Desert Lavender – Follow Your Nose

  Ever since we arrived in Borrego Springs there has been a pleasantly sweet, spicy scent in the air.  I could not figure out what it was until we went on the hike yesterday and read a plant marker.  Desert Lavender.  A floral scent with attitude.  It smells like “regular” lavender, but with a spicy undertone.   If you gently rub the leaves, it releases even more fragrance.  The flower blooms from October through May and attracts hundreds of bees.  We even figured out where the bees make their hives in the desert.  If you look closely at the picture on the right, you can see the yellow hive in the rocks.

Palm Canyon Trail

What we thought would be an easy three-mile hike today turned out to be a challenging, exciting rocky climb to an oasis in the desert.  The oasis was a large stand of California palms and it provided a cool and green reprieve from the rocky desert and the warm day.

But it was not the only point of interest on our hike.


  Peninsular bighorn sheep.  All the literature and the Anza-Borrego State Park Visitor Center described their endangered status and how camouflaged they are in the desert.  Few hikers are able to see them.  Lucky us!  Two large sheep came prancing down the trail as if to greet us to the oasis—one strolled right on by and the other sprinted up a sheer rock to walk around us.  We both eyed the rock more closely after he left still not believing he could climb anything so steep.


The springs providing the water for the palm trees appears suddenly from the ground as a gushing waterfall at the oasis and continues down the canyon for a ways and then disappears into the ground.  In fact, the water we saw on the way up (see picture) was gone by the time we passed it on our way back to the trail head.  During a rain storm this trail is not where you want to be.  A cloudburst on the mountain brings a torrent of water through the stream bed.

The picture to the right shows part of the trail going under some big boulders.  Another place you do not want to be during one of the earthquakes they have in the area on an almost daily basis.

A great hike.  A great day.

High Chaparral & Lemonade

We are located in the middle of the Anza-Borrego State Park and the variety of plant life and rock in the area really  is beautiful.   The appreciation level would probably go down significantly if we were here in the summer when it reaches 120 degrees.  But, our short hike was a comfortable 60 degrees and all the recent rain has the grass green in between the rocks.  The rocks are Flintstone huge with burnt red and gold fleck color.  Something interesting at every turn. 

Our campground has lots of lemon trees and they are heavy with fruit.  Free for the picking.  I made two pitchers of fresh lemonade (so far) from scratch with all the lemons we picked.  What were we thinking drinking that crappy Crystal Lite?  Cook a cup of water and a cup of sugar to simmer on the stove to make sugar syrup.  Let it cool.  Squeeze juice from eight lemons to get a cup of lemon juice.  Mix together with another three cups of water.  Chill.  And you have 4 – 5 glasses of fresh lemonade!  Easy-peasy and so good!

Stargazing

[Photos by Dennis Mammana] Borrego Springs is a designated Dark Sky Community, protecting the night sky from light pollution, so that everyone here can enjoy the glittering stars, moon, and planets.  Borrego Springs is 1 of only 2 official Dark Sky Communities in the entire world and the Anza-Borrego Desert in the top 10 stargazing locations in America.   The night sky here is simply amazing.  No where else have we ever been able to see so many stars so clearly.  Nature’s IMAX theater.

Our RV Park, The Springs at Borrego, has their own Astronomy Park and offers guests both the opportunity to view the night sky with their own telescopes or to take part in one of their special scheduled star parties.  The Star party involves dinner, drinks and presentations by well-known astronomers such as Dennis Mammana and John Mosley.  Unfortunately, we will leave before the next party scheduled on January 23.

Borrego Springs

The Springs at Borrego RV Resort is our less expensive spa option.  The nearby famous Golden Door Spa at Escondido, California is known for its beautifully landscaped grounds, innovative exercise activities, hiking, gourmet food, massage therapy and more.   Guess what?  Borrego Springs RV has all of it for about $7,000 less (well, maybe not the gourmet food, but they do have hot dogs and s’mores on Tuesdays and wine tasting on Thursdays). 

The landscaping at the Resort is desert garden design at its best.  Beautiful smoke trees, flowering trees (need to learn their names), fresh lemons and grapefruit, cacti in every shape and size with all the area around perfectly raked crushed rock.  The park has a large, splashing waterfall and small river stocked with fish for catch and release.

Mike has golfed every day since we arrived.  The golf course is inexpensive and a fairly decent one.  All nicely landscaped with green grass, palm trees, and water features.

I had a wonderful massage yesterday from Anna.  My back has been acting up and the massage took away the tight muscles.  Ahhhh, so nice.

We have also indulged in the natural mineral baths.  The pool area contains three two-man in-ground spas and one large spa filled with hot mineral water.  Mineral baths are said to help arthritis, so we are taking full advantage.  The swimming pool is salt water and it is really nice to swim in water without so much harsh chlorine.

We also love that Borrego Springs is a very small town.  It has everything you need, but there is no traffic.  None.  So quiet at night you can hear a pin drop unless the coyotes are yelping.

Tomorrow, we start Yoga sessions and water aerobic exercises.  Or maybe I will, Mike will probably golf again!

Coronado

Taking a tip from Samantha Brown on the Travel Channel, we signed up for a walking tour guide for just the two of us.  Well worth the money.  Nancy has lived on Coronado Island for 30 years and knows everything and everybody.  (Sorry for the poor lighting in the photo, but it is the only one we got of Nancy.)

We started the tour in the Glorietta Hotel lobby.  The hotel was once the summer home for one of the men who made Coronado Island happen, Mr. Spreckels.  Crafty old guy.  He knew the Panama Canal was nearing completion and San Diego was the first stop up the coast.  His vision paid off.

  Next, Hotel del Coronado (“The Del”).  It was built in the late 1800’s by a man who only knew how to build railroad trestles and railway stations.  The dining room is designed like a railway station and is fabulous.  The lumber was shipped on barges from northern California—all redwood for the framing.  Hiring mostly Chinese labor from San Francisco, the hotel was built in only 11 months.

Wallis Simpson (then Wallis Spencer) first laid eyes on Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor (although they did not meet) at the Hotel del Coronado when she was married to a military man stationed there.  The locals do not think too highly of Wallis.  It is believed she purposely set her sights on the Prince when he stayed at Hotel del Coronado and laid out a plan to marry him one day with every intention of becoming the Queen.  Obviously, she married the Duke of Windsor, but did not become Queen much to the glee of the people who knew her while she lived in Coronado.  Quite a different story from the romantic one we usually hear.

The tour included a walk through the neighborhood of tiny 100-year old Victorian homes priced at $2 million on up.  But, there was one little special home.  The home of L. Frank Baum, author of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”.  It is said that Coronado Island and Hotel del Coronado gave him the inspiration for the description of the Emerald City.  I believe it, it is lush and beautiful. 

Did you know the biggest obstacle for Coronado and San Diego then and today is water?  There is no nearby water source in all of San Diego; it is pumped from the Colorado River over the mountains.  Combine this with a population that has grown from 800,000 to 3 million in only 25 years. 

Wonderful day with a relaxing early dinner at Vigilucci’s (excellent, excellent food)  and a walk on the beach (see The Del in the background?).  

Benvenuto!

The best part of Little Italy in San Diego is the food!  We arrived around 10 a.m. and the good smells of Italian food permeate the area.  Hip little coffee shops are here and there throughout the neighborhood.  We stopped and enjoyed a latte.  Love the fact that so many locals still speak Italian.

I had an appointment at the Maida Salon for a haircut at 11 a.m. in Little Italy and Mike hung out at a local pub for some people watching.  My stylist was Carmel and I highly recommend her to anyone visiting the area.  What a neat gal!  She was fun to chat with and let us know about a few more great restaurants.    She is also a great stylist.  Love the cut, Carmel.

Based on her recommendation, we ate an early dinner at Buon Appetito.  The spinach ravioli was probably 10,000 calories, but so worth it.  With a nice glass of wine and a lively restaurant, we had a very enjoyable meal.

Did you know Frankie Laine (you know, the guy who sang “Rawhide”) was a big supporter of San Diego Little Italy?  He was originally Frankie LoVecchio from Chicago’s Little Italy.  Did you try to sing the Rawhide song and hold the ending,  “raw..hiiiiiiiiiide” for as long as he did?  Yep, I thought so; but you could not do it either, could you?

Ciao, from San Diego Little Italy!

Old Town San Diego

Old Town San Diego is considered the "birthplace" of California. San Diego is the site of the first permanent Spanish settlement in California. And the Spanish really knew how to design a place.  Every town should have a courtyard overflowing with flowers, brilliantly colored tile work and fountains. 

Remember when we visited the San Juan Bautista Mission back in September?  In 1769, Father Junipero Serra established the very first mission in San Diego Old Town in a chain of 21 missions (of which San Juan Bautista was one).  They were to be the cornerstone of California’s colonization. Father Serra’s mission and Presidio were built on a hillside overlooking what is currently known as Old Town San Diego.

We  traveled to Old Town via the San Diego trolley from Chula Vista “H” Street station (about a 1/2 mile from our RV home).  The trolley is a high speed train used by locals and a few tourists, like us.  You can always spot the tourists—we are chatting and pointing and the locals are sleeping…or looking annoyed at us for chatting.  The trolley is great; we can relax and take in the sights without hassling with the I-5 freeway.  Plus, we can forget about trying to find a parking spot for our big truck and paying the parking fees.

Old Town has interesting little shops with Mexican folk art, boot shop, cigar/pipe store, lots of restaurants, and museums.  The pipe store had 100 year-old display cases with old pipes some over 200 years old.  The owner was dressed in period clothing and enjoying one of his smokes.  Most of the shops are housed in the old adobe structures built in the early 1800’s. 

We stopped in at the Catholic Church (Church of Immaculate Conception) and enjoyed the cool and quiet.  As we walked out the church front doors, a leaf fell from a tree…a sign!   And there right across the street was the busy Coyote Cafe.  God loves us and wants us to drink margaritas!  A carafe of margarita was ordered and our day was complete.

Christmas Celebration in Chula Vista

The second Saturday in December RV’ers from all over Southern California and Arizona come to the Chula Vista RV Park to decorate their RV in an all-out Christmas competition extravaganza (this is year #9).  It is a big party for those decorating and those viewing.  Besides the brilliant lights, there is live music (a Tony Bennett sound-alike—5th picture) and a chocolate “potluck”.   Of course, they are blowing fake snow out of a machine because it is still 60-some degrees outside!

And how do they fit all this stuff in their rigs?  Amazing.  The pictures below are only a few of the RV's decorated in the park. 

Merry Christmas!

USS Midway Museum

The best maritime museum so far!  The USS Midway aircraft carrier is just an incredible museum to visit.

We were lucky to reach the guided tour of the bridge before any crowds .  What a view from the Boss’ chair out over the flight deck!  And of course, we had to visit the engine room (a must for Mike).

As you walk past the admiral’s and captain’s quarters and the ready rooms; the staterooms looked liked they are still lived in--the restoration was that good.  Eventually, we walked down to the crews’ quarters on the lower decks and there was certainly a difference in accommodations.  Many, many bunks compared to the one bunk stateroom for the captain.

On the flight deck there were so many different helicopters and planes, we lost count.  But, Mike’s favorite located on the hangar deck was the F4U Corsair.  The USS Midway has a number of veterans stationed at different locations to explain their previous role on the ship.  A couple of former pilots explained the catapulting of the planes and landing skills required on a rolling sea and at night.  What an inspiration.  These guys loved their military careers and get excited telling their story.

This is not an experience you can have every day and not one to miss if you have the opportunity.  A first-hand education about the life of our navy on an aircraft carrier.

December 7th

The remembrance of the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7th is a major event in our country and even more so in a military city like San Diego.  Our RV park seems to be located on the military flight path and today there has been more activity than we normally see, probably all related to the significance of the day.  We have spent the afternoon watching the military helicopters and planes fly overhead.  This all prompts us to say a big thank you to both active military and retired veterans.  You make it possible for us to enjoy our freedom.

In a small way, today is another significant day for us.  One year ago today, I sat in a windowless office and Mike was working in 20 degree temperatures outside and freezing rain.  Our workdays were long and demanding with stress taking a toll on both of us.  We made a vow that day--one year from December 7, 2009, we would be retired and sitting on a warm beach in San Diego.

Unbelievably, we are here and drinking wine in the sunshine.  What took us so long?

Daily Walk at Chula Vista

With the great San  Diego weather and a few miles of walking paths along the Bay just outside our door, we are able to get our 45 minutes to an hour walk in everyday.    Nice.

Interesting trees.












Sculptures that “sing” with the wind









The Marina full of sailboats









More trees













Maybe we will tackle some the in-town attractions next week.  

Jungle Bells

Any red-blooded lover of television’s Animal Planet likes a good zoo. We like Animal Planet.  And we love the San Diego Zoo.  Not only are there hundreds of different animals from all over the world, but exotic botanical gardens woven throughout the animal displays.

Our visit today to the San Diego Zoo could not have been better.  We arrived at 9 a.m. opening time and left at 3:30 p.m. completely exhausted.  We walked, traveled overhead in the skyway tram, and rode the narrated tour bus.  The zoo is laid out with winding paths through areas called The Outback, The Lost Forest, the Reptile House, the Elephant Odyssey, Polar Rim, Panda Canyon, African Rocks, and a number of additional trails.

The park hits you on all senses from the smell of cut eucalyptus for the koala bears (yeah, yeah, there are animal “smells” too), rhythmic African music playing along with the animal growls and bird calls (the Kookaburra is Ka-Ka-Loud!), the warm sun on your back, and to the chill of the thick green rain forest and crashing waterfalls.  The minute you walk into the park you feel happy.

This is a perfect time of year to visit the San Diego Zoo—no crowds.  Between the winter time chill (Southern Californians think 64 degrees is cold) and mid-week, the park was practically empty until noon.  There were a couple of school field trips with high energy kids.  Ever notice how kids shiver and wiggle when they are excited.  Wow.  There are some dedicated (and patient) teachers out there. 

It was a good day in Sunny San Diego.  And we should fall to sleep early and soundly after this busy day.

It Is Always Sunny In San Diego

Did someone climb into our heads and then build our perfect park?  The Chula Vista RV Park is located right on San Diego Bay with two beautiful parks, a natural salt marsh and walking/biking paths right out our door.   Also, within a short walking distance is a large marina and two (I say, two) great restaurants.  Both restaurants overlook the marina and the bay.  We already met our favorite waitress, Biz (nickname for Elizabeth), at the South Bay Fish and Grill Restaurant.  She sat down with us and told us all the fun things to do here.

And it is quiet—very little traffic during the day and none at night.   You can look across the bay and see Coronado Island and downtown San Diego.  Our assigned site has a view of the bay, and we can watch the sail boats come and go.  It is picture perfect.

Following Biz’ advice, our plans include a visit to the San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park (the zoo is located within the park, but the park also has gardens and museums), Little Italy, Old Town, Coronado Island, Disneyland (you can take a bus to Anaheim), SeaWorld, Safari Park, USS Midway and the beaches. 

We are seriously considering extending our stay from one month to two.