Places Visited: Sunday, May 8, Paradise RV-Resort Oceanside, California: $39.50. FHU with 50-amps, Paved interior roads and sites plus cable and free WIFI. N33° 10.707' W117° 21.993'. This was Mother's Day so we slept late then went to breakfast at a quaint place down the street in Oceanside. In the afternoon we joined Ken & Katharine and her family for a big meal and get together at their place. We were welcomed as family meeting everyone and learning about each of them. There isn't much you can say about enjoying an afternoon with friends. Joyce and I finally sat down and made plans for the next few days. We are going to spend a few more days taking in more of what San Diego has to offer before moving north to San Clemente then Long Beach.
When it was time for the sun to make its display in the western Pacific sky we ambled down to the beach to join the others assembled to say goodby to another wonderful day.
Monday, May 9, Paradise RV-Resort Oceanside, California: $39.50. FHU with 50-amps, Paved interior roads and sites plus cable and free WIFI. N33° 10.707' W117° 21.993'. We can't believe it but we are still here and will be for a few more days. Several people have written to give us suggestions on things to see and do. We are going to take them up on their suggestions. We drove along the coast on the Coast Highway in a leisurely manner stopping in various pull outs and parking areas with good ocean views. The first stop on our list was Torrey Pines State Park just north of La Jolla. Torrey Pines State Park is a majestic wilderness in the middle of a huge urban area. It consists of a fragile environment of high, broken cliffs and deep ravines overlooking the sea plus it is home to one of the world's rarest pine trees ---- the Torrey Pine. Torrey pines are believed to be the remnants of an ancient woodland that once flourished along the southern California coast, but now they grow naturally only on this small strip of San Diego coastline and on Santa Rosa Island. In Torrey Pines State Beach the tree clings to the face of crumbling sandstone cliffs and flourishes in sheltered canyons.
This pic is from atop the northwestern most cliff edge in Torrey Pines State Park looking north across the lagoon area as it empties into the Pacific. The residential area beyond the lagoon is Del Mar.
Even complete amateurs like me can see the layer of conglomerate capping this sandstone cliff. The "river-rocks" are clearly visible in that dark layer. My guess is thes smoth edge stones were in some ancient surf rather than in river bed because the width of this layer stretches from miles and miles. Alothough we did not get pictures there are several exposed areas where the conglomerate is covered by another layer of sandstone that is capped with yet another layer of conglomerate.
This pic is looking south from Torrey Pines State Park at the La Jolla. Note the La Jolla pier located on the north side of town. Also the errie looking erosion in the dark rock formations closer to the camera.
The only mention in Park literature of geology is that some of the formations are more than 45 million years old and that some rocks have traveled from as far away as central Mexico. I have to wonder if some of the conglomerate layers were formed on some beach long ago. Even now winter storm pull sand from beaches along Southern California leaving only round stones behind. Then mysteriously returns the sand during the spring and summer.
This pic is looking north from the oceanside cliffs of Torrey Pines State Park. Note the sandstone cliffs with the darker conglomerate cap. That high ground to the south in the pic is the ultra chic community of La Jolla.
We enjoyed a long walk from the Visitor Center down the road to the Guy Fleming Trail where we took our time meandering along the trail at the top of the cliff above the ocean. Awesome views prevented moving any faster, changes in elevation also played a part but the views made traversing the rugged terrain worth it.
After getting our fill of the Park we headed south again to what is called the "glider port". The glider port is located along the coast north of La Jolla and south of Torrey Pines State Park. We found it with a bit of difficulty but we did it. The glider port was one of those things that we had no idea about until someone mentioned it to us on the RV-Newsgroup. The glider port appears to be a business but I am not sure that the property is private. Whatever it is they have a seating area where spectators can watch.
Hang gliders and para-sails were taking off from an area between the spectators and the edge of the cliff……with the ocean being several hundred feet below the cliff.
A good number of para sails were moving up and down the coast and practicing take off and landings.
I would have been game to fly in either a glider or para-sail but the going rate was $175 and that was about $125 more than I was willing to part with. Gosh I wanted to experience that form of flight……..but I didn't. Call me CHEAP! We had a great time watching those that were flying……..but not nearly as much fun as they were having. This is one of those $175 para experiences note that two people are strapped below that chute.
This is a pic of La Jolla looking south from the para-port. Too bad we didn't get a glider in the pic.
It was past normal lunch time and our plan was to dine at Casa De Pico in Old Town San Diego for lunch so we headed through La Jolla and Mission Beach to our lunch date in Old Town. By the time we got through with this meal we had racked up another "Johnson" experience. Many of you will understand what a "Johnson" experience is. We are not used to experiences like this so close together and as I recall Joyce picked out one of those restaurants when we were in the Palm Springs area less than two weeks ago.
Oh well with that lunch behind us it was time to check out Point Loma and Cabrillo National Monument. Point Loma and Cabrillo National Monument stand watch over the port of San Diego. It is located high on the 422' sandstone cliff on the north side of San Diego Bay and as far west as land extends. In 1854 a lighthouse was erected on this cliff and for the next 36 years, except on foggy nights, it welcomed sailors to San Diego harbor. While ships could see this light from 39-miles out to sea on clear nights ----- fog and low clouds often obscured the light.
Because of the fog and low clouds the lighthouse was moved to the bottom of the hill in 1891.
For some reason Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo doesn't have the historic recognition of other explorers like Christopher Columbus. However, Cabrillo was the first European to set foot on the west coast of what is now the United States. Cabrillo set out on his epic voyage of exploration 50 years after Columbus landed in America. Commanding three vessels, he sailed north from Mexico into unknown waters. He was to claim land for the king of Spain and the viceroy of New Spain, discover a route to Asia and the Spice Islands, search the uncharted coast for a mythical passage that connected the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, and search for gold. On September 28, 1542, Cabrillo's flotilla entered San Diego harbor and spent 6-days there before resuming his exploration up the coast. Before the expedition was over they had claimed 800 miles of coastline for Spain. Now you know who Cabrillo is and why the National Monument is named for him.
In addition to the lighthouse and awesome views of San Diego and the Pacific Ocean there is a huge National Cemetery on Point Loma. The National Cemetery is probably on property managed by the Point Loma Naval Base and not the Cabrillo National Monument. This is a pic from atop Pt. Loma looking to the east across NAS Naval Air Station North Island and downtown San Diego. The water in the foreground is the pass from the Pacific Ocean into San Diego Bay.
While on Point Loma we navigated to Sunset Cliffs Boulevard where we took in the views from the western side of Point Loma. At the eastern end of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard we crossed the San Diego River to Mission Bay and visited the huge marina complex on the southwest side of West Mission Bay Drive. That marina is probably the largest marina either of us has ever seen. Thousands of pleasure boats reside in slips in that marina complex. A pair of osprey had constructed a huge nest high in the rigging of a private sail boat. We watched a parent and offspring perched on that nest. A boat owner told us that osprey was an "endangered species" and the owner was not allowed to disturb the birds. Osprey is not endangered in Florida but they might be in California. Does anyone know anything about these nesting osprey?
We stopped in a parking area along the beach in Carlsbad to watch the sun disappear behind the ocean. Wow, what a day. There is no way to pack more into our schedule.
Tuesday, May 10, Paradise RV-Resort Oceanside, California: $39.50. FHU with 50-amps, Paved interior roads and sites plus cable and free WIFI. N33° 10.707' W117° 21.993'. Yesterday wiped us out. Going from can to can't is fun for one day but it takes a day to recuperate and today was that day. We also needed to take the Saturn to the Saturn dealer for some minor maintenance so a down day was perfect to get that done. We dropped the Saturn off and wandered across the street to a major shopping area looking for a replacement microwave oven. The microwave in our motorhome rolled over and died recently. I would have tried to fix it but the smell it made while dying was that of a melting transformer and a 9-year old microwave isn't worth trying to replace a power transformer. We searched in several stores but settled on one from Wal-Mart because they had what we needed while the other stores didn't.
We found a cozy little restaurant for lunch that was good in addition to affording us a place to spend some time while waiting for the Saturn. Just as we were finishing lunch Saturn called to say we were ready and they would send someone by the restaurant to pick us up so we would not have to walk back. I like those Saturn folks. Back at the motorhome I had to remove the old microwave and install the new one. Don't laugh. Motorhome installations are drastically different from stick & brick home installations. Microwaves in motorhomes are screwed/bolted down in multiple places to keep them in place when riding down America's highways. As I suspected the screw holes for the old microwave were not in the correct place for the new microwave. That minor inconvenience was nothing for a stepper since I carry a drill but it did mean additional time drilling those new holes. I think it took as long to unpack the new microwave and dispose of the empty box and old microwave as it did to install the new one even with drilling new holes.
The remainder of the day was spent relaxing until we headed to the beach to watch the sunset. It seems that watching the sun drop over the Pacific is a ritual along the entire coast. Joyce is enjoying the opportunity to photograph the setting sun. You will have to check out our web site to see some of those pics.
Life
sure is good, don't you agree?
Until next week just remember how good life is. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mike &
Joyce HendrixPlaces Visited: Sunday, May 8, Paradise RV-Resort Oceanside, California: $39.50. FHU with 50-amps, Paved interior roads and sites plus cable and free WIFI. N33° 10.707' W117° 21.993'. This was Mother's Day so we slept late then went to breakfast at a quaint place down the street in Oceanside. In the afternoon we joined Ken & Katharine and her family for a big meal and get together at their place. We were welcomed as family meeting everyone and learning about each of them. There isn't much you can say about enjoying an afternoon with friends. Joyce and I finally sat down and made plans for the next few days. We are going to spend a few more days taking in more of what San Diego has to offer before moving north to San Clemente then Long Beach.
When it was time for the sun to make its display in the western Pacific sky we ambled down to the beach to join the others assembled to say goodby to another wonderful day.
Monday, May 9, Paradise RV-Resort Oceanside, California: $39.50. FHU with 50-amps, Paved interior roads and sites plus cable and free WIFI. N33° 10.707' W117° 21.993'. We can't believe it but we are still here and will be for a few more days. Several people have written to give us suggestions on things to see and do. We are going to take them up on their suggestions. We drove along the coast on the Coast Highway in a leisurely manner stopping in various pull outs and parking areas with good ocean views. The first stop on our list was Torrey Pines State Park just north of La Jolla. Torrey Pines State Park is a majestic wilderness in the middle of a huge urban area. It consists of a fragile environment of high, broken cliffs and deep ravines overlooking the sea plus it is home to one of the world's rarest pine trees ---- the Torrey Pine. Torrey pines are believed to be the remnants of an ancient woodland that once flourished along the southern California coast, but now they grow naturally only on this small strip of San Diego coastline and on Santa Rosa Island. In Torrey Pines State Beach the tree clings to the face of crumbling sandstone cliffs and flourishes in sheltered canyons.
This pic is from atop the northwestern most cliff edge in Torrey Pines State Park looking north across the lagoon area as it empties into the Pacific. The residential area beyond the lagoon is Del Mar.
Even complete amateurs like me can see the layer of conglomerate capping this sandstone cliff. The "river-rocks" are clearly visible in that dark layer. My guess is thes smoth edge stones were in some ancient surf rather than in river bed because the width of this layer stretches from miles and miles. Alothough we did not get pictures there are several exposed areas where the conglomerate is covered by another layer of sandstone that is capped with yet another layer of conglomerate.
This pic is looking south from Torrey Pines State Park at the La Jolla. Note the La Jolla pier located on the north side of town. Also the errie looking erosion in the dark rock formations closer to the camera.
The only mention in Park literature of geology is that some of the formations are more than 45 million years old and that some rocks have traveled from as far away as central Mexico. I have to wonder if some of the conglomerate layers were formed on some beach long ago. Even now winter storm pull sand from beaches along Southern California leaving only round stones behind. Then mysteriously returns the sand during the spring and summer.
This pic is looking north from the oceanside cliffs of Torrey Pines State Park. Note the sandstone cliffs with the darker conglomerate cap. That high ground to the south in the pic is the ultra chic community of La Jolla.
We enjoyed a long walk from the Visitor Center down the road to the Guy Fleming Trail where we took our time meandering along the trail at the top of the cliff above the ocean. Awesome views prevented moving any faster, changes in elevation also played a part but the views made traversing the rugged terrain worth it.
After getting our fill of the Park we headed south again to what is called the "glider port". The glider port is located along the coast north of La Jolla and south of Torrey Pines State Park. We found it with a bit of difficulty but we did it. The glider port was one of those things that we had no idea about until someone mentioned it to us on the RV-Newsgroup. The glider port appears to be a business but I am not sure that the property is private. Whatever it is they have a seating area where spectators can watch.
Hang gliders and para-sails were taking off from an area between the spectators and the edge of the cliff……with the ocean being several hundred feet below the cliff.
A good number of para sails were moving up and down the coast and practicing take off and landings.
I would have been game to fly in either a glider or para-sail but the going rate was $175 and that was about $125 more than I was willing to part with. Gosh I wanted to experience that form of flight……..but I didn't. Call me CHEAP! We had a great time watching those that were flying……..but not nearly as much fun as they were having. This is one of those $175 para experiences note that two people are strapped below that chute.
This is a pic of La Jolla looking south from the para-port. Too bad we didn't get a glider in the pic.
It was past normal lunch time and our plan was to dine at Casa De Pico in Old Town San Diego for lunch so we headed through La Jolla and Mission Beach to our lunch date in Old Town. By the time we got through with this meal we had racked up another "Johnson" experience. Many of you will understand what a "Johnson" experience is. We are not used to experiences like this so close together and as I recall Joyce picked out one of those restaurants when we were in the Palm Springs area less than two weeks ago.
Oh well with that lunch behind us it was time to check out Point Loma and Cabrillo National Monument. Point Loma and Cabrillo National Monument stand watch over the port of San Diego. It is located high on the 422' sandstone cliff on the north side of San Diego Bay and as far west as land extends. In 1854 a lighthouse was erected on this cliff and for the next 36 years, except on foggy nights, it welcomed sailors to San Diego harbor. While ships could see this light from 39-miles out to sea on clear nights ----- fog and low clouds often obscured the light.
Because of the fog and low clouds the lighthouse was moved to the bottom of the hill in 1891.
For some reason Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo doesn't have the historic recognition of other explorers like Christopher Columbus. However, Cabrillo was the first European to set foot on the west coast of what is now the United States. Cabrillo set out on his epic voyage of exploration 50 years after Columbus landed in America. Commanding three vessels, he sailed north from Mexico into unknown waters. He was to claim land for the king of Spain and the viceroy of New Spain, discover a route to Asia and the Spice Islands, search the uncharted coast for a mythical passage that connected the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, and search for gold. On September 28, 1542, Cabrillo's flotilla entered San Diego harbor and spent 6-days there before resuming his exploration up the coast. Before the expedition was over they had claimed 800 miles of coastline for Spain. Now you know who Cabrillo is and why the National Monument is named for him.
In addition to the lighthouse and awesome views of San Diego and the Pacific Ocean there is a huge National Cemetery on Point Loma. The National Cemetery is probably on property managed by the Point Loma Naval Base and not the Cabrillo National Monument. This is a pic from atop Pt. Loma looking to the east across NAS Naval Air Station North Island and downtown San Diego. The water in the foreground is the pass from the Pacific Ocean into San Diego Bay.
While on Point Loma we navigated to Sunset Cliffs Boulevard where we took in the views from the western side of Point Loma. At the eastern end of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard we crossed the San Diego River to Mission Bay and visited the huge marina complex on the southwest side of West Mission Bay Drive. That marina is probably the largest marina either of us has ever seen. Thousands of pleasure boats reside in slips in that marina complex. A pair of osprey had constructed a huge nest high in the rigging of a private sail boat. We watched a parent and offspring perched on that nest. A boat owner told us that osprey was an "endangered species" and the owner was not allowed to disturb the birds. Osprey is not endangered in Florida but they might be in California. Does anyone know anything about these nesting osprey?
We stopped in a parking area along the beach in Carlsbad to watch the sun disappear behind the ocean. Wow, what a day. There is no way to pack more into our schedule.
Tuesday, May 10, Paradise RV-Resort Oceanside, California: $39.50. FHU with 50-amps, Paved interior roads and sites plus cable and free WIFI. N33° 10.707' W117° 21.993'. Yesterday wiped us out. Going from can to can't is fun for one day but it takes a day to recuperate and today was that day. We also needed to take the Saturn to the Saturn dealer for some minor maintenance so a down day was perfect to get that done. We dropped the Saturn off and wandered across the street to a major shopping area looking for a replacement microwave oven. The microwave in our motorhome rolled over and died recently. I would have tried to fix it but the smell it made while dying was that of a melting transformer and a 9-year old microwave isn't worth trying to replace a power transformer. We searched in several stores but settled on one from Wal-Mart because they had what we needed while the other stores didn't.
We found a cozy little restaurant for lunch that was good in addition to affording us a place to spend some time while waiting for the Saturn. Just as we were finishing lunch Saturn called to say we were ready and they would send someone by the restaurant to pick us up so we would not have to walk back. I like those Saturn folks. Back at the motorhome I had to remove the old microwave and install the new one. Don't laugh. Motorhome installations are drastically different from stick & brick home installations. Microwaves in motorhomes are screwed/bolted down in multiple places to keep them in place when riding down America's highways. As I suspected the screw holes for the old microwave were not in the correct place for the new microwave. That minor inconvenience was nothing for a stepper since I carry a drill but it did mean additional time drilling those new holes. I think it took as long to unpack the new microwave and dispose of the empty box and old microwave as it did to install the new one even with drilling new holes.
The remainder of the day was spent relaxing until we headed to the beach to watch the sunset. It seems that watching the sun drop over the Pacific is a ritual along the entire coast. Joyce is enjoying the opportunity to photograph the setting sun. You will have to check out our web site to see some of those pics.
Life
sure is good, don't you agree?
Until next week just remember how good life is. Mike & Joyce Hendrix
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I was
fascinated by the geology revealed in the exposed cliffs although the park chose
to completely ignore it in their literature. From sea level to the loftiest heights
all I could see was sedimentary deposits. There were several different layers
of sandstone divided by layers of conglomerate (river rocks mixed with mud/sandstone
into a "conglomerate"). 
