Our first week we stayed at the Boulevard KOA. It's about an hour east of San Diego. This KOA is located next to the Cleveland National Forest, where we could hike. There is a KOA right in San Diego, but I figured it might be in an icky area or too far from good hiking. In the end, it probably would have been better, though the Boulevard KOA was nice. Update: after a day in San Diego, I'm glad we chose to stay in Boulevard. Cities are draining.
Boulevard KOA: Day 7
OMG, we had an epic hike today. It was amazingly beautiful, and at times, extremely challenging. The hike was in the Laguna Recreation Area, an area which we have driven past on Highway 8 every day for the past week (excepting the day we did our taxes), unaware of what we were passing up.
It was absolutely beautiful. We got off Highway 8 at the Sunrise Highway. We drove for about 10 miles to get to the Penny Pines Trailhead, and the views were stunning all the way up. The pics below don't do it justice. There are several trailheads along the way and a few campgrounds as well.
It was absolutely beautiful. We got off Highway 8 at the Sunrise Highway. We drove for about 10 miles to get to the Penny Pines Trailhead, and the views were stunning all the way up. The pics below don't do it justice. There are several trailheads along the way and a few campgrounds as well.
We found the hike on a website called the Hiking Guy. He has the absolute best instructions, complete with a multitude of pictures at all the confusing points along the trail. There were a lot, but with his post, we followed it perfectly, with one exception.
It was a 12-mile hike and the expected duration is 5 to 6 hours. It took us 6. We took lunch and plenty of water, but unfortunately, we didn't take enough clothes. For the first 7 miles, we were fine. I was taking my sweatshirt off and putting it back on back and forth as we went through treed areas or direct sun.
The first part of the hike was easy hiking on a comfortable path through bushes and pine trees.
It was a 12-mile hike and the expected duration is 5 to 6 hours. It took us 6. We took lunch and plenty of water, but unfortunately, we didn't take enough clothes. For the first 7 miles, we were fine. I was taking my sweatshirt off and putting it back on back and forth as we went through treed areas or direct sun.
The first part of the hike was easy hiking on a comfortable path through bushes and pine trees.
Then we came to Laguna Lake. It wasn't very full, but the area was beautiful.
Here we discovered where acorn woodpeckers get their name! We came across this amazing sight. The pine tree's bark is loaded with holes pecked by the woodpeckers and filled by them with acorns. The acorns covered this tree, going all the way to the top.
We saw the cutest dog.
Two new birds we saw are a pygmy nuthatch and a bluebird of some sort. According to Merlin, it could have been a western bluebird or a mountain bluebird. Whatever it was, it was an amazing, electric blue. No time for a picture. These below are stock photos. (The pygmy nuthatch looks just like our nuthatch only smaller.) Also, by the by, twice driving to hiking we saw birds that I thought might be scrub jays flying. Okay, now that I think about it, I have no idea which of these blue birds we saw. Could have been any!
After the lake, we went for a while through pine forests and did more climbing. We started to get some views. We saw some charred trees, remnants of a forest fire.
We saw some huge pine cones.
Then we made the turn to Monument Peak, which was a steep climb through scrub. The trail was clear. The views were stunning, when you avoided catching a glimpse of the huge cell tower at your back, so I'm glad we made the trek. Across the way you can see another facility with the white sphere. That's some Cold War radar detection system that is now being used by NORAD.
But after we got to the top of Monument Peak, things turned. The peak was at a high elevation, the sun was gone, the temperature had dropped to below 50, and the wind was blowing hard. Here's a cool chart from Hiking Guy showing the elevation gain on the trail.
We were both in shorts, and we just wanted to get down off the mountain. We did pretty so quickly, but as soon as we did, we had to start climbing again for Hays Peak. I was so cold that I think I started to think a little recklessly. I was just moving ahead as fast as I could on a trail that was not clear. It was easy enough to walk through the shrubs to regain the trail so it was a quick climb to the top. Again, the views were stunning.
Hiking Guy said getting off this peak was the hardest and most confusing part of the whole trail. He was right. There had been a number of confusing junctures on the trail before this point, but his pictures and directions had steered us right every time. This time, we weren't so lucky.
We headed down the peak. It was exceedingly steep. I felt I could have easily lost my footing and fallen over. The ground was rocky; it was really hard on the knees. We couldn't see a clear trail to walk on down the hill, though we could see our destination trail (Pacific Crest Trail or PCT) a little beyond the bottom of it.
We headed down the peak. It was exceedingly steep. I felt I could have easily lost my footing and fallen over. The ground was rocky; it was really hard on the knees. We couldn't see a clear trail to walk on down the hill, though we could see our destination trail (Pacific Crest Trail or PCT) a little beyond the bottom of it.
We got about halfway down the hill and came to impenetrable shrub growth. Our legs were already scratched up and they would have been shredded had we tried to go through. Plus, we couldn't see the ground so we couldn't tell if we might get to an impassable rock edge beneath the growth. We had to go back up the hill and try again.
Scott found another potential trail. Unfortunately, it was on the edge of the cliff, but it did seem the way down. We took it and ultimately caught up with the PCT, but only after a few harrowing points on the descent.
Scott found another potential trail. Unfortunately, it was on the edge of the cliff, but it did seem the way down. We took it and ultimately caught up with the PCT, but only after a few harrowing points on the descent.
We got back to the PCT and we were grateful, but were still freezing. We were moving fast to warm up, and then we saw one last point of interest suggested by Hiking Guy. We almost skipped it, but then we went back and did it—Foster's Point. It was a short stretch there and back to the PCT and it was worth the view. The plaque there has an embossed drawing of all the peaks you can see from this point, along with the distances to each, one of which was 38 miles away. Unfortunately, the plaque is worn down and the names and distances are hard to make out.
We walked for about 15 minutes and then stopped for lunch. I was still pretty cold. After a quick bite, Scott gave me his shirt so now he was in a tank top with bare arms, and we started walking.
We had 2 miles left at this point. It was a pretty long 2 miles. We weren't all that tired of walking, just cold, and somehow we kept expecting it to be over but there was always another turn and more path and often it was up and down again and sometimes it was cliff-edgy. It was pretty, though, and there were some very beautiful views.
We had 2 miles left at this point. It was a pretty long 2 miles. We weren't all that tired of walking, just cold, and somehow we kept expecting it to be over but there was always another turn and more path and often it was up and down again and sometimes it was cliff-edgy. It was pretty, though, and there were some very beautiful views.
Finally, we completed the loop and made it back to the parking lot and the truck.
On the drive home, the sun was setting, and Scott stopped at a viewing point to snap a sunset.
Back at the campsite, we treated ourselves to some pina coladas and cards.
Boulevard KOA: Day 6
Today we decided to head into San Diego. We had been planning to go to the zoo, I guess because it's so famous, but when we thought about it we realized that it didn't interest us enough. For me, I realized that one particular type of animal was too numerous: the human.
So we changed and went first to the USS Midway Museum. Scott wanted to see aircraft carriers. It was a cool experience.
The aircraft carrier itself is impressive as a massive technological achievement, but learning about the Battle of Midway and seeing where and how people lived and worked—and what they had to work with—while serving in the military and defending the country was pretty humbling and moving. Scott read that the USS Midway was built in a hurry, just 17 months. It was completed though the week after World War II ended.
A couple things to point out before I do a photo dump.
One exhibit featured George H.W. Bush. He joined the military when he was 18 and a year later he was flying this plane in combat! Can you imagine? He was 19 years old flying this tiny machine in actual battles? Amazing. He names all his planes after Barbara.
So we changed and went first to the USS Midway Museum. Scott wanted to see aircraft carriers. It was a cool experience.
The aircraft carrier itself is impressive as a massive technological achievement, but learning about the Battle of Midway and seeing where and how people lived and worked—and what they had to work with—while serving in the military and defending the country was pretty humbling and moving. Scott read that the USS Midway was built in a hurry, just 17 months. It was completed though the week after World War II ended.
A couple things to point out before I do a photo dump.
One exhibit featured George H.W. Bush. He joined the military when he was 18 and a year later he was flying this plane in combat! Can you imagine? He was 19 years old flying this tiny machine in actual battles? Amazing. He names all his planes after Barbara.
There is a massive structure on top of the boat. They call it the island. It's where all the analyzing, strategizing, navigating, and steering goes on, plus it's got some captain's quarters that are pretty swanky for a cramped boat, complete with conference rooms and areas to entertain dignitaries.
When we were in the bowels of the island, we met some fellows who turned out to be ham-radio operators who were making use of the ship's antennas. Scott's friend Frank Roman is a massive ham-radio buff who also served in the Navy. So Scott sent him a photo and chatted with the guys, all self-described "nerds."
It's impossible to capture the scale (hugeness but also crampiness) of this ship. The flight deck, for example, is over 4 acres!
One other stop we had thought about making was to see any in-service aircraft carriers that might be stationed in the navy yard. From the map, it was a 20-minute drive, but it turned out you could see the ships from the USS Midway Museum!! They were just across the bay. There were two ships in port being worked on: the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Roosevelt.
The differences between the USS Midway, which was last employed in the Gulf War (it was the lead ship in that war), and the modern aircraft carriers are not that great. The USS Midway was diesel fueled while the modern boats are nuclear powered, but their top speed is about the same. The big advantage of nuclear power is no need to refuel. Modern aircraft carriers are a little bigger and heavier.
Then we headed to the Mission Beach boardwalk. I was worried about being able to find parking, but it was super easy and free. We parked in the public lot at Mission Bay Park.
It was a short walk to the boardwalk. I guess we were near one end of it, next to Belmont Park. The boardwalk is very nice. Lots of people were making use of it, walking, biking, skateboarding, peacocking, and proselytizing. The ocean was beautiful with lots of wave action. It was quite chilly with a constant wind, yet people were set up on the beach, kids were flying kites and playing in the sand, and surfers were in the water.
It was a short walk to the boardwalk. I guess we were near one end of it, next to Belmont Park. The boardwalk is very nice. Lots of people were making use of it, walking, biking, skateboarding, peacocking, and proselytizing. The ocean was beautiful with lots of wave action. It was quite chilly with a constant wind, yet people were set up on the beach, kids were flying kites and playing in the sand, and surfers were in the water.
We walked along the boardwalk for about 15 minutes, but we were really hungry and also cold, so we stopped at a restaurant we had passed and got lunch. We broke down and ate lots of carbs but it was tasty. We sat outside (they had heaters) and the view was awesome. That is, until the end when a scantily clad runner chose the spot directly in front of us to do his post-run stretches. At any rate, by the end of the meal we were freezing.
We headed out into the chill and wind and looked at each other and realized we had got the full experience. We don't really enjoy the city experience. We could have driven over to Balboa Park, it's well-recommend and not too far, but we weren't that interested. It was time to head back.
Boulevard KOA: Day 5
It rained all night and into the morning, and the day ahead looked to be the same.
So we decided to drive to the grocery in Alpine, a drive of about 45 minutes, and to do taxes when we got back. Somehow, the day went by quickly. In the evening, we played cards and watched tv as usual.
On the drive Scott was admiring the way the colors of the landscape had changed because of the rain. By the time I got around to taking photos, the prettiest views had passed. But here are some photos that give an idea of the color. There is also a picture of a grove of trees we see on the drive that we like.
On the drive Scott was admiring the way the colors of the landscape had changed because of the rain. By the time I got around to taking photos, the prettiest views had passed. But here are some photos that give an idea of the color. There is also a picture of a grove of trees we see on the drive that we like.
Boulevard KOA: Day 4
It was lightly raining this morning when we woke, and it was a little chilly. Here's the view of the campground from our camper as the sun was rising.
We decided to just hike today, so we packed a lunch and headed back to the same trail at Pine Creek. We planned to go a little farther on it today, maybe 2 hours out and 2 hours back. In the end, we made it 1.5 hours out and 1.5 back.
But I'm pretty sure along the way I saw bobcat footprints.
But I'm pretty sure along the way I saw bobcat footprints.
So the hike today was cooler and less sunny. It was about 55, and there were a lot of clouds in the sky. At first, the sun was shining and soon after we started the first climb I was regretting my long sweats and wind breaker and Scott was regretting his boots. Periodically the wind would blow and we would cool off. About an hour in, it got cooler and the clouds were perpetually covering the sun. All the shirts and jackets went back on.
Hiking was nevertheless quite pleasant and the views were awesome.
Hiking was nevertheless quite pleasant and the views were awesome.
When we got to 1.5 hours out, we were still thinking of continuing. But the trail was descending after climbing for most of the time and we were approaching a fence along the highway. I saw a man fidgeting near it, and stepped out of sight. Scott saw him and said "let's turn around," so we did. I walked pretty fast up that hill. The fellow could have been a hiker, a biker, a ranger, a rancher, a local explorer, an illegal immigrant, or a vagrant, who knows? But I'm glad we didn't wait to find out.
After about 15 minutes, we stopped and had our packed lunch. When we got up, we were cold! I bundled up as best I could.
After about 15 minutes, we stopped and had our packed lunch. When we got up, we were cold! I bundled up as best I could.
We enjoy the views of nature, but there are a couple technological marvels to see as well. The highway through the mountains is visible in several spots, and there are couple of bridges that are quite astounding in their design and construction.
Boulevard KOA: Day 3
Today was a rinse and repeat of yesterday: tennis in the morning and a hike at Pine Creek afterwards. Tennis was fun, for me anyway (this time the hours and hours of $, practice, and instruction paid off, and I won all three sets). It rained last night so when we began playing, the court was still damp. But the sun came out eventually, and by the time we were done the court was dry.
We went on the same hike as yesterday—the second, longer, clearer one—except we went for twice as long. We walked an hour out and an hour back and it was extremely pleasant. The clouds were long gone, the sun was warm, and the views were beautiful.
The trail was level at first, but in the middle it climbed gently up the small mountain. It wound around and opened into a new set of mountains where the vegetation changed to bigger and more numerous trees.
We went on the same hike as yesterday—the second, longer, clearer one—except we went for twice as long. We walked an hour out and an hour back and it was extremely pleasant. The clouds were long gone, the sun was warm, and the views were beautiful.
The trail was level at first, but in the middle it climbed gently up the small mountain. It wound around and opened into a new set of mountains where the vegetation changed to bigger and more numerous trees.
The trail seemed rarely used. We were the only car in the lot yesterday and today. There were footprints and tire marks on the trail, but at first we saw no one on the trail. I worried about mountain lions and bears, and so I read the information on the park sign today, and it turns out there are a lot of bobcats in the mountains, mountain lions (though "rarely spotted"), and, get this, illegal immigrants.
We had noticed some animal footprints here and there. The obvious source would be dog, but because the trail is so long and no one seemed to be on it, I worried they were the prints of something wild. To me, they never seemed to stay long on the trail; they'd appear briefly, as if the animal was crossing the path, not following it.
Scott started to wonder, and we decided to take pictures of any good prints we could find, especially those with obvious "claws," so we could research it later to figure out what animal had made them. We spent some time looking at the ground as we walked in search of good prints, took a few pictures, and were about to take another when we looked up and saw a man and his dog resting ahead. Right after Scott commented "nice dog," a biker rounded the bend and drove past us.
As we passed the man, Scott asked him if he knew what had made the footprints we were photographing. "Probably dog," he said. "There are a lot of bobcats around, so maybe that." Then he noted the distinction that made our whole obsession more comical: "If you see claw marks in the print, it's a dog. If you don't see claws, it could be a cat." Ah ha.
We had noticed some animal footprints here and there. The obvious source would be dog, but because the trail is so long and no one seemed to be on it, I worried they were the prints of something wild. To me, they never seemed to stay long on the trail; they'd appear briefly, as if the animal was crossing the path, not following it.
Scott started to wonder, and we decided to take pictures of any good prints we could find, especially those with obvious "claws," so we could research it later to figure out what animal had made them. We spent some time looking at the ground as we walked in search of good prints, took a few pictures, and were about to take another when we looked up and saw a man and his dog resting ahead. Right after Scott commented "nice dog," a biker rounded the bend and drove past us.
As we passed the man, Scott asked him if he knew what had made the footprints we were photographing. "Probably dog," he said. "There are a lot of bobcats around, so maybe that." Then he noted the distinction that made our whole obsession more comical: "If you see claw marks in the print, it's a dog. If you don't see claws, it could be a cat." Ah ha.
Boulevard KOA: Day 2
On the agenda: tennis and hiking. We headed to Pine Valley Park again for tennis, and for a hike we planned to check out one the trailheads we had spotted yesterday.
But first we took a walk around the campground. Scott visited his "soulmate," the male ostrich, and we got an up-close view of these plentiful birds that we determined are acorn woodpeckers. Very pretty with striking white and black feathers with a touch of red on the head.
But first we took a walk around the campground. Scott visited his "soulmate," the male ostrich, and we got an up-close view of these plentiful birds that we determined are acorn woodpeckers. Very pretty with striking white and black feathers with a touch of red on the head.
Isn't it funny? The ostriches won't cross that teeny tiny trench.
We arrived at the tennis court right when the park opened at 9:30 am. We had been playing for about 10 minutes when some other players arrived. Bummer. It's always stressful to play when you know others are waiting for the court.
We continued to play for about 3o minutes and then one of the players asked us if we wanted to play doubles. We said we'd just finish our game and then they could have the court. When we were gathering up our things, they asked again about doubles. They had only 3 players and invited us to play. Scott said he'd sit out, so I played for about an hour with them. They were super nice and it was fun to play doubles.
We continued to play for about 3o minutes and then one of the players asked us if we wanted to play doubles. We said we'd just finish our game and then they could have the court. When we were gathering up our things, they asked again about doubles. They had only 3 players and invited us to play. Scott said he'd sit out, so I played for about an hour with them. They were super nice and it was fun to play doubles.
Then Scott and I had the lunch we packed and headed for the hike. It was called Pine Creek. It was down a long, windy, single-lane road. But it was a designated hike with a parking lot, an outhouse, and a sign. Someone had defaced the map on it with the comment "this map sucks," which turned out to be completely apt. Scott studied it for a while, got an idea where we were, and pointed us in the direction ahead.
In a few yards we discovered a trail marker labeled "Secret Canyon." There were two paths, but the marker seemed clearly to indicate the lower trail on the left.
In a few yards we discovered a trail marker labeled "Secret Canyon." There were two paths, but the marker seemed clearly to indicate the lower trail on the left.
We followed that trail for about 30 minutes. It was beautiful at first, but it became increasingly difficult to follow. Brambles hung over the trail, massive dead trees lay across the path, and sometimes the path disappeared and required climbing over rock outcrops and searching for the trail's continuation. Scott barely missed walking on buried barbed wire in two places. At a certain point, I said, "I'm done; this is no fun." And we turned and headed back.
When we got back to the trail sign, Scott said we should try the other, unmarked path right next to "Secret Canyon." It looked like a country lane of some sort, with tire marks of some sort (maybe just bikes), but also lots of shoe marks. So why not, we started on that path.
It turned out to be amazing. It went on and on. It was easy to walk. And the views were incredible.
It turned out to be amazing. It went on and on. It was easy to walk. And the views were incredible.
Boulevard KOA: Day 1
On the agenda today: tennis and hiking. We needed to locate places to do both.
I had scouted out tennis courts ahead of time and thought there should be some around, but when we asked at the KOA office, the worker could think of only one: Pine Valley Park, about 30 minutes away. So that's where we headed.
The park is beautiful, the court, not so much. There is only one, and it's not in good shape. It's level, which is great, the net is fine, but there are large cracks on both sides of the court.
Still, we were grateful to have it, and we played for two hours and had a lot of fun. The cracks interfered on occasion but not too bad. The setting is amazing; you look up and there are mountains all around. The worst part was Scott won all three sets, in spite of the thousands of dollars and hours and hours of time I spend playing tennis.
I had scouted out tennis courts ahead of time and thought there should be some around, but when we asked at the KOA office, the worker could think of only one: Pine Valley Park, about 30 minutes away. So that's where we headed.
The park is beautiful, the court, not so much. There is only one, and it's not in good shape. It's level, which is great, the net is fine, but there are large cracks on both sides of the court.
Still, we were grateful to have it, and we played for two hours and had a lot of fun. The cracks interfered on occasion but not too bad. The setting is amazing; you look up and there are mountains all around. The worst part was Scott won all three sets, in spite of the thousands of dollars and hours and hours of time I spend playing tennis.
As for hikes, I have been used to finding them with the AllTrails app. But they must have made some "improvements" to it, and now I am finding it completely useless. We are in the Cleveland National Forest, so there ought to be lots of public hikes in the area, but I just couldn't find clear information on what is around. I did rely on AllTrails this day, however, and we found a trail not too far from the courts. It was in no way "official," but we found an area in which to park and a clear trail leading from it to the hilltop, so we gave it a shot. It's in the town of Guatay, and AllTrails had a few "Guatay-this" and "Guatay-that" trails listed, but who knows what this was.
It led pretty steeply up the hill, leveled off for a bit and then started climbing again. It was quite pretty, but we got to the point where the trail was difficult to follow, and since we didn't want to get lost, we turned around and headed back. All in all, about an hour's hike.
It led pretty steeply up the hill, leveled off for a bit and then started climbing again. It was quite pretty, but we got to the point where the trail was difficult to follow, and since we didn't want to get lost, we turned around and headed back. All in all, about an hour's hike.
As we turned back on to the road heading back to the KOA, I saw two different trailheads with big official signs. Good job, AllTrails. Not.
Boulevard KOA: Arrival
The drive from the truck stop in Gila Bend to our first KOA was around 4.5 hours. It was pleasant. The landscape was flat and dry with mountains in the distance, small farms here and there, and what seemed to be a couple oases of palm trees. A little before we got to the mountains at the end of the journey, we saw big stretches of sand and big sand dunes on which people were driving dune buggies! Interesting terrain.
The mountains we drove into were super cool. Many peaks looked like giants' pebble piles.
We arrived about 40 minutes before check-in, but they let us in anyway. The campground is quite lovely. It's in the mountains, it's got lots of trees, and the sites have a little room. The KOA is practically empty. The road in was windy but safe. We have a beautiful tree on our site, and the showers and laundry are right across from us. Maybe in my early years or maybe if the campground were full, it would be a disadvantage to be located here, but right now I think this is the best spot in the campground.
We walked around the campground and discovered...ostriches! They have a small park next door with farm animals, for which you have to pay $10 to see and show up at 11 am, but the only animals they have worth seeing are the ostriches, and they are out in the yard all the time where you can walk right up to them.
It turns out driving all the way here over the course of five days was pretty draining. Scott drove more slowly this time, always a bit under the speed limit, which was quite pleasant. But it was nice to open a bottle of wine and relax in the 65 degree temperature.
