Visiting the Free Sites of San Diego

After a 24-hour soaking rain, the local news had lots of reports about flooded roads and closed trails in the area. So we picked some sight-seeing stops in the San Diego area that were not reported to be flooded. We headed toward Coronado Island first. We drove there over the long Coronado bridge, and Denisa snapped a picture of the San Diego harbor while we were crossing.

Besides the military base that takes up most of the island, the most famous attraction is the Hotel del Coronado. Built in 1888, it was the world's largest resort hotel for years. This luxury resort has housed the rich and famous. Today it also hosted the poor and curious, as they welcome tourists to meander its lobby and beach.

We were greeted on the beach by a sand castle almost as elegant as the hotel. Some of the words were rubbed out, so we're not sure why the castle was built. You can tell that we are way behind in our blogging, because we were actually visiting here on February 28. So the date on the castle was just the day before. That was when it rained the entire day, so we're pretty sure it wasn't actually built on that rainy day. We're wondering if it was built for a proposal on February 27th, that turned into a rainy-day proposal instead of a beautiful blue sky beach proposal. We're also wondering what the proposal reply was since the name is rubbed out. So many unanswered questions?!?

It was a popular photo stop today, and we had an offer to take a sand castle picture together this morning.

This is called Golden Beach, because the sand has flecks of mica that sparkle in the sunlight like gold. Our picture doesn't capture the sparkle. But it does capture the fact that yesterday's all-day rain gave it a consistency that would be great for making another sand castle.

There are some old concrete breakwaters along the beach that have protected it from the pounding waves for many years. So the beach is actually pretty calm, and popular for swimming most days.

But this morning the only thing venturing into the water were the sea gulls. They were coming out with round juicy balls that caused their friends to be jealous.

Mark--the master googler--tried to figure out what they were eating. His google of "What is round thing sea gulls in San Diego eat?" got limited results. We're hoping those aren't seal eye balls, but that is the only thing that google came up with.

The clouds made a dramatic backdrop to the red roofs of the Coronado Hotel complex that stretches for miles along this beach.

The gardens around the hotel are beautifully manicured. These bird of paradise plants were blooming with lots of flowers that fascinate us with their detail.

We drove south along the Silver Strand, the fancy name for the beach-lined neck of Coronado Island. Further south, we stopped at another beach in Imperial City. Less touristy, there is plenty of parking close to the water to take a stroll in the sand.

Again, we didn't see anyone in the water and few people on the beach this week-day morning.

That might have something to do with the signs posted on the beach. We later heard on the news that the Mexico government allowed the dumping of gallons of raw sewage into the Tijuana River. That river flows into the Pacific just a few miles from here. Even though we were just a few miles from Mexico, we didn't opt for the trip across the border into Tijuana this time.

We decided it was time to leave the beach, so we headed inland to San Diego's famous Balboa Park. It was built in 1915, when this city hosted the Panama-California Exposition in celebration of the opening of the Panama Canal. It is filled with ornate Spanish Renaissance buildings that make for beautiful pictures against the blue sky.

The buildings in the park have become homes to museums and public spaces over the last 100 years. In fact, there are 15 major museums here, which makes it great for one-stop shopping for anyone with a penchant for museums.

Balboa Park is also home to the very famous San Diego Zoo. This is another highly recommended stop, but the $52 tickets per person were way over our budget.

So we had to be satisfied with the topiary elephants trimmed out of the bushes nearby.

Balboa Park is a great place to meander on a beautiful afternoon. The El Prado Plaza is a public meeting place where entertainers gather.

The children especially enjoyed the huge bubbles that were being blown on the plaza.

For a small charge, they could hold the wand and make their own bubbles.

We didn't even know there was such a job as a professional bubble blower, but these people were very talented. They could even blow bubbles within bubbles. We watched the delighted children chase these bubbles that were larger than life. We were surprised at how well the iridescent bubbles showed up in our pictures.

It was also interesting to catch the soapy leftovers still hanging in mid-air after a bubble had just be popped.

Balboa Park is also a great place to see statues around the fountain.

This guy stood motionless as a statue until we put a tip into the jar at his feet. Just like a piggy bank that rewards a saver, the statue-man unfroze and played a guitar song in appreciation of the tip.

Our favorite free stop was the Botanical Building. The sign outside said that it was the most photographed spot in all of San Diego.

People aren't taking pictures of the outside of the building. They are more interested in the beautiful blooms inside. We had never seen so many orchids in our lives.

The orchids came in so many colors and shapes that Denisa just kept snapping pictures. Yes, it was our most photographed San Diego spot as well.

This orchid had an unusual shape and color. This arboretum must have the optimal environment for these fussy plants, as they all looked so healthy and happy here.

More common tulips were also happy here, at the peak of their bloom while we were visiting.

Less common platycerium ferns are also grown here. The more common name--staghorn fern--aptly describes the hanging fronds that looked like antlers around Mark's head.

So besides the ornate architecture and the expensive zoo, we think the stars of the show at Balboa Park are the plants. That includes the huge trees that also reside here. Denisa couldn't back up far enough to get the entire tree into one camera frame. But you can get an idea of its size when you see Mark standing at the base of its bright white trunk.

The root systems are often exposed on the sloping hills. They make an interesting maze at the base of the tree.

Between the roots and the towering umbrella of that magnificent tree, it was Mark's favorite tourist site of the day. Man can build ornate buildings, but only God can make a tree. Even in the heart of the city, we have wandered into His wonders again.

We wandered through the desert gardens of Balboa Park, intrigued by this tangle of a cactus.

This tree didn't have sharp spines like a cactus, but it definitely had a thorny trunk that would keep most tree-climbers at bay.

After a fun day of experiencing some of the free sites of San Diego, we were ready to face the traffic and head home to our spot at Mission Bay Resort. We were given great advice to stay in this centrally-located RV park, and we're glad that we don't have further to drive in the San Diego traffic. We love seeing the sites of the city, but we don't enjoy the parking hassles and congested roads that come with them.