Author: Easin' Along

We had a tough time leaving the outstanding campground at Fiddler’s Cove in San

Diego, but we would get over it pretty quickly because an even more excellent experience lay ahead. Our destination was Seabreeze RV Resort, a campground maintained by the Navy in Seal Beach, California. Once there, the plan was to park Lucy (trailer) and drive north to visit our son and his family at his home just south of Los Angeles.

As an extra treat, our other son and his family would join us after flying in from their home in South Carolina. Helen and I were very excited that the grandchildren would have the opportunity to reunite, mainly since the Carolina girls had never visited California. We had a week’s worth of sightseeing and family time to look forward to.

Day One – Knott’s Berry Farm, Buena Park, California

I had always heard of Knott’s but had never visited. We decided that a trip to the tenth most visited theme park in North America might be just the ticket we needed, especially since all of the grandchildren had been to Disney World and Disneyland multiple times. This turned out to be the right decision.  The California kids knew much of the park from previous visits and loved sharing their knowledge with the newcomers.

While the girls were screaming their lungs out on the Dragon Boat ride, I escorted my grandson over to the kewpie doll stand to let him have a try at knocking over three dolls and win a prize. Once he had the baseballs in hand, he proceeded to knock over three in a row without hesitation. His scream at his accomplishment could be heard over every swing rider in the park.  Here is a picture of him and his prize.

I rode only one roller coaster and should have done it before lunch…almost left it there. I managed to live through it, but I was done for the day.  Helen avoided all of them, using the time instead to take the stuffed animal back to the car. Good move! We really enjoyed ourselves, and I had to pick up a jar of Knott’s Jelly as a souvenir (Boysenberry).

 

Day Two – Santa Monica Pier

Day two offered a threat of rain so that curtailed plans for a day at the beach.  Instead, we drove a few miles north to the city of Santa Monica to spend a few hours at the world-famous Santa Monica Pier. Surprisingly, the parking lot was crowded for so early on a cloudy day. Soon, however, we learned that there was a “Yogathon” underway on the back side of the pier and many hundreds of participants were sprawled out on yoga mats in various poses—some even with their derriere positioned high, much like a satellite dish searching for some coded signal from the chief Yogi himself.  This was a hoot.

The grandchildren rode a few more rides including the bumper cars and another wild swinging Dragon Boat.  My daughter-in-law from South Carolina should get a medal for riding this thing at least four times. My son participated in a song and dance routine with some other chaps which ended with one of the organizers jumping cartwheel style over all four of the guys. This was big fun, and the jumper made a haul in tips.

Day Three – La Brea Tar Pits

The weather was still too iffy for the beach, so my son suggested that we visit the La Brea Tar Pits for a real learning experience. Helen and I have wanted to visit this site ever since our son moved to California, so I was eager for the visit. The pits are located in urban Los Angeles.

Briefly described, the tar pits are composed of natural asphalt that oozed out of the ground to form ponds of sticky material.  Animals would confuse the ponds for a hard surface and become stuck in them and eventually die.  Other animals would come along and try to eat the imprisoned animals, and they would also get stuck. Over thousands of years, the pits would be filled with the bones of ancient mammals like Mastodons, Saber-Tooth Tigers, Giant Sloths, and Wooly Mammoths.  The oldest fossil dates back 38,000 years.

Excavation of the site began around 1915 and perfectly preserved ancient creatures were uncovered, with the bones assembled and displayed in the museum. Over 750,000 specimens were found in the first two years of excavations. I found the whole experience fascinating and would like to return at some point.

Day Four and Beyond – Beach and Pier Time

We finally had the opportunity to go to the beach and let the children dig in the sand.  They loved this almost as much as the amusement park rides. On our last morning, we all walked the California children to school—Helen’s favorite activity—and waved goodbye.  On the night before, we celebrated the birthday of this writer.  The girls composed a cheer for me and performed it several times.  I have the video and will post it on the Easin’ Along YouTube page when we return. This was the highlight of my trip so far.

Also, I have to thank my son’s mother-in-law for hosting everyone to an elegant dinner and pool party during our visit. She always goes all out for us when we visit and makes us feel so welcome.

We’re eight weeks into this journey and, happily, still Easin’ Along. So long for now.  Come back soon, we’re on our way to Vegas!

Helen and I arrived in Southern California (the westernmost point on our trip) to meet up with all of our kids and grandkids. We’re very grateful for this time together–especially so since our South Carolina children flew out to join us and see their cousins home for the first time. We’re having a wonderful reunion and visiting some outstanding and very interesting local attractions.  We can’t wait to share all of this with our readers, but that will have to wait awhile because Easin’ Along is going to take a few more days off.

We’re halfway through our journey and have much to show and tell. Please come back!

I’m an old Army guy and am proud of everything about my branch of the service. Nevertheless, when it comes to campgrounds, the Navy maintains some of the best in the country.  Helen and I have stayed at a few awesome campgrounds on the east coast, like Great Pond in deep woods Maine, and the excellent facility near the quaint village of Solomon’s Island, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay. Both are outstanding but, when we arrived at Fiddler’s Cove, adjacent to Coronado Beach in San Diego, we agreed that this facility might top them both.

On previous trips, several campers we talked with raved about Fiddler’s Cove, so I got the booking information from MilitaryLiving.com and patiently waited for the day the reservation window opened. I was afraid that a reservation was out of the question, but on the first day I was eligible to apply, I made the call and, much to my surprise, got the exact dates I requested. I had rather be lucky than good.

While camping at El Centro, we met a couple familiar with Fiddler’s Cove who suggested we drive to San Diego from the south through Imperial Beach rather than drive from the north and deal with all of the traffic.  The suggestion proved very helpful. We encountered only light traffic and made it to the campground in the early afternoon. Check-in was an efficient process, and we could barely contain ourselves when we learned that our campsite was right on the water with a view as good as any we have ever had.

Helen and I have visited San Diego twice in recent years and love it here.  The climate is perfect, and the area is so beautiful. When our son first moved to California, we drove down for some sightseeing and a trip to San Diego’s famous zoo.  Two years ago, we visited again and stayed at a Navy Lodge cabana on Coronado Beach with our grandchildren.  Those visits were delightful, and we feel like we covered the city well, so we decided to take it easy on this visit. Up until now, we have stayed pretty busy hiking and sightseeing but, with a campsite like this and a view like no other, we were ready to sit by the water and do little else.

After a few days of rest, we drove over the bridge to Coronado Island to visit the famous Coronado Hotel and have dinner at a nearby pub. We arrived late on a Friday afternoon, and the area around the hotel was abuzz with activity.  Parking was a challenge, so we parked several blocks away and got our exercise by walking to the hotel, passing by some charming homes and flower gardens along the way.

Coronado Hotel has an elegant feel to it with heavy wood trim on the walls and staircases. The hotel is no small place and took us more than a few minutes to walk through it and out to the pool and courtyard. A reception for the American Pipe Coating Association was getting underway beside the pool. I didn’t recognize any of the participants. We stopped at the bar for an adult beverage then walked to the Coronado Brewing Company for dinner. Helen had an order of delicious fish tacos. I don’t remember what I ordered, but I’m sure it was good.

We returned to Fiddler’s Cove at sunset and sat stunned while the sun disappeared over the Marina. I have posted a picture, but it barely captures the real scene. A large crowd of campers gathered along the shore to take in the spectacle.

On our last day at Fiddler’s Cove, we watched the sailboat races taking place in the bay just beyond the Marina. The winds were perfect for the event and sailboats of every size, and stripe took advantage of the stiff breeze to determine the fastest boat in the harbor.  Since I’m not a sailor, I didn’t fully appreciate their efforts in negotiating what appeared to be demanding conditions, but those sailors gave us an afternoon of outstanding entertainment.

We’ll continue on our Lucy Does the Desert tour and return to the desert in another week or so, but we certainly enjoyed this visit to San Diego. As evidenced by this shorter than usual post, we were not overwhelmed with activity but, we had just what we were looking for…a little vacation within a vacation just sittin’ by the shore. Retirement is the best gig going and we’re Easin’ Along.