Saturday 4th January
Breakfast at the hotel. Spent the day at the HSS Midway
Aircraft Carrier Museum. Six hours! Interesting. Found Little Italy after that and had
coffee and cake. Returned on the trolley train again and ordered in pizza for
dinner. Watched telly and relaxed. Maybe Mexico tomorrow…
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| HSS Midway Aircraft Carrier -massive |
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| Boarding the ship |
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| View of downtown San Diego from the ship |
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| On board |
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| Aircraft on the ship's deck - looking west |
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| Looking down from the flight deck |
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| Hugh in the Flight Controller seat |
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| Petty Officer Lucy |
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| Hugh at the Officer's Quarters with a wax man |
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| Sailor Sculpture at waterfront |
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| Hugh in Top Gun plane |
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| Lucy and Mum flying the plane |
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| Mum in jail |
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| Graduation of Junior Pilots and presentation with Wings |
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| Bob Hope Memorial Point |
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| Lucy and John amongst sculptures at Bob Hope Memorial Point |
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| Submarine |
Sunday 5th January
Padre Trail Inn, San Diego Old Town to Mexican Border and back. 72kms.
We were away at 8.30am and made good time into town and south past the Convention Centre and into National City. Rode around the naval base and into Chula Vista. Some pretty ordinary riding through to San Ysidro and then lots of money-changing booths and shops and some busy areas directly before the border. It was exciting to see signs to Tijuana and Mexico and the International Frontiere. Took photos and walked across the pedestrian bridge but hard to sink in that we have made it from Vancouver to Mexico.
Came back via a cycleway that was much more scenic and lovely than the trip there. Stopped for a very late picnic lunch at the Chula Vista Marina Park. Made quick time back into town and came back to the hotel before eating out again at Fiesta del Reyes – thought Mexican was appropriate on such a momentous day. Quite a long ride so all a bit tired after it.
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| Biking through Downtown San Diego towards Mexico |
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| Lucy and Hugh at a crossroads |
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| On bridge to Mexico, border behind |
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| Mexico border |
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| Walking to Mexico |
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| Tijuana from the bridge |
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| John and Hugh at the endpoint |
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| Bridget and Lucy at the endpoint |
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| About to turn right towards San Diego |
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| San Ysidro |
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| John finds his favourite packing bags at a market in San Ysidro |
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| Salt works with Coronado Island behind |
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| A Spaghetti Junction cycleway! |
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| Heading back into San Diego |
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| Santa Fe Station and trolley buses, Downtown San Diego |
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| Celebrating making the border at Fiesta Del Reyes Mexican restaurant,Old Town |
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| Boys |
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| Enjoying the outdoor fires, live Mariachi music and ambience |
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| Chips at a Mexican restaurant Hugh?? |
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| The chairs at Fiesta Del Reyes - gorgeous |
Monday 6th January
San Diego Zoo
Arrived at the zoo at 10.15am by trolley and bus. Started by going on an open storied double-decker bus right around the zoo and saw many cool things – polar bears, tigers, baby giraffes, rhino, hippos, koalas, flamingos, elephants, bears and gorgeous luscious gardens and rainforest everywhere – which we loved after the brown of the deserts.
Wandered through the zoo for hours looking at pandas, snakes, leopards, jaguars, endless cute monkeys, hippos in the water, lions, orangutans and chimpanzees. There were lots of cool things. Later we went on the aerial tramway twice which was cool and also saw the gorilla! Amazing.
Went on right until 5pm when the zoo closed and then bused and trained to the historic Gaslamp Quarter which was fabulous and we found a wee boutique brewery and had gourmet burgers and a beer. Happy time and wandered back to the trolley and home.
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| Mexican bunting in Old Town |
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| Our home for six nights -Padre Trail Inn |
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| San Diego Zoo |
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| Polar bears |
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| Feeding time for elephants |
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| Grizzly bears asleep |
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| Giraffes with two babies - one only three weeks old |
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| Another picture because he was so cute! |
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| Not so cute but still cool rhino |
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| Pink Flamingoes |
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| Gibbon stretching - big arms! |
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| Chimpanzee |
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| BIG snake!! |
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| Hippo |
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| Lucy and Hugh on foot massager |
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| Panda mother |
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| Baby panda eating bamboo |
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| Dribbling camel |
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| Koalas a long way from home |
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| Aerial tramway over forest canopy - very cool |
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| Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego |
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| Historic Heart of San Diego |
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| The Hopping Pig where we had dinner |
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| Main street in Gaslamp Quarter |
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| Avoiding the historic freeze in balmy Southern California |
Tuesday 7th January
Balboa Park. Had a nice time at Balboa Park. Just visited the Automotive Museum and the Air and Space Museum. Wandered back to little Italy and had dinner at an Italian trattoria where they had half price bottles of wine. Lovely and really good value. Happy times.
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| Trolley bus arriving |
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| Riding the trolley bus |
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| San Diego Automotive Museum Corvette exhibition - Where's Lucy? |
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| Louie Mattar's incredible car |
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| The actual car |
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| Air and Space Museum - Lucy with Charles Lindberg |
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| Little Italy |
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| Home on the trolley after long day |
Wednesday 8th January
We explored Old Town San Diego in the morning with realblacksmithing and donkeys and lots of history - very Mexican and lots of historic material about the Mexican Wars. We returned to Balboa Park on the dodgy bus and this time walked in the sun, rode the trolley bus and went to the Tinkden Art Gallery and the Botanical Lath Garden and the Railroad Museum. It was really nice and relaxing and a beautiful day in a beautiful park. Returned to Little Italy and had coffee and then dinner later at another little Italian café which was great.
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| Old Town |
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| Blacksmith demonstration and lesson |
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| Stagecoach |
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| Wells and Fargo Mail Coach |
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| Donkeys in Old Town |
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| Tinkem Museum of Art |
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| Balboa Park - beautiful |
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| Botanical wooden lath structure at Balboa Park |
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| Lucy and Hugh |
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| Poinsetta display |
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| Model railway Museum at Balboa Park |
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| Just one of many railroad scenes |
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| My favourite! |
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| New hat! |
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