9 February

Today it was up and soon out – and I had to wipe the windows clean on the car (5ZLE487, in case I wrote it incorrectly last time). Checkout was quick and painless, as it has been on nearly every occasion and I was soon off to Coronado Beach. The elevated road getting there was spectacular, but I couldn’t suddenly stop and take photos. I would have been going to quickly for good photos anyway. The SatNav is good at getting me to places, but because I have put it to imperial units, my judgement is not as good as metric. I parked, then walked along the walkway at the beach. This proved to be a health hazard with so many organised groups jogging along the pathway too. I spoke to some others walking and they found the same problem. The hotel is spectacular by itself, but it was a place where Marilyn Monroe stayed very often. There are beach houses as well as the actual hotel itself. As I returned to the car, I noticed Rotarians cleaning up the beach. Talking to one, they have over 220 members in the Coronado club, but less than 100 active. I assured him his club and organization was not alone with that.
Then it was off to the zoo. I was able to park fairly close, given it was 8:45 and the zoo didn’t open until 9 (when I left, the almost empty parking lot was full – of cruising cars looking for empty bays, as well as parked cars and there was a security officer in an elevated tower keeping an eye on the cars). There were a number of lines, but none moving. We were given a lot of information, but no-one could quite work out what it meant. As it turned out, if you had already bought tickets (and there are a variety available) you formed a queue at the turnstiles (where I spoke to one couple, the husband wanted to visit Australia but hadn’t made it, and a nanny from Riverview). Once through I went on the bus ride – through another queue. This gave a very good overview of the zoo layout and even went through areas not open for public view. Once off the bus, I went to the chairlift to see a different view and also to see the polar bears – and in another queue! This time I was chatting with a woman from South Africa. She and her husband had moved to the US about twelve years ago and both their girls were born here. The children had South African accents until they went to school – then they got the American accents! The chair lift had good aerial views of the zoo, out to sea and some good views over the city.
One off the chairlift I went along to see different animals and then to the polar bears. I saw one playing there (but I wouldn’t like to be the toy, seeing the size of him) and then went further along and saw the pandas. There were some good views of both the young female and the mother and her young cub – but the little one was asleep!
After some lunch I went through the reptiles, the children’s zoo (and saw some wombats, not in as good condition as the ones I see by the roadside) and finished off by seeing the tortoises. By the time I left, the car park was full and many people were cruising to find spots. The whole area was under observation by a guard in an elevated tower – no problem if you were getting into your own car, but obvious if you were breaking in.
Then it was off to Balboa Park. To do this area justice would have required more time and funds than I had spare. There was also a Vietnamese Tet festival on there, so parking places were hard to find. But I found one (by sitting in a row and waiting until someone went out). I went to the Air and Space museum and was a little disappointed that it was $15 to get in (the Smithsonians rasied the bar on quality and lowered it on prices), even though I was asked if I was a “senior”. On looking around, it was well worth the money as that was what I was interested in.
After quite a time there, I was starting to get footsore. It was not from walking, but from standing watching either animals or exhibits. So, earlier than I expected, I drove out, filled up with fuel (an exercise in itself as it was self-serve, but pay with a credit card at the pump and verify by putting in the five digit zip code of the billing address – so I had to leave my card and licence at the desk while I topped up the tank. Also, the whole nozzle was covered and made a seal with the tank so you couldn’t see what was happening at the pump – and the cut-off was sharp!) and then left San Diego. Before I left the city I was in desert and rocky hills – and the suburbs of San Diego filled up the valleys. After, the view became very like the Sierras and the Rockies. I couldn’t take photos driving, but I did from a scenic viewpoint. Once through the mountains (elevation over 4000 feet) the scenery became desert, as in Australia. However there were irrigated areas along the way. There was one border checkpoint. I prepared to get all my documentation out, but as I didn’t look Mexican, I was waved through. I arrived at Yuma just before dark, found the motel without any problems and booked in. I forgot to ask for room 310 so I could say I had been “on the 3 10 at Yuma”, but when I mentioned it on leaving, the receptionist didn’t know what I was talking about!
I was unable to get Internet access, so I did the photos but couldn’t upload them. I had to book the next motel by telephone, and the operator was fascinated by my accent and kept asking me questions about Australia. I tried to refill my number I was using here on the mobile, but they only take American-issued credit cards over the telephone, so I had to put my own SIM back in – and now I can’t dial Australia! I started to write up my blog but became too tired and went to sleep.