October 1-28, 2008 - A few times during our stay in San Diego, we
moved our RV from Shelter Island to Mission Bay. We (and at least 50
other RVs) were doing the "San Diego Shuffle," moving our rigs around
on the city's waterfront streets to stay in line with California's 72-hour
parking law. As long as we all moved every three days, we could enjoy
the many delights of this beautiful city and gaze at prime multi-million
dollar waterfront views right outside our doors.
The serenity of Mission Bay is a dramatic contrast to the hustle and
bustle of Shelter Island. Also manmade, from sand dredged out of
San Diego Harbor, Mission Bay is a series of waterways through
former mudflats, with the land forming quasi-islands and little
peninsulas. The manicured grass lawns along the bay are largely
city parks, and there are many children's playgrounds, picnic areas
and even large bonfire rings along the beaches. The tall palms and
sparkling water offer a calm retreat from downtown San Diego.
The walking and bicycling paths go on for miles, and we had many happy
bike rides in and around the bay and along Mission Beach. There are
endless charming beachfront villas on both the placid bay side and on the
surfing beach side. Each home is unique, and they line up cheek-by-jowel,
with patios and porches facing the lovely views. Most are available as
vacation rentals.
We rode our bikes
along the Mission
Beach boardwalk
up as far as
Pacific Beach,
making the
transparent
transition from
one miles-long
expanse of sandy
beach to the next.
Pacific Beach was teaming with people kite-boarding. Each had a
huge parachute, and they used the wind to skim across the ocean on
their surfboards.
Surfing is a beloved
passtime in this area,
and we saw surf shops,
surfers and surfer
dudes that were right
out of a Beach Boys
song. Sea World is
tucked into one corner
of the Bay, and bike
rentals and people on
bikes were everywhere.
This is a very laidback area,
where surf, sun, sand and
beach bars all come together
in a dreamy combination. As we drove one
afternoon, we passed a young fellow
playing his guitar while he rode his bike.
Not too much stress there! Others just
rolled along the sidewalk on beach cruisers.
The best way to enjoy San Diego is to have
a lot of money (for a pretty multi-million
dollar beach bungalow, a convertible
roadster and a yacht) and to have a lot of
time to enjoy them (i.e., no job). Most
people we saw seemed to have either one
or the other.
This can be an eclectic crowd too. We saw
a strangely painted car, several perfectly
restored Microbuses, and an odd collection of RVs.
In Mission Bay, the older
the RV, it seems, the
better. The shapes of
some are from a long
distant era, while others
are clearly homemade.
The "San Diego Shuffle" of RVs moving from one parking space to another is actually something of a two-step in Mission Bay, as
parking is prohibited between 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. Each evening a parade of RVs makes its way out of the Mission Bay
parking areas into the industrial city streets on the far side of the freeway. Early each morning the RVs return, many to the same
spot they had the day before.
The best setup we saw was Jerry's. He towed his toyhauler "office" trailer behind
his Class C motorhome, and on lazy afternoons he would string up a hammock
inside his "office" trailer, taking in the view of the Bay from his swing.
The stories of each household living in their RV were varied, but a common
concern was the upcoming city vote on whether to override the California law and
ban overnight parking on public streets. The days of this urban RV lifestyle of
freedom on the waterfront may be numbered. The vote was held on our last day
in the city, and we didn't hear the outcome.
One day we parked our trailer out on Fiesta Island, a tiny dot of
California desert perched in the middle of the Mission Bay. The
dry, brown, tumbleweed land is sparsely visited, and we had a
stretch of beach all to ourselves. As we sat there enjoying the
view of the homes across the water, a group of horses suddenly
appeared, splashing in the water as they walked.
The weather was unusually warm for October (90's), and we spent much of the month in tank
tops and shorts. A visit to Coronado Beach offered delicious relief from the heat one afternoon,
and we played in the sand and waves. On a return visit we discovered the history and beauty of
the Victorian Hotel del Coronado that presides over one end of the beach.
After a month of
coastal pleasures,
we felt a little nip in
the air as the fog
banks crept in and
stayed longer and
longer each
morning. It was
time to move on,
and we headed
inland to the
California desert of
Anza-Borrego.