Old Town San Diego

As Paul Harvey used to say, "Now for the rest of the story."  Actually, just the rest of our day in San Diego.

The sailor and nurse outside the Embarcadero. It was funny to watch a huge group of Japanese tourists shuffling around to get a good picture.

It is normal cruise ship procedure to conduct a full scale lifeboat exercise every month, where they simulate emergency conditions and technical teams practice operational procedures.  When I was placed on a team before my maiden cruise as a nurse, my team was on the side of the ship in which a lifeboat that was launched into Boston Harbor. we went round and round for an hour. While  having a cup of tea here in San Diego, the Holland America ship was doing just that. I am sure glad that job was short lived.

We boarded the train to return to Old Town San Diego.

Union Station, also known as the “Santa Fe Depot,” has served residents and visitors to San Diego for almost 100 years. Located in the heart of downtown near the cruise ship piers and other bayside attractions, the station anchors the larger Santa Fe Place,

By the time we arrived in Old Town, we were getting pretty hungry. We just picked a touristy looking place (The Rocking Baja) and with a self serve chips and salsa bar with different salsas, mango, black bean, pico, etc. Then we shared some pretty good fajitas.

A little entertainment in Old Town.

While waiting for our train, we were entertained by a duo having a video recorded at the stop.

Working in California as a traveling nurse is not a bad thing.  They have strict laws about breaks and many of the hospitals are union. There is always a nurse who is designated to give everyone a break and a lift team to move the patients. This saves on the back of the nurse and makes sure that patients get their much needed turns and care. I am getting better at realizing this may be my last contract as an ICU nurse. Where did the last 40 years go? It seemed just a short time ago that I was the young one. 

San Diego, CA

Driving on I-5 in So California can be a  trying and exhausting 30 miles between Oceanside and San Diego.  After the drive to La Jolla a few days previously, we thought the train might be a good plan. In our travels, we have found that public transportation can be easier than figuring out where to go and not have to find a place to park. This turned out to be true this day.

Oceanside is the most northern stop on the Coaster with an option to take Amtrak. We found a cozy seat on the ocean side on the upper level since the train was empty when we boarded.

Arriving at the Santa Fe station after a relaxing 45 minute ride.

This train station has been in use for 100 years.

The old tiles still nicely preserved.

There several stations around to rent a B bike.

Midway is the longest serving aircraft carrier and now a museum.

Fishermen selling the daily catch.

 

 The legacy of Bob Hope is commemorated by a major sculptural artwork titled “A National Salute to Bob Hope and the Military,” On Waterfront park on Port tidelands, with  views of San Diego Bay, the National Salute is a tribute to not only Bob Hope but to the servicemen and women he entertained over the years.

 

 

We listened to recordings of Bob Hope entertaining the troops back in the day as we walked through the statues.

 

Seaport Village is a nice place to walk and take in the views of Coronado Island. There are plenty of places to shop and eat. We just enjoyed watching the boats float by.

 

I have finished my first two weeks of work which are always the most tiring of the contract. The first week is orientation and second just figuring out the flow and where things are. Mike is getting things figured out on how he will do things here while I am working my 3 shifts a week. When we first started our travels, we were maniacs on my days off. We thought we had to see everything on my days off and go nonstop. Now we just enjoy the area and plan when we will see the must dos on our list. He used to find a job and we would have to work around our schedules to fit it all in. Now he is the house spouse and that is pretty nice for both of us.

La Jolla, CA

It's no surprise that La Jolla is one of the most popular beach destinations in California. Surrounded on three sides by the sea and backed by the steep slopes of Mt. Soledad, La Jolla is always such a beautiful destination with a temps that rarely drops below 50 degrees or exceeds 90 degrees.

The roads in and out of La Jolla are narrow and can get pretty congested, parking at La Jolla shores fills up quickly. Unfortunately, the trains don't get you close enough to get to the beach in this area.  Once you get parked and take a breath, it is just blue and beautiful.

There are so many VWs all around.

The rocks get pretty slick when wet. I took a digger when I slipped and had a pretty sore wrist for a while.

We didn't check the tides and got here during high tide which limited our tidal pool walk.

A sea wall to a house on the ocean. Is it there to keep the water or people out. Probably both.

We were taking a rest under this stop and met a very nice couple from the Great Britain. We sat and visited about their travels for a while.  

This seawall was built so children would have a safe place away from the waves to swim. It didn't take long for the seals and sea lions to take over.

La Jolla Cove is San Diego’s most desirable spot for kayaking, snorkeling and diving. The water is calm and ecologically protected, providing a safe home for colorful garibaldi, yellowtail, rays and even leopard sharks.

Somewhat hidden with alluring curves and caves, it is often cited as the most photographed beach in San Diego. This ocean view's striking beauty simply cannot be overstated even with stinky critters on the beach.

Lately, the increasingly territorial animals have started blocking swimmers from getting into the water, forcing people to walk back and forth on the beach until they can find a safe opening to enter the ocean. One even went so far as to bite a swimmer wearing a wetsuit at the water’s edge.

Lots of mysteries around this box. What do lifeguards keep locked up in a small metal box on a post? Spare speedos? 

 

 Is it a form of memorial to a body surfer who drowned, called David C Freeman?

 

Or is it that Boomers has a strong rip tide pulling out to sea between the call box and the green shack, making the beach quite hazardous.

During the summer Boomers Beach has a lifeguard part of the time, with the box being used by lifeguards to call in additional help when needed.

The box used to be open to allow the public (or Boomers locals) to call for help when lifeguards were not present (looks locked now).