Torrey Pines and San Diego

Torrey Pines is a 1500 acre preserved stretch of land on the California coast. The rare Torrey pine exists only here and one other place. There are miles of unspoiled beaches, and a lagoon that is vital to migrating seabirds. There is also the world famous Torrey Pines golf club.

Several walking paths lead through areas showing off coastal desert plants, trees, and unique geological formations where the sandstone has been carved by erosion and wind.

Within the park is a part of the original coastal road from San Diego to San Francisco. This part of the road had such a steep grade that when automobiles came along, the old Model-T could not make it up the road and had to be driven backwards on this part. The road of course was rebuilt soon after.

Back into the city for the day. A 5 minute walk from the train we had a mexican breakfast and Cappucino’s before starting out. At old town we got on the Hop-on, Hop-off trolley – a great way to visit the wide-spread out city. Starting at the Embarcadero (harbourfront) you can see active and de-commisioned naval ships and aircraft carriers, a couple old pirate ships (used in the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean), submarines, and the USS Midway Museum. San Diego is an important Naval area of the US.

We hopped off on Coronada island to see the beautiful Coronada Hotel, built in 1888 – the 2nd largest wooden structure in the US. Now owned by Hilton it was a popular destination for many VIP’s and still is a top beach resort with gorgeous sandy beaches. Many movies have been filmed there. Coronado Island also has a large Navy Seals training base.

We hopped off at Balboa park to visit the museum that was closed the previous day. The benefactor of the Limken Art Museum made a deal with the city – she would donate her priceless works of art for free as long as the city built a specially designed building to show them off – and not charge for the museum so everyone could enjoy it – they agreed and so it is the only building in Balboa park that is not spanish style. It houses a good collection of Russian icons and some priceless works of art.

A couple more must see stops in the the city, the Gaslamp district with old Victorian era buildings and Petco Park, then back on the train. Thanks to Wayne for the great tips on the top attractions to see without breaking the bank.