Five Days in San Diego

The five days I spent in San Diego were wonderful. On one hand, it was great to simply get off the road and not have to spend the entire day in a car, though I’d be lying if I told you I hadn’t come to enjoy the road during the trip so far. More than anything, though, it was cool to spend so much one-on-one time with my aunt Diane. Most of my interactions with aunt and uncles all took place in a family setting (e.g., holidays and birthday parties) and it’s not the easiest thing for me to get into any kind of deep conversations during those types of events. So it was great to spend five solid days with her and no other distractions around.

Monday, May 13, 2019

The Morning Routine

It turned-out that my aunt and I have a good combination: I like to get to work early and she likes to take her time getting going. This was great for me because it allowed me to organize videos and photographs, as well as touch base with my freelance clients, without worrying about whether or not she wanted to be running out the door. On the first day, I got to wash my clothes while I did all of this, which was another welcome event.

A Short Hike and Left-Overs

After looking through a stack of brochures from local attractions, I decided I’d like to get in a few miles of hiking and picked Mission Trails Regional Park as the destination. It was a nice, inland hike, though it was a bit hot and humid. Afterward, we headed back to her place to finish-up the rest of last night’s Ramadan feast and then talk on her back patio until bed time.

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Torrey Pines State Reserve

On the second day, I got to see the ocean for the first time on the trip. We drove north to Torrey Pines State Reserve and walked around a bit. The park featured the Torrey Pine tree which largely only exist in this particular area of the world, though, I did notice a few when we were driving around other parts of the city. Most of the hiking was along the edges of a cliff high above the beach with amazing views of the ocean.

La Jolla

After Torrey Pines, she asked me what I wanted to do next, offering me a few options. From her suggestions, I chose to see the seals because I’d never seen seals up close out in the wild. That’s when I discovered how “La Hoya” was spelled: La Jolla. To be honest, when I saw “La Jolla” I actually pronounced it correctly in my head, but it still cracked me up a little. La Jolla Cove is an area of shoreline that’s inhabited by seals and sea lions. You’re basically walking and swimming among them, even though there are plenty of signs instructing you to give them their space.

We caught lunch at a nice place looking over the ocean. As usual, I decided to try the tacos and wasn’t too badly disappointed. (The fact is I’ll never have tacos as good as the ones we have where I work!) Upon returning to her place, we just sat around and chatted again until we went to bed.

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Cabrillo National Monument

It was surprising to wake-up and find San Diego with overcast skies. That just didn’t make any sense to me! After the morning routine, we headed-out to Cabrillo National Monument, which was great for me because it was another official National Park/Monument on my list. The park was interesting in that it overlooked San Diego Bay and the naval base that was stationed there. You could spend all day watching helicopters, submarines and other ships arrive and depart. The park also contained many World War II era bunkers dotting the peninsula, as well as a wicked lighthouse. Even after visiting a tiny, old lighthouse like that, I remained fairly certain that I would have loved to have been a lighthouse keeper.

More Tacos and Coronado Beach

For lunch we visited another taco bar. The fare here was much better, especially the fresh chicharrones with lime and chile powder. Even a day later, they were still better than any bagged pork rinds I’d ever eaten. After that we took a drive over the Coronado Bridge to visit Coronado Beach and the aptly named Hotel del Coronado. I’d never heard of the place, but it immediately struck me as the place where “The Shining” would have taken place if Stephen King had been born on the west coast near a beach somewhere. We’d planned on grabbing a drink with my aunt’s boyfriend, but things didn’t work-out and we headed back to her place after touring the area.

Thursday, May 16, 2019

A Lazy, Rainy Day

Not only was it overcast when I woke-up this morning, but it was also raining. My aunt had expected this to happen and had a lazy day planned for us. Once we got going, we grabbed lunch somewhere and then did grocery shopping for dinner. After spending a few hours working on some artwork, I got to preparing a dinner of roasted chicken with crispy potatoes. My aunt’s boyfriend made it over for dinner and a chat afterward. To end the night, my aunt and I watched a movie before turning in.

Friday, May 17, 2019

Visiting the San Diego Zoo

Mess around a bit longer in the morning than we’d like because I’m washing loads of clothes in preparation of my departure first thing in the early morning. Once they’re done, we head to the San Diego Zoo and spend a few hours there, walking around and taking a horticultural bus tour. Usually, I’m not a fan of zoos, but my aunt talked me into it, telling me that the San Diego Zoo does a lot for animals in need. After the zoo, we have a bit of a struggle finding a place to eat before heading back to her place. I spend some time getting my digital stuff inline and creating a quick family photo gallery for my uncle Andy, with whom I’ll be staying the next two nights in Las Vegas. Once I get that wrapped-up, aunt Diane and I talk until about 10 PM when I force myself to sleep because I’m getting up very early tomorrow morning.