The 3rd morning of our vacation did not start like the others as I decided to forego my bike ride and sleep in a little longer. Hey, it’s a recovery week and the first week of the taper, right? Anyways, we had plans that required us to get going a little earlier than usual, so we were both out of bed and on the road heading north by 8:30. Today’s main activity was the San Diego Wild Animal Park. It’s associated with the zoo and is basically the zoo meets a nature preserve. The animal enclosures are larger and there are areas where the non-predatory animals are cohabitating in the same areas, giving the viewer a more safari like experience. Susan captured more great pictures than I can describe through our morning at the park, so I will not even attempt to. Enjoy…
Going in the morning had distinct advantages, since we were able to ride the safari tram before there was a line built up, and we were able to be on our way out when the crowds seemed to be peaking. Also, we were able to park within walking distance of the gate. Not to be overlooked on the trip to the park was the scenery in the surrounding area. The mountainous desert-like terrain and hillside vineyards were pretty spectacular.
After leaving the park, we were famished, but our next planned attraction was Torrey Pines State Preserve, so we had to drive a bit before getting to Del Mar for some food. The traffic on the 101 was pretty high, especially near Del Mar, but I was continually amazed by the number of cyclists along the road. We eventually parked in Del Mar and walked the main drag a bit before stopping at Americana for lunch. It was a trendy cafe, and the food was pretty good although maybe a bit overpriced for lunch fare. After dining, we walked down to the beach and watched some people surfing, although the waves were less than impressive for it. Then we returned to the car to get to Torrey Pines.
The State Reserve was only a couple miles south of our lunch spot. We drove up to the top of the hill and then check out the trails. The best way to describe Torrey Pines is a lush dessert over-looking the ocean. We hiked a few miles around the park to a couple overlooks including Yucca Point and Red Butte.
The two of us along the trails
Cliff with the Pacific
A little lizard also travelling on the trail
The landscape consisted of mostly sand, cacti, and rock – this is at Yucca Point
Some cacti along the route
View up to Red Butte
After making our way back to the car, we drove back to the hotel with tentative dinner plans with some fellow Cincinnatians. Since those plans fell through, we ended up relaxing at the hotel for a bit before catching dinner near our hotel at a Hawaiian themed restaurant. We noticed drones of Chargers’ fan in the area which prompted us to discover that the Chargers Stadium was mere blocks away from where we were. With their first pre-season game playing tonight, fans were obviously excited for the game. After stuffing ourselves with pub grub, we made it back to our hotel just in time for Transformers 2 on HBO.
Today, we really got to experience the Southern California micro-climates. Leaving sunny San Diego in the morning, we headed to the arid heat of Escondido area, then to the fog-covered chilly breezes of Del Mar and Torrey Pines. Quite the variety!
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