Sunday, April 28, 2013

Saturday in Beautiful San Diego

After my Saturday morning tour of Vespa Motorsport, I took T.C.'s advice and decided to see Point Loma. But first, when I entered "Point Loma" in the GPS, the first option to pop up was Point Loma Yacht Club, which is on the harbor, not on the point. So, I rode out past the waterfront airport along the bay shore, which reminded me a little of Honolulu's Magic Island.

San Diego Harbor waterfront is a great place to walk, bike and fish while admiring the yachts, cruise ships and aircraft carriers.

San Diego enjoys unmatched access to transportation. Downtown has trolley's, Amtrack trains, an international airport, cruise ships, yachts and freeways. I was surprised to see a railroad crossing right in the middle of the business district. By comparison, Honolulu seems more difficult, smaller and limited.

Still, I'm told all those transportation options create massive traffic jams in downtown San Diego. Sounds familiar.

The San Diego skyline makes a nice backdrop for a Saturday afternoon outing.

I did a little more research and found the Point Loma National Monument on the GPS and found the right road out to the Cabrillo Lighthouse and Fort Rosencranz National Cemetery.

The view from the Point Loma Visitor Center is outstanding.
The choice of the top of Point Loma as a lighthouse site was unfortunate. As you can see, it is hundreds of feet above the ocean and the marine layer of fog, which made the light useless in challenging weather. Hence, it was decommissioned and another lighthouse was built on the shoreline below the bluff.
The lighthouse has been restored and furnished with authentic nineteenth century furniture and equipment true to the era when it was in service.
The staircase up to the light makes an interesting picture.
The top of the tower is sealed off, but the lamp can be seen through this grate. There is another Fresnel lens on display in an adjoining building for visitors to examine up close.
Fort Rosencranz National Cemetery, like Honolulu's Punchbowl, is a beautiful and serene spot.
Not as famous as Arlington or Punchbowl, Rosencranz has an impressive number of graves.

In the past, when friends visited San Diego, they always came back with pictures of the Del Coronado Hotel, which is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. So I braved the bridge out to Coronado Island, which you can see in the distance in the first picture at the top of this post.

Coronado Island and the hotel are both beautiful, but on a sunny Saturday afternoon, the place was choked with traffic, like Kalakaua Avenue on a Friday evening in Waikiki. I snapped a picture of the iconic hotel, did a U-turn and headed back over the bridge.

I saw the famous gabled roof of the Del Coronado, but this is the best photo I could get of the hotel without finding a place to park. The island was packed with visitors.

It was almost 3 p.m. and I'd missed lunch. I went looking for a Subway with Garmin's help. On the way, I found the perfect place for a Hawaii boy to dine.

I've decided to low-carb my way out of five or ten pounds on this trip. Finding a low-carb meal at the L&L can be a challenge. What a place to start, eh? I opted for Kalua pig and cabbage with green salad and a glass of water.

 

2 comments:

  1. Seattle is a beautiful city. I am having shivers thinking about those bridge crossings.
    Jeannie

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  2. Seattle, San Diego, whatever. Nice view from the top of that bridge to Coronado Island.

    ReplyDelete