MISSION BAY, PUMPKINS, TRAINS AND WALKS – SAN DIEGO STAY

 We very frequently went to Mission Bay while in San Diego for several reasons  one being that our grandson loved it and played happily on the lawns there for hours together and also because it was very relaxing and calming even to us 

Mission Bay is located to the south of the Pacific Beach community of San Diego, created from 2,000 acres of wetland, salt marsh, and saltwater bay habitat, though ravaged by year-round tidal waters it was a natural habitat and refuge for large water fowl populations like ducks, geese, herons, egrets, ospreys and gulls.

Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo named the area “Bahía Falsa,” or “False Bay,” and the present name "Mission Bay" comes from a poem by Rose Hartwick Thorpe originally published in San Francisco newspaper -The Golden Era in 1888.

The bay is part of the recreational Mission Bay Park, the largest man-made aquatic park in the United States of 4,235 acres comprising of approximately 46% land and 54% water. 

We noticed that now the bay is equipped with recreational opportunities like Wakeboarding, Jet skiing, cycling, jogging, roller skating, skate boarding and sun bathing making mission bay a favorite and popular place for residents and visitors of San Diego as is evident by the number of people frequenting it 

Mission Bay Yacht Club situated on the west side of the bay, conducts sailing races year-round in the bay and the nearby Pacific Ocean and has produced national sailing champions in many classes. 

Fiesta Island, a large peninsular park located within Mission Bay, has a large off-leash dog park and we would see people with their dogs happily playing with the waves, it is also a popular location for charity walks and runs, bicycle races, time trials and other special events 

Mission Bay has 27 miles of shoreline, 19 of which are sandy beaches with only eight locations designated as official swimming areas ,so swimmers and sunbathers take advantage of the warm water, calm surf conditions and the sands here. 

There are playgrounds for children and stretches of grassy lawns for kids to roll in glee 

We could find Public restrooms and saw lifeguard stations located in designated areas.

On the east side of the bay is a network of channels and islands which are used by wind surfers and water skiers, totally it was a fun area for families to chill and enjoy with their kids

We went to the Pumpkin patch in Carlsbad on an October day with our grandson 

Every year, the fall Pumpkin Patch opens in September last week and stays open till November first week from 9am to 7pm 

As it would be predictably dusty and hot we wore sturdy shoes and caps, we took the tickets and entered and Lo Behold! , there were pumpkins everywhere our eyes fell in the 7 acre field and our grandson went naturally crazy and tried to sit on some of them

The Corn Maze was an exciting challenge for adventurous guests,the corn rose high over the rows of switchbacks and confusing turns and we saw excited guests mostly youngsters run through the maze to see whose time was the fastest.

We visited the marigold fields where the guests were strictly instructed not to pluck any flowers, historically, marigolds are used in the celebration of the fall Mexican holiday, Dia de los Muertos. It is believed that the color and smell of the marigold flowers leads the souls to their families to reunify in celebration 

There were plenty of photo booths designed for guests to pose and there were tractor rides too which we dared to try, of course with a sore back in the process ,LOL !

Apparently California farms produce an astounding 157 million pounds of pumpkins each year and this family farm in Carlsbad is owned and operated by the Ukegawa family for the past forty years. With 40 acres of open space and 25 acres of farmland, they have been growing crops since the 1950’s and also donate produce to local families as their community contribution

These pumpkin fields are close to the Carlsbad Flower Fields, Premium Outlets and the fabulous Legoland making it a full day tour for a family.

The most favorite activity for our tiny tot was the petting zoo enclosure where he could see and touch the rabbits and goats, we had great difficulty stopping him from carrying a tiny rabbit home

Bounce land was another experience immensely liked by all the kids as they could bounce away as long as they could and of course it was difficult to drag the children away from it ,I found that the ticket cost of 30 dollars an hour was quite a bouncer for the parents too

There were food stalls and trucks where we could buy food and drinks. Mexican food, coffee, drinks, kettle corn and ice cream were available. There was shade and large seating areas with tables and chairs for relaxation and dining. 

We returned home tired but happy with a sulking toddler who didn’t want to leave his rabbits

One more place I used to enjoy walking regularly when I stayed in San Diego was the San Diego Miramar College 

It began in 1969 on land which originally was an auxiliary U.S. Navy landing field called Hourglass Field. The U.S. Navy acquired the land in 1941 and gave it for civilian aircraft use after World War II. The San Diego Unified School District purchased the land in 1965 and built an educational facility now a comprehensive college with over 16,000 students. It's home to the Southern California Biotechnology Center, the Advanced Transportation and Energy Center, and the San Diego Regional Public Safety Institute.

It has a 30 acre community park which includes sports fields, swimming pool and a field house, Gil Johnson Recreation Center, Verne Goodwin Senior Center , Epi- centre, Veterans Memorial & Community Flag Pole , 2 Children’s play areas, Gazebo ,Multi-Sport Fields with lights , Outdoor Basketball Courts with lights, Orlando Vernacchio Memorial Bench, SDPD Neighborhood Storefront & SDFD Fire Station 38 , Restroom/Concession Building  and Ned Baumer Aquatic Center

Though I went there almost daily sometimes with my grandson in his pram or alone, either in the morning or evening I never felt unsafe,

Walking was a pleasure enjoying the fresh air, looking at the trees and plants with seasonal flowers, especially the youngsters attending the college gave me a lot of happiness ,I still feel nostalgic about that college campus

We one day travelled on the Pacific surf liner just to experience the train journey 

We had booked our tickets online, as we waited in the station, the Surf liner cars and Charger locomotives painted in a blue and silver livery unique to the Pacific Surf liner smoothly came in 

We eagerly got in and went up to the upper deck where the views would be fantastic, as much of the Pacific Surf liner's scenic route follows the Pacific coast, with the tracks being less than 100 feet from the ocean in some locations.

We could see the coast, the sea waves and the ever present surfers enjoying the sunny day all through our journey

As we had booked business class, we received complimentary coffee, tea, water, juice, and pastries in the morning. At lunch time, they gave us a snack box and a soft drink and a glass of wine. Snack boxes included chips, crackers, cookies, cheese, and trail mix.

The Pacific Surf liner is a 350-mile passenger train service serving the communities on the coast of Southern California between San Diego and San Luis Obispo and is the Amtrak's third-busiest service 

It is the successor of the San Diegan, a Los Angeles–San Diego service operated since 1938 by the Santa Fe Railway until Amtrak took over operations in 1971, it was renamed the Pacific Surf liner in 2000.

It had a six-car set has a business class car, one Superliner car, two coach cars, a coach/café car with food sales on the lower level and a coach/baggage/cab car equipped with coach seating, a checked baggage space on the lower level, and engineer's operating cab.

Apparently additional Amtrak-owned cars are added during periods of high demand, like the San Diego Comic-Con, the San Diego County Fair and events at the Del Mar racetrack 

A TRYST WITH THE SEA LIONS AT LA JOLLA COVE AND CROSSING THE CORONADO BRIDGE – SAN DIEGO STAY

 We one day went to La Jolla cove right by the La Jolla village, we reached there quite early though it was a chilly morning as parking is quite difficult to get there. 

La Jolla Cove is a small secluded cove with a beach that is surrounded by cliffs in La Jolla, a community of San Diego, Point La Jolla forms the south side of the cove. The area is protected as part of a marine reserve and is very popular.

 It was an awesome place, as we parked our car we could see tourists enjoying their breakfast in the wide variety of restaurants, cafes and locals were either sedately walking or jogging away, I think San Diego is one city where I found maximum number of all categories of people either walking or jogging at all times of the day 

Because La Jolla Cove is within the San Diego-La Jolla Underwater Park (a marine refuge area) swimming devices such as surfboards, boogie boards, and inflatable mattresses, are not permitted, and kayakers are not allowed into the Cove.

We found waves from the open ocean large and strong.  While the beach has only a small dry sand area at high tide, as we went during the low tides, we found tide pools at the cove.

We could see the California sea lions in the waters of the cove and also lazily sun bathing on its beaches, cliffs, and bluffs. 

As an ecological reserve, no fishing is allowed and the collecting of marine invertebrates, (even taking dead specimens or seashells) is prohibited, there were boards displayed to that effect. All sea animals are protected by law, including the orange Garibaldi fish, which are unusually common in the cove. 

we found that the air throughout the La Jolla Cove area was filled with the odor of sea lion and bird feces but the water was crystal clear and obviously warm as we found people snorkeling, diving and checking out sea caves 

As the area was secluded it was definitely congenial for swimming and relaxation, we could see kids swimming under safe guidance of their wards, some older people were relaxing in their portable chairs reading or dozing and some kids were actively building sand castles

The most endearing part of the cove were the hilarious sea lions that have made part of this beach their home and were posing away to glory, they were busy barking, growling and grunting, one small bold kid tried to sit on a sea lion which wanted to adopted him but he was fortunately rescued by the scared mother, we could get down to the beach through the steps and wet our feet

Local tourism asks visitors to take photos from a distance as due respect has to be shown to the beautiful sea lions, so one has to maintain healthy distance from them so that they can peacefully do their sunbathing un interrupted, they however seemed to tolerate the pesky sea gulls sportively 

Another day found us at Coronado an island just across the bay from downtown San Diego, we had to go on the Coronado bridge which was 2.12-mile long with a vertical clearance of approximately 200 feet, allowing the tallest ships to pass beneath it , it was a beautiful and exhilarating experience to go on the bridge with awesome views on both sides

It is a pre stressed concrete/steel girder bridge fixed-link, crossing over San Diego Bay and it was in 1926 that John D. Spreckels proposed the idea of a bridge between San Diego and Coronado.

After a long gap, in 1951–52, the Coronado City Council initiated plans for bridge feasibility studies, the bridge length was increased by taking a curved path rather than a more direct path to Coronado. 

The principal architect was Robert Mosher, construction started in February 1967. The bridge required 20,000 tons of steel and opened to traffic on August 3, 1969, during the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the founding of San Diego. 

The bridge ascends from Coronado at a 4.67 percent grade before curving 80 degrees toward San Diego. It is supported by 27 concrete girders, the longest ever made at construction time.

The bridge contains five lanes, the bridge was designed entirely and exclusively for motor vehicle traffic, there are no pedestrian walkways or bike paths 

The pillars supporting the bridge on the eastern end are painted with huge murals as part of Chicano Park, the most extensive collection of Chicano art murals in the world and the bridge is lit brightly in the evening which is a site to behold

Unfortunately the Coronado Bridge is frequently used as a suicide bridge also.

Coronado is known for its gentle surf, sparkling ( thanks to presence of the mineral mica) wide-sand beaches, charming main streets and great hotels, including the famous Hotel del Coronado,  this charming small town has been dubbed "The Crown City," as Coronado means "the crowned one" in Spanish.

One can rent a bike and tour the island via Coronado's beachfront boardwalk. We had once seen Coronado after having gone there in a ferry from Seaport 

The grand Victorian Hotel del Coronado opened in 1888 and across from the hotel, the wide, flat Coronado Beach draws surfers and sunbathers. Its western stretch includes the leash-free Coronado Dog Beach.

We usually visited the Tidelands Park the biggest of Coronado’s parks which is particularly busy on the weekend when baseball, soccer and other sports teams take over the park. 

What we always liked about the park was the hassle free ample parking, the park offered a small beach, recreational fields, picnic areas and plenty of open space. In addition the park had a scenic bike path from the Silver Strand to the Old Ferry Landing

While we were there, we would see families enjoying the warm weather children would enjoy the park equipment under the eye of watchful adults.

What I particularly liked was the whimsical bike sculpture (appropriately named "My Bike"), there were several other sculptures too

There were benches to sit and rest and look at the world passing by, naval ships docked for repairs and various ships loaded and unloaded their wares

The Coronado bridge glistened gracefully, downtown buildings haughtily looked down on us and flights descended and departed reminding us that time flies fast and our home awaited us.