Sock Finish

Well this pair just took a month to make...:-).  I worked on these socks while we drove from RV park to RV park this winter.  Obviously we didn't travel that much this winter.  

On to another knitting project.  I will make a pair of socks from the blue and green ball of yarn or a scarf from the blue.  I had a sock started on the blue and green but it was another detailed pattern and it's too hard to read a chart when you are driving (riding) down the road. I unraveled the sock I was working on because I want a mindless activity for the road.  Which project should I choose?

Linking To:  Slow Stitching Sunday

Otay Park

If you are looking for a nice walking trail, Otay Park might be the park for you.  This park is open from 8:30-5:00 PM.  There are nice picnic spots and a little activity park for kids.  There are also trails around the park.

Like most lake parks in the region, it is built around a reservoir.  

The gray edifice is a prison and just beyond is Tijuana.

Chula Vista Bayside Park

Chula Vista Bayside Park is one of the many parks in the 34 miles of the Big Bay system of the Port of San Diego.  The Bayside Park was dedicated in 1987 and encompasses about 6 acres of waterfront property.   

This park is next to a boat repair 

It's a great place for kayaking and paddle boarding.

You can play a game of checkers or chess in the sun.

The pier is where locals like to go to catch a fish.

The city views are spectacular.  This bridge connects Coronado and  San Diego.

This is the Silver Strand, a road that connects Coronado and Chula Vista.

There are also two boat harbors in this park.  It's fun to see all of the big, clean, white boats.

If you are in San Diego you will want to stop in one of the beach parks on the San Diego Bay.  This is a great option.   

KOA Metro in Chula Vista, California

San Diego is my favorite city and we like to visit every year.  There are interesting things to do every single day, shopping, hiking, eating, kayaking, paddle boarding, parks and more.  We generally stay in the Metro KOA in Chula Vista, which is south of San Diego.  This park is smack in the middle of a very busy area but you feel like you are in a cozy hamlet when you are here.  This campground has something for everyone.  You can rent a cabin, a wall tent, a space for your tent or a RV spot. 

Until this year, this was the pool and hot tub for the park.  Last year when we were here, they were constructing a new pool.

This year the pool was finished and it is definitely a park center. 

There is a deep end and this is the shallow end.  It looks like a little cove and is great for young children.

There are two hot tubs for your evening soaking pleasure.

There are showers and there is a community room in the building. The laundry room is also in the building.  

Just outside the pool is this climbing structure for kids.  There are also bikes and carts for rent.  Sounds of gleeful play can be heard all around the park.  

Kids of all ages can play in the arcade and there is a restaurant with outdoor seating too.

Julian Museum

Julian, California is tucked away in the Cuyamacas Mountains about an hour east of San Diego and about 45 minutes west of Borrego Springs.  We have traveled though Julian to get from San Diego to Borrego Springs but the road is narrow and windy and there are many spots that look straight down the edge of the mountain where there are no guardrails. It's not a great road if you are towing a camper.  When we travel between San Diego and Borrego Springs, we take the longer route on I-8 because it isn't so scary.  When we stay in Borrego Springs, we like to drive up for a day in Julian.  We enjoy a good and hearty lunch and then pick up an apple pie to enjoy when we return to our campsite.  

Julian is small but it is a very old community.  It is listed in the National Record of Historic Places.  The former mining town is now a tourist destination and it is also known for it's apples.  This year we visited the Julian Pioneer Museum.  I highly recommend a museum visit if you make your way to Julian.  

The museum building has had an interesting and varied history.  If the walls could talk, the stories they would tell.

A cowboy's identity was defined by his saddle.  His goal was to get a good one and hold onto it until his death.  When he died, his saddle was also retired for good.  

I had to laugh at this very important invention for women.  What could be more valuable to the drudgery of their everyday life than an electric hair curler.

Anyone for a swim?

Quilt making was very important work for pioneer women in the 19th and 20th century.  Women needed to have 13 quilts made by the time they were married.  The 13th quilt, the bridal quilt was generally a community effort finished at the quilting bee, with women sitting around the quilting frame visiting and gossiping and generally encouraging the new bride-to-be.  

This is a small sample of the many incredible things in this museum.  Julian has a very long history and all kinds of things have been pulled out of attics and placed in this museum.  It is a large space and it is packed with historical items and rocks and minerals from the environment.  There is also a video that shows you how to pan for gold.  

One bit of advice, don't let the weather at sea level fool you into dressing for warm weather when you go into the mountains.  Julian's elevation is around 4000 feet.  The temperature decreases at about 3.5 degrees per 1000 feet.  If it is 65 degrees in Sand Diego, it will be about 51 degrees in Julian.  Bring socks and a warm coat.

3 Days in San Diego

San Diego, California is my favorite city.  I don't like cities in general but I do love San Diego.  The weather is always great and there are lots of things to do there.  I love it as a tourist, not as a resident. I am sure it would be a nice place to live, if you like to live in a city.

Doug and I visit San Diego every year during our winter road trip.  If we don't stop there on the way to where we are going, we are sure to visit on our way home.  It is one of the only places we have visited every year for the past 7 years of trailer travel.  We always stay at the San Diego KOA in Chula Vista.  It is my favorite campground on our trail.  I believe this campground deserves it's own post.

There are several major attractions in San Diego and each year we visit one of them.  We have been to the San Diego Zoo, the Maritime Museum, Sea World, Old Town, Gaslamp, the Convention Center, and etc.  This year we were in San Diego for 3 days and rather than go to a major attraction, we decided to explore beaches and parks.

The first day was spent on one of our favorites, Coronado beach.  There is a great 'dog beach' at the end of the Coronado beach, where Cessna loves to frolic in the waves.  When we get close to this beach she whines and jumps around in anticipation of the fun she will have at one of her favorite spots.  There are lots of things for people to do on Coronado too.  You can enjoy a meal at a good restaurant, shopping, sitting in the sun, touring The Coronado Beach Hotel, and or course, running on the beach.  We had a nice run down the beach toward the Silver Strand.

The second day, we decided to go to Mission Bay and play.  We started our day on Fiesta Island, a place Cessna could swim and play on the beach.  After she had her fill of fun, we parked in a Mission Bay Parking lot and started our day of fun in the sun.  The first thing we did was pull out the Eagle Kayak and inflate it.  We spent an hour or so kayaking around the bay.  We had a little picnic and then rode our bikes along the bike path.  There is a long, well maintained bike path around Mission Bay.  We ended our day with a short, slow run along the path.  It was truly an active day.  Mission Bay park is well utilized.  There were lots and lots of people there, picnicking, boating, exercising, riding bikes, walking, running, skateboarding.

On day 3 we drove up to Mission Trails Regional Park.  This park a short drive East of San Diego.  This was our first visit to this park.  There is a road to the dam, which is the main attraction of the park.  It was built a long time ago by the native people who lived in the area.  There are lots of well marked spur trails along the main road.  There are interpretive signs at points along the trails as well. This is a dog-friendly park.  Cessna enjoyed a little swim in the dam.

A person can spend a lot of money visiting the many wonderful attractions in San Diego and we usually do find one to enjoy each time we visit.  This year, however, we had a very enjoyable 3 days in San Diego and spent very little money.  All of the parks and beaches we visited were free of charge and gas was about $2.25 a gallon.  We had a very active, interesting and fun time in San Diego this year.