Circling the U.S. Chapter 58: San Diego - Thanksgiving and Beyond

Wednesday, November 27 - Sunday, December 8, 2019

San Diego represented our halfway point. Rob had been there for conferences but never had time to explore. I'd never been. We found a lot to see, especially staying in different parts of the city. We wanted time to relax, work on our bikes, and plan the next segment of our journey. We were in no hurry to leave; this turned out to be our longest layover so far. 

Some days we just holed up while I tried to get caught up with this blog (which I've decided may never happen); Rob tried to get caught up with letters of recommendation and work emails; and we planned, as much as possible, our southern route. Several people suggested that we wait until late winter or early spring to head east when the weather would be better, and continue south to Baja, Mexico. But we both agreed that we were done with the coast. Once we started studying maps and travel information we got excited about the next phase of our adventure, even as it was a little scary with a lot of unknowns, such as riding on interstates and possible winter storms.

The day before Thanksgiving Rob and I went to the San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, trying to see as much as possible before the rain began, forecast for early afternoon. The keeper talks were a highlight. We saw a beaver up close, learned that their teeth  have a high iron content, giving them an orange color. In addition to cutting down trees to build their homes, they get nourishment from the cambium of a tree. That's the layer under the bark.

I asked a docent at the orangutan exhibit the tough question about why we should be putting wild animals in zoos in the first place. We talked for a while about education, breeding programs, and working with communities where the animals come from to help them maintain habitats so that the animals don't become extinct. She referred me to a website called endextinction.org.

We also went to a keeper talk about meerkats. I think I've only seen them in a cartoon and was surprised at how small they are. They reminded me of prairie dogs.

Our zoo outing was a hit for our budget but I'm glad we went. Rob loves zoos so it was a happy day for him. For me it was a chance to appreciate the incredible diversity of life on our planet.

That's Jim holding the turkey. Marty had it butterflied and sitting in the fridge uncovered for several days with a dry brine on it. It was a new recipe for her. I had my doubts; it looked like it would dry out. But it was without a doubt the best turkey I've ever had. 

Aside from our Thanksgiving in Australia in 2017, which was just a day like any other, this was probably the first time in many years that we did not run a Turkey Trot first thing in the morning. We were happy to sleep in and spend the day relaxing. It rained all day.

Marty and Jim deflected all our offers to help cook. They worked all morning on dishes of green beans, brussel sprouts, cranberry sauce, potatoes, stuffing, pumpkin pie, and a turkey that had been "butterflied" and prepared with a dry brine that was incredibly moist and delicious. The other dinner guests were the Nigerian family of a visiting scientist working in Jim's lab. They mostly have been living in Japan and speak fluent English and have two young daughters. After not being allowed to help with the food preparations, I was happy that Marty let me take charge of the cleanup. Rob and I were so glad to be able to share the holiday with new and old friends, especially as we had no idea where we would be for Christmas. 

Here's the obligatory holiday gathering group photo. From right to left is Emanuel, Jim, Kunmi, Izumi, Haru, Marty, and Rob. 

Friday afternoon we joined the crowds of other visitors when Marty took us on a tour of Balboa Park. The place is enormous, unlike any other city park I've ever been to. In addition to the zoo, there are numerous buildings housing a theatre and countless museums. Marty took us into the natural history museum to show us the exhibit on Torry Pines State Reserve where she volunteers as a docent.

Our first stop in Balboa Park was the desert garden, with a myriad array of desert plants.

By the time we got to the Spanish Village most of the shops were closed.

Rob and I hadn't spent time with Jim and Marty since the summer of 1993 when they let us, along with our one-year-old daughter, stay with them in San Francisco so we could visit my brother as he was fighting AIDS. 

This visit was so refreshing, giving us the opportunity to get to know them both under happier circumstances. Marty retired from her job as a pathologist when they moved to San Diego after Jim accepted a job as a dean at UC San Diego. Jim still loves his work although he is threatening to retire next year. 

Marty is a model of someone living an active retired life, passionate about everything she does. She has been learning how to play harmonica; she owns dozens of them and practices daily, sometimes for over an hour at a time. She is quickly becoming quite accomplished; we enjoyed listening to her play. She is also an avid birder and swims regularly. 

As Rob approaches retirement, every time we meet someone like Marty, I encourage him to take notes. 

Sunday, after saying our good-byes to Jim and Marty, we visited the San Diego's Old Town and took a short walking tour. Rob and I continue to be intrigued with the history of this part of the country, so different from New England. Where New England's roots are based on the British culture, the southwest is influenced by its Spanish history. And, of course, in both cases, the Native Americans were badly treated and their populations decimated. 

Then we took the passenger ferry to Coronado, where we stayed a couple nights with Warm Showers hosts Sue and Craig.

Rob and I have been surprised to discover that the majority of Warm Showers hosts don't bicycle tour and a good number don't even ride bicycles. They just love to support the bicycle touring community. Then there are many cycle tourists who for one reason or another will host cyclists but not stay in Warm Showers homes as guests. Sue and Craig are in this last category. They've gone on a number of cycling adventures and Sue has catologued many of them in photo albums. Their first long tour was across the southern United States and I was happy to read through it and take notes to help us in planning the eastward portion of our trip. We take advice wherever and whenever we can get it.

Sue and Craig live in a beautiful house right on the water. Our second evening we joined them for a trivia night at their yacht club. Our team came in first place. (Mostly because the score keepers added the score wrong.)

We rode in their electric boat to the yacht club. It only took five minutes, but still I was impressed with being treated to a ride in an electric boat. The next morning Craig took Rob for a ride in their Tesla. Sue and Craig are very conscious of their carbon footprint and politically liberal, rather an anomoly in San Diego.

When Sue and Craig bought their house it was the ugliest one on the street. They fixed it up. We had a private room with a window seat and private bath overlooking the street. Not a water view, but it was pretty darn nice. We've been incredibly lucky with some of the places we've stayed and the generous people we've met.

One of Coronado's Canals

Oftentimes the places people tell us are must-see or must-do turn out to be pretty ho-hum. Rob and I thought the bike ride out to Pt. Loma fit that category. But there were a few things we saw along the way that were picture-worthy, like the Cancer Survivors Park.

From the tip of Pt. Lomos you can see downtown San Diego and into Mexico.

The plaque and statue honoring yet another European explorer at the end of Pt. Lomos.

Supposedly Pt. Lomos is a great place to go tidepooling in December. But the low tide was not low enough when we were there, which was just as well. It would have been a long way down and then up again. We've had our share of hills. Even unloaded, I doubt we would have done it.

We passed a number of these flowers by the side of the road on Pt. Lomos.

After leaving Sue and Craig's we spent a day and night exploriing the village of Coronado, then several days just hibernating, staying in a cheap motel in Chula Vista and another Warm Showers home. Besides the Thanksgiving storm there was another the following Wednesday and then another the first full weekend of December. It didn't make sense for us to hit the road until the weather cleared.

Yet another wonderful couple who let us stay with them, Ann and Brad let us stay with them for two nights even as Ann was getting over a cold and Brad had some Christmas caroling gigs in the evenings. They both grew up as Mennonites and for a number of years served as Mennonite ministers. I persuaded Rob to make his mac and cheese for dinner our first night and over dinner Anne gave us a synopsis of the history and theology of the Mennonite religion. I hadn't realized that one of their tenets is to not go to war.

Finally, the weather forecast was looking up and we'd rested enough. The time had come to take that left turn, leave the Pacific Ocean behind, and begin our homeward journey. But we had one more day of rain and one more day that we wanted to base ourselves in downtown San Diego and try to find some Christmas holiday happenings. It was the time of year when Rob wanted to "get into the Christmas spirit." 

First we returned to Balboa Park to visit some of the places we missed when we went there with Marty.

If you've been following this blog you'll know that earlier on our trip we were in North Tonawands, New York, where we visited the carousel museum.

Seeing the animals all dressed up in their Christmas hats put us in the "Christmas spirit."

We're pushovers for a good carousel. This one had such a great variety of animals, and went faster than most so we rode twice, once on traditional horses and a second time on the frogs.

When our daughter, Kylee, was growing up, she collected pigs. I think she's outgrown that, but we still think of her when we see unique pigs so I had to take this picture.

We returned to the Spanish Village where we browsed through the shops and found some beautiful crafts. 

A woman named Sue Britt creates these amazing pictures out of cut paper. She was in the shop and we were able to feel the paper and get an idea of how she worked with it.

It's always interesting to see how Christmas is celebrated in places where there is no snow and it doesn't get cold.  Australia was especially weird celebrating Christmas in the summer, with long days that had no need of Christmas lights. It felt almost like summer in San Diego. Look at that Christmas tree made of flip-flops. This was another picture for our daughter, who at one time had quite a collection of flip-flops.

Late afternoon found us on the waterfront waiting for the boat parade to begin. Better than the boats was this professional quartet singing Christmas carols in four-part harmony. We stayed for their entire set. They certainly put me in the "Christmas spirit."

A San Diego tradition is the Light Parade of boats. These two pictures are of the better ones, but I was a little disappointed that only a couple even had Christmas music playing. The theme was superheroes. I thought it was pretty stupid to have Spiderman and Batman alongside Christmas trees and Santa Claus. Why do you need a theme anyway? Isn't Christmas the theme?

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We were in the Christmas spirit, ready to get back on the road, with no idea where we would actually be for Christmas.