Day 11 - Runaround Sue...

We started this day with only two things on the agenda:  1)  Go to National City, California, to take some pictures, since that's the bank where I work; and 2)  Go to church on the beach with my Uncle Howard.

So what did we do?  Well, you'll just have to see.

We started the day here:



That name is 100% indicative of what we saw on our drive.  It was a mile (maybe more) of car dealerships.  Ridiculous.  But we found the center of town and decided to take photos for my coworkers.  Commence photo shoot...NOW.



*snap*



*snap*



*snap*



*snap*

After this last one, some guy drove buy in a car an yelled "FAGGOT!" out his window.  I just said, "and proud of it!"  But honestly...it kind of got me down.  We got back in the car and started driving.  And when we saw this sign, we knew what our plans for the day were:



We wanted to see Tijuana...but from America. 



There's the gate.  It's worth blowing up this photo to see what those signs say.

But we got to see Tijuana, the happiest place on earth (according to Krusty the Clown).



It looked crowded and hot.  I really had no desire to go to Mexico, and I still don't. 

We take pride, though, in knowing we drove on the most southwesterly road in the entire U.S.



See?

I was nervous the whole time we were down that way because we both had heard that it's a REALLY bad time to go down to Tijuana.  Apparently people are being kidnapped, and their cell phones are being used to call loved ones and ask for money.  And if they don't get it?  Fingers in the mail. 

I, for one, planned to come back with all of my limbs intact...which I did (sort of), no thanks to our next destination.

We decided to drive up Silver Strand Highway to Coronado, since Robb didn't get to see it before.  I had heard that the beaches along Silver Strand are the most gorgeous around.  We didn't really get to see them, though, because half the scenery was military fence and the other half was mostly beachless bay.

But we did see this:



If anyone saw Transformers 2, this was in the movie briefly.  One of the Decepticons runs past this on his way to puke ball bearings into an exhaust tube while trying to retrieve the life source that will bring their leader back to life.  I wondered, at the time, what it was.  I still don't know, but apparently they keep Transformers down there or something...

Moving on...we did get a gorgeous view of the Coronado Bay Bridge.



Robb wanted to drive on it, so we decided we'd take it on our way back.

But we made it to the Hotel del Coronado, where we found the world most posh snail in a flower pot:



He was great.  I think he knew Marlon Brando, but he was playing coy...

There was a wedding party roaming around the grounds, and when we got out to the beach, we knew why:



How would you like to get married at the Hotel del?  Where would you go on your honeymoon if you're already there? 

I wanted to go down to the tidepools, since we hadn't gotten to see them before.  We saw all manner of wildlife including these:



And these:



Oh, and these!



Those boys were finding hermit and fiddler crabs and putting them in a Tupperware with water.  The guy in blue shorts was in charge of the container, and he kept freaking out and dropping it when the crabs tried to climb out...and yet they still let him keep that job. 

We hung out with them and searched for crabs.  I caught a really big hermit crab and Robb caught several good-sized crabs, so we donated them to the cause...which turned out to be diging a pit in the sand and seeing if they'd fight.  They wouldn't.

But we did see a starfish!



Look all the way at the bottom of that photo.  I apologize for the poor quality, but by that time it was after 3 and the tide was coming in, sending huge waves crashing over the rocks periodically.  Robb got a better photo, but he also got SOAKED! 

He was bending down to take a picture and he had his back to the waves.  All of a sudden this HUGE wave came in and crashed all up and down his back.  He guarded his camera, though.  After that he handed it to me, and we headed back towards the sand.  Being in charge of his camera, I, of course, slipped and fell, smashing it on the rocks.  It was fine, but I was bleeding from BOTH ankles.

We bid farewell to our crabs and our crab-fighting boys,



and we went to find a lifeguard. 



I asked him if he had some alcohol and a band-aid or two.  He goes, "Well I AM a lifeguard." all sarcastic-like...and I thought to myself, "He must be from Chicago or something...what an asshole."

But I got all bandaged up and we headed back to the car to get Robb's swim trunks so he could change and not get the car wet.  After he changed, we bid adieu to the Hotel del Coronado for the last time.



We got on our way to Oceanside for church on the beach.

The bay bridge was a nice ride:



We got to see the shipyards again.



That big tan boat in front is a banana hauler. 

On the way up the 5, we saw this:



and this:



I dunno...odd stuff these Californians build on the waterfront.

After getting lost twice, we finally found where my family was and I stopped feeling like a complete failure.  We met my Uncle Howard:



And my Aunt Lucia,



And the girls...and after a short hiatus, church on the beach got under way.



My Unlce Howard played guitar and sang, as he does.



He was in a late 80s/early 90s Christian hair metal band called Ezra at one point.  They weren't bad, honestly...but their look?  Whoo...back then it was amazing!  All giant long hair and semi-flashy costumes.  Ah, history...

But church was really great.



After some music, there was a short sermon, and I was reminded to live in the now...today.  I also realized that God had answered a prayer of mine from WAY back when...something I used to pray for all the time.  I was no longer scared that people knew I was a Christian.  I used to be TERRIFIED of people knowing that, for some reason...and I think after I came out I just didn't care who knew what about me...I was comfortable with myself and that's all that mattered.  But it was just cool to sit there and have that little revelation as the sun got lower...



and lower...



It was a gorgeous day, and I finally got my sunset on the beach!

After that we went back to my uncles house in Vista and had amazing burgers off the grill and swam in their pool while they got to spend some time meeting Robb.  It was a great way to spend the evening, and they are still the most loving and hospitable people I've ever met.

I went to be with a smile on my face, little knowing that it would be a hell of a day the next day...

Out

Day 5 - Marilyn Was Here...

It was Monday.  Another beautiful day on the bay, as I was fond of saying every morning.  While everyone was headed off to work that morning, I took joy in knowing I wouldn't have to go back to work for at least another week and two days.  The feeling of vacation freedom was really setting in...especially since Robb's first day of the conference was today. 

That left Amy, Erin, and I to wander the area Robbless...

We set out under full California sunshine in search of a bus stop that would take us to our agreed upon destination for the day.



We found the wrong bus stop, thanks to the ladies at the visitor's center, but the bus driver was nice enough to take us one stop down for free so we could catch the right bus.  That would have NEVER happened in Chicago.  Yet another thing that made me want to stay forever.

But...we were off!



Can anyone tell me where we are?

Maybe this graffiti will help:



It says, "Children of color not safe in Coronado."  That was...off-putting.  I thought Coronado was supposed to be all glitz and glamour and military boys...but this?  Hm...



There's more of what I was expecting!  Apparently we just had to get further inland...it still made me wonder about the backstory on that graffiti. 

Everything about the island was ritzy.  Even the bank!



And can't you just imagine Wally and The Beav strolling on down the street as June kisses Ward goodbye and waves to her family from the doorstep?



It was a little like stepping back in time.  I almost forgot where I was until I saw this:



The beach at the Hotel del Coronado literally took my breath away.  I stood there for a good thirty seconds just agape...so beautiful--this photo could never do it justice.

It became my new life's goal to stay here once in my lifetime...perhaps in a private villa with a personal pool?



Or maybe in the hotel itself, a famous landmark where every president since it was built has stayed.



You may recognize it from Travel Channel specials about haunted places...or maybe from Some Like It Hot, voted one of the funniest movies ever made, and starring Marilyn Monroe.  Either way, I know I'll never be able to afford a room there...



I mean, look at the lobby!  Again...shorts and t-shirt made me feel out of place for a bit, but then I realized I looked about fifty times better than some of the people in there.  Like a reader said, you're never out of place in San Diego in a t-shirt and sandals.  I was coming to find that out.

We explored the hotel a bit, entering a beautiful courtyard by accident:



We headed to the front of the hotel, where no one looked at us like we didn't belong, not even when I posed with the sign.



But just for good measure, I kept saying, "I can't believe we're actually staying here!"

And while we were making our way around to the beach in back again, I started hearing this really loud noise coming from the sky, so, I looked up.  Every second I expected a low-flying plane to cruise by, and yet the noise kept getting louder and louder.  Finally...



That would be a plane we got the pleasure of seeing take off during yesterday's bay tour.  They told us it was the second largest plane the U.S. builds, second only to Air Force One.  And here it was again, going in to land.  So loud! 

When it had passed, our eyes fell to the beautiful hotel again.



Apparently this tree is one of the only of its kind in the states.  It's a dragon tree...I think...and it was used as a backdrop in the same Marilyn Monroe flick.  I remember seeing it then.

But that was nothing compared to the beach...



Oh, the beach!



I could have stayed there forever...luckily, although I didn't know it then, I'd be revisiting this beach later in our trip.

It was ta ta to Coronado, though, as we decided we were all really worn out and wanted to chill at the hotel for a bit.  Constant sightseeing can be tiring!



We bid farewell to the hotel, and I said I'd be back some day to stay.

We'd come over on the bus, but we wanted to take the ferry home.  So, we bused it over to the ferry terminal on the other side of the island and stopped for Cold Stone.  YUM!  The cake batter remix is to die for.  You know what's NOT to die for? 



Pickled sharks as souvenirs...eww.  This gift shop had so many odd things in it I could have stayed all day...but the ferry was leaving, so we got on!

We were heading towards the mainland when we turned, and I got a little nervous as we headed for the naval blockade, a floating barrier we would never get through.  And then...I see this:



That little Navy tugboat is moving the barrier so we can get in...in the military zone?!  I didn't know what was happening, but I pictured the boat exploding or us being held captive or something...and I only got more nervous when we were told we couldn't take pictures.

So here's what you missed:

A ship with a basketball hoop on the back deck.
An aircraft carrier.
Navy boys.

Really, that's it.  We just picked some people up at a dock in the base and headed back out...it was a quick trip to shore, where they tied the boat up.



And we disembarked less than a mile from our hotel.  No need to take advantage of this:



Dang.

About six o' clock Robb got home from the conference (it was a long day for him), and he and I headed out for In-n-Out Burger.  I couldn't stay in California and not have that!  The girls opted for...something else...saying they could get fast food back at home.  They had no idea what they were missing.



They missed this gorgeous sunset.

And this.



Yum!  What a meal.  What a day!  I'd had enough high-class stuff on Coronado; I needed my roots.  Bring in the fast food.  And the day ended with a smile.

Out