I haven’t posted for a few days due to travel. We had to leave the park on Wednesday as we hit the 30-day limit. I wrote about the 30-day regulation here. I usually get a lot of the preparation for travel done the day before we leave, but it was a little different this time.

On Tuesday, Donna and I rode the scooter to the Brigantine restaurant on Shelter Island Drive. We joined Emily and Mark Fagan for lunch there. It was Taco Tuesday, so naturally we all ordered tacos for lunch. We lingered at our table for an hour and a half, enjoying the company and conversation. Maybe I should say conversations – the last half hour was two distinct conversations. Mark and I talking about guitars and RVs while Donna and Emily we talking about the writing world and working on the road.

When you drive onto Shelter Island, you enter a world of exclusivity. There are the yacht clubs and marinas with high-dollar boats. Expensive cars are found in the parking lots there. The Brigantine at lunch time is no exception. I took a couple of quick snapshots of a Ferrari F355 and a V10 powered Audi R8.

Ferrari F355

Audi R8

When we returned to our home, it was filled with aroma of Carribean Chicken Curry cooking in the crockpot. Donna prepared it in the morning and it cooked all day. We moved our bicycles into the trailer and I prepared  few things for travel.

Carribean Chicken Curry

Donna had her exercise class Wednesday morning, so I couldn’t stow the scooter until she returned. Since she would be away for a couple of hours, I used that time to pack things away. I moved our chairs and a few other outdoor items to the trailer. I stowed the Weber barbeque grill and stand. I waited until Donna returned and showered, then I  dumped and flushed the tanks and put the hoses away. We needed to check out by noon and just made it.

We decided to return to Sycuan Casino near El Cajon. Last time, it was so easy. We rolled in and a security guard took our information and directed us to a large, empty parking lot. We ate dinner and breakfast there last time and thought the restaurant was good. Free parking, security and good food – how could we go wrong?

This time the experience was a little different. We parked in the same upper lot which was empty once again. But this time I was told to take my driver’s license and registration to the security office. They wanted to confirm who owns the RV – it seems they’ve had a few stolen vehicles end up in their lot.

At the security office, we were issued a parking pass to display in our windshield. We were also told that the expectation was for us to be “actively gaming” in the casino, not just using the place as an RV park. Fair enough. We aren’t interested in the gambling, but we spent money in the casino restaurants.

Our restaurant experience wasn’t the same as last time either. I ordered kung pao chicken while Donna ordered a beef and bean burrito, which was one of the specials of the day. When my food arrived, I took a couple of bites, then told Donna it wasn’t like any kung pao I’d had before. There weren’t any peanuts or dried chilis and the sauce was wrong. When the waiter came by, I asked him if this was kung pao. First he said yes, then upon closer inspection said, “Hmm…what did they  do in the kitchen?” He took my plate and returned a few minutes later with a plate of kung pao chicken.

The meal was mediocre at best. An hour later, I wasn’t feeling too well and my stomach was rumbling all afternoon. We had a late dinner, as I felt bloated and didn’t have much appetite until about 8pm. Donna whipped up a pantry plate. Pantry plates are meals she prepares with whatever we have on hand and doesn’t get too fancy. In this case, we had Trader Joe’s mini chicken tacos from the freezer with mashed avocado and salsa on a bed of greens.

Mini chicken tacos

It rained overnight. In the morning, we decided to give the casino restaurant another shot for breakfast. Donna ordered the same as she did last time – an egg white omelet with portobello and spinach and I had a machaca plate. Once again, it was mediocre food, but there was lots of it! I think when we reach the end of this 30-day stint, we’ll find someplace else to do our 24-hour shuffle.

After breakfast at Sycuan Casino, we had to dodge a few rain showers before we walked back to the coach. We hit a few raindrops on the way to Mission Bay. We checked in to Mission Bay RV Resort yesterday at noon. We were given site 88.

I hooked up the water, power and sewer. Then I retrieved the scooter from the trailer. Walking to the trailer, I got soaked from a sudden downpour. We had raindrops off and on all afternoon and overnight.

I needed to go to the Offshore Tavern and Grill to make sure we were set to have a gathering of about a dozen people Friday evening. I set up a reunion for my friend, Jim Birditt, with a lot of our old pals. I was preparing to ride the scooter over there and hoping I wouldn’t get rained on when Jim called me. He wanted to stop by and go out for a beer. Perfect! He picked me up in his dad’s truck and we went to Offshore. We’re all set to have our meetup there.

Last night Donna made tilapia with cilantro-walnut pesto for dinner. It was outstanding. We prefer to grill dinner, but with the rain she cooked it on the stove.

Tilapia with cilantro-walnut pesto

This morning we have more rain. I borrowed my daughter’s car for the day. I need to drive down to Otay Mesa, about an hour from here, to inspect the recovered trailer. The insurance company admitted that their inspector didn’t know anything about trailers and didn’t have a clue of what to look for, except for obvious sheet metal damage.

The stolen trailer insurance saga continues. When I was surprised by a phone call from a San Diego Police officer on Saturday, November 8th informing me that my trailer was found, I wondered what would happen.

I’d purchased a new trailer the week before. Why did I shop for a new trailer one week after the theft? Well, I had a couple of reasons to do this. My main motivation was to be sure I had a way to transport our scooter and bicycles. We can only stay here in Mission Bay RV Resort for 30 days at a time, then we have to leave for at least 24 hours. I had three weeks to find, purchase and prepare a new trailer before we had to leave.

The other reason was availability. If I didn’t find the trailer I wanted, it would take a few weeks to order and receive one from the factory. I also didn’t believe the stolen trailer would ever be recovered – I thought it was probably in Mexico. The officer who took the theft report thought that was likely. So when I found a trailer that I liked, I purchased it. Otherwise, it might or might not be be available a week or two later.

The police towed my stolen trailer to an impound yard in Kearny Mesa, about 8 miles from here. When I spoke with the insurance adjuster, she told me not to do anything as she would deal with the impound yard. It turns out that she had the trailer moved to another salvage yard called Copart in Otay Mesa. This is about an hour away from here, ironically near the Mexican border.

Yesterday she phoned and told me the trailer had been inspected and she just received the inspection report. She said the report described the condition of the trailer as excellent. I asked for more details, such as whether any contents were in the trailer. She said she didn’t think the inspector entered the trailer.

Really?  The inspector writes a report claiming excellent condition but he didn’t look inside? What is the condition of the interior walls? Was the wheel chock I bolted to the floor for the scooter still there or was it ripped from the floor? What about the coupler where they cut off the lock, was there any damage there? How about the jack, was it scraped through a dip or over a curb? I doubt if the thieves drove away gently with the trailer.

She told me the report she received only had pictures of the outside walls and rear ramp. She would get more information and get back to me today. Here’s the problem. If Progressive says the trailer is in excellent shape, they will tell me to come and get my trailer. No damage, no claim. Having two trailers is a problem I didn’t anticipate. I’ll let you know what happens from here.

I went for a bike ride yesterday. I decided to do something different. I rode across Clairemont Drive from Mission Bay and got on Morena Boulevard. I rode north past Costco and turned up the hill at Jutland Drive. What was I thinking? This hill is very steep, much steeper than I wanted to climb. Half way up I caved in. I had to stop and catch my breath while my heart rate dropped to a more reasonable level. After a few minutes, I resumed the climb and made it. I won’t be riding up that road again.

I cruised through the old neighborhood. I made a stop at Cadman Park. The trees are bigger and there’s a new ball field, otherwise it was still familiar. I rode down the hill through Bay Ho back to Morena Boulevard where I enjoyed a tailwind back to Mission Bay.

Today, Donna and I are going to the Brigantine restaurant in Point Loma to have lunch with Emily and Mark Fagan. It’s Taco Tuesday there.

Mission Bay RV Resort was busy last weekend. There’s an RV club called Sun Diego Allegros (a Tiffin RV owners club) here and also many people here for the Susan G. Komen three-day walk. Crown Point Shores was closed to traffic and parking – it was the center for the walk. They had large tents set up on the grass there. The participants walk 60 miles over three days. The news reported that 2,300 people completed the walk.

Saturday was another cloudy day. Two overcast days in a row! It wasn’t as windy as Friday though. Donna and I rode the scooter to Vons in Pacific Beach and bought a few groceries. We invited Carole Sue Bringas to join us for dinner.

She prepared shrimp scampi and served itover whole wheat spaghetti. It was so good, delicately spiced, not overpowering. We started with a mixed baby greens salad Italian style with garbanzo beans, olives and shaved parmesan cheese. For dessert, Donna baked black bean brownies. I didn’t try the brownies, but everyone else liked them.

Shrimp scampi

After dinner we sat around the fire pit next door with Bud and Mona. Carole and I reminisced and had a lot of laughs. Donna commented on how Carole and I are like a couple of kids together. We know each other’s history and can just be ourselves. We had a fun time.

Yesterday morning, Carole came back over with my old friend and neighbor, Sonny Sanchez. Sonny’s family lived next door to us when I was in ninth and tenth grades. We always disagree over who lived on Moraga Street first. He says he lived there before we moved in – I remember it differently. I  moved there in the eighth grade and I don’t remember meeting Sonny until ninth grade.

We chatted for about half an hour. He’s recently married and just bought a house. He’s excited about closing the deal this week and moving in. It was great to see him again. It was almost time for the early football game to kick off, so we said goodbye. Sonny is a big NFL (Chargers) fan. I watched football most of the day.

Donna went shopping with Bud and Mona. She took advantage of riding in their Suburban and stocked up. They went to Target, Sprouts and Costco. Donna surprised me with a case of Stone IPA.

I didn’t fare too well in the football pool. The Chargers, Lions and Texans all let me down. Around 4pm, we went with Bud and Mona to Mona’s house. She lives above the intersection of Redwood and India Street. Her balcony overlooks the airport and San Diego Bay.

Sunset over Point Loma from Mona’s balcony

We watched the Denver Broncos play the Kansas City Chiefs on her big screen TV. Donna made guacamole dip. She used a recipe she got from Dos Caminos, a restaurant in New York City. Bud grilled steelhead trout and vegetables for dinner. It was really tasty. I should have taken a picture of my plate, but I was too busy watching football.

As I’m typing this, I’m listening to the news on TV. The weather forecast for today is typical San Diego fall weather. They’re calling for a crisp 67 degrees today. I’ll go for a bike ride later.

Yesterday’s weather was a departure from what we’ve become accustomed to. It was cloudy, cooler and windy. The wind was gusting from the southwest. The clouds were dark and it felt like it could rain at any moment.

I rolled the awning up and secured it. Gusty winds can damage the awning. I stayed indoors for most of the morning. Around noon, I went for a walk. I didn’t feel like bicycling – riding on a windy day is no fun. I walked up the Rose Creek Trail to Garnet Avenue and stopped at the Chase Bank there. I hit the ATM then walked back. It was a 40-minute round trip.

Walking along the Rose Creek Trail, I noticed the tide was very low. The last quarter mile of the creek where it enters Mission Bay was mostly a mud flat. I haven’t seen it this low before.

Rose Creek at low tide

I stopped at the park office and booked another 30 days here in Mission Bay RV Park, beginning Thursday, November 21st. We have to check out on Wednesday, when our current 30-day stay ends. I think we’ll do the same dance as last time – cruise up to the Sycuan Casino for a night, then return after 24 hours. I wrote about the 24-hour exile in this post.

In the afternoon, we had a new neighbor arrive to the west of our site. They’re from Washington and have been on a trip around the USA. They came across I-8, over the mountains yesterday. I asked how windy it was in the mountains – they said very windy! He complained about how cold it was here – the temperature was 67 degrees, but the wind made it seem cooler. He said he just came from 80-degree weather. I said, “Yeah, me too.” He asked where we came from that was that warm and I said, “Right here – it was 82 degrees yesterday.”

I went to the Offshore Tavern and Grill before dinner. I had a couple of beers and dropped off my NFL football picks for the weekend. I hope I do better than last week! When I returned, the wind had calmed considerably. I set the awning out again. I wanted the awning out in case it rained.

In San Diego, the rainy season usually starts sometime in December and runs through the end of February. The coast of San Diego averages about 10 inches of rain per year. After dinner last night, we heard raindrops on the roof of our coach. It didn’t rain for long, maybe 15 or 20 minutes. It was still breezy and the wind quickly dried everything.

I talked to my friend, Jim Birditt, last night. He’s flying down from Idaho on Monday to visit his parents. I’m looking forward to his visit. He’ll be here for a week.

This morning is mostly cloudy but not as windy as yesterday. I’ll get on my bicycle at some point and take a ride today. Tonight, Carole Sue Bringas is joining us for dinner here at the RV park.

Yesterday, Donna’s friend Julie Zizka, drove down from Del Mar and took Donna downtown to Ra Sushi for lunch. Donna is a big fan of Julie’s product, The Tote Buddy. After lunch, Julie dropped Donna off at the hair salon in Normal Heights for her 2pm appointment.

While Donna was out, I went out on the scooter. I rode up to the Veterans Memorial on top of Mount Soledad. At an elevation of 823 feet, Mount Soledad offers a great view of the city. The ride up Soledad Mountain Road to La Jolla Scenic Drive climbs all the way. Soledad Mountain Road starts at Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach, only few feet above sea level. The climb is a favorite for avid bicyclists.

La Jolla Scenic Drive crosses the summit, then goes down the steep north side of the hill. The grade is 15% at some points before reaching La Jolla. The Veterans Memorial is located where La Jolla Scenic Drive crosses the summit.

The memorial can be seen from many points around north San Diego. The large cross on top is a familiar landmark. From the memorial, the vista is incredible. Click on the photos to enlarge.

Mount Soledad Veterans Memorial

The photos I shot yesterday don’t do justice to the view. Haze in the atmosphere is more evident in the photos than the actual view. Looking south, you can see the beaches, Mission Bay, Point Loma and all the way downtown.

The view south from Mount Soledad

The I-5 corridor separates Pacific Beach and Mission Bay from Clairemont and Bay Park

Looking east from Mount Soledad, you can see all way the past the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

The view east from Mount Soledad

Looking northwest, you can see the coastline past Torrey Pines up to Del Mar and Solana Beach.

The view north from Mount Soledad

Our neighbor, Mona, picked Donna up from the hair salon on her way home from work. They got home around 4pm.

Today, the weather is cooler. We have cloudy skies with gusty winds. The forecasted high is only 67 degrees today. There’s a 20% chance of rain. This weather will continue over the weekend before we warm up again next week. Today I’ll finalize my NFL football picks for this weekend’s pool.

The route around Mission Bay can be confusing for people unfamiliar with the area. The roads cross at odd angles and have many curves. It’s not all east/west or north/south. Donna can be a little directionally challenged at times. When  we first met, she didn’t know her way around Phoenix as she didn’t travel much beyond Scottsdale and Fountain Hills.

When we moved to Michigan, she made an effort to learn her way around. She actually ended up knowing how to navigate downtown Detroit better than I did. She also learned her way around the complex roads around the lakes in the west side of Oakland County.

San Diego has been challenging for her. She getting it though. Riding our bicycles around the bay and the beaches help. On Monday, she was riding the scooter home from Liberty Station in Point Loma. She missed the Sea World Drive exit and found herself crossing the Ingraham Street bridge. She knew it wasn’t where she should have been.

Once she crossed the bridge though, she saw Crown Point Drive and knew that if she turned there, she could find her way home because Crown Point Drive is on her regular bicycling route.

I’ve posted pictures of points around Mission Bay before. Today I’ll post pictures taken yesterday, showing view points I haven’t posted before. Please click on the photos to enlarge.

View looking north from east Mission Bay, north of the Hilton hotel

View to the west from Sea World bike path – south Mission Bay

View to the east from West Mission Bay Drive bridge

West Mission Bay Drive bridge viewed from the water near Quivera Basin

Last evening I went for a boat ride with Bud and Mona. Donna didn’t join us as she needed to prepare for an interview she had scheduled this morning with Better Homes and Gardens magazine. We cruised out past the jetty at the mouth of Mission Bay into the Pacific Ocean. We returned to De Anza just after sunset.

Sunset at the jetty

Bud and Mona joined us for dinner. Donna prepared picadillo for us and it was delicious. This was the dish she prepared on Friday night that had to be thrown out after she accidentally knocked over her glass of wine and it broke in the pan.

Pan full of picadillo

Picadillo served over spaghetti

Today we expect another warm, sunny day. A cold front is coming our way though. Maybe in San Diego it should be called a cool front. Day time temperatures will drop to the mid 60s.

Yesterday, the weather didn’t cooperate with the forecast. The offshore flow weakened and we had high cloud cover for most of the day. It wasn’t cold – we just didn’t have the clear, sunny day we expected.

Donna had a Skype interview at 11am with Smead Organamics that will be broadcast next spring. I headed out on my bike at 10am. I planned to ride for a couple of hours to give her space to prepare for and complete her interview. I rode the usual loop of Fiesta Island, Mission Beach and Pacific Beach.

In Pacific Beach, I rode up to the taco stand on the corner of Hornblend and Mission Boulevard. I think the building the taco stand occupies used be Der Wienerschnitzel back in the 70s. Taco stands are common throughout the southwest. In southern California, they are especially popular in the beach communities. I love the variety of tacos we find here. I had a three mini-taco plate made with pollo asado (grilled chicken).

I arrived back home just as Donna finished her Skype interview. I puttered around for bit then set up my guitar amp/stand outside and practiced for a while.

There’s a creepy motorhome in a site across from us, a few sites west of our location. I call it creepy and I’ll try to explain why. The coach is painted black. The black paint looks like it came out of a spray paint can – make that several spray paint cans. It was applied over the graphics that once adorned the coach. The outline of the graphics can still be seen though the entire body of the coach is black.

The upper grill has been replaced with a shiny metal plate. The lower grill is all black. The windshield shade consists of a Monster Energy Drink poster covering the driver’s side and Tyvek insulation panel on the passenger side. There are no logos or markings to indicate the original make of the motorhome.

It’s been here for a few weeks now. There isn’t a car, motorcycle, bicycle or any other conveyance at the site. The only occupant of the coach seems to stay inside most of the time, only making brief appearances when he goes to the public restroom. He appears to be in his thirties with long dark hair.

Yesterday, after I finished practicing guitar and put my guitar and amp away, I was standing outside. The black coach guy appeared at the back of our site. He approached me and said, “I heard you jamming. We should get together.” I asked him if he played. He mumbled something about a harmonica and click track. Then he suddenly said, “Do you have any beer?”

I thought this was strange. I also thought about the fact that he doesn’t have any way to get to the store other than walk or drive out of here in his motorhome. I gave him a couple of cans of beer, mainly to make him go away. I told him I had to go inside and get ready for visitors. He went back to his coach.

I was telling him the truth. Donna’s friend, Kathi, and her husband Rob were coming over to pick us up at 3:30pm. We planned to go to Ocean Beach to a place called South Beach Bar and Grill. It’s located at the foot of Newport Avenue. The upstairs bar overlooks the beach just north of the Ocean Beach pier.

View from the South Beach Bar and Grill in Ocean Beach

We planned to watch the sunset over the ocean from the upstairs bar. On the way there we joked about the overcast sky and lack of sunset. A few minutes after we were seated, the sky began to clear. We had a sunset after all!

At the South Beach Bar and grill with Kathi, Rob and Donna

It was Taco Tuesday. Although I had eaten tacos for lunch, this place is famous for their fish tacos and I didn’t mind having tacos again. On Taco Tuesday, all the tacos except the lobster taco are only $2.50 each. Donna ordered the grilled mahi taco. Kathi had the grilled wahoo. Rob ordered two fried pollock tacos (Baja style). I had two grilled yellowfin tuna tacos. We all had them made with corn tortillas. Donna’s sister, Sheila, said that this was the place that has the best fish tacos and she was right. They were outstanding. They don’t skimp on the fish either – each taco is made with a generous portion of fish.

Rob and I enjoyed a couple of IPAs with our meal. Kathi had a brown ale from Montana called Moose Drool. Donna had a glass of red wine.

We came back to our motorhome and sat together chatting for a couple of hours. Rob has a press release distribution agency called prREACH. Kathi is a professional organizer and author and also does image consulting through her business. That’s how Donna and Kathi met.

We learned that Kathi also has an extensive background with sailboats and worked as first mate on a few boats. She actually has a captain’s license and can sail commercial vessels. Rob served in the US Coast Guard and also knows a thing or two about ships. We really enjoyed their company and look forward to getting together again.

One of the things I love about our nomadic lifestyle is the opportunity to meet and make new friends as we travel about.

Today, there isn’t a cloud in the sky. The forecast calls for temperatures to reach 80 degrees on the coast and into the 90s inland. Tomorrow a cold front will move in. We will be in the 60s by the weekend.