Tag: san diego

Goodbye San Diego – Hello Australia!

When I bought my flight to Australia 8 months ago I kept telling myself it was too soon. I am the “book last minute” type of gal, and booking a flight that far in advance felt like overkill. After I put it off for a few days I convinced myself 8 months would be here before I knew it. The little voice in my head told me to just buy the ticket. So I bought it, and it turns out the little voice was absolutely right. 8 months flew by and suddenly I was driving to work for the last time.

Goodbye San Diego!

View from Harbor Island

My last day was a sleepy Monday with only a handful of customers stopping in, and even fewer staying for more than 20 minutes. There was no manager, 1 server, and 2 cooks. Needless to say, it was a quiet night. The perfect night to quietly bow out from my 3-year gig. KN and KC came by to witness my last hours. When I was finally done locking up the bar KN gave me a chocolate bar and said “Here are the fireworks!” I couldn’t think of a more perfect way to end this job.

Goodbye San Diego!

I grabbed this picture from the Trader Joe’s website

Two weeks have gone by and I’ve been so busy that it hardly feels like I’m unemployed. I spend every day packing, cleaning, organizing, and doing last-minute stuff. On the bright side, my to-do list is getting shorter. Looking at the list, I can’t believe I’m almost done with everything.  The long 8 months have turned into 26 short days, and I’d be leaving San Diego soon. 

Goodbye San Diego!

Ocean Beach Pier

Overall I was pretty successful in the preparation of my trip (that I know of). However, there were a few unexpected things that snuck up on my to-do list. Here are some important points to consider if you’re planning a trip of your own.

Buy Your Ticket ASAP – It doesn’t matter if you start to pack and tell yourself you’re going to travel. You’re not going anywhere until you buy a ticket. Having the physical evidence that you are going somewhere means you ARE going somewhere. It makes excuses to back out  of your trip more difficult to find. The months before your trip will go by very fast, so don’t be afraid to buy a ticket in advance. It gives you more time to organize your trip.

Start Packing Now – About a month ago I went through my closets and started a thrift-store pile. This kick-started me to do a little something every day. I’m leaving San Diego in 3 days and can proudly say I am ready to leave. I don’t have any last-minute packing to do and I can spend the next few days with friends

Don’t Procrastinate on Your Blog – On my last international trip I wrote in my journal every single day. It made me think I could simply type my journal online instead of writing it. About 3 months ago I began my blog and spent a lot of time making it look the way I wanted. I only did 4 posts, but I got the dirty work out of the way. I also knew that between work and preparing for my trip I wasn’t going to post anything over the next couple months. With everything up and ready to go, you won’t be frustrated with the set-up right before your trip.

Buy Your Stuff Early – Having backpacked many times, I thought I had everything for my trip. I was seriously wrong and now I wish I started buying things sooner. It all adds up, and what I thought was going to be a couple bucks turned into a couple hundred. Some examples are:

  • Small, lightweight purse for the essentials
  • International charger
  • Prescription for my motion sickness patch
  • Cardigan to match my outfits
  • Lightweight flats that I can walk a whole day in
  • Books on my kindle
  • Earplugs/Eyemask
  • Small daypack I can stuff into my large backpack

Make a Final Will – I always recommend having a will if you travel. You never know what’s going to happen, and even if you’re broke, death can tear families apart. Thankfully I had a will from my last trip that I could update, but I am having trouble getting people to sign it. Finding people who can be in the same room, at the same time, watching you sign your will, who are not in your will, can be tricky.

See Your Doctors – I made all of my appointments except one. The one I put off was a teeth cleaning, and I simply won’t have time to do it now. I should have just made an appointment.

Spend Time With Friends – I decided against a goodbye party because the closer it gets to my departure date, the more exhausting it sounds. There are only a handful of people who really care I’m leaving, and I’d rather have a personal sit-down dinner with each of them separately. It certainly takes a lot more time and effort than throwing a party, but I am very happy I took this route. It gives me a chance to spend time with each one of my friends. My last few days are fully booked with lunch and dinner dates, but I’m so very glad I can spend quality time with all of my true friends before I leave.

Goodbye San Diego!

Sail Bay

And so I say farewell! San Diego has been absolutely amazing, and I will certainly be home-sick for certain things. I will miss everyone’s laid-back attitude, Taco Tuesday, the 5 minute drive to the beach, my amazing apartment, and the great friends I’ve made. Will I come back after my trip? I’m not sure, because it could be a great opportunity for me to live elsewhere. There are always new places to explore, and it will be difficult to pass up the chance to live somewhere new. Will I visit San Diego? Most definitely. Though I grew up in Northern California, San Diego is my home…unless I find a new one. But America’s finest city will certainly be a tough act to follow.

 

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San Diego Rose Garden

I splurged and got a new camera! My goal was to find one which was small enough to fit in the front pocket of my backpack so when I hike I have quick access. I also wanted something with a good zoom. After a short time in the local camera store I walked out with a Sony Cyber-shot  DSC-HX90V. I don’t know much about cameras, but I love taking pictures. I’ve been using this camera for 2 months now and so far it’s great.

The day after I got my camera I was itching to see what it could do. This was the perfect opportunity to head to the San Diego Rose Garden, as KB had been telling me to do for weeks. He was absolutely right, because my goodness did I enjoy myself! I’ll let the roses speak for themselves.

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It was typical gorgeous San Diego day. 70 degrees, wonderfully sunny, and with a slight breeze. First I was greeted by yellow roses. The bees were buzzing, calmly ignoring me and going about their business. They certainly got into plenty of my photos.

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The roses looked beautiful against the big blue sky. I felt like I should skip down the path and frolic through them. Good thing I didn’t have my GoPro or I just might have.

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After moving away from the yellows I went towards the pinks. I couldn’t believe how many different roses there were. Certainly not the couple options you find in the grocery store.

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I know you’re thinking it, and the answer is yes – the roses smelled AMAZING. I’m sure I looked silly smelling every other one, but I couldn’t resist.

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The actual name of the garden is Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden. According to their website, the garden has about “1,600 roses of more than 130 varieties.” That’s amazing! This white and pink speckled rose was one of my favorites. It looked like someone spent months carefully painting it.

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It was difficult to get a good shot of the bold red roses. They were such an incredible red, most of the pictures would blend everything together. However, I got close enough to where I  could finally make out the individual red roses. They look like velvet.

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The San Diego Rose garden is opposite the street of the San Diego Zoo parking lot. There is a cactus garden too, which is also lovely. Check out information on the San Diego Rose Garden yourself. I would absolutely recommend it!!

 

Mission Trails Regional Park

San Diego is known for perfect weather, beaches, and tacos. “Hiking” doesn’t come to mind unless you are familiar with the area. In reality, San Diego has several hiking options. Popular hikes include Cowles Mountain, Iron Mountain, or Potato Chip Rock. For those up for a drive, options become vast with the Cuyamaca Mountains, Palomar Mountains, Anza Borrego, and Mount Laguna.  For those in need of a happy-medium between popularity and staying close to home, there is always Mission Trails Regional Park.

Mission Trails

Mission Trails is an 8,000 acre hiking playground. It’s only 20 minutes from downtown and there is enough variety in the park to ease trail boredom. Yes, Mission Trails is home to Cowles Mountain, however I’m rarely caught on this incredibly busy, selfie-filled hike. Instead I head to the less-congested West side of the park. The trails are plentiful and the people disappear as your mileage increases. An added bonus of Mission Trails is the allure of wildflowers in the spring. 

Mission Trails

My two favorite hikes in Mission Trails are North Fortuna from the back side of the park, and South Fortuna from the front side. North Fortuna is my shorter option (I want to say 3 miles from Old Mission Dam, but don’t quote me on that), while South Fortuna is a 6-mile loop that has more to offer. 

When I first began to hike 5 years ago, I started with the North Fortuna trail. Although it’s fairly short, it is steep. This hike was a great way for me to build my incline muscles. I always know I’m in good hiking shape when I can hike the entire uphill part without stopping for a break. As I got more comfortable hiking, I tried the South Fortuna loop. It is just as steep as North Fortuna, but includes railroad tie steps and more variety in terrain. For my spring flower visit, I took my sweet time and did South Fortuna.

Mission Trails

I usually park my car in the lot before the turn into the visitor’s center. Before I start hiking, I go through my mental checklist as I do for every hike. This is assuming I have already packed the correct amount of water, snacks, and the 10 essentials.

  1. Apply sunscreen
  2. Put on hat
  3. Wallet/ID (so I can be identified in case of an accident)
  4. Phone (in case of emergency)
  5. Music Device/Headphones
  6. Camera
  7. Sunglasses
  8. Car keys

Then I’m ready to go! I begin walking along the Visitors Center Loop and cut across the San Diego River.

Mission Trails

Soon the trail turns into a steep, hot, shadeless utility road, but at the top of the hill there is a nice downhill stretch. Of course this means you have to go back up to get to South Fortuna Summit, but it also means there’s plenty of variety.

Mission Trails

Continuing downhill, the trail runs along a little river bed. There are always plenty of flowers to stop and admire here. This part also offers some shade from an otherwise treeless landscape. In the summer the park gets very hot, which makes this a perfect spot to take a break if I’m overheating.

Mission Trails

I’ve always loved California poppies. In addition to being the state flower, poppies are absolutely gorgeous! Whenever I take a picture of poppies they always look fake because they are so thin and velvety.

Mission Trails

Mission Trails always has a lot of purple flowers for me. I never get tired of flowers, and I certainly never get tired of purple, so the combination always leave me feeling fairly elated. These flowers were beautiful and had a lovely whisper of purple in them.

Mission Trails

I see these big guys frequently when I’m hiking in Southern California. They are yucca plants, and particularly beautiful when they flower. I’ve found that the more purple the flowers, the more bugs it has in and around them.

Mission Trails

Mission Trails

After a short walk by the river bed the trail starts to go uphill again. According to a passerby I had just missed a rattle snake, but that part of the trail had plenty more to offer.

Mission Trails

Everyone knows purple is my favorite color, so I enjoyed these beauties. They’re fragile though, and it took a minute for them to come into focus against the breeze.

There is a steady uphill climb with nice views of the summit for the next half mile. At the base of South Fortuna, I get a nice view of the steep uphill section. I take a short breather before I continue on and pretend to enjoy getting my butt kicked by the wooden steps and rock scrambling.

Mission Trails

Once at the top, I tried to reach the summit before taking a break, but got distracted by this pretty little thing. I was pleasantly surprised when she stayed still long enough for me to get a decent picture.

Mission Trails

I took a snack break when I reached my usual perch at the top of South Fortuna. A storm was coming in the next day, so unfortunately it wasn’t a nice day for views. Normally I can see downtown San Diego, but it was a hazy day.

Mission Trails

When the trail reaches the saddle of the Fortunas and starts going downhill there isn’t much in terms of flowers. It’s a dry, windy area with no shade. However, when the trail flattens out and turns back South, it meets up with the river bed again.

Mission Trails

This is my favorite section to hike if I’m looking for flowers. It never fails to impress, even if I have to keep an ear out for cross-country bikers while I’m bent down taking pictures. Many of the trails here are biking trails, and I’ve almost been knocked off the trail more than once. But the bikers are always having so much fun that I can’t be mad at them.

Mission Trails

Mission Trails

While I happily walked through my favorite flower-covered area, I heard a loud buzzing. I looked in the direction of the culprit and saw a HUGE bee! The picture doesn’t do him justice, but this bee was the size of a golf ball. I didn’t want to get too close, and of course jumped back hurriedly when he started flying towards me.

Mission Trails

He buzzed lazily past me and ignored my presence. I guess I wasn’t the only one enjoying the flowers! I hiked on and climbed the last uphill part of my hike with enthusiasm.

Mission Trails

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I was back on the utility road trail. Typically this part of the hike doesn’t have anything exciting on it, but I spotted this flower at the bottom of the hill. I don’t know how I missed it at the start of the hike, but it was a very nice way to end my spring flower hike.

Mission Trails

For anyone in the area I would absolutely recommend visiting this park. Although I avoid it in the summer because of the heat, Mission Trails is wonderful at all other parts of the year.  Just bring plenty of water and sun protection because there is little shade. Most importantly, enjoy the flowers!

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