hit the road for
Hodgie’s.
 |
| Karyn, Berlin, Berkley, & Chaz |
We got to Hodge’s (Karyn & Jeff Barnett) around 4
p.m. So good to see her!! It had been a long time. Jeff’s nephew Tad was visiting, after attending
a local wedding that weekend, so we hung out by the pool with Karyn, Tad, and
the kids until Jeff got home from work. There
were hummingbirds all around her yard – so cool. We don’t see them very often, so of course
Bill got to work with the camera. Later,
we all hit “Chipotle” (my first time) for some Mexican food, and then Jeff
drove Tad to the airport since he was heading home. We spent the remainder of the evening sitting
around the kitchen table, catching up – just like old times (minus the alcohol,
LOL).
 |
| Chaz, Berlin, Berkley & Tad |
We started Tues the 24th with a little jog
through their neighborhood…hills were a little rough but we got through.
 |
| memorial at Cabrillo |
Since Karyn had to work, we decided to do
some more tourist stuff and decided to go to Cabrillo National Monument
(another stamp, yay!). This National
Monument honors Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, who came up from Portugal in 1542 and
explored the southern California coast (looking for riches, of course, like
every other explorer it seems). Adjacent
to, and mixed in this area, there were exhibits related to US military history. After Pearl Harbor the area was deemed
vulnerable, hence the huge military presence.
We were told that San Diego holds the largest percentage of military
assets in the world, and we believe it!
After checking it all out, we headed for “Hodads”, a restaurant in the
hippie-surfer beach town, Ocean Beach.
What a mix of people there. The
place had a line 30 people deep, so we just walked around and settled on a
couple slices and a beer after walking along the beach and watching the surfers
and the eclectic group of people hanging out.
Turns out our friend, Yon J. used to surf there back in 2002 when he was
working in San Diego temporarily.
 |
| Snowplow |
After Ocean Beach, we drove through the historical town of
Old Town, and went to the Mormon Battalion exhibit. It was a neat, interactive exhibit depicting
the Mormons’ journey from Iowa to San Diego during the Mexican-American War in
1840’s. The US Government asked Brigham
Young and his people to volunteer for 5 troops of 100 each to help protect the
southern boundary between US and Mexico.
The route they carved (literally through the rock and mountain) that
created wagon access to the west, ultimately led to changes in the country
boundaries aligning with the route. The
trek was tough, and many died, and many had to leave their families behind, but
remarkably they never encountered any fighting.
The ones that made it to the coast, helped the “locals” with well-making
and brick-making, helping to shape San Diego into the city it is today (as
they’ve done in so many other western cities, apparently). Some stuck around for the gold rush too, but
most returned to their families or went on to other missions, many involved in
the settling of Utah and Arizona, where many Mormons still reside today. Between this exhibit, and staying with Karyn
and Jeff for a few days, we learned so much about the Mormons and have a
renewed respect for them.
 |
| Mark, Scott & the kids |
We headed back to the Barnett Ranch and had some fun pool
time with the kids, Berlin, Berkley and Chas, while Hodgie prepared an awesome
dinner of pork /balsamic reduction/figs, Cajun salmon, potatoes, rice and a
great salad. Yet another unbelievable
cook in the Parks/Parks/People tour! Of
course, Hodge has to tell you how to eat it, because there’s only one way – her
way, LOL! After dinner, we broke open
the new game we picked up for the kids – Headbandz – and had a nice family game
night.
 |
| Val, Randy & the kids |
 |
| at Torrey Pines |
 |
| Barnett house |
Our last full day in San Diego, me, Bill, Karyn and the kids
went to Torrey Pines (CA State Park) for a hike and some quality beach
time. The hike was very cool…uphill for
awhile, then great views from the cliffs of the Pacific Ocean, La Jolla up the
coast a bit, and gliders in the distance, and then hiked down right on to the
beach. We walked back to the car,
grabbed the beach stuff and set up to enjoy a few hours on the beach, something
we hadn’t done at all this trip, or even this summer. It was glorious! And we got to swim in the Pacific (check!). We went to Five Guys burger joint for dinner
and pigged out, and boy, was it delicious!!
After dinner we headed to pick up Berkley, who had been at a birthday
party most of the day, and headed home (after some delicious frozen yogurt –
think we’ll need to diet when we get home!).
Karyn’s brother-in-law and nephew, Scott and Mark, arrived that evening,
visiting while in town for a big soccer tournament. They’re from Long Island, and we never see
them, so it was kind of funny to be all the way in San Diego hanging out with
them. We just chatted it up around the
kitchen table for a few hours and then hit the hay.
 |
| Beach at Torrey Pines |
On departure day, we of course ran a last minute load of
laundry at Hodge’s and packed up to hit the road for Vegas. One of the reasons we decided to do Vegas
instead of Phoenix was because Tina & Brian Pieper and family (yes, more
Barrett cousins!) were apparently vacationing in San Diego that week, of all
places! So we met up with them in
Mission Beach for a nice lunch (one town up from Ocean Beach - so cool, got to
see another beach town). It was nice to
see everyone, and get reacquainted with Tina’s kids, Miranda and Charles. Then we hit the road.
Petco Park is a great stadium. We entered the stadium along the outfield and
immediately found ourselves in a “park within a park”. The stadium had the feel of a minor league
stadium and that’s a good thing. There was
a mini baseball field with tons of kids hitting the ball and running the
bases. Next to the field is a large
grassed slope where you can sit and watch the game. Very cool spot.
The game was a great game, with San Diego tying it up and
then going ahead of the Rockies for good in the 8th. We met a nice older couple at the game, and
they gave us lots of tips and ideas for fun things to do while in San Diego,
like Hotel del Coronado, Cabrillo National Monument (can you say passport
stamp?), Hyatt top floor, and the Old Town trolley. 
The next morning we ventured south to Coronado to check out the
Hotel del Coronado (Colleen had also recommended we go there). What a beautiful place. It’s a separate island that you take a really
neat bridge to get to, and is a resort/beach town, with a naval base, shops,
hotels and beaches. The hotel was very
grand and beautiful, and we ate a nice lunch at one of the restaurants
there. We were right on the beach, and
enjoyed the most magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean. 
We started Tues the 24th with a little jog
through their neighborhood…hills were a little rough but we got through. 
Since Karyn had to work, we decided to do
some more tourist stuff and decided to go to Cabrillo National Monument
(another stamp, yay!). This National
Monument honors Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, who came up from Portugal in 1542 and
explored the southern California coast (looking for riches, of course, like
every other explorer it seems). Adjacent
to, and mixed in this area, there were exhibits related to US military history. After Pearl Harbor the area was deemed
vulnerable, hence the huge military presence.
We were told that San Diego holds the largest percentage of military
assets in the world, and we believe it!
After checking it all out, we headed for “Hodads”, a restaurant in the
hippie-surfer beach town, Ocean Beach.
What a mix of people there. The
place had a line 30 people deep, so we just walked around and settled on a
couple slices and a beer after walking along the beach and watching the surfers
and the eclectic group of people hanging out.
Turns out our friend, Yon J. used to surf there back in 2002 when he was
working in San Diego temporarily. 
After Ocean Beach, we drove through the historical town of
Old Town, and went to the Mormon Battalion exhibit. It was a neat, interactive exhibit depicting
the Mormons’ journey from Iowa to San Diego during the Mexican-American War in
1840’s. The US Government asked Brigham
Young and his people to volunteer for 5 troops of 100 each to help protect the
southern boundary between US and Mexico.
The route they carved (literally through the rock and mountain) that
created wagon access to the west, ultimately led to changes in the country
boundaries aligning with the route. The
trek was tough, and many died, and many had to leave their families behind, but
remarkably they never encountered any fighting.
The ones that made it to the coast, helped the “locals” with well-making
and brick-making, helping to shape San Diego into the city it is today (as
they’ve done in so many other western cities, apparently). Some stuck around for the gold rush too, but
most returned to their families or went on to other missions, many involved in
the settling of Utah and Arizona, where many Mormons still reside today. Between this exhibit, and staying with Karyn
and Jeff for a few days, we learned so much about the Mormons and have a
renewed respect for them.
Our last full day in San Diego, me, Bill, Karyn and the kids
went to Torrey Pines (CA State Park) for a hike and some quality beach
time. The hike was very cool…uphill for
awhile, then great views from the cliffs of the Pacific Ocean, La Jolla up the
coast a bit, and gliders in the distance, and then hiked down right on to the
beach. We walked back to the car,
grabbed the beach stuff and set up to enjoy a few hours on the beach, something
we hadn’t done at all this trip, or even this summer. It was glorious! And we got to swim in the Pacific (check!). We went to Five Guys burger joint for dinner
and pigged out, and boy, was it delicious!!
After dinner we headed to pick up Berkley, who had been at a birthday
party most of the day, and headed home (after some delicious frozen yogurt –
think we’ll need to diet when we get home!).
Karyn’s brother-in-law and nephew, Scott and Mark, arrived that evening,
visiting while in town for a big soccer tournament. They’re from Long Island, and we never see
them, so it was kind of funny to be all the way in San Diego hanging out with
them. We just chatted it up around the
kitchen table for a few hours and then hit the hay.
Good times in California. Seems like great memories!
ReplyDelete