Hello to Sunny San Diego!

We left Red Hawk Casino around 10 pm to head toward San Diego. Mike has always preferred to drive at night if we need to get through high traffic areas. We have good lighting on the rig and the cameras allow us to see around as well. There is very little traffic in the middle of the night. We got through LA around 0400 and it was already getting busier than we like.

Boondocking is very difficult in SoCal and in metropolitan areas in general. We got to the San Diego area 0630 and our check in time was not until 1 pm so we needed to wait a few hours before arriving at the RV park. I did find on the campendium app there was a rest stop on I5 just about 30 minutes short of our RV park that allowed overnight parking so we chose to stop there.  Well, this is a very, very, very busy rest stop.  While I thought many would be leaving by this time of the morning, there was not one over sized parking space.  This rest stop was packed.  I believe a lot of very unfortunate people live in their RV’s or their cars and drive from place to place where they can park for free each day.  I am grateful this is not my existence.  The housing crisis in California is so sad. 

We finally found room between 2 semis on the ramp to reenter the freeway.  There was no real room to even get out of the RV to potty the dogs and cars were accelerating to get up to freeway speed.  Fortunately, they both peed quickly and we crawled into bed and passed out-completely exhausted.  Cars driving by would shake the whole RV.  I didn’t sleep great but I did get some sleep and Mike slept really well-the stress of driving Reva Mae and being up all night is exhausting.  We fired up the generator and had some coffee and cleaned up a bit before we took off to arrive at San Diego RV Park just after 1:00 pm.  We did find it has a nice road  with parking available beside the park that we could have slept and waited more safely and comfortably for next time.  But we now know what it feels like to sleep on an on ramp….ugh! 

San Diego RV Park is a good sized 174 spot park just off the I8 in La Mesa, CA.  We were hoping to be right on the Bay for this summer gig, but those campgrounds do not allow RV’s to stay over 21 days during the summer months and they are PRICEY!    I met several people who live there from September through May, then come here in June to wait out the summer tourist season.  We have already booked for a site on the bay in November.  We’ve loved the area so much we are hoping to work here again for the winter months. 

The spaces are good sized, really , for an urban RV park.  We have a lot more space here than we did in LA.  We have a nice tree for shade and Mike even set up a few vegetable plants in pots since we are here for 13 weeks.  We have green peppers, Mexican squash, tomatoes, and jalapeno peppers growing.  We’ve enjoyed several and since we don’t pay for water, even better. 

There is a nice little pool, a rec room,  an exercise room, hot tub, and laundry and shower rooms.  The park has a gate to access the trolley system (public trains) which is right next door.  The trains run behind the campground but aren’t loud at all.  There is noise as the freeway is right next to the access road; however, we are on the backside of the park so it’s really not very noticeable. 

La Mesa is about a 15 minute drive (without traffic) to the coast and several beaches.  It gets a little hotter than the coast, but really is quite ideal.  So far, the highest temperature we’ve seen is about 92 and there is generally a nice breeze.  We’ve run the A/C a handful of days for a couple hours at most.  By 7 pm or so, it’s cooled down and sometimes can get too chilly for the fan to be in the window.  It really is the most perfect weather I have ever experienced.  Generally, it’s been low 80’s for a high and low 60’s for the low.  Simply amazing.  And NO bugs!  We were concerned there might be mosquitoes as we have a small creek behind our RV, but none!  An occasional fly, a few fruit flies here and there, and one ant episode is all we’ve experienced. 

I love La Mesa!  It’s got a very good small town feel and things are really accessible and at a slower pace.  Mike was in need of a dentist and we found a local guy who could get him in next day and did a great job for a reasonable rate. 

I also had some vision changes and found a wonderful local eye doctor who saw me same day.  Dr. Newman has been in business for over 35 years here and updated my contact prescription -I have to wear 2 now-both different strengths-for a great price. 

We also LOVE the food here!  I was going to try to drop a few pounds before Tyler’s wedding and so far I’ve gained 9 lbs!  LOL! 

One of our first stops was Patty’s Café on Lake Murray Blvd.  It’s a little hole in the wall diner that serves -get this-Greek, Mexican, and American food.  Since we loved Sherman’s Deli in Palm Springs, we were obligated to try Patty’s Café and it did not disappoint!  We have eaten there twice now.  It’s an older crowd and dated furnishings, but you cannot beat the amazing service, the fabulous food, and the reasonable prices.  I got a ribeye dinner for $14.00 and the patty melt was huge!  Highly recommend Patty’s if you’re looking for an older laid back diner with staff that will treat you right!  (I swear my tea glass never got below 2/3 full!)  Great place. 

Another place we found by google searching “great fast food near me” was a little dive called “Funky Fries and Burgers”  After checking yelp reviews, we gave it a try and ordered for pick up.  I had a bacon macaroni and cheese burger and Mike had the Hangover-which was a breakfast burger with bacon, hash browns, and an egg on it.  Way too big-we should have split one-but soo good!

We also sampled Tako Factory-again based on a search of Mexican food near me and yelp reviews.  It’s a little place on El Cajon Blvd and it was amazing.  Fantastic burritos and amazing carne asada fries.   We went back to try the tacos and weren’t as impressed, but if you’re looking for a great burrito…find this place. 

We haven’t just been eating….although it feels like maybe we have, lol.  Work has been pretty intense but I think I’m making a difference and helping so it’s been worth it.  My 17 mile commute takes about 45 minutes in the morning and around an hour at night.  Traffic is different here.  Not quite as bad as LA but pretty close during commuter hours.  Off hours is MUCH better than LA and even when commuting, it seems like most of the congestion is at on/off ramps.  Some on ramps merge into off ramps as well so that can be a bit hairy until you get used to it. 

We were able to rent a car at this assignment location as well.  That was a huge plus!  LA rates were around $1000/month which was just ridiculous.  I was able to find a company called Dirt Cheap Car Rentals here in San Diego and rented a very cute little Hyundai Accent for $400/month.  That includes 2800 miles/month and full coverage zero deductible insurance-hard to beat a deal like that.  It’s a pretty zippy little car and wonderful on gas.  I’m grateful Mike has Yeep to go and take the dogs, etc. during the week and I’m glad to use the rental in this heavy traffic.  It’s nice to save on Yeep’s wear and tear and use the rental as much as we can. 

There are some very nice parks nearby that are dog friendly.  Lake Murray is just a mile up the road from the RV park.  This reservoir covers 171 acres and is 95 feet at it’s deepest.  It’s got quite an assortment of fish and waterfowl, concession stands, a great 3.2 mile walking trail, kayak and bike rentals, and lots of picnic areas.  There’s a great area along the trail that is full of Eucalyptus trees and the smell walking through here is awesome.  We’ve enjoyed walking the dogs here several times over the past few weeks. 

Harry Griffen Regional Park is a 53 acre park that’s about 10 minutes from here as well.  It’s got a beautiful playground, amphitheater with free concerts in the summer, and a huge dog park. What attracted us to Harry Griffen most are the areas outside the dog park-huge grassy areas where dogs can also be off leash.  Since Kiya is not really a “dog person” she really can’t go to dog parks-but these areas she can run off leash and get some good exercise!  It’s quite a jewel to find in such an urban area. 

Another awesome feature of the San Diego area are the dog beaches!  Kiya is only able to handle the “intrusion” of other pesky dogs for a short time so we’ve only gone twice-once to Ocean Beach and once to Coronado Island.  What a great feature for pet owners.  I have not found many beaches in NorCal that even allow dogs on leashes, let alone free to run and play in the ocean.  They’ve loved their ocean trips! 

We’ve been blessed to have friends and family down to visit.  Our friend Tim has been down a couple of times to go fishing with Mike-once on a charter boat and once just fishing the bay in the kayak and on the one man pontoon boat. 

One amazing surprise was when I saw on Facebook, my Iowa friend Penny Moellers was visiting in the area.  I let her know where I was working and found out she had been an LVN at the same facility many years ago!  Penny surprised me at the facility one morning.  It all happened so fast we didn’t even snap a picture!  How amazing to see someone you haven’t seen in 12 years and find out they once worked where you are working, many states away.  It was a great surprise and I’m so grateful you stopped by, Penny!  What a small, wonderful world! 

Hannah Bees flew down for a long weekend and it was so good to see her.  We hadn’t seen her since early December.  We took advantage of the trolley system and rode downtown to people watch at Comic Con-one the largest comic con events in the world.  While we didn’t have tickets-very hard to come by and very expensive-there was plenty of people watching and free events outside of the convention area.  We played a few games, won some prizes, saw tons of people dressed up as their favorite characters and watched protesters making fools out of themselves.  It was also the first time we had used public transportation together and it really was quite easy. 

For $5 you can purchase a pass that will give you 24 hour access to all of the trains and the bus system.  We rode the train to downtown for Comic Con then hopped a bus to Balboa Park.  It was getting late in the day so we didn’t get to see many of the museums, etc at Balboa-will be going back and blogging about that before our time is done here for sure.  It’s a beautiful area and we had a lovely time

On her last day, we had brunch at Lips-a dinner and drag queen show in San Diego.  It was so much fun!  Our host was a pregnant nun named None of the Above who also performed as Cher.  Those ladies were beautiful and fierce.  It was a great time!  The food was very good and included all you can drink mimosas or bloody marys.  It was great to see my baby for a few days and experience some new things with her.  It’s one of the things I love about this life-we don’t see each other as much, but we can experience new things and make great memories when we are together. 

While Mike was off fishing one weekend, I was looking for areas nearby to explore with the dogs and came across Mt. Helix.  Mt. Helix is not very big.  It’s a short 15 minute drive from our RV park and one of San Diego’s most recognized landmarks, so we -Louie, Kiya, and I-went.  It is basically a large amphitheater on  top of a summit that has amazing views as far as the eye can see. 

It’s a steep climb and I noted a lot of bikers-both motorcycles and bicycles-enjoy the climb and the views on the weekend.  There is a small trail around the amphitheater and a huge, white cross marking the area.  This landmark was built as a tribute to a woman from Saginaw Michigan who used to visit her daughter in San Diego and climb this summit to see the amazing sunsets.  It was a nice drive with great views.  Not something I would drive out of my way to see, but neat since we were so close. 

Since learning that the San Diego trolley system could be taken right to the border, I’ve been really wanting to “walk to Mexico for tacos”.  What a fun thing to say I did!  Mike was a great sport and agreed to ride public transportation for an hour and stand in line to return to US for an hour-not his idea of fun, but at least he can now say he walked to Mexico for lunch! 

We needed to ensure Louie and Kiya were okay during our excursions so I found Laura.  Laura is our dog walker we originally met through the Wag app.  Wag and Rover are dog walking/sitting apps that are popular in metropolitan areas.  While it might sound pricey, Laura gets $25 for a 30 minute walk for our fur babies.  Each pet is an additional fee from the base price.  She sends us pictures and videos of the dogs and we know they are cared for.  She came for a meet and greet the first time and we talked about what each dog needs and where supplies are located.  Laura has been a great resource while we’ve been exploring San Diego. 

While I think the dogs could go more hours without a potty break, it’s nice to know they’re ok and have a little human contact during the times we are gone.  We still need to look into some type of camera system so we can check them when we are gone.  I’ve seen several reports where animals died because they were locked in an RV and the power went out or the a/c quit.  Fortunately, the weather has been great that we can leave windows open here most days.  I know we won’t be so lucky in other areas and while I love to explore, I need to know Louie and Kiya are ok.  Our generator system does have a feature to automatically start if a certain temperature is reached.  I think with this feature enabled and a good camera system, we will both rest easier! 

The trolley ride was $5/pp and it took right at an hour to get to the border.  The lines of cars looked quite long and there was quite a charge for parking for those who chose to park and walk over so it really is the best deal.  You must have proof of ownership and Mexican insurance to cross in a vehicle so a lot of people park and walk over.  If you are on a lease or a loan, you must have confirmation from your loan company to bring a vehicle to Mexico

It only took about 15 minutes to walk over the bridge, through customs, and enter Mexico.  First stop was a convenience store for a coca cola light-90 cents and Mike got a pack of cigarettes to try. $3.75 but he said while they said Marlboro, they didn’t taste the same. 

We just spent a few hours walking around the downtown area, checking out the sites and people watching.  Got some low cost antibiotics for the first aid kit, some fresh authentic tortillas to bring home and got lunch.  It was a nice day and while it was hot, the breeze kept us cool. 

We made the mistake of crossing back just before 2 pm.  Apparently, there is a shift change at border patrol at 2 pm which made our wait in line take 50 minutes.  It was really a simple process once the line started moving (I’m told it’s usually about 20 minutes total)-check the passport, ask you what you were there for (tacos and tortillas) and put your purse through the machine.  We got back on the trolley and rode home to our pooches. 

The trolley ride was nice.   While it was packed with people standing during Comic Con, we had seats and space both the way there and the way back.  Mike did stand briefly on the way home to allow an older Mexican lady to sit down.  It was only for a couple stops.  There were all sorts of people on the trolley.  Young couples going to Mexico for the day, families riding to downtown San Diego to see sites, and of course, homeless people 

One particular couple that troubled me got on the train late in our journey.  It was the first time I had really seen someone up close and personal on heroin.  They were so young and so damaged.  The girl had sunglasses and a jacket on so it was harder to tell with her.  She gazed at her cell phone with her finger frozen about 4 inches from the screen.  She was just frozen like that.  The young man had pretty eyes -blue that sparkled fiercely-and were blood shot and closed most of the time.  He had no sunglasses to hide behind.  His arms were a mess.  My heart broke a little seeing these two.  And once again I felt grateful for all that we have and all that we get to do with our lives

There is a homeless man I used to see nightly at the trolley station when I walk the dogs.  (I don’t’ walk there after dark)  He’s so obviously mentally ill and very skittish.  He was starting to make brief eye contact with me and would reply when I would say hello.  He reminded me of a skittish, wounded animal.  He hasn’t been around for a week or so now.  I hope he’s okay. 

Sometimes it feels like we’ve been here much longer, and other times I can’t believe we are over half way through this assignment.  Only 4 weeks left and we will be off to Omaha to see the G babies!!!  And the rest of the family!  I hope to see more of Balboa Park, take another trip to Mexico-gotta get  my Momma some vanilla-and maybe some more tortillas-so yummy-and snorkel La Jolla Cove.  I’m trying not to plan a lot.  I found a great quote on one of the light posts while walking the dogs at the trolley station-the traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.  At least while I’m on assignment, I want to be a traveler.