California Dreamin’

Well not California specifically, just the ocean, possibly any ocean.  This was the dream of our 12-year old granddaughter.  Throw in Sea World and the San Diego Zoo and you’ve got the perfect beach vacation.

There were many firsts for Alyssa on this trip – first time flying (more nerve-wracking for dad and us than her), first time to California, first time to the beach. Visions of strumming her ukulele while looking out over the ocean danced in her head.  She had even taught herself a song that she was certain the surfers would know.

Alyssa is passionate about animals so grandpa thought she would enjoy sea kayaking, with a chance to catch a glimpse of dolphins (her true love).  This sounded good to her until we got to La Jolla Cove and boogie boards and wetsuits won out over the thought of paddling a kayak.  She would take her chance with the dolphins later in the week at Sea World.  Didn’t take her long to figure out which registered higher on the “fun” meter without a great deal of effort.

Looks like beach trips in her future based on that smile.

Sea World was next on the agenda and offered a day-long adventure for the three of us.  First up was the One Ocean show, starring Shamu.  A trip to Sea World is not complete without seeing this one.  Grandpa and I won out on the seating arrangement, opting to stay clear of the splash zone.  The image of me walking around for the rest of the day having been doused with gallons of seawater didn’t seem too appealing.  Good decision as everyone in the splash zone looked like they needed to be wrung out after the show.

We all agreed the Blue Horizons show ranked tops for the day, with acrobats, dolphins, and tropical birds appearing on cue.  Trouble is, with a couple of folks in our group forgetting to charge camera batteries, I have no pictures to show for it.  I’m not naming names, but you know who you are!  And yes, we did get brave and sit in the splash zone but those dolphins just couldn’t put on the show that the orcas did so we walked out dry.

Later that night was our favorite show, Alyssa playing the ukulele (self-taught) and singing for us.  She also plays the guitar and is longing to learn the violin. Can you tell we are just a teeny bit proud?  Much of what she has learned has been through you-tube videos or just listening to songs.

Next up was the San Diego Zoo, one of the largest in the world.  Housing more than 4000 animals,  it is almost impossible to cover the entire park in one day. Having not visited in 20+ years, it was like seeing it for the first time.

The stars of the zoo were the giant pandas, namely Gao Gao (Big Big).  San Diego is one of the few zoos in the world housing these gentle-looking giant teddies. Notice his smaller left ear, which was believed to be injured in a fight before his captivity.

Gao Gao, a bamboo-eating machine.

Seems we all enjoyed our day, given the number of animal photos we accumulated.  I think Alyssa took one of everything she saw, she was so enamored by their beauty.  Even with all we had seen, seems we just scratched the surface, covering only about 2/3 of the park.  There are many ways to take it all in, on foot, by bus, or by aerial tram.  Most of our time was spent on foot but Alyssa decided to give the aerial tram a shot, having already heard the story of how her father was not too keen on them.  And guess what dad, no fear of heights for this one!

Although Sea World and the zoo were big hits, the beach definitely came out on top.  Alyssa would have spent the entire week there we think, swimming with or without a wetsuit, in 58º water.  It was a great week for us all.

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San Diego Vacation

Many of us have a specific food that, when brought to mind, elicits less than fond memories for us.  For me that is an eclair, that fried doughy dessert with a cream filling (yuck).  When I was a kid, I became ill when eating one.  Honestly, I think I was already working on getting a ‘bug’ before I ate it and to this day I associate the flu with eclairs.  By now you must be wondering what my ramblings have to do with San Diego vacations.  Bear with me and I will try to connect the dots.

Terry’s sister and niece had never been to San Diego and with spring break looming, a four-day visit to San Diego seemed to be in order.  Given that it was to be a short trip and they were looking at a 3-hour time difference,  jet lag was bound to be an issue but no one factored in (or at least me) the daylight savings time change the day before their arrival.  The weather in SD, which had been darn near perfect, turned cooler than their home state of Indiana.  To add insult to injury, sister Denise contracted a virus shortly after her arrival, which landed her in the clinic and on the sofa for the following day.   Even with all this, they seemed to be good sports and were able to enjoy a day at the San Diego Safari Park, giving it a two-thumbs up rating.

We had such a good time kayaking in the La Jolla cove that Terry and niece Sara decided to give it a go.  The weather was sunny but breezy, which made paddling a little rougher than what we had experienced earlier.  They were hopeful for dolphin sightings and with a feeding frenzy occurring just offshore (good sign of dolphins nearby we were told) they took off.

Alas, no dolphins, just a bunch of barking sea lions to entertain them.  They were both smiling when they returned, although they looked a little blue around the lips!  I must admit to wondering how warm they were, as I sat on the beach reading.  Everyone else in kayaks had donned wetsuits, everyone that is except Terry and Sara.

The water was too choppy for photos and for paddleboarding as well (which was also on the to-do list) but we did grab a few great pics of sea lions from the walkway above and got to catch a glimpse of passing dolphins!

Slip-sliding away!

It's been a tough day!

Sara was determined to have a bonfire and s’mores before she left San Diego so Terry stoked the fire that night.  Believe it or not, I had never had one before (s’more that is) and had to be guided through the process.  Tasty but unfortunately not to be an ongoing part of my diet.  Thankfully Denise had recovered enough to join in the fun.

Sara and Denise roasting marshmallows

So much to see in San Diego and only one day left so we decided to do a little sightseeing to give them a flavor of the area.   Lunch brought us back to Blue Water Seafood Market and Grill for fish tacos and they were just as tasty our second visit.

We all welcomed a stroll along the coastline, providing us a pleasing contrast of colors and shapes.

A playful little grey squirrel caught my attention so I gave him his own photo shoot.  He seemed to be enjoying it, posing for the camera.  Although these little guys are cute, they have become quite destructive along the coast, adding to bluff erosion.

You have no idea what these hands can do!

A quick stroll through Balboa Park and the grounds of Coronado Island rounded out the last day.

Vibrant Watercolors in Spanish Village at Balboa Park

Hotel Del Coronado

So, to finally connect the dots, given jet lag, time changes, cool weather and illness, I hope San Diego does not become an “eclair” for Denise and Sara.  I hope they decide to come back at a later date to enjoy all it has to offer.

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Two King-Size Attractions ~ Oceanside, CA

Two king-size attractions await those who visit Oceanside, CA, the first being Oceanside Pier.

Oceanside Pier (Wikipedia image)

Built in 1888, it is the longest wooden pier on the western U.S. coastline, ~1950 feet in length.  Although grand in stature, it will not be the focal point of this post.

Second, and the main topic, is Mission San Luis Rey de Francia (the Mission of Saint Louis, King of France). Founded by Franciscan Fermín Lasuén in June, 1798, it was nicknamed “King of the Missions”, as it was the largest of the California missions, covering 6 acres at its most prosperous time.

At its peak you can imagine the grandeur of this mission, stark white façade against an azure sky.  Incorporate into this image lush gardens and thousands of head of cattle and sheep being tended by the Luiseño Indians and you can see why it was dubbed “the king”.

Friar Antonio Peyri was put in charge of the mission and became solely responsible for the design and building of the site.  He was much beloved by the 2800 Luiseño Indians who lived within the mission boundaries and it is said that after 33 years of service, upon his retirement, two of the Luiseños left their native land and returned with him to Spain.

Church construction began in 1811 and was completed by 1815.  It was a showpiece due to its unique styling and is only one of two mission churches whose design is cruciform.

Stunning statues and colors in the main altar

The sense of reverence felt when you enter the chapel is palpable.  Many of the original artifacts still exist today, the central crucifix from Nicaragua, the painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe, 14 Stations of the Cross, and the hand-hammered baptismal font, to name a few.

Carriage Arch

The Quadrangle (4-sided patio) houses the historic pepper tree planted by Father Peyri.  The seeds for this tree were brought to the mission by a sailor from Peru in 1830.  Now dubbed the “California Pepper Tree”, it sports creamy white flowers in the summer and dark pink peppery berries in the fall.  We grew several of these trees on a former property of ours in Phoenix and it is interesting to know its origins.

Oldest pepper tree in California

The lavanderia (laundry) was particularly interesting to us, as the grounds here reminded us of some of the archaeological sites we explored while in Mexico. This was the area where the residents went to bathe and wash their clothes.  The water used for these tasks was siphoned in from the San Luis Rey River via aqueducts into a series of stone and tile pools.  It was considered a comprehensive water conservation system, even by today’s standards.

Aqueduct in lavanderia

Excavation work here continues today with plans for future archaeological digs. Two gargoyle fountains, a part of the lavanderia, were unearthed in a nearby swamp.

Gargoyle fountain

Today Mission San Luis Rey is a working mission, watched over by her parishioners.  The historic church faces closure if fundraising attempts for a state-mandated seismic retrofit are not successful.  If would be sad indeed if this slice of California’s cultural heritage is lost.

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Our Mission for the Day ~ Mission San Diego de Alcala

The email read, “your mission, should you choose to accept it…”, ok not really, but the invitation  to join Nina and Paul of Wheeling It at Mission San Diego de Alcalá was a great suggestion.

We have been fans of their wonderful blog for some time and when I discovered we were all to be in San Diego at the same time, I had hoped for a meet-and-greet and hooray, they were game.  Excellent writing, photography, and RV tips are just a few reasons we are big fans of their blog, not to mention what a lovely couple they are .

During our time in Mexico, we found ourselves gravitating towards the magnificent churches in the lovely colonial cities we visited and  have been drawn to the missions and churches in our travels ever since.

Mission San Diego de Alcala (Wikipedia image)

The far West gave birth to Christianity with the founding of Mission San Diego de Alcalá on July 16, 1769, by Franciscan priest Junípero Serra.   This, the first of 21 California missions, dubbed the “Mother of the Alta California Missions”, provided a foothold for Catholicism in this corner of the world.

The naming of San Diego the city occurred ~225 years earlier than the founding of this first mission and was originally named San Miguel, after the saint whose feast day was closest to the landing of the first Spanish expedition here.  In 1602 it was renamed San Diego, once again being named for the feast day closest to the fleet’s landing date in the harbor, that of Saint Didacus (San Diego) of Alcalá.  And the name stuck!

The original site for the mission overlooked the bay but remained at this location a mere 5 years; the water supply was lacking and the soil was not fertile enough to sustain the crops.  The decision was made by the pastor of the mission, Father Luís Jayme, to pick up stakes and move 6 miles to the east.  This second site was closer to the river and the Kumeyaay Indians, with whom the friar had a good rapport.  The Kumeyaay were hunters and gatherers and fairly nomadic, not unlike we RVers.  Unfortunately a few rogue Indians incited hundreds of others to riot and during this uprising, Father Jayme lost his life and the mission was burned to the ground.

Father Luis Jayme during Kumeyaay raid, shortly before his death.

Father Jayme became California’s first Christian martyr and his body is interred under the altar in the present-day church.

Many arduous years passed before this mission was to be rebuilt and become productive but it did, having its most plentiful year for both crops and Christian conversions in 1797.

When Mexico gained her independence from Spain in 1821, the Mexican government did not have the same allegiance to the missions as the Spanish, and the United States (having acquired this land from Mexico) strayed from the original intent and allowed the missions to be occupied by the Calvary.  They moved on in 1859 and it sat vacant for many years until becoming a school for American Indian children for 17 years.  In 1862 Abraham Lincoln signed an order to restore ownership of the Mission proper to the Roman Catholic church.

The mission that stands on the current grounds is the 5th church on this site.  In 1976, Mission San Diego de Alcalá was named a basilica, an honor bequeathed by Pope Paul VI.  The mission continues to be an active parish today, staffed by secular priests.

Simple yet charming sanctuary

The campanario (bell tower) deserves mention as it has an interesting history, I believe.  Church bells across the world are rung to signify specific events during the day or the year, with different tones and sequences, and these are no exception.

Today there remains an original bell from 1802, that being one of the two larger bells on the bottom right in the above photo.  When the King of Spain wanted bells forged for his missions, he insisted on a crown atop the bell.  The large bell on the bottom left has been made from remnants of other original bells.  All five bells are rung in unison only once a year, that being the mission’s birthday.

Apparently we all worked up an appetite while getting our history lesson for the day, so decided on an early lunch at the Blue Water Seafood Market and Grill, another great recommendation by Nina and Paul, found while watching Diners, Drive-ins & Dives on the Food Network.

I have heard it said that you can tell who the bloggers are in a restaurant as they are the ones taking pictures of their food.  While I don’t often do this, I had to make an exception before I dove into this gastronomic feast.  They tasted even better than they look and yes, I ate the whole thing!

Wild steelhead trout fish tacos

With full stomachs and smiles on our faces, we headed over to Nina and Paul’s pad to meet the rest of the family.  Polly, a border-collie mix, is just as spunky and beautiful as her pictures; Taggart, an orange tabby, is very sleek and elegant; and Rand was being a cat, very independent, and not accepting visitors on this particular day.  We can only vouch for her existence by her pictures and the lump we saw under the comforter!

All-in-all it was a truly lovely day and we feel we have made some new friends, which is one of the fabulous bonuses of this lifestyle.

And here is the lovely couple, Paul & Nina, silently willing Terry to get on with it and take their picture so they can dive into their fish tacos.

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Will Somebody Pinch Me?

We have spent the past week training for our first workamping gig in the San Diego area.  Picture this, we are sitting outside at a picnic table, warm sun on our backs, cool breeze gently moving the pages in our manual, and the ocean in our peripheral vision (more so if we are not paying attention to our instructor).  How could anyone possibly use the word “work” in a sentence describing this?  But yes, this is the job we have signed up for, camp host at San Elijo State Beach.  Oh, the agony of it all!

Our friends Bill and Lisa, who have spent many a year at this place, are passionate about the preservation of the California State Beaches, which has been a concern due to governmental funding issues.  They helped to set up the non-profit Friends of Cardiff & Carlsbad State Beaches for just this purpose, of which Bill is a founding board member.

Yesterday was a short day for training, so back to our rig and a quick change into something more comfy and we are off to the beach for some exercise.  There is so much to see on this stretch of sandy beach, from the surfers at Swami Beach, an area we are told holds the best surfing in California, the dolphins and whales we catch a glimpse of occasionally, the multitude of shore birds searching for tasty little morsels, children busily building sand castles, young and older lovers strolling together, and joggers effortlessly moving (how I wish my jogging was) along the beach.

It is wonderful to start down the beach, then take one of the many long staircases up to street level (which are also great for strengthening your legs), to wander along the sidewalks of Encinitas, window shopping, while I wind my way back home.  There are so many interesting shops and restaurants, that if we are not careful, we could do some real damage here.

Back home, a little more exercise, clean up and I scurry off to do some grocery shopping.  Trader Joe’s is just a couple of miles from where we are staying, as is Whole Foods, Sprouts, and a few other interesting looking groceries.

As I return home, walking up to the RV I hear some great tunes wafting out from the windows.  Terry has figured out how to fix our DVD player and has the Eagles Farewell Tour playing.  This day just continues to get better!

I quickly put the groceries away and after some chopping and dicing, get the pasta sauce simmering.  Terry puts himself in charge of the drinks and hands me my glass.  Ah, the aroma of a glass of good red (which I have not had in my hands for a while) is quite intoxicating.  The song Love Will Keep Us Alive begins to play and I am such a sucker for all of Timothy B’s music!  I look at my husband and motion for him.  He complies, because that’s what he does (sometimes) and we dance. Shame on you!  You thought this was going to be a post tagged for mature eyes only, didn’t you?  Nothing like the Eagles, the ocean, and a California sunset to get you into the mood to dance.  And I would say this is true whether you have a partner with you or not.

After dinner, with a nearly full moon to guide us and the pounding surf as our symphony, we strolled down the beach to round out a most enchanting day.  Love truly will keep us alive, wouldn’t you say?

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