Category: Exploring California

Posted in: Exploring California, Hiking, National Park, National Parks, Sightseeing

Cabrillo National Monument

Written by tepetravels

Today we visited the Cabrillo National Monument. We had missed seeing it before because there is a Naval base in front of it. I thought you weren’t allowed to go through the base, but apparently you do indeed drive through part of a Navy base to get there.

It was very foggy out when we left in the afternoon. Visibility was pretty low in some areas.

We went to the tide pools first. We did get there a little after low tide, so the water had started to come back in. It was still a really neat experience. We saw small crabs, barnacles, hermit crabs, sea grass, and a few anemones! The park did a great job with signs at the top of the entrance labeling different creatures you might see.

After finding several creatures, we headed back up to the Visitor’s Center. The inside of the center was closed the day we were there. The fog had momentarily cleared and we could see the bay area and the downtown area. The Goodyear blimp was out, as well as several boats on the water. It was relaxing just to sit on the wall and watch the bay.

After awhile, we saw a Navy ship coming back into the bay. It had quite the loud horn!

The fog started rolling back in. While it was cool to see it drift down the hill towards the water, it did make visibility in the bay a lot lower. We headed up the hill to the Point Loma Lighthouse and Assistant Keepers house. The Assistant Keepers house had the glass part of the beacon showcased. It was really neat to see. The Lighthouse itself was closed.

The Lighthouse was the original lighthouse for San Diego. However, it actually sat too high and wasn’t as effective because the fog would block visibility of the light. They closed the lighthouse and made a new one at a lower elevation.

The park closed at 5:00pm, which seemed really early. I’m not sure if that is a COVID restriction or it that is the time they normally close. It was a nice park. There are several things to see and the views are amazing.

Posted in: Exploring California, Food, Sightseeing

Liberty Station

Written by tepetravels

We explored Liberty Station and Market. We went midweek and it seemed like a lot of the shops were closed, but some of the restaurants open. There was a lot of outdoor seating options, which seemed to be a gathering space for people working on their laptops.

We stopped at Le Parfait. There were so many tempting goodies in the cases. I ended up with a Nutella macchiato and a chocolate almond croissant, which both were really good. I never would have tried a Nutella drink on my own, but the barista recommended it.

Liberty Station used to be a Navy barracks and training center. While walking around, it appeared that not all of the buildings had been renovated and reused yet. There was a lot of open green space which would be great for hanging out and enjoying a book or any goodies you bought from the stores. It looked like it would be a really neat area when everything was open. (When we drove by on the weekend, it looked packed, so maybe more things were open on weekends?)

On our drive out, we saw some ship canons.

Posted in: Animal Sightings, Exploring California, Food, Sightseeing, YouTube Video Link

San Diego’s Open Air Fish Market: The Tuna Harbor Fish Market

Written by tepetravels 4 Comments on San Diego’s Open Air Fish Market: The Tuna Harbor Fish Market

We woke up early to go to San Diego’s Open Air Fish Market, the Tuna Harbor Fish Market. It is down near the Seaport Village shopping area, past the USS Midway.

It was a very foggy morning. There was a line to get into the market, complete with social distancing marks on the ground. Due to COVID, they were limiting the amount of people on the pier at one time. At one point, the fog was so thick that we couldn’t see the Midway or the tents on the pier. When it cleared a little, we got a glimpse of a seal swimming and sea gulls diving.

We waited in line for about an hour until it was our turn. Out of sheer luck, we picked the right line. Apparently there were two lines: one for crabs/sea urchins/snails and one for fish/crabs/prawns/squid.

We walked the pier first, taking a look at all the booths and fish available. There was a shark, small squid, prawns, and a variety of fish. VIDEO: Tuna Harbor Fish Market (walking the waiting line, walking the pier, buying spot prawns).

We stopped at Hiro Maru Fisheries booth. They had live spot prawns. I have only bought fish from the grocery store where it is already on ice, deveined, beheaded, etc. I told him that I had never dealt with live seafood before and asked for advice. I am smacking myself now because I meant to record it, but I must have hit the photo button instead of video. You will just have to take my word for it that this guy was amazing. He was very patient and explained about the prawns, the different sizes, and best way to prepare them.

These are caught at 900-1000 feet down and have a sweeter taste. The tails are often used in sushi, as well as the eggs. He said even the heads get coated and fried (what?!). I’m not a huge sushi person, so we also got some tips for grilling them. You grill these with the shell on and can split it down the middle to add butter and seasoning.

If you are ever in San Diego and go to the fish market, I would definitely recommend checking out their booth (Hiro Maru). They were very helpful.

On our way out of the market, we also grabbed a swordfish filet from another booth (a favorite of Will’s) and filled the bags with ice (provided by the fish market for free). If you buy a whole fish and do not want to filet it yourself, there is a booth there that will do it for you.

We brought our prawns home and placed them in the fridge (he highly recommended cooking them that night). We ran to the grocery store to pick up a few items to go with dinner (some fries, steak, and seasonings for the prawns and swordfish).

While the kids were at the campground weekend craft event, Ben and I got started on dinner. It was definitely a learning experience. One of the prawns was still moving, so I (being a chicken) put them back in the fridge while I worked on the steak and the seasoned butter.

Ben scooped out the eggs. I put some of the olive oil/butter/seasoning mix in the prawn bag to marinate. I sliced them down the middle and added some more seasoned butter to the inside of the shells. I removed the organs from some of them, and some I left in (you can apparently eat it all). While we were doing some reading on preparation online, we saw people also eat the whole prawn, shell, legs and all. VIDEO: Making whole prawns

We used the outdoor kitchen to grill these to minimize the fish smell that leaves me nauseous. Even though they were outside, I still needed to use Febreeze to get the house back to “normal.” We feasted on fresh surf and turf. Everyone tried the eggs (roe), but no one was brave enough to try the head. I was not a big fan of the eggs, it was like eating the ocean, a little too salty for me. Will said the legs were tasty.

Posted in: Animal Sightings, Exploring California, Sightseeing

San Diego Harbor Cruise On Hornblower

Written by tepetravels 1 Comment on San Diego Harbor Cruise On Hornblower

Ben was interested in taking a harbor cruise. We found a great deal on Groupon (half off!) for Hornblower Cruises. We booked an afternoon 90-minute harbor cruise.

The first part of the tour was narrated by the First Mate. He gave lots of interesting information about local sights and history. The second part of the cruise was narrated by the captain, who was retired Navy and gave us lots of interesting information on the Navy ships we passed.

We saw sea lions sunning on piers, sea gulls and double crested cormorant (some species can dive 100 feet into the water!). We also passed the Cabrillo National Monument where the first San Diego lighthouse was located. You can still see it, although it is not in use. They found a better location for a new lighthouse. We also saw a three sided arch (Model Range Arch) that the Navy uses to help know where to put antennas on the ships.

It was sunny and warm, no shade on the decks, but there was a nice breeze, so it made it nice. I would definitely bring a hat and wear sunscreen. The staff was nice and mask wearing was definitely encouraged (required indoors).

It made for a nice afternoon event.

Posted in: Exploring California, Sightseeing

Balboa Park and Torrey Pines Natural Reserve

Written by tepetravels

We went back to Balboa Park to explore. Any close parking seems to be challenging to find, but we did manage to find a spot about a 1/2 mile away. There were lots of outdoor vendors and buskers out. It was a busy happy vibe.

We walked around a little bit. We were hoping to see the Spreckles Pipe Organ show, but they have moved it to a virtual show (Covid). The buildings in the park are beautiful and have really neat architecture. Even the building housing the organ has ornate details.

We finished our day with a drive up to Torrey Pines Natural Reserve. It was extremely pretty. There was a paid parking lot nearby, but also some parking right next to the beach. Our truck really enjoyed the parking spot looking at the ocean. We had started keeping the swimsuits in the truck in case we want to stop somewhere while exploring, which worked out great at Torrey Pines. Their beach looked amazing, so we got changed and grabbed the boogie board. There were bigger waves than we had had before, but we still had lots of fun.

There are also hiking trails at Torrey Pines, so I’m hoping we can go back and walk around the park. It is a really pretty area.

Posted in: Animal Sightings, Exploring California, School, Sightseeing, YouTube Video Link

La Jolla Cove: Hammocking, Sea Lions, and a Tunnel

Written by tepetravels 2 Comments on La Jolla Cove: Hammocking, Sea Lions, and a Tunnel

After our swimming in the ocean and exploring the boardwalk, we still had one last mission for the day: find a hammock spot. Ben had been wanting to hammock for awhile now. The last few campgrounds did not have areas close by to hammock at, and what says relaxation more than a hammock near the beach? I found a few hammock location recommendation online: Mission Beach-we had already been there and the park itself seemed crowded, Sunset Cliffs-gorgeous but we didn’t see any trees that would work, Torrey Pines Reserve-looked neat, but would probably be better if we spent more than just hammock time there.

We finally arrived at La Jolla Cove. This was a little further north than the Children’s Pool. We lucked out and found a parking spot nearby. I’ve got to say parking in San Diego is not meant for trucks. We saw several sea lions sun bathing on the rocks as we pulled in, as well as several groups of kayakers in the water.

Ben went to scope out the trees for hammock hanging, while we hunted down the bathrooms. The center there was under construction, so they had a line of port-a-lets near the street. Once Ben was in his hammock, the boys and I walked around and explored. We saw several spots where the sea lions were resting and sleeping in sleep piles. We even got to see a few baby seals! (People still amaze me, and not in a good way. There were people going right up to the babies. There were signs at the various beaches we’ve been to saying if you scare the mothers they may abandon their pups.) We heard a few of the sea lions vocalizing to each other in the water. (VIDEO: Sea Lions)

I went into the tunnel; neither one of the boys wanted to take their gym shoes off and come in with me! There were a couple of small fish among the rocks. It was pretty neat!

We headed back to the tree area. The boys grabbed their books and climbed up in a tree to read. I was one happy momma.

Posted in: Animal Sightings, Costco, Exploring California, Sightseeing, YouTube Video Link

Swimming Mission Beach and Scooters

Written by tepetravels 1 Comment on Swimming Mission Beach and Scooters

Today had a lot going on. Condensed version: swimming at the beach, electric scooters, hammocking, and sea lion watching.

We had walked the beach and visited beach areas, but we had not gone swimming in the ocean yet! Ben really wanted to go to the ocean, so we picked Mission Beach for our first swimming here. There is a lot more parking around here than at some of the other beaches. We brought the boogie board we bought at Costco for the boys to try.

The sun was out and the temperature was around 80. The water was colder than I was expecting it to be, but we adjusted pretty quickly. The waves were the perfect height for us, probably too small for surfing but good for the boys to try out the board. We had lots of fun in the water, but it definitely wore us out! The boys did ok on the boogie board. (VIDEO: Ocean Waves)

We rinsed off at the outdoor showers and headed back to the truck to get changed into regular clothes. We grabbed some tacos for a quick lunch. Ben had been craving fish tacos since we were so close to the ocean. We thought we could surely find much fresher fish this close to the ocean. The lobster was shipped in from Maine, but some of the fish was local. We tried two different restaurants at Mission Beach for the tacos: one was fresh fish, one was fried fish. Ben liked the fresh fish better, as you could actually taste fish not just fried.

After eating, we walked the boardwalk from Mission to Pacific Beach. It was fun walking and seeing the different storefronts. After the swimming and the walking, we were tired but still had to walk back to the truck. (I want to say it was 1.5-2 miles each way.) San Diego has a ton of rental electric scooters, both the traditional stand up and ones that have seats. We rented two different brands: Razor and Wheels.

I liked the Wheels better. They seemed to have better control over the speed (turn handle like a motorcycle), and two brake handlebars. The Razor did have a basket though. These things can really go! You have to download an app to rent and pay for the scooter. I think they were both $1 to unlock, Razor was $0.37/minute (plus a sales tax and a San Diego Registration Fee for $1.53), Wheels was $0.32/minute (with a Minimum Fare of $3.49). Razor actually unlocks the scooter when you scan to rent it. Wheels, however, just doesn’t have electric power, but you could still use it to scoot along with your feet (which we saw several people doing). You ride until you decide you are done (or the bike dies), and then you need to use the app to finish your ride/charge. The meter keeps running until you end your ride on the app. Both of them required that you take a picture of where you left the scooter as well. Wheels ended up being cheaper, as they had a cheaper per minute rate and did not charge a sales tax/registration fee.

It was lots of fun, although a little scary when we were near cars. I think it was probably a one time experience, but they were super nice to have when you’re tired and have to get back to your car!

Check back tomorrow for our adventure in hammocking and sea lions!

Posted in: Exploring California, Sightseeing, YouTube Video Link

Birthday Time

Written by tepetravels

We had had a count down for at least two weeks before somebody’s birthday. He loved to inform us every morning how much longer.

This year birthdays were going to be a little bit different. There wasn’t going to be a party with friends and family, we were out of town, and a lot of the cool stuff to do was still closed down for COVID restrictions.

A little before his birthday, I mentioned to family and friends that they could send him a card at our campground if they wanted to. He always loved getting mail at home, so I figured it would be even more special when we were on the road. I set aside any cards that came in to be opened on his actual birthday.

The day before his birthday, I ran to the dollar store and found a birthday banner, napkins, tablecloth, and a helium balloon. I snuck back inside the RV through the back door and hid the balloon in our small closet. Once he fell asleep, I decorated. Granted, it wasn’t a lot of decoration, but it still made it feel birthday-ish.

On the morning of the kids’ birthdays, we had a tradition of driving to school (instead of taking the bus) so that we could pick up donuts on the way. The birthday kid also picked what was for dinner. I think getting to pick out a donut was one of their favorite things, so on the morning of his birthday, we hurried out to find a donut place. We picked a few and he got to eat while doing his online classes.

They had regular sized donuts and mini donuts!

This year with having a much tinier living space, we wanted to do more of an experience than physical gifts. It took awhile for him to decide what he wanted to do. We had a list of things we wanted to see/do in San Diego or he could also find something else he might want to do.

He finally decided on seeing the Spruce Street Suspension Bridge, Balboa Park, Chinese for dinner, and a movie night with snacks.

The Spruce Street Suspension Bridge was in the middle of neighborhoods. It had been built in 1912 to help people get between two trolley lines (there is a canyon underneath the bridge). This was a pretty cool pedestrian bridge. It was easy to walk, although it does get a little bouncy in the middle. We even found a Little Library on the other side! (VIDEO: Walking Across Spruce Street Suspension Bridge)

Balboa Park looked like a great area to explore with several museums and the zoo either in the park or really close by. However, parking was packed when we tried to go. We ended up just driving through slowly to see things on the main road. We plan on going back on another date. (NOTE: Do not use the address that pops up in your phone’s Maps when you type in Balboa Park. It drops you next to the Balboa Park golf course. I instead type in Spreckles Organ Pavilion, San Diego Art Institute, or any of the other features in the park.)

After finishing the stops he picked out, we were on the hunt for a candy store for some movie snacks. We stopped in Old Town because we found Cousins Candy on Yelp/Maps. It is a cute, old-time feel candy store. We got a bag of taffy (which was the softest taffy we’ve ever had-so good!), and a few new types of candy to try. The prices were not cheap, but some of the items weren’t too badly priced. Old Town itself was really cute and must be lots of fun when everything is open. We saw several neat things, including luchador mask style face masks.

We had our candy snacks for the movies, but still needed to get the movies themselves. Ben ran into Redbox while we Zoomed with my side of the family. We then picked up some Chinese for dinner and headed back to chow down and watch some movies.

Posted in: Animal Sightings, Exploring California, School, Sightseeing, YouTube Video Link

Children’s Pool

Written by tepetravels 3 Comments on Children’s Pool

One of the iconic pictures of San Diego that I see a lot is of Children’s Pool, near La Jolla. I love seeing animals and really wanted to see this beach as seals and sea lions are frequently seen here.

Although the wall was originally built to keep the beach calm for children to swim in, seals and sea lions have started congregating there too. People are still swimming there, although we did not after reading some warnings about water quality (due to the seals). (Link to sandeigo.com for more beach info.) Parking was tight and in high demand when you got closer to the beach. We lucked out and found a spot pretty close.

The water looked clear when we were there. We could see several birds and seals on the beach and surrounding rocky areas. We walked out on the retaining wall to get some better views. The wall itself is neat to stand on and look around at the different views of the beach and the ocean. You can feel the rough surface of it where the ocean has worn it down. The wall gives you several good viewing points of the rocks where the seals were laying. Nick stood at the end and ended up getting wet from an incoming wave. (Video: Walking Children’s Pool Wall)

The seals were laying in the sun taking a nap, occasionally rolling over or adjusting position. I was surprised by the variety of patterns of their skin, I guess I had always just thought they were a solid color from pictures I had seen. They were fun to watch, although they didn’t move much while we were there.

Posted in: Costco, Exploring California, Sightseeing, YouTube Video Link

Laundry, Costco, Walking the Beach in Mission

Written by tepetravels

Sunday was a beautiful morning. Ben and I took a short walk along the water and grabbed some donuts for the boys for breakfast.

After finishing a couple loads of laundry, we drove into another Costco (they have so many here!). One of Ben’s favorite things is to go to different Costco’s and see what they have. Sometimes we find new and different things. For example, Ben’s “favorite souvenir” was a collapsible storage/shopping box tote from New Orleans. That thing stays in the truck and goes everywhere with us. Ohio (or at least Cincinnati) based Costco’s sell wine and beer but not liquor, but Costco’s in different states do.

This one in San Diego looked like a warehouse with an all metal exterior. The food court was on the outside of the store, but did not have any self order/pay stations. This location also had a pick-up box, similar to the ones Amazon has everywhere.

This Costco also sold a few things that we hadn’t seen before in-store: boogie boards, Oreo popcorn, huge cans of tuna, shrimp chips (yup, made from tapioca flour and shrimp), Fish Skins (salted salmon to be exact), baguettes in the freezer section. I wish we had the room in the freezer because I totally would have bought the baguettes.

We also bought ice to keep everything cold while we explored the nearby area. We ended up driving to Mission Beach and walking around. It seemed like a nice beach with soft sand. There was some seaweed around, which seems pretty common around here. The beach area was pretty busy even with the water being cold! We didn’t go in all the way, just waded along the shore. Nick did some seashell hunting, although there weren’t very many on the shoreline. (Video: Walking Along Mission Beach)

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