Lions and Tigers and Hot Mineral Spas!

January 11, 2011 –

We traveled from Anaheim to San Diego with little incident (how much trouble could we get into in a 2 hour journey?) and set up camp in the Chula Vista KOA.  This park is amazing – terraced and landscaped with over 300 sites.  The host a comely lad named Clint was most helpful, with suggestions, directions and all kinds of ideas for things to see and do. He also sold us tickets for the trolleys, the zoo and probably would have come with us if we’d asked!

Did laundry and noticed an ad for a tour from San Diego down the Baja Peninsula and back that was leaving that day………….HMMM, wonder how much money is in the bank right now??  Definitely something to check into later.  We decided to hold off exploring until the next day when we are rested. 

January 12 – Up at our usual time (quarter past coffee time), had breakfast, walked the dogs, and talked to some of the people on the Baja tour.  This tour company is based in Surrey BC (!!)  and has been around for quite a few years. 

They do not keep as regimented a schedule as some of the tours we have investigated…cheaper too! They don’t leave you stranded in the desert for days on end.  Much like our way of living.  They have a wagon master and a follow up rig and meander down the Baja on a 28 or 32 day tour.  We are very interested……..who knows, next year you may be reading of our adventures in Mexico!!

Drove down to Old Town (historical area that is the birthplace of California according to the people who should know) and had a look around – imagine Barkerville with warm weather and desert conditions.  Caught the trolley bus that takes you on a sightseeing trip around San Diego so we can see what we would like to explore tomorrow. 

Tour guides (you can hop off the bus, look around the area, and catch the next bus) were very knowledgeable with two having a quick wit, great repartee, and lots of puns and jokes.  We saw Old Town, Little Italy, the San Diego zoo, Coronado Island, etc.  There is much to see and do here so we go back to the park and book in for an additional night (3 in total).  Dinner was at a BBQ place recommended by our good friends in Victoria (Bruce and Buck).  Great food at a reasonable price, but difficult to find (very little lighting on their signs so we traveled up and down the street for many a mile!!

January 13 – Today we take on the San Diego Zoo.  This 120 acre world renowned zoo is nestled in a gorge…..so lots of up and down walking.  The animals are all displayed very well and look like they are cared for incredibly well.  Had a chance to talk to one of the keepers.  He was very knowledgeable about his particular animal and loved talking about the care and attention needed for this animal.  Enclosures are large and they have tried to copy the animal’s natural environment.  The neat thing is they have also given lots of opportunity for the public to view the animals for several different angles……..read as lots of pictures!!! 

Took the “overview” tour bus, then started walking.  Our plan was to start at the top of the “gully” and work our way down, but somehow we were always walking up hills, stairs, ramps, etc.  We saw all manner of birds, avoided the reptile house (note from Ed: NOT my idea!)  watched giraffes feeding (and drinking from a pond – can you say acrobatic?), lions sunning themselves, hippos sleeping in the warm sunshine, polar bears cavorting in and out of their pool, other hippos sleeping in shallow water with only their ears, eyes, and nostrils above water, monkeys swinging from trees, chimps chasing each other, and gorillas waiting by their hatch door (trying to trigger the hatch with a small stick through a hole by the bottom of the door), and lots more.  Suffice it to say, we could have spent the whole day there……………HEY, Wait a Minute……..we DID spend the whole day there!!  And our feet were sore enough to prove it!!

After leaving the zoo we drove around another area of the park that has some amazing museums.  We were too tired to look inside, but the facades were incredible.

During the city tour we learned that there is also a small outdoor amphitheatre in this park that for years hosted many musicals.  Then the San Diego airport added a few more runways……one that flew right over the theatre.  Apparently (this could be an urban legend) the low flying aircraft would drown out any performance so the producers came up with a plan.  There was a “plant” in the audience with a couple of bright lights.  When aircraft got too close the “plant” would stand up and shine a red light up to the sound booth and then to the conductor. 

The performance would freeze momentarily, the aircraft would fly over the theatre, and when the “plant” gave the green light to the sound booth and conductor the performance would resume.  Interesting to think about and very difficult for the actors and musicians.  Also in this park is a wonderful band shell that houses a magnificent pipe organ.  This pipe organ was donated to the city and the park by a wealthy San Diegan (we were told the name but can’t remember what it was).  The pipe organ was free only if there the city provided a free concert every Sunday afternoon…….and so the tradition continues.

Back to the RV park and we have arranged for the dogs to be clipped at PetSmart tomorrow.

January 14 -  Up early to get the dogs to the groomer, then off to find Ed a haircut (the groomer didn’t want to take him as well as doing the dogs – didn’t know if he bit and we didn’t have his rabies certificate – some groomer, huh?).

Waiting for the dogs gave us time to explore a little of Chula Vista – some VERY nice neighborhoods – great views, huge lots, huger houses, nice places.  We pick up the dogs and head back to the motor home as they are a little stressed. 

It also gave us a great chance to visit Mission San Diego…where it all started...yes….that’s right the first of the twenty one California Missions carved out of the wilderness by Father Junipero Serra.

Like so many of them Mission San Diego had fallen into ruin by the end of the 19^th Century but was lovingly restored and is now again a vibrant community.

Another night ‘at home’ as we are leaving this place tomorrow heading to Niland – or rather just north of Niland – the Fountain of Youth Spa RV park.

January 15 – Looking at the map the road looks easy with little to no difficulties and we find that is the case…………..until we head into the mountains.  California road crews thought it would be a very funny idea to let motorists know that there are regularly huge gusts of wind throughout the mountain pass (45 miles of mountain pass)…….just after motorists pass the last turnaround.  Big joke!! The signage warns drivers of large or tall vehicles that it is not advisable to travel this route.  They could have told us before getting on the road!! 

But then we remember that some warnings we have seen are not that terrible for Canadian drivers so we soldier on.  All was well with Ed gripping the wheel with both hands as gusts blew us one way and the other, but we were making great time.  That is until we reached a high mountain bridge that spans a deep gorge.  Halfway across the bridge a gust of wind hit the RV and I swear we were only on 2 wheels.  THEN Ross looked down into the gorge……….clean shorts time!!!  We made it across the bridge and crept the rest of the way to El Centro where we turned north heading toward the Fountain of Youth.

We arrive at this spa and are amazed how many Canadians are here – apparently (according to our neighbour who lives…..are you ready for it?......in West Kelowna!!!!) the park comprises of between 75% and 80% Canadians!!  We swear that we will see neighbours from back home sometime.  The park is huge (800 serviced spaces with 200 unserviced spaces usually used for people waiting for a space to open up….they don’t take reservations!!), paved, and terraced with most spaces having views of the Salton Sea.  We settle into one of the serviced spaces and breath a sigh of relief.  Then start looking around. 

The area around here has many hot springs and loads of hot mineral water and the park has been in operation for near 30 years.  There are 2 large swimming pools (both warm), 3 hot tubs of varying temps, all manner of activities (pool, shuffleboard, arts and crafts, library, mail room, 2 laundry rooms, a small mercantile store, a small restaurant, meeting rooms, a card room, plenty of motor homes/manufactured homes for sale at a good price……and sun, SUN, SSUUNN!!! 

After a couple of days we realized that we both would like to stay longer than the week we have booked.  We are relaxed and starting to have a little fun.  We are near El Centro, Palm Springs, Salton Sea, and Indio.  We are also told that the temp is usually in the 70s during the winter but gets up to 110s during the summer (that’s too hot for us, but we also are usually in Canada during the summer, so that takes care of that!).  The one drawback that we can see is the park has “iffy” WiFi service.

January 16 – We lounge around the rig for awhile, then take the dogs for a walk, then meander down to the pool, then back to the rig for sundown cocktails (and what a sundown!!). That took most of the day………I don’t know exactly WHAT we did, but we are feeling better/more relaxed.  We both still have colds but they will abate sometime soon…..we hope.  We are also hoping to see Donna and Norm Lynch for Penticton who are staying at Borrego Springs on the other side of the Salton Sea.