I had not been able to do almost anything for 3 weeks after my injury and the 3 weeks after that were not much better leading in to the Wascally Wabbit Half on September 20th. While I knew it was going to be a painful experience, I also made some rookie mistakes that only added to my suffering. Since then I have still struggled to get back on the horse and get into a routine of moving again. With the help of my BFF and his Fall Break, I knew it would be the perfect time to coach myself back into the daily routine of focused movement.
We had a week of exploring on our feet planned, something we had not done before but were looking forward to. For Shane, it would be good recovery from his very busy month of September with his 2nd 100 miler and also a 50 miler too. I just needed motivation to get me out the door, and what better way than with my best friend and the sights of San Diego.
First up was a trip to Old Town on Sunday. While we had been here before, we had never really spent a lot of time just walking around. We attempted to park on top and walk down, but soon realized it was not walker friendly to park at Presideo Park and site of the original San Diego Mission that was abandoned in 1837. The Serra Museum is now the old mission, although we were there too early to take a tour. We took a complete tour of the grounds here before starting out on the climb downhill to Old Town. I soon became concerned about the lack of safe walking area along the side of the road and was afraid I would not be able to make the climb back up to the top. The old Mormon Battalion Historic Site offered some great views of the city and some history before making our way to the car and down to old town. We wondered through some of the shops and old buildings and found some great pumpkin coffee they were kind enough to grind fresh for us so we could enjoy it later in our room. They were having an art fair as well this weekend so we were able to experience some of the local art while enjoying and taking in the historic sites too.
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| Statue from the Mormon Soldiers Tribute |
Monday was Balboa Park and some of the trails they are known for. While we knew it would be an easy day for getting in our daily goal, we had no idea just how winding the trails would be. We made a stop in the Cactus Gardens before heading out on trail 23 that would take us to the top of the cliffs across the street from the park. http://bit.ly/1z7QFu8 After finding our way back to the car for a quick snack, we made our way over to the Museum of Man so we could take the visiting tour of the Instruments of Torture, which was truly disturbing on so many levels. http://bit.ly/1w0u0Ls The Museum of Man was a relaxing tour through the history of Man and much of it we had seen in a previous tour of a different museum. Both tours together will cost you $20 a person.
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| Panoramic view from the top of the cliff/trail across from Balboa park. We followed #23 markers. |
Tuesday took us out to the beautiful Coronado Island. We had talked about spending the night there but opted to just explore on our feet. We walked much of the length of the beach walk, around the Coronado Hotel and around the marina. We considered going back out later that evening for a performance of Les Miserables but were too tired after over 24 miles of walking and exploring in 3 days (not to mention a flight and drive to get us there). Were able to see some of the island we had not seen in our previous trip out. http://bit.ly/1w0yCkP
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| Coronado Bridge |
After having visited Presidio Park and the original mission site, we knew we had to make a visit to the currently standing San Diego Mission. We have been to a couple of mission tours in the past and knew this wouldn't take long but we were well rewarded for our $5 admission donation. The chapel here is still an active chapel and beautifully maintained building. They have a spot roped off so you can see where an excavation of a part of the original building site is. There is also an area where the local history is preserved and the tale of Father Serra and his grizzly and untimely death. Upon leaving the main entrance, we stumbled upon what struck us both as an odd site, as we watch 2 priests with their smart phones taking pictures. While we acknowledged they are only human after all, it just felt strange to see. http://bit.ly/Uvwymr
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| Chapel |
We also made our way over to Belmont Park so Shane could ride one of his favorite beach roller coasters. I opted to sit on the sidelines this time around. Before riding, we took a loop down the water front walkway to check out the sights. We were both feeling a little tired from all of our miles and it was getting a little warm. We were amazed by some of the vacation rentals available and for sale. Agreed we were not sure we would want to live right in that exact location. As an added bonus, we found (or Shane spotted I should say) new Snoopy decals for my car. http://bit.ly/1gsIsqo
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| Giant Dipper Roller Coaster in Belmont Park, one of the best beach side coasters around |
We were determined to find one last trail before leaving San Diego so Shane took to the internet to see what he could find along the 5 freeway so we wouldn't be too far out of the way. He took us to Torrey Pines State Reserve. Had we been there early enough we could have found free, beach front parking, but had to pull into the actual start park parking area for a $12 fee (stated $8 on the website). To say the views were amazing would be an understatement. While we were both exhausted by the time we made it down the hill and back to the car, we both agreed it was very much worth it and we were glad to have made the hike (and learned a little history along the way). http://bit.ly/1z7VP9k
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| View of the famous Torrey Pines. A must see for everyone. |
Hope you enjoyed a glimpse into our walking history tour of San Diego. Please make sure you make time to stop and enjoy the scenery when you are in the area. And feel free to ask us any questions you may have. Happy trails until next time!
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