San Diego Fun

Today we moved from our RV park in the sticks to Mission Bay, right near the heart of San Diego. It was a quick move and we were ready to get outside to enjoy the lovely day.

Rose at a playground near our RV park.
Riding Toy
Dole Whip Cart
Shortly after we arrived at the beach a lifeguard had to save a boogie boarder who went out too far and couldn’t get back in.
Rob & Susan
Rose & Lucia
Beach Football
Family Sunset

Surfing in San Diego

Today we had another opportunity to go surfing. The beaches in San Diego are supposed to be some of the best beaches in the US for surfing. There are a couple beginner beaches and we rented some boards and wetsuits and go to it. 

Maybe we got to it a little too aggressively. Our first time in the water here we tried to go too far out and we just got hammered by the waves. We decided to head to back to shore and regroup. It was still rough going in the morning, but after lunch we had more success. We decided to start smaller and work our way out to the bigger waves. In the end everyone had fun and we hope to get in one more surf trip while we are here. 

Andrew
Mari
Elliot
Susan and Rob, getting a feel for the waves.

 

 

Afternoon Hike

This afternoon we went on another hike in the hills around our campground. It was a beautiful day and a fun hike.

Inspecting a rattlesnake rattle, sans snake.
A snake.

 

We took a border patrol road on the way up, but off-roaded it on the way back.
Almost home.

 

Christmas in San Diego

Christmas in San Diego was a lot like Christmas back home. The kids were up early and we started the day by going through the stockings that Santa filled for the kids. After stockings we had our traditional breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes. Then it was back to the tree to open the rest of the presents. Normally at this point we spend a few hours playing with our new toys and then head to the Reagens’ for Nate’s Birthday, but this year we had to settle for a 15-minute skype session late in the afternoon. That was definitely the strangest thing about being on the road.

Christmas Eve in San Diego

Holidays on the road are interesting. We haven’t found another family to hang out with in San Diego, so we pretty much do our own thing the whole time. 

For Christmas Eve that meant finding something to do in the afternoon, to take advantage of being in San Diego, and then the usual church and Christmas lights at night. 

We went to an organ concert in Balboa Park, that ended with a Christmas sing-along on stage.
The kids loved playing with bubbles from a street performer.
We went to church in Chula Vista, in a community that is still building their permanent church.
After church we found a place to drive around and see the Christmas lights. They take it very seriously, with a special street sign and traffic flow.
Christmas Eve

 

Cabrillo National Monument

This afternoon we visit Cabrillo National Monument, in/on Point Loma, a peninsula that juts out to help form the San Diego Bay. The park featured an old lighthouse, a lot of information, and a nice hike with beautiful views of the city. It was a nice day, but very windy, so we did not stay too long.

Cabrillo Monument
Our tour guide.
Lunch.
The Hike

Rocket Launch

On our way to Costco this evening we could see a SpaceX rocket launch. We had no idea what it was and shot a short video, which got blurry once the car started moving.

 

Campground Hike

Our RV park, Pio Pico, is about 30 minute outside of San Diego. This afternoon we went or a hike in the hills around the campground. The hills are adjacent to the border and border patrol activity is common in the area.

Freezing

In general, we are trying to stay where it is warm. Last night was rather chilly and when I woke up this morning there was no water pressure in the RV. I quickly diagnosed that the metal elbow that connects our water hose to our RV had frozen overnight. An easy fix, with no damage. Hopefully it warms up!