San Diego County, Ca

Oceanside
We scheduled one week at the Guajome County Park in Oceanside, California in order to visit with Leon's daughter. Our first day in town started with a wine tasting with Trisha and Steve in Carlsbad and then we went to their place to continue visiting and for a bite to eat. On Tuesday we went back to their place for Steve's birthday cookout. It was great to visit with them and worth every mile of the long hot drive getting there.
The county park and campground seems to be a well kept secret. Two Indians from the nearby Mission San Luis Rey received the 2200 acre Rancho Guajome as a land grant from the Mexican governor in 1845. A later owner built a lake and marsh in the area and in the 1970s the County of San Diego bought the land to create a county park. Many of the locals come to the park area to walk, bike, picnic, and fish in the lake. We were only seven miles from the fun town of Oceanside alongside the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and her 3.5 miles of white sandy beaches. More photos.











We enjoyed several hiking trails in the park after spending all of our days out touring the countryside.

We especially liked to go down to Oceanside, possibly have breakfast at Cafe 101, park alongside the beach and ride the bicycles on the path that borders the beach. Then we might drive further down the coast to another beach and watch the surfers or catch a nap. The Oceanside Pier is nineteen hundred and sixty feet long and is the longest wooden pier on the west coast.

Escondido
North of Carlsbad is an arid desert-like area in the San Pasqual Valley that is suitable for animals native to Africa and here we visited the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park. It began 30 years ago as a breeding facility for the San Diego Zoo. The 180 acre sanctuary has settings similar to the animals' natural habitats. We saw most of the 3500 plus animals and 140 species. The day started with a tram tour among the larger animals: giraffes, water buffaloes, etc. in a natural setting. We decided that after seeing this we would forego the planned trip back into San Diego to visit the zoo. Included in our packet was a coupon for a wine tasting at the nearby Orfila Vineyards & Winery so we obliged before leaving the area. More photos.

Carlsbad
Leo Carillo, known as Pancho in the 1950s tv series "The Cisco Kid," bought over 2500 acres where he restored and added to the existing rancho beginning in 1937. It became a large working ranch with many vaqueros keeping it in working order. 10 acres are part of the historic park owned by the City of Carlsbad with restored buildings from his ranch which include a hacienda, pool, cabana, cantina, carriage house, stable and barn. We had a fun tour of the rancho which gave us a hint of what life would have been like in the area in past years. Peacocks running about the grounds also kept us entertained.

San Diego
An express train runs from Oceanside to San Diego, the eighth largest city in the U.S., with several stops along the way. For the senior price of only $5 each we could take the Coaster to San Diego so we took a one day whirlwind tour of the city. As we rode south we viewed the beach from the upper deck and disembarked in Old Town San Diego. In 1769 an expedition arrived and built the first of the California missions. The mission period ended with Mexico's independence from Spain in 1821 and the era of great ranchos began. Adobe homes were built in what is today known as Old Town. In 1848 California became a territory of the United States. After touring Old Town and eating fish tacos at Cafe Cayote we boarded the big red double decker tour bus where we viewed San Diego from the top level. We hopped off to tour the USS Midway at the harbor (embarcadero). We then continued through the gaslight quarter, once the main business distict which later became the city's infamous red-light district and later a skid row area before it's revitalization; Mission Hill, an affluent area next to Old Town; and Hillcrest, a bohemian village-like neighborhood with a mix of architectural styles and a shopper's paradise. I was surprised to find the town so hilly. We then boarded another bus for a tour through Balboa Park. In 1868, 140 acres of barren, cacti filled, pueblo land was set aside for a city park. It is now a cultural and recreational center which contains about 1200 acres of lush vegetation. In 1915 it was the site of the Panama-California Exposition. The ornate buildings constructed for the exposition and a later one in the 30s now house a myriad of museums. Balboa Park is also home to the San Diego zoo. More photos.