Friday, November 4, 2011

Ah San Diego


Phoenix to San Diego on I-8 is a snoozer.  With the exception of the odious dairy out in the middle of the desert and a swarm of cops and border patrol people near Yuma, not much was happening on this stretch of the trip.  But San Diego brought back fond memories : our kids were born here, living in shorts and t-shirts, delicious air with the hint of orange blossom, desert flowers in spring and a dusting of snow on the mountains in winter, and of course, the Pacific Ocean.  Our friends, the Hostetlers live in Del Mar, just a mile and a half from Torrey Pines State Park.  Walkers and hikers in that reserve enjoy forest, ocean scrub, bluffs and beach all in a 3 – 4 mile circuit and we made good use of this wonderful resource while visiting.  We also enjoyed a morning at the wild animal park where the white (or is it the black?) rhinoceros is being kept from extinction. Despite the advantage of many things to do and see in the area, a person’s home needs to be a refuge from all the hustle and bustle of urban life. Our hosts created such a refuge with the most beautiful and interesting patio garden I’ve ever seen, an island of calm and beauty between the freeways.  We skirted LA east of the mountains and headed north into the very dusty San Joaquin Valley.  Our destination is one more look at Yosemite.  After a night in Oakhurst we entered the park at Wawona in the south and headed for the valley.  The last time Ruth and I were there was when Nate was a baby. It’s as lovely as ever and this time of the year including some fall colors, and not the least bit crowded.  If the visit with the Hostetlers was the punctuation on the relational part of this trip, the visit to Yosemite punctuated the scenic part of the trip.  Fortunately Tioga Pass was still open so we exited through Tuolumne Meadows to Lee Vining, and on up through Nevada to spend our last night on the road in Winnemucca.  We awoke this morning to snow and were in snow for the next two hundred miles.  By the time we reached Boise it was rain.  But again, by the time we reached Cascade, you guessed it – snow!  Time find those skis…..








PICTURES: Evie's Patio Garden, 2-5 in the Valley, Tualomie Meadows, Near Tualomie Meadows, Tioga Pass looking into Nevada

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