Tag: beach time

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: Sightseeing, YouTube Video Link

Mission Beach: Motorcycles

Written by tepetravels

We have been to Mission Beach a couple of times so far during our stay here. The beach was nice, with soft sand and the waves were just the right size for us. There are other things to do around here as well. There was a fun looking amusement park at the beach called Belmont Park. It had a roller coaster and a few small rides, an Escapology, and an arcade and games. Some of it was open, but it seemed like a lot of it was closed while we were there. It looked like it would be a really fun place when it was all open.

Next to Belmont Park, there was a street (Ventura Pl.) which ended in a cul-de-sac right next to the beach. There was a parking lot, as well as several food and souvenir shops along this short street. When we were done walking the beach, we rinsed our feet off in the outdoor showers. As we were sitting down to put our shoes back on, a group of motorcycles came in and lined up along the end of the street. A few of them started doing tricks in the center of the cul-de-sac. It was really loud, but the kids got a kick out of it. There was even one guy on a bicycle, who jumped in to do a trick as well! (Video link) Once a few of them had preformed, they drove off.

It was just a random pop-up crazy experience.

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