California Coast 2015 - Home to San Diego

Our Travels of the Mercury takes us on a two-month trip up the coast of California. We'll be spending May and June on the road.

We leave home on April 28th and camp the first night at Gilbert Ray Campground in the Tucson Mountains State Park west of Tucson, AZ. The campground has large nicely spaced sites interspersed with native Sonoran desert. The sites are gravel but all the loop roads are paved. Restrooms are old but maintained. There are sites with electric and water taps in several location around the campground. The cost was $20/night.

The Palo Verdes yellow blossoms glow in the morning sun in the foothills of the Tucson Mountains State Park as we head down the road for California.

We make it all the way to California's Cleveland National Forest and camp at Cibbets Flat Forest Service Campground. A nice primitive campground with big shady oaks and a boisterous flock of Acorn Woodpeckers. No hook-ups but water at the sites and pit toilets. A real value at $14/night, $7 with senior discount.

The campground is a mile from the Pacific Crest Trail and hikers come here to camp. We talked with several of them about their hikes.   They were about 30 miles into their 2300 mile trek.

Our Lords Candle Yucca were blooming in the hills surrounding the campground. We walked a primitive road that intersected the Pacific Crest Trail.  Now we can say that we have "put our feet" to the trail.

We arrive in San Diego and dip our feet into the Pacific Ocean for the first time.

We stay 3 nights at the Silver Strand State Park on the beach. All the sites have water and 50 amp service for $50 a night. There are restrooms. The best thing about the campground is that it's right on the beach and directly connected to the Bay Shore Bikeway. The downside of the campground is that it's a parking lot and right next to busy highway 75 with vehicles speeding by. The campground is totally filled on the weekends. It's a noisy place but quiets down at 10 pm.

We enjoyed setting on the beach watching lines of pelicans soar the wave crests and the cute little Sanderlings forge along the water line and race the surf.

A Sanderling beach combing.

On our first day we took a 40 mile bike ride on the Bay Shore Bikeway, through down town San Diego and along the water front where the Marine Museum is located.

The Midway Aircraft Carrier

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Along the Bay Shore Bikeway is this colorful metal bike sculpture. If you follow the Tour de France you'll recognize the colors of the first 3 large bikes.

Sunset on the beach and we sit and enjoy the sound of the sea. This was our first time camping on the ocean. We've fallen in love with the sea.

Tomorrow we begin our California adventure and head north up the coast.

Happy travels.
Jackie