We all thought spring was finally in the air on Wednesday when the temperature got up close to 70°. The bike club went out on a new section of neighborhood trail. Eventually it will connect up to the Piney and Cherry Creek Trails (meaning you could ride all the way to downtown Denver from my house). For the time being we have to ride across about 100 yards of dirt and then hop a chain going across the trail, but it's still better than riding down the road alongside the cars, especially with the way people drive around here.
Most of the snow is gone, but there's still some ice and mud on the trails. It's a little scary coming out of darkened tunnels, because that seems to be the worst spots with runoff from the overpasses. And, of course, we're not totally out of winter yet. The day after our bike ride, it snowed another inch. At least it melts off a lot faster than it did last month.
Janet surged ahead of me again in our Colorado Trail hike challenge. I had a lot more motivation to walk when I was in San Diego, because the scenery was so beautiful (something other than brown or dirty white). We have less than 200 miles to finish the trail. Our original goal was June 1st, but I think we'll easily finish by the end of April. Spring is always a good incentive to get outside.
Bruce and I have been trying to "simplify" our lives a bit by getting a new bank, internet, and phones. Services that worked in St Louis just don't seem to be cutting it here. So right now we're in that chaos-stage when you're switching accounts. The wi-fi seems to be the worst, because you know you have to change your computer password, but you don't remember all the other wi-fi devices that are attached to the system. Our printer has been giving us the most fits, though the Amazon Alexa is running a close second.
We haven't gotten the phones yet, but I'm dreading how long it's going to take to reload all my apps. I have 7 different screens full. Funny how apps hadn't even been invented a few years ago and now we can't seem to live without them.
I think my phone knows it's getting sent to the recycle bin, because it's decided to work this week. All my San Diego photos showed up, so I'm going to post some of them here. This was my dinner the first night I arrived - corn and sweet potato enchiladas from Miguel's Cocina. Yes, I said sweet potato. Sounds a little weird, but it was really quite tasty. And the view from their patio was spectacular. I'm looking out toward the airport. I actually walked from the airport to my hotel when I landed rather than take a taxi or bus. There is a pedestrian path that runs along the bay straight into downtown (only a 2-mile walk and no cars).
I met the San Diego Urban Sketchers at Mission Beach. It was kind of cool and cloudy that morning, but being a Saturday was still full of joggers, dog walkers, and families playing in a nearby park.
In contrast, this is the beach on Coronado Island (more sand, fewer palm trees). There were a few people surfing with wet suits, but most people were just walking in the sand. It was much warmer this day, especially in the sun. I think this beach a big hangout for sunbathers, because porters were setting up rental chairs and tents all along the sand.
There's a big historic hotel in Coronado. The lobby is very elegant, but I have a suspicion that the rooms are a bit dated, especially for how expensive they are. But it's a big venue for destination weddings. All the rooms surround an outdoor courtyard where they set up tables and/or a dance floor.
There's a famous bridge you can drive across to get to Coronado, but since I didn't have a car, I took the ferry. It's a bit pricey ($7 one way), but I discovered that if you go early you can ride for free (it's a service for commuters who work on the island). Even at $7 one-way, it's a much cheaper sight-seeing option than those $50 hop-on-hop-off buses.
I spent a lot of time sketching in Balboa Park, because it was so close to my hotel. There are 26 different art, science, and cultural institutions in the park. My favorite was Spanish Village, mostly because it was so quirky and colorful.
Right outside the park was a bocce ball field. A few times I just picked up a sandwich for lunch and took it over to the field to watch the players. Most of them were old, but pretty spry.
On Sunday, I walked down to the waterfront park where they had set up a farmers' market. There was a band playing music. They weren't that good, but they certainly had a lot of enthusiasm. I'm not sure I've ever seen a guitar in the shape of a piano. Even Keith Richard's (Rolling Stones) 5-string guitar/banjo combo couldn't compete with this oddity.
One of the interesting sites along the waterfront is the Maritime Museum of restored antique sailing vessels. Once a month you can go on a Pirate Adventure and hunt for sea monsters or sunken treasure. I think that would be kind of fun if you had little kids with you. Luckily I found a bench near here and I spent an hour sketching this boat.
My last meal in San Diego had to be in Old Town. Most of the restaurants make their own tortillas and they serve them warm from the grill with almost any entre. Scrumptious! I could probably eat at this restaurant every single day.
