Friday, June 11, 2010

...when you are having fun.

Has it really been two weeks that I have been in San Diego!? Time really does fly.

This post is a combination of a few of my days over the past week. I haven't been as diligent as I would like to be with my posts so I will have to do some combining to catch up! :)

This is the BEAUTIFUL view I had for one of my runs this past week. It is Mission Trails Regional Park and it is up against a few busy roads. But it is amazing, because once you enter the park the sound of cars disappears and nature takes over. It is a peaceful and beautiful place to run, walk, bike or do whatever your little heart desires.

Molly and I took a trip on Wednesday to Coronado Island just off of the San Diego harbor. We took a ferry over to get there. This is she and I on the ferry. I am not skilled in the close-up I-phone photos so I totally cut her head off... sorry Mol! But I got her best feature - that smile!

San Diego on the way out...

Yay, we made it!

Happy cows come from California.

We walked a couple of miles to the Hotel Del Coronado - a historic hotel that has housed many famous stars. It is right on the beach facing the Pacific Ocean.

My tootsies in the sand.

The beach. It looks cloudy (see other post on June Gloom) but it is deceiving. People still come to the beach to sun themselves because it is easy to get a tan in this overcast weather.

Here is the Hotel Del Coronado - beautiful.

Molly next to the Hotel Del Coronado. Hot Mama!!

Next to the ocean, right where I belong :). All that is missing is Nick, who will be here with me next week!

After a long walk we headed back to the ferry.

Me on the ferry.

Stay classy San Diego.

San Diego is a hub for Naval activity - here is one of the old Naval ships that people are allowed to tour now. It is hard to see how big it is, but it is MASSIVE!!

Yesterday (Thursday) we went to La Jolla with Molly and Ted's friend and her granddaughter. We enjoyed fish tacos (a must in San Diego) and then toured around the area stopping at the ocean before driving up past UCSD and ending in Torrey Pines. It was a beautiful tour. My favorite part was going to see the seals who congregate on a small beach along the coast by La Jolla. The story is that this beach was originally built for children to play in but it became a favorite lounging spot for seals. I walked over and stood right above them and seriously COULD NOT stop laughing/cooing at them. Much like a little baby with it's tiny fingers and toes and expressive face, these seals captured my attention. They had my heart from the first giant yawn.

Nick and I will be returning here when he arrives. We will be swimming with sharks in a cove nearby. I plan to spend some good quality time with him just watching these beautiful (and sadly endangered) creatures.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Anza Borrego

On Saturday, June 5th Ted and I went to Anza Borrego desert - about 2 1/2 hours from San Diego. We got up at 5:15 am to get to the desert early because the temperatures were expected to reach 110 degrees by mid-day. At ~7 am it was already in the upper 80's.


This picture is from the drive in - I was overcome by the beauty around me.

There were literally NO other people on the road. I decided this was the perfect mid-highway photo-op.

Ted joined me!

Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear :).

There were tons of HUGE statues throughout the desert. We took a couple of shots of some of them. The elephants were one of my favorites! They appear to be a favorite of the birds too.

Just to show you how big they are.

Ted getting friendly with an elephant.

A grazing horse.

Break it up.

A shot of the two of us. Hard to get when we are alone!

The eagle has landed.

There was a random flea market in the middle of the desert. One of the vendors was selling medical supplies. It was sort of creepy!

Here are some deals going down.

Creepy or not, I bought myself a handy-dandy reflex hammer for $3.

Entering the state park the temps were in the low-90s. We were advised to have at least 2L of water with each of us. I guess you lose water pretty quickly in the desert.

One of many photo-ops/much needed breaks. Me and my new found friend the cactus. There were plenty of these. Notice we aren't very close friends. Personal space is critical in this friendship.

The Palm Oasis at the end of our hike. There are only palm trees where there is a source of water. Here there was a natural spring bubbling up from the aquifers below. This meant we could turn around and head back - we were excited about that.

Me and the palm trees.

Ted photographing the palm trees.

We love the palm trees.

Climbing up one of the rocks to rest and relax.

Ahh...

On our way back we spotted these two beauties. They are both long-horned sheep (I think that is the technical name :) ). We were able to get incredibly close - the photo doesn't do it justice.

It was as if they were posing for us.

A mid-air jump!

Post-hike sitting at the visitor's center. EXHAUSTED and hot. But still reeling from the excitement of being so close to nature. We felt incredibly lucky to have encountered the desert animals. All in all we saw several native creatures including: rabbits, several types of little rodents (again the technical name), and sheep. The native creatures we managed not to see: rattle snakes, scorpions, mountain lions, foxes, and tarantula (plural tarantulae??). Like I said, we felt lucky.

As we drove out (through the mountains) we snapped this shot of the area we had hiked in. Absolutely beautiful!!

This video is one I snapped while watching the two female sheep walk away. All of a sudden a GIANT male sheep popped up in the corner of my screen (hence my noticeable shock on the video). He was clearly there to protect his ladies. I am glad he didn't charge us. I was a LITTLE nervous. He was much closer than the video shows. It was cool and humbling at the same time.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Ahh, my arch nemesis, we meet again.

San Diego is one of the hillier places I have ever been. I have encountered the hill to beat all hills... Princess View Drive. What a sweet name for such a brutal hill. I tried to take some photos during my run to exhibit her magnitude - but I fear that my photos will not do her justice. I like that I am referring to the hill as if it has a personality. I suppose it could represent any obstacle I choose it to. For me, it is just fun to think that she and I have a competition going. So far, I am kicking her behind...

This is close to the base of Princess View (PV)... it is hard to see but she is a long, steep climb. It took about 7-8 minutes to get up her. I want to believe that Pandora (the online radio station that streams to my i-Phone) also has a persona, and she was on my side in this epic battle. I believe this because she played the songs "Baby got back" (by Sir Mix-A-Lot)and "Sexy back" (by Justin Timberlake) as I took on PV. Pandora was cheering me (and my sore behind) on as I took the climb.


About halfway up...

Near the top, looking back down...
Back home, gloating :)
Princess View=0, Mariah=2

I suppose it is good to set goals for yourself, even if you are on vacation and without any major responsibilities. I enjoyed taking on my nemesis once again. Until next time PV.