RVLovers Adventures

March 12, 2001

More of San Diego

We are still in California. We stayed in Chula Vista RV Resort and Marina for three weeks, then moved up the road a few miles to Silver Strand State Park, a beach site right on the Pacific Ocean between Imperial Beach and Coronado.

This is apparently the latest beach sport, as seen from our campsite on the beach:

We like to fly kites, but I don't think we'll try this way.

Despite the cooler than normal temperatures and almost daily threat of rain, we were able to see most of the attractions around San Diego in the past two weeks.

La Jolla Cove

The cliff-lined coast of this expensive residential enclave of San Diego is worth taking the time for a short walk.

The picture to your left is of black birds (double-breasted cormorants) sunning on a rock. And the white color of the rock - well, use your imagination...

But the birds were not the only wildlife that were impressive that day.

Behind Mary on the beach are almost 100 brown seals that have taken over one of the beaches. This was supposed to be a "children's beach", but since the seals took over, it has been closed off to humans.

  San Diego Zoo

Fewer than 1,000 pandas remain in China's dwindling bamboo forests, and only 100 pandas live in zoos and breeding centers, most of them in China. Shi Shi and Bai Yun are on loan from China, and 18 months ago a baby panda was born at the San Diego zoo. The yearling, Hua Mei, has just been separated from his mother, Bai Yun. Pandas naturally live a solidary existence in the wild, and usually separate from their mothers at his age. The baby panda is still quite a bit smaller than his parents.

Hua Mei was weaned last month and is now eating bamboo, his favorite pastime. Did you know that pandas spend 12 to 14 hours a day eating? That translates to about 5 tons of bamboo per panda per year! Fortunately, bamboo grows easily in San Diego's warm climate. The pandas' food is harvested fresh from the zoo grounds as well as nearby botanical gardens.

Koalas from Australia, a zoo favorite

We have lots of other zoo pictures, so if you want to see them, please ask and we'll send them...Or you can see more pictures on their website by clicking here: www.sandiegozoo.com

Whale Watch

We had been waiting for the perfect day to go on a Whale Watch. The gray whales migrate up the Pacific Coast to Alaska for the summer. In January through March they are in the San Diego area. Last Sunday we found the perfect day to go on the Bright and Morning Star, a boat out of Chula Vista. We saw a pair of whales, but getting pictures of them was another story. However, the scenery along the San Diego Bay out to the ocean was almost better than seeing the whales.

  Here we are going out toward the Pacific. We are still in the bay, and have just passed under the Coronado Bridge.

The seagulls kept following us a long way because they were being fed popcorn by some kids on the boat.

After seeing the skyline of downtown San Diego, we passed by Point Loma. Below you can see the old lighthouse atop Pt. Loma, and the newer active light to the left below.

We will leave this idyllic place in a few days (although Mary would prefer to stay even longer) and meander north to see the remainder of California.

We are looking forward to April, when Mary's daughter Julie will join us in San Francisco for a week.

Stay tuned for further adventures, and don't forget to e-mail us.