After a morning at Torrey Pines, we drove to La Jolla (pronounced Lahoya), a wealthy neighbourhood on the Pacific coast of San Diego. When we arrived, I read the sign exactly as it sounded, ...... and my host, Laurie, just cringed. Apparently the locals are rather sensitive about the way the pronunciation of their neighbourhood’s name is repeatedly massacred. We made our way down the street to one of the staircases that descends to La Jolla Cove. As we looked over the retaining wall, we could see California sea lions sunning themselves on the rocks at the water’s edge. Aro [View Full Entry]

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This is the last blog entry I am publishing today, dear friends. If you haven't guessed by now, I can only post blog entries when I am somewhere I can actually get on line. I usually just update my journal on my laptop and then work on the travelblog site when I can find an internet location. Then I end up posting several blog entries all at once. Please don't feel pressured to read everything in one sitting. Open my entries at your convenience. I hope you are all enjoying this journal of our trip. One day we drove down the [View Full Entry]

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Sea World, San Diego, was probably our favourite site in California. We absolutely enjoyed every minute! Janice, Nathanael and I spent two days at the park, not only because there was so much to see, but the ticket price included a two-day visit, anyway. (It was the same in Busch Garden and the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, but, sadly, Nathanael and I only had one day to give those sites so we missed out on the extra time we could have spent there.) Janice was able to purchase our tickets on line and get a small discount doing so. Therefore, on [View Full Entry]

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We left the tide pools and headed towards the Old Point Loma Lighthouse which sits high atop the southern tip of, ..... what else?, ..... Point Loma, San Diego. The point forms a natural protective barrier at the entrance of San Diego Bay. Like a sandstone rampart jutting into the sea, the peninsula rises 422 feet above the water and provides strategic views of the harbour and ocean. In 1852 it was designated as a military reserve and gun batteries were built in 1899. During World Wars I and II military installations on the point provided vital coast and harbour defence. [View Full Entry]

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What a busy day this Friday has turned out to be. We drove into some of the down town areas of San Diego, past “Midway Drive” and “Nimitz Blvd.” That was really cool. Following lunch, we drove through Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery on our way to the Pacific Tide Pools. A burial ground before 1847, this graveyard became an army post cemetery in the 1860’s. It is the final resting place for over 50,000 U.S. servicemen who have served honourably in war and peace. Geographically, this cemetery is located on a narrow spit of land between the Pacifi [View Full Entry]

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So much to see, ... so little time! Friday, April 24, finds us on our first foray “down the hill” into “Old Town” San Diego State Historic Park and sites along the Pacific coast. The Kumeyaay Indians lived near the San Diego River for thousands of years before the mission and presidio were built in this town. In 1769 Spanish colonization began with construction of the royal Presidio and the first in a chain of 21 California missions. At first the natives were friendly with the settlers but this changed when their traditions and beliefs came into conflict [View Full Entry]

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Wednesday, April 22nd, our first full day in Alpine, California, and it is wonderful to finally be here. We have been looking forward to making it to the Pacific coast for a long time and Nathanael can hardly wait to dip his toes in the ocean. The Schwark’s have actually been expecting us since the last Lutheran Girl Pioneer convention in March of 2008 when I asked Laurie if it would be okay to visit. Our hosts live in a ranch-style bungalow that they are renovating little by little. We have parked the RV in the laneway and the three of [View Full Entry]

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On Tuesday, April 21, we set the alarm clock for 4:00 a.m. Why such an early hour when you have no itinerary and are on vacation? You may ask that question. The answer is simple, ....... we wanted to have a good part of the desert behind us before the day got too hot. By the time we had all showered and loaded the RV with last minute food items, it was 5:30 a.m. It was gloriously cool when we left. We headed north on highway I-10 with Janice and I sharing the driving. From Phoenix it was west on I-8, [View Full Entry]

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The week after Easter has been a flurry of activity, ..... homeschooling and preparing for our trip to California. We asked Janice to come with us and she accepted the invitation. So there will be three of us heading west in another week’s time. As we have run errands and travelled around the Tucson area, we have come to appreciate all the things that make this city so special. Nathanael and I can honestly say we have truly loved every place we have visited but since so much of our time has been spent here, we have really been able to [View Full Entry]

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After visiting the Grand Canyon, we returned to Tucson in time for Palm Sunday and then the Holy Week celebrations leading up to Easter. Nathanael continued with homeschooling during the week and we went shopping for a few Easter treats to hand out when Janice’s family came over Easter Day. On Maundy Thursday, April 9, we spent part of the day cleaning Janice’s house and yard for the company we were expecting Easter Sunday. Nathanael pulled weeds for a cent a plant and raked the new pods that had fallen from the front tree since he had cleaned up earlier in [View Full Entry]

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