San Diego On My Mind

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While the weather is scorching here in Georgia, my mind drifts away to a city where the temperature is always perfect. You guessed it, San Diego, California. From June through September, where the temperatures span from 60-80 degrees, and rainy days are a rarity, San Diego is one of my favorite cities that I have ever visited.

Why the Unbelievable Weather?

San Diego has a Mediterranean climate, where temperatures rarely rise past 80 or fall below 60. Marine clouds cover the city, and until the sun evaporates the clouds, if that happens at all, the city stays cool during the hottest of months. I just so happen to love cloud cover!

Due to the unusual climate, San Diego citizens see less than 40 days of rain per year. We visited San Diego during June, and the temperatures remained in the 60-70 degree range.

San Diego has more than great weather; it also has fantastic attractions. We have listed a few of our favorites below!

Cabrillo National Monument

I could not wait to visit Cabrillo National Monument. In 1592, Juan Cabrillo navigated the first west coast expedition of the current-day United States. Unfortunately, Cabrillo lost his life on the voyage, but he found safe and hospitable conditions near Point Loma. I wish Juan knew that over 425 years later, residents and tourists alike still find the San Diego Harbor hospitable.

Cabrillo is located on the Point Loma Peninsula.

While visiting Cabrillo, we were able to send prayers and good wishes to the crew of the USS Nimitz, who was departing Naval Base San Diego. Views of the naval base are excellent from the monument.

San Diego is home to Naval Base San Diego and Marine Base Camp Pendleton. Naval Base San Diego is the homeport of the United States’ Pacific fleet. The base has over 1,600 acres of land and over 300 acres of sea.

While visiting the monument, take some time to pay your respects to over 100,000 service members buried at Fort Rosecrans, overlooking the San Diego Bay. Fearless men and women who fought for our country have been laid to rest on this hallowed ground, dating back to the patriots who fought during the War with Mexico (1846-1848).

Old Point Loma Lighthouse

The Point Loma Lighthouse is also located on the Point Loma Peninsula. The lighthouse first became a beacon over San Diego Bay in 1855. However, the beacon was often concealed due to those marine clouds and the dense fog that encapsulates the peninsula. As a result, the lighthouse was decommissioned in 1891.

Although the lighthouse no longer shines brightly over the sea, it has been restored in 1850s fashion. The lighthouse tour is fantastic and currently maintained and operated by the National Park Service.

Point Loma Tide Pools

The tide pools on Point Loma are unbelievable. A tide pool is where seawater gets trapped in depressions as the tide recedes. You can see a host of sea creatures at low tide, including crabs, sea anemones, and many other organisms. We could hike to the tidepools and experience them firsthand at Point Loma. When speaking with locals, they informed us that these were the best tide pools in Southern California.

The Children’s Pool at La Jolla (La-HOYa)

I am still in awe of the Children’s Pool at La Jolla Beach. In 1931, a local philanthropist donated money to create a breakwater, which would form a children’s play area at La Jolla Beach. However, in the mid-1990s, seals and sea lions invaded the pool and surrounding breakwater. You can walk the jetty for an up-close encounter with the seals and sea lions, but don’t plan on swimming in the pools… there are so many seals in the area that their waste has made the ocean water unsafe for play. Goodbye, human children. Hello, seal pups!

SeaWorld San Diego

I have mentioned this before, but we purchased season passes to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia, in April of this year. Sean, the master trip planner, had a plan. We knew that we would travel across the country during the summer, and we wanted to visit the SeaWorlds and the SeaWorld Aquaticas (waterparks) in San Antonio and San Diego. We got our money’s worth out of the season’s passes from the five parks we visited!

An exciting aspect of visiting the different SeaWorld parks is how different they are. We loved the Shamu show and the Clyde and Seamore (otter and sea lion) show. The parks were extremely nice, and we loved the rides at both SeaWorld and Aquatica.

Torrey Pines

We have traveled to many beaches throughout North America, and one of my very favorites happens to be in San Diego. Torrey Pines is marvelous. It has become famous due to the Professional Golf Association’s (PGA) Farmer’s Insurance Open held at Torrey Pines. Their course lines the San Diego Bay for a golf experience like none other.

While at Torrey Pines, try your hand at hang gliding. The cliffs overlooking the ocean are a prime location to take a leap of faith and glide through the air.

Our favorite attraction while visiting Torrey Pines was the beach. There was no seaweed in sight, and the water was clear and beautiful. The ocean was warm, and the waves were a blast.

Camp Pendleton

Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton holds memories of one of the stupidest things I had ever done while traveling as well as that of one of my best students ever.

Dedicated in 1942, amid World War II, Camp Pendleton is the most extensive west coast Marine expeditionary training base in the United States. The base has over 125,000 acres and pristine weather, which leads to year-round military training.

While exploring the beautiful community of Oceanside, and while I was driving, we passed a beautiful marina, and I thought we should continue to explore the local area. I saw signs for Camp Pendleton ahead, but I was sure there would be somewhere to turn our big hoss truck around. I was wrong.

As I closed in on the gate to Camp Pendleton, my eyes widened, and Sean shook his head as military men with high-powered rifles greeted us. I explained that I drove too far and had no place to turn around. One of the friendly Marines with his big gun took our licenses and left for a few minutes.

When the officer returned, we did not receive our licenses back, but instead, we were instructed that we would receive a true- guns ready to fire- escort off the base. I was able to turn around while under escort, and we were instructed that we were to not step on the gas but rather gently coast out of the area. No worries there…. as I coasted out, I received our IDs back. Word to the wise… don’t drive into military installations thinking you can “just turn around somewhere!” Oh, and I have no pictures of this, in case anyone is wondering…

Over 42,000 active military personnel are posted at Camp Pendleton, but one of those 42,000 is special to me!

A decade ago, a funny teenage kid took quite a few of my history classes. Today, Sergeant Justin Shears-Hills has joined history’s finest and is posted at Camp Pendleton. He has become a successful marine, just as he was a successful student.

Today, Sargeant Justin Shears-Hills is the Supply Chief for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. He is raising his precious son, Jax, with his beautiful wife, Sargeant Sno Shears-Hills.

As an old history teacher, I consider Justin, or Sargeant Shears-Hills, one of my greatest teaching successes as he has joined the ranks of America’s best by serving in the Armed Forces. Thanks to social media, I have had the privilege to watch Justin rise through the ranks of the Marines and begin a family grounded in the history and principles that I tried to teach so many years ago.

Ocean Beach

While visiting San Diego, you must visit the Ocean Beach community. The coastal town is virtually untouched by commercialization. Travel down Newport Avenue and walk back into yesteryear. Visit booming small businesses along the coast and enjoy great meals while shops open their storefront shutters to catch the San Diego Breeze. You cannot miss the California surfer vibes in this community.

Ocean Beach is one of San Diego’s premier gathering spots due to the pristine waters and the pier, which spans 1,971 feet into the ocean.

Hodads

If you visit Ocean Beach, please come hungry. Sean’s number one burger joint of all time is located in the community. Hodads claims to have the world’s best burger, and none of us are disputing that claim. After visiting the burger joint, our family left full of delicious food and California beach culture.

Don’t miss the opportunity to sit in a real VW van while eating the best burgers ever!

From our love of history to our exploration of science, during our sweltering summer heat and frigid winters, the magnificent city of San Diego is always on my mind.

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For more great American travels, check out San Antonio and From Atlanta to New England!