Well they say that the best is last. I don't agree ... San Diego has all been wonderful!

View from Terry and Janice's home

The time we have spent with Terry and Janice and their family will long be remembered with fondness and thanks. Not to mention their dogs Jake and Lady who kept Trevor busy throwing balls down their wonderful sloping yard.

Jake and Lady!

Waiting for  Ethan

Out on the town!

On our last Friday night we went to the Spaghetti Factory with Terry and Janice, Mike, Diana and Ryan, and - 3 granddaughters.
It was a great evening; the food was good and the girls were very good!

The Gaslamp Quarter at night.

I have not done justice to the wonderful food we have eaten while in San Diego. I would have to say it had a distinct Mexican flavour! but was all so good.

Terry also introduces us to craft beers, which San Diegans take seriously. We visit Sessions Public in Point Loma, a craft beer bar and restaurant; taste some beers and split a gourmet burger that is to die for!

We then visit the Mission Brewery which serves up an array of beer tasters. The surrounds are fantastic; an old bakery - the historic Wonderbread building - which has been remodelled yet retains so much character.

On our last weekend we rent a car and spend some time driving around the peninsula of Coronado, across the Coronado Bay Bridge.

The 2.12 mile bridge was officially opened on 3 August 1969. The bridge spans San Diego Bay and carries State Hwy 75 - 5 lanes, with 2 lanes in each direction and a reversible middle lane to respond to traffic volumes.

It was designed exclusively for motor vehicle traffic; there are no pedestrian walkways, bike paths or shoulders. Once a year there is a 'Bike The Bay', an opportunity to ride over the bridge.


It is a beautiful bridge! With a 4.67% grade driving from Coronado to San Diego and an almost 80 degree angle turn for clearance for naval vessels, it appears to soar into the air. It is quite something to drive over; I am glad we are not doing this in the RV.

It is toll free. Originally there was a toll;  it was due to become toll free once the original bridge bond was paid  (in 1986). But it took another 16 years for the tolls to be finally discontinued, in 2002.












It is also the 3rd deadliest suicide bridge in the US. It trails the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco and the Aurora Bridge in Seattle.

We have a coffee at a swish Starbucks in Coronado then go for a wander around the Hotel Del Coronado (the 'Dell'), considered one of the nation's most beautiful beach resorts. It opened in 1888 and is a National Historic Landmark; the setting for several films including 'Some Like It Hot', its guest list reads like a Who's Who of 20th century US history from Presidents to film stars.

A rubbish bin on the beach!

It is a beautiful day! We walk around the Del and along the edge of the Bay. Then we walk through the hotel. It is amazing inside; the lobby is panelled in dark wood with high ceilings. It's easy to mingle with hotel guests and visitors alike except we are the ones taking the photos!

The lobby of  the Hotel del Coronado

For those who come across the bay to Coronado by ferry, bike rentals at the ferry enable you to bike around Coronado. You
would swear it was a weekend; so many people enjoying the lovely day, biking or walking. Not too many out swimming though!

On Saturday 23 March Terry takes Trevor touring in his MGB in the hills outside San Diego - they are with the MG car club rally.


Janice and I drive to their finish point; Hooleys Pub in Rancho San Diego where we all have lunch.
It is another beautiful day. I get a drive in the MG on the way back - an exciting drive!!
Have I mentioned that Californians drive faster than in any other state we have been in so far??  So fun!

































And then ... our last day in San Diego.  On 24 March we drive up the coast to Oceanside and work our way back to Solana Beach. We have tickets to a Gordon Lightfoot show in Solana Beach at the Belly Up Tavern!
We stop at the Belly Up on our way up the coast to check out the venue. The show starts at 8pm; although we have tickets, seating is on a first come, first served basis. There are only so many seats - otherwise you stand for the show!! We have to line up. It is suggested we get there as early as possible. The doors open at 7pm. We are determined to get a seat!

Oceanside is about 40 miles north of San Diego. We get there about midday, park and set out to walk the pier. Oceanside Pier is the longest wooden pier on the western US coastline at 1,954 feet. There are a lot of people doing exactly what we are doing; many are fishing off the pier; there are also a number of surfers dotted along the edge of waves just waiting ...

We can see seals in the water from the end of the pier. They know they are the centre of attention and put on a show; there must be some fish around!

We find a Starbucks too!

We head back south, passing through Carlsbad and Encinitas. We could and probably should stop to explore but we continue on to Solana Beach.

Oceanside is beautiful. The beaches
stretch for miles and miles as do the apartments lining the beaches. There is good surf too.
The signs say there is an Iron Man event here next weekend.




We have a very late lunch  at the Wild Note Cafe, right next door to the Belly Up.
Champagne! We both have to pinch ourselves that we are soon to attend a Gordon Lightfoot concert. We have loved his music for about 36 years, ever since he released his song  'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald'. We have most of his music at home, and an assortment on our iPod and MP3 player.

We line up about 4.15pm - 2nd in line; 3 hours later the doors open! We enjoy the company of those who stand in line. There is a lot of laughter and chatter; everyone around us is a Gordon Lightfoot fan. The outcome is wonderful with seats about 10 feet from the stage.

8pm .. and there he is!! He looks frail and old - 74 years old! But he is Gordon Lightfoot and what a thrill - a 'once in a lifetime'. He sings all his favourites including Blackberry Wine, one of my favourites. Even though his voice is no longer strong, his backing group is great and ... we know all the words anyway!!

Visitors! They just 'popped in'!

I guess there is a best in San Diego - Terry and Janice. They brought San Diego alive for us!

When you think of the history of our connection with the Rossknecht family - through Terry all those years ago - there is a sense of having come full circle.

What great people!