Friends & Sunsets – San Diego, CA
We’re almost at the end of our 2-month stay in San Diego. I know this makes me sound like an old geezer, but our time here has really flown by and I’m kinda amazed that we’re already into the second month of the year. The upside is that we got pretty much everything done that we wanted to while we were here. I went home to Europe for Christmas and Paul’s mom came over from Miami to see us (that was the first month gone) and then we downsized the storage (which was the whole reason we stayed the 2nd month).
The latter was our biggest challenge and I’m happy as a puppy-dog-on-bacon to say that we’re finally DONE! We worked on our storage every single day for at least 3 hours/day and sometimes even AM & PM. In the end that dedication paid off and the entire project took just 2.5 weeks to complete which was waaaaay faster than we expected (we honestly thought it would take all month, and we weren’t even sure that was enough). We’re down to only ~10 boxes and a few knick-knacks of our most precious stuff (to us) and that amount just barely covers 1/3 of the space in our new 5 ft x 5 ft. At some point in the future we may downsize further (who knows), but for now we’re happy with the deal we got and ready to move back to our travels.
So now (believe it or not) we’ve actually got a few days to spare so we can just relax (whopeee!). And San Diego, as those of you who’ve followed the blog for a while know, is a mighty fine place to do it.
This was the city where we started our RV journey over 6 years ago, and I have to admit it still holds a special place in my heart. Not only is it my fav beer place (possibly in the world!), but it’s got near-perfect winter weather (even El Niño hasn’t been that bad here), lots of great dog-friendly beaches (both leash & off-leash), many outstanding farmers markets, historical gems, lighthouses (well, one anyway) and plenty of water-front biking trails & cool urban parks**. It offers all the craziness of a big city together with the laid-back atmosphere of a surfer town, making it a rather unique mix. And the myriad of little communities, from “hippy” Ocean Beach to upscale Del Mar, means you can find that perfect place no matter what your yearning. As a winter RV spot it’s hard to beat and when we’re done frolicking around in the desert boondocking (which we also love) we come here to soak up civilization & play at being beach-bums. It’s a pretty darn good life.
We’ve also had a fair bit of company. Being the hot-spot it is, San Diego attracts many of our RV buddies and we often see the same cats passing through here year after year. Our very good buddies Island Girl Walkabout came in last month and we spent every evening we could hanging out with these lovely folks and their adorable doggie Angel. Not only do we thoroughly enjoy Hector & Brenda, but we were able to soak up their extensive Canada-RV knowledge (they’ve traveled TONS!) and drool over Hector’s always lovely pictures, as well as share lots of good food & beverages (of course).
We also managed a few evenings with Tales From The Scenic Route (right before they flew off to Asia), and have been hanging out on and off with The Roaming Pint, DiveDriveDevour, Metamorphosis Road, and Nosh Bus, all of whom have been parked in the same park as us for a month. Plus we’ve met lots of other blog readers, fellow bloggers and friends who’ve either passed thro’ the area or said “hi”. We’ve not had nearly as much time as we’d normally like to hang out, but the few nights we’ve shared have all been good.
But one thing I always make time for is sunsets. There’s something special about the mix of surf and setting sun that you get on a west-coast beach, and although the winter sunsets here aren’t always as consistently spectacular as those in the desert, they can be pretty darn amazing in their own right. My favorite sunset (ever) was probably Dec 25, 2012 (click HERE to see the pics), but El Niño storms this past month have have offered up several evenings of excellent cloud/water combos well worthy of camera clicks, and being only 5 walking minutes from the water means there’s absolutely no excuse for me to miss them. During our past 2 weeks of storage wars, much of which we spent locked inside our storage “bunker”, my favorite part of the day was coming home to that final sweet, fiery, soul-touching moment of color….ahhhh!
So, we’ve got about a week more and then we’re off. I’ve got a few more blog posts scheduled to finish here, and then our next stop is going to be yet another exciting project that we’ve teased about many times, but just haven’t gotten around to doing. All I can tell now is you is that you’re going to Like it, it’s got tons of super-cool Features, and we’re Psyched like newbOrn babies 4 the whole thing (I know, I know I’m such a silly geek :)) I can’t wait!!!
**Related Blog Posts -> What TO DO In San Diego:
- Paw Friendly & Off-Leash Beaches – San Diego, CA
- 5 Reasons to RV Snowbird In San Diego
- Our Big Beer Shake-Down -> San Diego’s Best Breweries, Beers & Pubs
- Discovery Of A Mission, And A Few New Friends – San Diego de Alcalá, CA
- “Where California Began” – Cabrillo National Monument, San Diego, CA
- Sea Kayaking La Jolla, Taxes and Losing A Bike
- The Great Urban Escape -> Mission Trails Regional Park, San Diego, CA
- Frolicking In Nation’s Largest Urban Cultural Park – Balboa Park, San Diego CA
- An Alternative State Of Mind – Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA
- Wet & Wonderful – Del Mar Beach
- Biking On Heaven’s Door – Mission Bay, San Diego, CA
- Hangin’ In Nature’s Playground – Mission Bay Park, San Diego, CA
- Ghosts, Style & Romance – Hotel Del Coronado, San Diego, CA
- Getting My Weekly Market Fix – San Diego, CA
- Paddle-Boarding & Casino-Docking – San Diego, CA
**Related Blog Posts -> Where To STAY in San Diego:
- RV Park Rating – Santee Lakes, Santee (San Diego, CA)
- RV Park Review – Mission Bay RV Resort, San Diego, CA
- “Freebie” Site Review – Viejas Casino, Alpine (San Diego), CA (FREE)
- “Freebie” Site Review – Sycuan Casino, El Cajon (San Diego), CA (FREE)
Great shots, no surprise on that! And, congrats on cleaning out the storage unit, and great write ups on the process…
Deb, Poppins and I walked by The Beast a few weeks back, as we like park down South of the Hilton, and walk down to both the park your in now, and also Campland By the Bay too. No CRV, so you two were out and about. Sorry we missed you, and glad your visit to San Diego was so long and restful. But, frankly we’re suspicious that first you brought the rains, and then this last Sunday the ‘slight breeze’ (We clocked 60+ MPH above you in Bay Park.). So, perhaps after you two head out, we’ll get back to some normal weather:)!
Deb and I postponed leaving on Sunday, waiting to leave Tuesday AM once the wind and ice over I8 were gone, to take off to Yuma Foothills for a two month visit. (I know, kind of strange to go to Yuma from San Diego, we’re not your average Snow Birds!. But, with the Domicile in South Dakota, we do make it a point to travel for over 6 months a year from California. Oh darn, we just have to travel:)!)
Best to you both, still looking forward to meeting Paul in the future. And, we’ll know you’re gone from San Diego area very soon, as the Local Breweries will need to lower their production levels:)!
Cheers, and travel safe when you head out,
Smitty
So sorry we missed you when you came by! It’s definitely been a little crazy, weather-wise this past month especially for San Diego. This last wind storm was probably biggest storm we’ve ever seen here, and a few of the recent rain storms have washed out some of the roads in town. Of course we’re back to 10 straight days of pure sunshine (forecasted) so it’s not going to be too much of a hardship
Here’s hoping the sunshine follows you into AZ.
Nina
LiFeP04 has an electric sound to it, Oui? 😉 Sounds like someone’s about to go whole hog on a battery pack of custom design and charging needs. Easily understood by someone that just bought a full electric VW e-Golf BEV. Chemistry is amazing, it what it can do for you.
Yup it’s geekish and $$, but man is it going to be fun.
Nina
You have the helping hands of TechnoMadia to steer the rudder, somewhat, on this adventure. Still, it will be fascinating to see what you and Paul come up with for your ultimate solution. Being part pioneer is always exciting… can’t wait to see what’s next in your blog on this.
Totally, and the best part is that they’ve written so much about the subject that half my work is already done for me
They’ll definitely be a key feature in my up-coming posts.
Nina
It is fun to read your blogs and follow you guys. Hopefully My wife and I will be crossing paths with you somewhere out there beyond the crystal moon…….Thanks
Congrats on a job will done with the storage unit. I know you’re relieved. I lived in San Diego from 2-07 to 2-09. Two great years of kayaking on the bay every chance we got along with all the other great things to do in SD. The economic crash sent us back to Tucson where we are getting ready to downsize and move full time into our 38′ Winnebago. A year after that we hit the road. Thanks to you and Paul, we feel more confident and eager than ever. Hope to see you out there sometime in 2017.
Congrats on the upcoming adventure! It’s a scary transition, but an exciting one too. Maybe we’ll see ya down the road!
Nina
Great sunsets… Hope u get some more in your next stop….
I’m really amp’d to hear and see your upcoming project…Watt could it possibly be?
I’ll be anxiously awaiting your posts about the project. Your insight and point of view are always intriguing !
Thanks! It should be fun to blog about. I’ve got lots of techie readers, so I know I’ve got lots of folks who’ll be interested.
Nina
Enjoy the new batteries! you made the right choice. I know you’re going to love them as much as we do ours… 😉
I have no idea what you’re talking about 🙂
Nina
Thanks for helping to confirm the adage about time flying when one is having fun. Our month in beautiful SD went by in a blink. It was wonderful to see you guys and to plot our respective future plans. Looking forward to our next crossing in March? Travel safely dear friends! H
It was a blast to see you too!
Nina
We’ve only stayed in San Diego for a month once and we really enjoyed ourselves. Having a site on the bay was just perfect. That evening sunset never got old. I loved that we could bike everywhere we needed to go. Made life so much easier. Sounds like you had a great two months getting lots accomplished plus a lot of socializing. Enjoy your last week:)
You’ve hit on everything we love about this place. The RV park itself is pretty much one big parking lot, but the location just rocks.
Nina
I’m so glad you guys got your storage project done quick enough to enjoy some well deserved relaxing time in San Diego!
And we have absolutely no clue what your next project is.. not a clue. Nah-uh. Nope. *squeee*
Tee hee….Nina
I can’t wait for our turn to enjoy SD next winter!
Congrats on completing your not so fun project but now it is over, you don’t have to think about that storage for years.
You guys are going to love it here….and since it’s NOT an El Nino year next year, the weather should be even more perfect for you.
Nina
My 260Ah LFPs are just over 5 years old now and still doing pretty well. Can’t wait to find out which vendor you choose!
We can imagine that those sunsets are even more glorious after days in the “bunker”.
Now you’ll be really charged up for all your next adventures! Your blog is always filled with great energy 🙂
Yeah, we spent a lot of time inside concrete walls these past 2.5 weeks. Coming home every evening to sunset by the water was quite the treat. Definitely charged up to get going on the road again.
Nina
Thanks for giving our neck of the woods such a great plug. Maybe now you’ll realize why we call this place home. Sure we take our big 5th wheel Montana out weeks and months at a time all over the country and we’ll also stay just miles from our home in Oceanside on the beaches of Carlsbad, Cardiff, Coronado, and Chula Vista for a quickie few day break. But we always love coming home. It’s too perfect.
In the fall of 2014 we traveled to see my mom in South Dakota. We had a great time and decided to go home a totally different way than we ever had before, we when south along the Missouri River, finally checked Branson off our bucket list (yuck!), and then we’re pleasantly surprised by Eureka Springs and Hot Springs, Arkansas. But home was calling us, so we blasted across Oklahoma, stopped to see the Blue Hole in New Mexico, and continue on to Roswell, another bucket list.
It was there that we got the phone call that my mother unexpectedly passed away. Sadly, just a day or two from home we had to turn around to return to South Dakota and do those things that every child dreads, funerals and contemplating the future of the old homestead.
While back in South Dakota I realized that by the time we’d get back to Oceanside the warranty on my 2012 Ford F-250 diesel truck would almost be up. And because I had inherited some money from mom I decided I wanted to buy an F-350 diesel dually truck. I called around all the Ford dealers in the San Diego area, but their trucks were mostly white, stripped down contractor type vehicles. Nothing that interested me, because at this stage in my life I wanted only the best.
Lo and behold, the Ford dealer just up the road from mom’s little town had two of the top of the line trucks I was dreaming about. Within in short time I was the proud owner of a 2015 Ford F-350 dually diesel platinum edition long bed complete with a Ford integrated fifth wheel hitch in the most gorgeous red there is (a pricey option).
But as folks know, one shouldn’t pull a trailer until the truck has 500 miles, and we were getting ready to leave in just a couple of days, so we volunteered to drive anybody and everybody to dinner, lunch, breakfast, shopping, whatever of those days, but by the time we hitched it up we still had less than 300 miles on the odometer. So we took off, driving as gingerly as we could until we hit that 500 mile mark.
That first day on the road we made it to eastern Wyoming. The next day to western Wyoming. And on that third day we started the trip south planning to make it to Cedar City, Utah where we had stayed a number of times before on our journeys to South Dakota.
This was the first time I had pulled out 38′ fifth wheel with a dually and it was an eye opener as to how sweet it was. Add to that seats that were not only heated but cooled as well, a satellite radio connect that played all my favorite tunes even in the boonies, the comfort of premium leather seats, and a plethora electronics and bells and whistles, and it was the nicest, smoothest trip ever.
Approaching Cedar City, I told my wife, that I was still feeling great, and that I could drive to St. George, Utah no problem. And when we got to St. George, I said let’s make it to Las Vegas. And, you guessed it, when we got to Las Vegas the pull of Southern California was too strong. It’s all interstate highway, a trek that we had driven often in the 40+ years we’d lived in SoCal, so I just kept going.
We pulled in front of our home a midnight that night, having driving straight through from Wyoming with only meal and potty breaks, for us and our two miniature Schnauzers. This was the longest we’d ever driven in our RV since we were just newly wed youngsters traveling in an mini-pick-up with a cabover camper with no air-conditioning in the middle of the summer from Oceanside to Alabama to see her family with our then cat.
Of course I don’t recommend this sort of travel, but for some reason the stars aligned for us (maybe mom was guiding us), and we were able to pull it off. It turned out to be an enchanted trip.
Back to reality, last year we had to return to South Dakota to liquidate the contents of mom’s (now my) house via an estate sale auction. A tough time for the old psyche, but we pulled it off. And once again we started our journey back to Oceanside, following the same roads we had done the year before. The truck was still a pleasure to drive and everything worked just great, and yes, the pull of returning home was still there, but not nearly as it had been the year before. This time we did stop in Cedar City.
I’ll be looking forward to another one of your big reveals about this upcoming project you’re teasing about. I liked the outline of your 2016 travel plans, being quite different from your normal routine of recent years. Fun stuff, and I’m looking forward to more.
I know it’s gotta be good with Technomadia “involved” somehow! 😉
Congrats on the storage purge – I’m sure the feeling of freedom and weight-loss will last a good long time 🙂 Even with the crazy El Nino storms I think we’re still fairing better than those elsewhere, and San Diego is always a great location just for those sunsets!
Great, great blog! So interesting and a great read! Thanks Nina