Sunny San Diego
I really was thrilled to be able to experience a desert environment the first week of this trip—something pretty foreign to me TBH. But y’all. Driving down “The 15” (IH-15 in California) toward San Diego, the hills became much more green, the trees more abundant and varied—it was a true oasis. I was highly anticipating visiting my college teammate/roommate/BFF/and later one of my bridesmaids, Kris “Ledbutt” (short for Ledbetter)! Fortunate to have been able to reconnect in person for a “Champions Weekend” volleyball team reunion at the Univ. of Tennessee just a little over a year ago, this coming week was sure to be full of quality time together. Her husband and son are a delight, too! While it was weird to be back in a “sticks & bricks” house again—I think Maisie has whiplash—I do think it helped with my transition to a more mobile lifestyle by letting me breathe just a bit after a week of driving halfway across the country.
Kris and Eric have a truly lovely home in the Torrey Pines area of San Diego. Talk about gorgeous! I reminded them often to count their blessings for living in near-Paradise. Highs in the low 70s, lows in the 50s, sunny skies, beautiful sunsets, palm trees for miles, and unbelievable lush landscapes. Ahhhhhh. The view from their back yard alone was something I could stare at all day. A 3.5-mile hike around her neighborhood the first morning there—with three pups in tow, up and down numerous big hills and through parkland—was spectacular. Throw in a 90-year-old tortoise (“Mr. Turtle”), that has been a part of Kris’ life since she was four (that’s a long time, y’all), and what could be more fun? We rounded out the day with burritos on the beach for a spectacular sunset.
The next few days were spent hiking Torrey Pines State Beach—where, get this, we came across a group of people who had really big camera lenses, sitting around in beach chairs like they were waiting for something to happen. So of course I had to stop and ask what they were doing! And guess what? There was a group of Peregrine falcons nesting in the cliffs! Did you know that Peregrine falcons are renowned as the fastest animals on earth, capable of reaching speeds over 200 mph during their signature hunting dive, or "stoop"? These raptors are famous for their aerial hunting prowess, taking down birds in mid-air, and for their remarkable recovery from near extinction due to DDT pesticides. With just my iPhone, I couldn’t get a decent picture, but one of the guys with the giant lens showed us some closeups he got and they were magnificent!
We also walked around some of the beautiful Torrey Pines Golf Course, home to an annual PGA tournament in Jan/Feb each year. As it turns out, it is a public course run by the city of San Diego, but getting tee times is quite the challenge, as you can imagine. I know Michael would have killed to play on this course! After a several-mile hike we decided to meet Eric and his tennis buddy at a funky little café in Del Mar, called “Board & Brew.” Del Mar is considered a highly affluent, exclusive beach town and is one of the wealthiest areas in San Diego County. It features a median household income nearing $200,000 and average home values ranging from 3.6-4.5 million. Known for its coastal luxury, it features high-end real estate, upscale dining, and the famous Del Mar Racetrack, which I did not get to see, unfortunately. We did stumble on a Farmer’s Market and, of course, had to get a taste of some local ice cream. :D
Our last day in San Diego took us to Balboa Park—“San Diego’s ever-changing, always amazing, 1,200-acre backyard.” Balboa Park is a historic urban cultural park near downtown San Diego. Placed in reserve in 1835, the park's site is one of the oldest in the United States dedicated to public recreational use. The park hosts various museums, theaters, restaurants, and the San Diego Zoo. Kris and I walked what felt like every inch of it! With Maisie in tow, we couldn’t go to the zoo or into any of the museums, but have been to them before and highly recommend them! Especially the zoo. Known as one of the best in the world (and the most visited zoo in the United States), Michael and I had taken Maddy there a couple of times when she was just a toddler. I still have fond memories of those trips!
As beautiful as all areas of the park are, we actually saw a few different girls in their over-the-top Quinceañera dresses for photo shoots. Loved it! One other cool thing we came upon was the Spreckels Organ, the largest outdoor organ in the world! And someone was rehearsing on it while we were there. See the pic below for more info on the organ, if interested.
All in all, the best part of the amazing weekend spent in San Diego was hanging out with Kris and her family (and dogs! and tortoise!). I’m so grateful we kept in touch and treasure the time we got to spend together.
And now it’s time to head up the coast of California!