Are we there yet??: San Diego

San Diego

Well here we are in the good ole US of A. The flight was uneventful and even the Los Angles customs formalities went quickly and smoothly. The hotel bus picked us up and whisked us to the hotel. The room, though basic, was just fine. We wandered through the surrounding streets in search of food and found we were in a Latino area. We were pretty much the only Europeans to be seen. However the people were friendly and helpful. These guys have suffered in the economic downturn and are still doing it hard.

Monday morning we picked up the motor home from Cruise America. It’s about the same size as our one at home but with three times the horse-power and the steering wheel on the wrong side! We ventured straight onto the motorway heading south for San Diego. Five lanes going our way, five going the other, and all on the wrong side of the road. Speed limit 65 mph - actual speed somewhat higher. Didn’t hit anything and nothing hit us; phew.

To the surprise of all we arrived safely at the campground in De Anza cove, which is in the middle of a little community of baches – five star location with three star housing. There are biking trails branching out in all directions and it is easy to get almost anywhere by bike. The beaches are long and white and gorgeous with cycle trails and boardwalks all along them and around the myriad of little bays.

The campgrounds and RVs are well set up with water, power and sewer connections for every site. Ours is the smallest RV in the campground and is dwarfed by the other bus-sized units all around us, however it is ideal for two tourists; we can park it in a normal car park and it is roomy enough inside for two. The kitchen is a logistical challenge, but after a week we have learned to cope.

San Diego is home to the Pacific fleet. When we took the ferry across the harbour to Coronado we spotted two aircraft carriers and at least ten other ships of varying shapes and sizes up and down the harbour. The enormous cost of these things is beyond imagination. You can’t drive far without coming across an army, navy or air force base.

We spent a couple of days setting ourselves up for the rest of the trip; food, bikes and bits and pieces and the rest of the time sight seeing.

Our sightseeing pretty much goes like this; day 1- San Diego Zoo; a huge area well laid out with lots of trees and vegetation - stand out animals were the polar bear and a very active orang-utan – apparently they even have a kiwi.

Day 2- biking for miles along the boardwalk by the northern beach - too cold for swimming. Day 3 -visit to the Midway, an aircraft carrier recently retired from the US fleet. Day 4 - visit to the old-town by bike; historic old town centre. Day 5 – ferry to Coronado.

We have loved San Diego and are really starting to relax. It is a very liveable city, but two things have stood out - the condition of the roads (State coffers are empty) and the number of homeless who wander the downtown area - sleeping wherever they can and begging for food. Actually three things - American drivers are so polite!

Tomorrow we head out into the desert (Anza-Borrego) on our way to Grand Canyon. If we are lucky the desert will be in flower.

Apologies if this blog is not up to scratch - we are grappling with the technology!