Busy Week In San Diego

 

 

Debbie, Kim (Travels of Kimbopolo), and Suzanne (Take To The Highway) arrived on Saturday. We went for a walk along Mission Bay and had a fun happy hour. Hector and Brenda (Island Girl Walkabout) joined the party, too. First time a bottle has broken trying to open a beer, but Jim wasn’t going to waste a drop. And yes, there were pieces of glass in the strainer.

That evening we walked along the bay again to catch the rising of the full moon.

 

We were not alone.

On Easter Sunday we went to the Hillcrest farmer’s market. Didn’t buy much but it was fun looking around and people watching. We didn’t even realize Hillcrest Brewery was on the same street as the market so we just had to stop for a tasting. 11:30 am on Easter Sunday and we weren’t the only ones there. The beer was good but not our favorite. We forgot our camera but Kim got this candid shot of the Easter Bunny enjoying a probably much needed cold one.

Jim had his follow up appointment with the ophthalmologist on Monday so we went back to La Jolla while Debbie, Kim and Suzanne visited Cabrillo National Monument since we had already been. Jim’s eye is doing well and his vision is greatly improved.

On Tuesday Suzanne joined us for a bike ride around Mission Bay and along the boardwalks of Mission and Pacific beaches. We hadn’t planned on a beer stop but she suggested it so we couldn’t disappoint her. We ended up back at Draft, a brewpub on Pacific beach with a huge number of beers on tap. We really liked a few by Karl Strauss and decided we needed to visit their brewery. That evening we went to dinner at OB Noodle House at Ocean Beach. The food was good and they have a huge beer selection but it was quite crowded and the music was so loud we could barely hear each other talk. I would hate to have to work in a place that noisy.

The next day we were in need of a hike so we went back to La Jolla to Torrey Pines State Reserve. We parked for free along the beach, which means having to walk up a long steep hill to enter the park. You can also drive up the hill and pay $10 to park. Since we needed the exercise and the views were so nice it felt good to make the climb.

It was a gorgeous day, but then they’ve all been like this since we got to San Diego. We hiked nearly all of the trails in the park, about 7.5 miles worth. Most of them are fairly easy and very scenic. The park is home to the rare Torrey pine tree.

Such a beautiful place. I would recommend coming on a weekday to avoid the crowds. There were enough people there during the week.

Happy hikers Kim, Suzanne, Jim and Gayle. It was a bit windy!

Badlands and ocean. What a great combination.

We could see quite a few parasails and hang gliders so after the hike we drove to the launch area and watched some takeoffs and landings. Wish I had the nerve to do this. Maybe in my next life I won’t have such a fear of heights.

Since it was now going on 5 pm we just had to stop somewhere to sit out rush hour. Just so happened to be a Karl Strauss tasting room in La Jolla right on our way home. Suzanne found the love of her life, 26th Anniversary Belgian Dark Strong Ale. I think we all fell in love with that one.

And a selfie with a little help from the mirror.

We had to walk off some of that beer and were parked just a couple blocks from the beach so we went to check out La Jolla Cove. Lots of kayaks in the water, plenty of birds, and a few lazy sea lions.

 

I think Suzanne was a bit too close to the wildlife. Just last week a man got his arm bit and was dragged into Mission Bay by a sea lion. Of course he was getting his picture taken while holding up a fish he just caught, so there was a good reason for the attack.

 

Yesterday we went to Balboa Park to walk around and admire the buildings and gardens. Another lovely day.

Debbie and Kim just had to stop and smell the roses but surprisingly most of them didn’t smell like much of anything.

Bet you can guess we stopped off at a couple breweries on the way home. We went back to Belching Beaver and Thorn St. where we went with Paul and Nina on our first day in San Diego. This bike was parked outside of Thorn St.

So far these along with Karl Strauss are our favorite beers of all we’ve tried here. But we have one more week to go so that may change!