Sunday, March 27, 2016

Our San Diego days.......and a visitor!............

If I had to describe our activities during the past couple of weeks, I'd do so in 2 words....BIKE and BEACH. So happy to be at the beach! And the bike trail is fabulous for us. We can ride for miles without riding in the street. Many of those miles are right along Mission Bay, so usually there is a nice breeze and some kind of activity going on in the water for us to watch as we coast on by.

So proud of my Christmas Cactus that just keeps blooming!!
I try to eat healthy....I really do!
working around the house...hahahah
weather station upgrade
oohhh....forgot sunblock!
we don't go anywhere without sunblock!
lots of water activity
going all the way around the bay, past the big hotel behind me..to the beach
The sunsets are something we always look forward to. Oh, and we aren't the only ones that love the sunsets. There is a nice view over the bay right from the path outside our campground. Some folks even bring their beach chairs and wine to savor the sunset show!

sunset on Mission Bay (our campground)
the colors were really pretty
enjoying the sunset show?
heading back home (not able to capture the colors in the sky)
the sunset colors are washed out...but that is the bay down our street
the moon is shining through
simple pleasures .... we really enjoy sunsets (and personally I like sunrises too-I'm an early riser)
trying to get a good pic of the sunset
the sky seemed to be getting pinker, so we went back outside the gate to our viewing area
isn't that nice?
pretty
We are thoroughly enjoying the beach...whether to hang out for a few hours with our chairs/books/lunch or to just catch the sunset show. Some days are a little chilly, but it feels so good....so refreshing as we read our books in our sweatshirts. Other days are much warmer and we test the water out:) Still not ready to body surf! The water is freezing and we just don't get hot enough with the breeze cooling us off.

watching the regatta from our beach chairs
they are pretty close together
that's better
nice day for sailing
Sunset at the beach draws a crowd! People line up along the boardwalk, or  grab a spot on the sand. Many line up along the water for a front row seat. Very different from sunrises on the beach-where only a few people seem to walk the beach for the sunrise show, making it is a more intimate experience. 

do you want an ice cream again?
Yes! No no no no ...... let's just watch the sunset show!
Seems it is always cloudy at sunset. The clouds just come out of nowhere. The colors are still beautiful and you can tell its a special time at the beach. Magical. When its cloudy, the other clouds pick up the red color and seem to light up the sky. Beautiful....but one day we'd really like to see a sunset at the beach with no clouds....where the sun just sets and the glowing "ball" goes down below the horizon. I've never seen that in my lifetime, and I don't think Tom has either.

the water is not too cold
lovely sunset...but it always seems to be cloudy
still beautiful...the lighting is so magical
just nice
we love the beach
well that's a pretty picture
another
ok one more
lots of pink sky....but not on the horizon
show's over Susie!
glowing
trying to get a pic of the moon in the pink sky
we can't seem to catch a sunset on the west coast without lots of clouds 
Most of our days are low keyed, but one day we had a visitor! Well, not exactly. Let's just say we had a visit! Tom's brother was in Las Vegas, and would have come to visit us (5 hours drive each way), but we decided it would be best if we met halfway. Makes sense, right?! So we had a really fun afternoon visiting (right Klaus?) and eating and catching up. Too bad I forgot to take any pictures. I guess we were having too much fun. I'm so disappointed....I really wanted a nice pic of Tom with his brother. Too late. We were so happy for the visit and appreciate that he spent a day out of his vacation to hang out with us for a bit. Thanks again Klaus! The pictures I DID take were on the way to Victorville, Ca., the halfway point where we were meeting up. The smog was the worst I've ever seen anywhere....and I'm from NJ! I tried to capture it in the pictures, but I don't think you can tell just how bad it was. We were traveling on I-15 through the San Bernadino Mountains. Shocking! Hopefully, it was just an unusually bad day. I'll go with that.

can you see the smog?
thick smog ahead
check out that thick smog!
smog in the San Bernadino Mountains
driving home...seems to have cleared out quite a lot

Friday, March 25, 2016

Mission Bay and Beach....and the seals at La Jolla..................

The location of our campground here in Mission Bay, San Diego, is superb!  Its so easy to ride our bikes around the bay, and even to get to the beach via the bike trail. The weather is perfect for biking (or just about anything).

The bike ride around Mission Bay that leads to Mission Beach is a bit busy with visitors. Many hotels and houses line the bike trail, which is between the hotels (and rental homes) and the beach. So lots of people to look out for. I snapped some pics as we were cruising by to show the flavor of the place....laid back and cool! Hhahaha. Did I mention its spring break??

heading around the bay to the beach
there's such a nice breeze coming off the water.....really nice!
The ride from the campground to the beach is about 6-7 miles each way, and mostly along the bay. Who could resist an ice cream after that beautiful ride to the ocean. We thought of it as a reward for our efforts.

oh boy!! Is this why I can't seem to lose any weight?
enjoying the treat
this is a very busy little ice cream stop right on the beach...always a line!
ready to go back?
ready
After our break at the beach, we headed back home. This is when I took most of the pics of the local housing, condos and hotels we rode by. You really can't see them from the road-driving by in a car. Its a nice area right on the bay, and the ocean is minutes away, depending where you are staying. If you cut through a little street or alley, you are on the main road with your choice of restaurants and shops. Not far at all. Good location if you want a beach vacation and don't want to drive anywhere. You can bike or walk! Just sayin'....in case anyone is planning a get-away to San Diego!

lots of sailboats in this area of the bay
lots of homes here...all different
fun to check them out as we rode by
all the homes were different
that big hotel up ahead was very popular
little side streets and alleys between the houses too-to get to the main road with the restaurants and shops
like here
and here
all the houses were different-nice, huh?
more
the beach in front of the big hotel was the busiest
about halfway back to the campground
I liked this little blue house :)
lots of charm
we'll be riding by the condos soon-as we turn the bend and follow the bay
lots of bikers and skate boarders too....great to see so many people enjoying the outdoors
The other day, on our way heading out to do some errands (like a Costco run and post office stop), we decided to first drive through La Jolla and check out the seals and sea lions on the coastline. This is a busy (upscale) area! Lots of tourists stop by the beach, and we were people watching as much as watching wildlife. Its amazing how many folks walk right up to the seals for a photo op with the family!

cave kayaking trips-very popular
I like watching the pelicans too!!
one lone seal resting up on a nice soft moss covered rock
another set of kayakers are ready to go "caving"
hard to spot some of the seals and sea lions
I forgot to mention that San Diego is in bloom! Very pretty flowers everywhere
barking sea lion
sleepy time
we are making our way walking along the coastline-observing the wildlife as we go
look at those big eyes
snorkelers and swimmers at this beach...along with the seals
enjoying the wildlife viewing
friends?
snorkelers on the right...seals on the left near the "white" water
seal on top....snorkelers towards the bottom of the photo
seals heading towards the rocks
not easy getting up there....especially with people hovering
watch this silly couple trying to get a pic up close with this seal
that lady couldn't get up fast enough when the seal got up and started barking at her....YOU'RE TOO CLOSE LADY!
lots of visitors roaming on the beach and in the cave 
 cutting through the path through the cool trees to get to the other side of the cove
more seals on the rocks (down by those people)
aren't these babies cute?
resting
these guys were taking selfies in front of the seal family here 
trying to make it to the rocks
getting a good pic?
hey...is there room for me???
I'm coming up there!
hahah...success!
Thank you for sharing  (ahh, look at the little guy in the middle....cute!)
pelicans coming in for a landing on the rocks
not sure what's going on here...the snorkelers seemed to be getting chased away by the seals
What fun we had watching the wildlife (and the people too)! We are thoroughly enjoying being near the water again. We've been in the desert for a few months, so this is quite a difference for us!