Firstly, a fond farewell to Phoenix and a passing shot of their fully enclosed Stadium -- with temperatures when we left of 100 degrees mid morning I is hardly any wonder that they play their American football in a fully air conditioned building -- it is huge
So having headed on to the I-10 once again it was towards LA we went ---
Till we got on to the I-8, heading towards Mexico way --- Yuma is a place that Rod & Ann and Lynda and I know well as it was here -- in Gila Bend that we stayed in a pretty small rundown Motel owned by folk from India and had a dreadful meal in a Space Age Restaurant and all because there was a motorbike rally in Yuma were there wasn't a room to be had anywhere.
But no time for stopping to reminisce -- we are on a mission
Shame about the image as we were passing through the largest sola farm I have ever seen in my life and when you see the kind of hot , arid scrub land it is a perfect use for it.
We drove for miles through areas that are so similar to the Sahara Desert - massive sand dunes and with irrigation projects -- I remember in Lybia how under Gadaffi they build canals from an underground lake pumping well and started to reclaim the desert turning parts into very prosperous fruit farms. Not sure if the americans plan to do the same.
Unusual name -- combination of California and Mexico and it is from here that you can see a fence that has been separating the two countries for many a year -- way before Mr Trumps wall was mentioned -- the picture below shows the location but the zoom didn't pick it up -- so added one from the archives
Plenty of evidence of sustainable power solutions being established on the trip
And also of engineering feats of nature that defy description as to how they survive--
Some evidence that the Triffids are alive and well in southern California
And the occasional station where the USA show great strength in their determination to try to control their borders
So this is the view on the road down to our hotel which is in a great location near to the Maritime Museum and Harbour.
An amazing collection of ships from this one -- The star of India to the aircraft carrier USS Medway
Great sunset
IT includes a 1542 replica of the Galleon "San Salvadore" which looks amazing.
For an evening stroll and dinner in this lively area
Shame that a hen night groups evening cruise came to an inauspicious end with this puncture in the middle of the main street.
Wonderful spicy shrimp pasta - well it was Italian
With lots of street entertainment as well
And the Americans have museums in every city for just about everything and here was no exception and well done to them for the way it was put together , although Lynda was extremely disappointed that having showed how the hanging from the side of a fire engine was done , that there were no big hunky firemen around to carry her away.
The beautiful Jacaranda Trees in full bloom on nearly every street
Like many cities , San Diego has its Gaslight District which was full of pubs , bars and restuarants
Lynda and I both were amazed by the wonderful Architecture in all the high rise blocks of Hotels , Offices and apartments -- it is a city though while dense at first glance does give a feeling of space.
It is also one of the cleanest cities I have ever seen.
More ships
We drove around the Bay and came on to the peninsula of what has Ocean Beach an a Naval base called Point Lema where the public are able to drive through and I have to say that on America's Mothers Sunday , how poignant was that the we saw more graves in one spot than I have ever seen in my life before----
So Ocean Beach is where we eventually headed for -- it is a bit of a throw back place where 60's hippies mix with 2018 surfers and has wall to wall surfers while drivers like me desperately try to avoid the craze her of wizzing around on motorized scooters
Not sure if what went in to the Burgers in this place was completely legal -- or maybe what would not have been legal in the UK but the queue was right round the block
WE both reckon that we could gladly take loads of stuff from this shop out to the house in Greece.
A bit of beach sculpture
The inevitable selfie - especially with the Pacific Ocean in the background
And so on to late lunch up the coast in a place called Pacific Beach and it was a wonderful relaxing time in the open air place late in the afternoon -- Fish & Chips for me and a very large Burger for Lynda -- yummy -- her cocktail wasn't bad either.
WE were going to walk the pier but it was a little blowy so it was on Terra Firma only
So that's it San Diego -- we really enjoyed our couple of days here-- you are we think an extremely exciting and relaxing city all at the same time -- we think you offer an incredible array of things for people of every need and opportunities and we thoroughly enjoyed sharing just a small bit of what you offer--- definitely a place where there was a time I think we might have considered living.
Adios Amigos
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