12/14 - Shower day! I found a YMCA that allows for two free day passes, so I went there for a shower. It was a really nice facility and even tall coverings in the parking area, so Zoe was safely parked in the shade. It's nice to know I can get another free shower while in the area. I really should use the facility and get a workout, but it's been so long since I've worked out at a gym I'm afraid I'd hurt myself. I think I'd need a personal training session first. I really do need to start doing something to keep/regain my muscles!!!
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| Peering out at me when I was coming out of the Y |
After my shower, I decided to hit a Trader Joe's on the way to go for a walk. Since it was in a more urban area, the lot was pretty small. I didn't think BB was going to fit, so I was about to leave, but managed to squeeze in and did a quick shop. In the end it wasn't a bad decision, but I think I would have been better off sticking with the TJs in Pacific Beach with a nice big parking lot!
Zoe and I wandered around the Dryden Historic District with homes from around 1912 - 1941. So many cute homes, mostly fairly small and single story that are a mixture of homes ranging from late Victorian to Craftsman, Spanish Revival and early California Ranch style homes. I enjoy walking around neighborhoods and checking out the architecture.
When I was about to drop Zoe off so I could take a walk on my own, I met a gentleman who told me about the North Park downtown area, so that's where I walked to. I'm glad he told me as it was a cute hopping area on a Sunday afternoon. Too bad I wasn't hungry because it would have been nice to hang out and get a bite to eat.
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| Verbatim Books - cool mural! |
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| Inside Verbatim Books |
Headed back to Venture Cove, which is feeling more and more like a homeless lot, with fewer people like me. 12/15 - I was going to go for a hike today, but after a very frustrating morning trying to order meds for Zoe on Chewy, I didn't feel like driving so Zoe and I took a long walk along the bay, then along the ocean and treated us to a gelato. So this morning, I called the vet's office multiple times trying to get information so that I could order stuff on Chewy. Since they haven't given me dosage information, it makes it very difficult to know what to order. Apparently the vet I saw was a "relief" vet, so she's not there regularly, which makes this whole thing even more of a challenge. I ended up calling Chewy three times and the first one, she could get into my account, but then the next two couldn't. Apparently my account is locked and they have to call me (in 24 hours or so) to open it back up. I went ahead and placed the order after changing the shipping address to Soraya's in San Diego, but once I placed the order, it showed my old VT shipping address. So I had to cancel it. And then trying to order again, it doesn't include the discount that was on the first order. SOOO frusrating! So, I didn't get it ordered today. 😖
I came back to Venture Cove and chatted with Ryan about his schoolie that he's trying to sell. He was telling me how great it is in Baja, where he and his girlfriend are heading for the winter. I asked him about water and he said he was always able to find water where he could use a hose to fill his tank. It was potable water, but you had to pay for it. Good to know! I feel a pull to go, but I'm also still very hesitant. I could wait and travel with Ryan and his girlfriend, Kate!
Now hanging out at Venture Cove there are people behind me blasting their music. I mostly have liked it, but would rather not have to hear it. And now I don't like it anymore... 😒 Maybe I'll move to Crown Point...
12/16 - I ended up leaving Venture Cove, mostly because I dislike inconsiderate people. I get playing music loud for a period of time, or if you're having a party on the beach, but to blare your music in you van around many other people is just rude. So, I decided to stop at Ski beach and park there. There were a few vans/buses in the lot, but definitely not as many as the other two places I've stayed. I parked facing the lawn as had some other vehicles. When I woke up in the morning at about 7:15 there was a group of people talking in front of the van. I look out and they're all sitting there. At this point I notice that I am the ONLY vehicle parked on this side of the lot. Then this group started doing drills in the lot right in front of my van. It was all really strange that they decided to do their thing right in front of me when there was tons of other space. Maybe to make a point??? Apparently I was the only one that didn't get the memo about parking on the other side of the lot... I ended up chatting with Zach (who also told me how amazing Baja is) and he said he had gotten a ticket parked on this side of the lot because they were mowing the lawn on Tuesday AM. He told his friends, who told others, but no one thought to knock (which is rude and no one knew me) and tell me. I did NOT get a ticket, but only had to deal with all the noise from this group of young exercise people... It was all good though.
Louis stopped by my open door and asked if he could see my van. Seemed nice enough, so Zoe and I stepped out so he could go in. He said he wanted to get an idea of the space as he's thinking of getting something bigger for him and his wife. Zoe and I ended up walking to his van and he gave me a ton of avocados and tangerines off his trees. Unfortunately, they are the thin skinned CA avocados that I have learned I don't like. I tried to give some away (only 1 so far), but I'll try them again - maybe these are better than the previous ones I've had. Maybe if you get used to these and don't eat the yummy Haas avocados, you don't mind the lack of flavor???
I called Chewy back since no one called to release the lock on my account only to find out they had released it yesterday afternoon, but didn't tell me. I had a very helpful guy and I got my stuff ordered. Now I'll have to make an appointment for the first shot and to learn how to do it. Hoping that Zoe is tolerant of it!
Soraya invited me again to Christmas Eve dinner and said it's going to be Venezuelan food. That sounds fun!!
I went for a hike at Annie's Canyon, in the San Elijo Lagoon preserve - a slot Canyon in San Diego - which seems crazy! Dogs are allowed on the preserve, but not in the canyon for obvious reasons when you see the photos below. So after my hike, I took Zoe out for a walk too.
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| Quite narrow, but I could mostly pass through without going sideways |
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| Sunset at Solana Beach Fletcher Park |
I decided to stay at the BW in Solana again and grabbed a couple of very yummy tacos at the Pillbox Tavern. Google steered me well tonight. Zoe joined me as they had a dog friendly outdoor patio, where she chilled out on the bed that I brought for her. Sharon walked by with a young golden retriever and we chatted for a while about her dog walking business and if she should become a certified trainer too. It was another enjoyable encounter amid my often solo, though not lonely (mostly) days.
11/17 - This morning brought another very foggy morning, so we were in no hurry. I gave Chris (the BW host) some of my avocados in exchange for some lemons off his lemon tree.
Zoe and I went to the Del Mar Dog beach again for a walk and play with some other dogs. She's so funny how she likes to sniff the residual smells more than the live dogs (sorry if I've said this before - I keep a diary too, so I'm not sure what I've written there vs here). The waves were not as compelling as the last time - maybe due to lower tide???
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| Foggy day at the dog beach. Still beautiful. |
I wasn't quite sure what else to do today, but I knew I had to do laundry. I found a good laundromat in Del Mar and debated if I should go to the Y for a shower, but instead decided to head to Dos Picos County Campground, where they have showers - or they did the last time I was there! I arrived and found someone to open the office for me and he told me that the bathhouse was being redone, so there were no showers. Oh no!!! There was no way I was going to crawl into clean sheets and clean nightshirt without a shower. The next closest campground was almost an hour away. Grrr. Well, that's why I have my shower, right? For emergencies and I deemed this an emergency! So, I turned on the hot water heater (so happy it's working!) and let that warm up while walking Zoe and other stuff. Then the task of setting up the shower. The pillows on the bench go onto the bed and all the stuff in the shower pan must come out and go somewhere... Then put the hooks on the ceiling (magnets), hang the shower curtain and off I go. It's really not that bad. After the shower, I took the shower curtain outside and hung it on a tree behind me that had perfect cut off branches for it, then dried out the shower pan and setup the bench again.
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| OMG! I LOVE these Trader Joe's frozen Indian meals and I forgot that you can reheat them in the oven, so that's what I had for dinner. I don't have much freezer space, so I'll only be able to get one at a time, but I'm so happy that I can use my Wonder Oven to heat them! |
12/18 - The Zoe Chewy order continues! I got a call from the vet's office saying they approved a different medicine than the one I ordered (based on their recommendation). So, unbeknownst to me, I found that what I ordered was canceled and the new meds were not sent. So back to calling Chewy to get them to send me what the vet prescribed. I really hope these meds help her as I haven't been giving her anything for her limping and it hurts me to see her limping like she is.One of the reasons I stopped at Dos Picos was because I found a horse rescue place nearby, so after filling my water, emptying tanks, and a walk to the pond, I drove over there. It was a pretty drive and very curvy through the Ramona wine country. Too bad there aren't many HH wineries in the area, but I am going to try one of the few. I talked with Salina, the manager, about the rescue and realized that since Dos Picos, the closest place, didn't have showers, this really wasn't going to work for me. I can't work with/care for horses and not shower afterwards and showering in my van daily, just wasn't going to work. I wish I had thought to look into volunteer opportunities in the area when I arrived as there are many. 😞 Anyway, I hung around and visited with some of the horses, which felt really good. I miss Kane and Brin. There was a mare there that looked just like Brin - flea bitten gray, Arabian, with a winter coat (not needed here, but due to Cushing's disease, just like Brin).
When filling my water I noticed the floor in the water compartment a bit of wetness and felt around and it seemed like it was leaking at the hot water heater inlet. I tightened the fitting a smidge, but I don't think I could tighten it more due to something in the way. Hopefully that will take care of it. I will try to be better about turning off the water pump overnight and when driving!
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| Pond at Dos Picos |
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| This Osprey was perching and flying around hoping to catch a meal in the pond. |
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| Another of Zoe's comfy positions. I was eating lunch and this was her way of keeping tabs on anything coming her way. 😂 |
Another winding, hilly, and beautiful drive took me back to William Heisse CG, where I had my pick of spots and am completely alone in the area I picked. After a walk, where I was able to sit and catch the sunset, I actually had a fire. The last time I got firewood at this park, I couldn't get the fire to go and I thought the same was going to happen, but after adding two more fire starters, it finally caught and I was able to enjoy a fire!
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| From my campsite. I probably would have been able to see the sun setting from here too. |
12/19 - Last night, around 6 PM, I tried to book a HH at Heros Wood-Fired Pizza in town that has live music on Friday, but they have a No same day reservation policy. But it wasn't same day! I guess it's a 24 hours policy up until 5 PM? Anyway, I called and they said to reserve for Saturday night and they'll leave a note that I'll be coming tonight. And now I want to book another HH for Saturday night, but I can't due to being booked at the pizza place tonight. So, I booked Hatfield Creek Vineyards for Sunday night... Maybe I'll come back to the campground for Saturday night.
This morning, after having the water pump on for a while, I don't see or feel any wetness on the floor or at the fitting, so hopefully that's taken care of. I wonder if it was never fully tight or it loosened. Something I'll have to keep my eye on!
Right now, I'm sitting outside, enjoying the peace and quiet and working on this blog. I rarely work on it outside because it can be so hard to view the screen, but I have just the right amount of shade for it to work. Now, off for a shower before we head into Julian for some pie and ice cream - you know, when in Rome...
I had a VERY unpleasant shower with ZERO hot water. I waited probably the first 2 minutes and finally decided that I was going to have to brave it. So, I did. It makes me sooo mad when there is no hot water. And I paid for it! But in the end I was clean, but cccold! After warming up a bit in the sunshine, we headed into town for my pie for brunch.
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| Cinnamon and vanilla ice cream on Julian Pie Company's Dutch Apple pie. OMG!!! Surprisingly I preferred the vanilla ice cream. Surprising because I love anything cinnamon. |
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| Evening solo stroll down Orchard Lane in Wynola |
While on my stroll I saw and recalled seeing the James Hubbell Artist home up on the hill and I looked it up and lucky me - they have a tour on Saturday. So, even though it was $90 😲, I signed up since I love art and architecture.
Ilan-Lael translates to Hebrew “a tree that belongs to God,” integrating art, nature and community in a dynamic setting. The name Ilan-Lael was first given by artist James Hubbell and his wife Anne to the structures they designed and built as both their family home and art studios. The property received historic designation in 2008. Today the Ilan-Lael Foundation serves as an art education and nature center, a retreat space, and a place for all those seeking inspiration in beauty, art and natural surroundings.
Hubbell started building the first of eleven organically-inspired structures in 1958. The intent was to create a home that appeared to grow out the landscape using the natural shape and materials of the land. The first few structures were built with no bulldozers, all footings were hand-dug and wildflowers were kept and appreciated for their beauty. The architectural styles of the buildings are influenced by adobe structures in New Mexico, where Hubbell lived for a time as a boy. Each building incorporates intricate details including mosaic murals, soaring arches, stained glass windows and a balance of natural materials from seashells to gemstones.
12/20 - WOW, just WOW! So glad I decided to do this tour! It was absolutely incredible. Art everywhere, in every building and in the design of every building. The property was mostly destroyed in the 2003 wildfire, but they decided to rebuild. Only one building, "the boys room", built for their sons, was saved. All building on the property are spectacular on their own, but this one is beyond spectacular - what word would I use for that?!
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| The entrance (kinda dark) |
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| The bathroom |
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| Now that's a shower I could see taking long showers in to enjoy the beauty around me! |
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| The loft that we couldn't go up to see due to the open staircase on the right - can't have people falling off! |
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| Last shot of The boys room |
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| Studio |
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| Manzanita wood |
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| The outside of the same door above - clay attached to the door. |
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| This was the only outlet I noticed, but to think of all the wiring and plumbing stuck behind these walls. It best be well done as repair would be quite a challenge! |
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| The doors on the left appear to go nowhere, but they open to a very shallow tool shed. And the kiln on the right. |
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| The Kiva building, built based on the Native American Kiva shelters |
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| Note the upside down clay tiles |
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| The ADA bathroom they had to build. |
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| The shower in the ADA bathroom. |
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| Just a cool, ominous dead tree |
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| After the tour and a quick walk with Zoe, I went to the California Mountain Bakery and got this huge breakfast sandwich. Definitely two meals! |
Tonight I'm staying at another HH, Hatfield Creek Winery (I called and they approved me staying Saturday in spite of my Sunday booking) and enjoyed chatting with Elaine, the owner, and Julianna, the wine tender (bartender).
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| I got my kitty fix while Zoe was safely tucked in the van |
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| Walk around Ramona to kill some time. Big accident in town had shut down the main street. So curious about what happened - small car front end crushed from a crash with a tractor trailer that was also being towed away. How did this happen in a downtown where the speed limit is probably 25 or 35 at most. |
I decided to hike to Potato Chip Rock, which is a 4 mile hike with about 1200' elevation gain. 2 miles up the whole way and then back down. It's a paved road, but is pretty consistently steep, so I found it to be quite a workout for the old ticker! Once I got to the top and saw people up on Potato Chip Rock I said, "nope!". Then after I had headed out, I decided to go back and asked someone to take my photo
IF I made it out there. Still "nope". If I was doing it with someone else I might have done it, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it alone. Mostly it was the drop I had to do to get out there and I'm sure it would have been very difficult to be up there. A guy who had done it said it really wasn't very fun. He just wanted to get down!
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| I see Curious George. Do you?? |
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| This is up high!!! I had to take a picture of someone else up there since I couldn't bring myself to do it... |
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| It's hard to tell, but this is probably about a 12% grade, which is very steep for 2 miles up! (not all this steep, but most of it) |
For this night I parked at a trailhead for Iron Mountiain. I had hoped to hike part of the trail with Zoe, but it ended up raining before we headed out. We did still do some of it, but probably less than 1/2 mile.
12/23 - From here, I headed to Soraya and Tom's to pick up Zoe's meds for our appointment so I can learn how to give her the Adequan shots. And to get a shower. After my sweaty hike yesterday, I very much look forward to a shower! Soraya invited me to park there for the night too, so that's the plan.
We both did great with the Adequan shot. It was so easy. If only I had been told to do it subcutaneously with Roxy, we might have been able to get it done. Zoe didn't even flinch when I inserted the needle (though she was getting fed and I will be doing this alone - hopefully doing it while she's eating will work). They had me practice with saline solution first and then do the real thing. I was afraid they were going to do it, but just show me, so I'm very happy that I was able to practice twice.
I had bought new HOKAs when I was in Las Vegas (about 1 month ago) and I noticed today that part of the sole was coming off, so I headed to REI to exchange them. I was hesitant to go being that it was the last real shopping day before Christmas, but what else did I have to do??? So, off we went. Parking was tight, but I found an open space that worked perfectly for Big Bertha where I could pull in and back out straight. City parking, even in shopping parking lots, is always something to consider when venturing out in my traveling home! When I was waiting for the REI shoe person, the woman before me was explaining that she had the exact same issue with her month old HOKAs (different model) and was looking for a replacement. Hopefully they have fixed their manufacturing issue, but I guess if not, I'll just get a new pair of sneakers in another month!
When I returned to my parking for the night, I took Zoe for a long walk around the neighborhood to enjoy the Christmas decorations and then we just hung out in the van. T&S were heading to a party and Norma wasn't feeling great.
12/24 - Merry Christmas Eve! Today is going to be rainy and windy later, but Soraya and I got out with the dogs for a walk and then T&S and Norma were heading to a play in Balboa Park. What a bummer that the rain was supposed to arrive just around the time they were planning to get to the park to walk around before the show. While they were gone they let Zoe and me hang out with their 4 pups in the house. With the wind and heavy rain, I wouldn't really be able to have the windows open, so it would be stuffy in there. And both Zoe and I really appreciate being able to spread out on a comfortable couch!
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| 3 on the couch, 2 on the floor |
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| 4 on the couch! |
I'm looking forward to this evening to try out a Venezuelan Christmas dinner!
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| The indoor living room opens completely to the lovely outdoor living room |
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| Kim, me, Phoebe, Zoe, Norma, Mary, Tom |
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| Kim, Phoebe, Zoe, Soraya, Norma, Mary, Tom |
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| Top: Ensalada de Gallina (Chicken Salad), Mid: Pan de Jamon (Ham bread with raisins and green olives) Bottom: Uncooked Hallacas. |
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| My plate with the cooked Hallaca. |
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| Anna (her mom is Venezuelan too) posted this on social media, which I thought was so funny because it's practically identical to my plate! |
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| Mia, Zoe, Ellie |
Popular pillows:
12/25 - Merry Christmas! After the rainy Christmas Eve, Christmas Day was beautiful. I visited with Tom, Soraya, and Norma in the morning and then headed to La Jolla Shores beach where I crossed paths with Tom and Soraya, so we ended up walking the beach together.
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| Recharging in the sun |
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| Norma doing Reiki on Zoe |
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| I guess this pier is the La Jolla Shores beach thing to do |
After leaving La Jolla, I headed south and stopped at Pacific Beach. I hadn't walked around here before and the sun was soon to be setting, so Zoe and I took another walk along the water.
Back to Crown Point Park for night
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| Classic Christmas dinner - Asian Food! Thai in this case. Is was OK. |
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| Mom, please don't make me get up! |
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| This is one of the rigs parked near me overnight. It's part of why I feel so uncomfortable (though not unsafe) staying in some of these places... I have this fancy new van and others live in vehicles like this. |
12/26 - Went to Coronado Island to check out the Hotel Del Coronado. Quite the homes near the beach!
The Hotel Del Coronado has quite the history, having opened in 1888 and still exists(obviously with renovations). It was considered one of the largest electrified buildings in the country at the time. People claim that Thomas Edison was involved in the installation, but that apparently isn't true. This allows me to brag about a little bit of history in the hamlet of Blue Mountain Lake: The first hotel in the country to have electricity in every room (300 guest rooms!) was The Prospect House in Blue Mountain Lake and the project was overseen by Thomas Edison (thus the name of the road we live on at the lake. Unfortunately, the Prospect House was closed in 1902 after a Typhoid outbreak and the discontinuation of an important railroad line, making the already challenging trip to the middle of the Adirondacks untenable. It was torn down in 1915 unfortunately. I would love to be able to walk through that building. It is awesome and amazing that the The Del still exists and thrives!
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| The Prospect House as seen from the Prospect bay. |
Where to sleep??? I decided to head south on the island to Imperial Beach area and found a spot outside some apartment buildings close to the beach. I was a bit nervous about getting the knock, but all was good. I ended up using my curtain instead of window covers and mostly kept my lights off. It's not so fun to worry about getting a knock, but I didn't want to drive back north to my familiar spots.
12/27 - We took our morning walk on the beach. I was so close to Mexico that from the beach we could see Tijuana not too far away. The surf was quite high, but there were a few surfers out there - probably the best ones I've seen. There are warning signs saying the water is contaminated with sewage, so I'm quite surprised anyone would go out there!
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| Tijuana in the distance |
I decided on a HH stay, Campo Creek Vineyards. It was just me. They told me I could park anywhere, but didn't give me any guidance and there really seemed only to be a couple of areas to park, so a little more guidance would have been appreciated! This place was super close to the border, so I've got some border wall photos up close. I was the only one there, not even any other customers, so I did my tasting and chatted with Tara, the wine tender, who doesn't like wine. 😂
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| If you zoom in you can see the border wall beyond the vines |
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| This is part of the old wall. Tara said she heard that people used to put ramps up to it and drive over. Not sure how true this is! |
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| And the razor wire apparently was added because people would somehow get to the top (18 - 30 feet high) and jump down or even drop kids down. |
OK, so that's it for San Diego! Time to head towards Arizona!
Great pictures! Loved the architecture and tile work in that home!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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