Surf, ships and fun

Everyone and a surf board in the PT Cruiser
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Sat 1/27/07

I’ve been to San Diego a couple of times before but it was for surfing both times. This time we were heading there to see Mom and Dad and to do some sight seeing.

Who knew an old boat could be so interesting

Arrived at 10 am and managed to get Hertz’s last PT Cruiser. . Nice little car that is easy to maneuver as well as fun to drive. Oh, and  you can also fit a board inside it -- I didn’t say I wasn’t going to do any surfing ;)  From the airport we headed over to Mission Beach and a shop called Cheap Board Rentals to get a board. (I ended up getting a nice 6-8 epoxy board.) Then it was off to the beach. To my dismay I realized that everyone was in a full suite. We talked to a couple of other surfers who told us the water temp was in the 50’s so I decided that I better leave the short wet suit that I had brought in the car and spend a few dollars to rent a full suit.  I ended up surfing at a beach break off of Law Rd. The waves were ok  but not great at 3-4 ft. No complaints though - still good to get out.  Daph was great about it and took a bit of a nap in the car while I surfed for an hour

Views from condo on the bay
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After I got my surf in we set out for some food and shopping. It was Daph’s turn to go wherever she wanted. Found a fun little section on Garrnet Road.that had a bunch of funky bars and women’s clothing shops that clearly caters to a young crowd. While we sat at an outdoor café eating sandwiches we watched people staggering down the street on their way to the next bar in a pub crawl. It was 3 o’clock in the afternoon. The shopping was fun. Daph found a cool scarf, a nice flat pearl necklace and a cool little turtle mobile (not sure what else to call it)

Planes on the deck
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At 530 we headed back to the airport to pick up Mom and Dad. It was great to see them. Since we hadn’t checked in yet the surfboard was still in the car. All 4 of us, luggage and a board jammed into the Cruiser and we were off.

The condo that they had rented was really nice. Flat screen tv, marble counters and stainless steel appliances. (I think I might be watching too many home renovation shows when I start talking in terms of kitchen appliances)  The condo was right on Mission Bay with beautiful views of the water and beach. Way to go Mom and Dad!

Went back to the same sandwich shop Daph and I had lunch at since we were all tired from flying and didn’t feel like going out for a big diner. Called it an early night.

Sun 1/28/07

In the morning we got up and decided to head out to the harbor to see the war ships.  San Diego has a couple of big naval bases with aircraft carriers and submarines.  We figured we would take a bay tour and see the ships in the water from a distance.  However, when we got down to the pier we saw a 1945 Carrier at the dock that you could actually board.  We decided to go on the boat rather than take the bay tour -- turned out to be well worth it.

The carrier is absolutely huge with all sorts of planes and helicopters on board.  We spent 3 hours touring the carrier with one of those wireless headsets that gives you the background on whatever item you happen to be standing in front of at that particular moment.  Was a lot of fun.  Dad even found a plane that he had built a model of many years ago.  Later on we headed down to Old Town for dinner.  Found a great Mexican restaurant on the main street.  After diner Daph and I headed to the airport. Great time and great company!!