San Diego was perfect. We parked up not far from Mission Bay and decided to go for a walk and grab some breakfast before our boat trip. We enjoyed a coffee and a breakfast burrito at a cute spot we found nestled in the streets behind the beach. Heading back, we wrapped up ready for our voyage to sea.
A dream come true
We were so excited and prayed we’d see a whale or some dolphins. You’re not guaranteed to see them and the chances are quite slim, but early June is a good a time as any, as the whales head to the coast to feed on the krill. We managed to get a starboard spot at the bow of the boat - officially in the splash zone! The naturalist on board guided us through the water with lots of fun facts about the marine life surrounding the coast. We headed over 13-miles out to sea, bouncing over the waves.
We’d been on the boat for over an hour and a half and there was no sign of whales just yet. We had to look out for water shoots and glassy spots on the surface. Stan made friends with an excitable guy from Texas, who revelled in telling us tales of the party boat he frequents in the Gulf. After a couple of false alarms a shoot was spotted on the horizon.
Full steam ahead the boat followed the trail and we waited while the whale dove down into the pacific looking for his lunch. He came up for air a little further away so we followed him and excitedly waited for him to resurface after another dive. Whales usually stick to a consistent dive time, the last one took around 18-minutes, so we should see him soon.
To our amazement he popped up about 50 ft in front of us, giving us a fantastic view of his fins and belly before he went for another dive down. It was so amazing to see and we felt so lucky to have been able to witness that. It really was a dream come true.
A pizza heaven
Heading back to shore we had planned to checkout San Diego’s downtown and get something for dinner. We stopped in the vibrant Italian district and got a pizza and pasta to share - it was unreal. Finishing the meal off with a tiramisu we planned our next moves and settled up.
By the sea
Both Debi Keebs and Stan’s pal he made on the boat recommended we visited La Jolla, and you know what? I’m so glad they did! We drove over to the coast and parked up for the night. We got up early and headed down to the beach. What a treat! Hanging out on the sand were a group of seals and their pups, the mums bathed on the beach while the pups frolicked in the water. It was so cute to watch and after observing for a good half hour we headed further up the coast to spot some sea lions.
You could hear them before you could see them, with lots of barking coming from the distance. When we got to the look out point we couldn’t believe our eyes. Hundreds of sea lions covered the rocks. Mums and babes snuggled tightly together while the males shouted at one another - we wondered what they were saying. It was such a spectacular sight and another we felt so lucky to see. We sure do like California.
Beach please!
With no set plan for the day we headed back to the truck to laze around for a while. We decided we’d have a walk round La Jolla and have beach BBQ further down the coast. From La Jolla to LA it seemed impossible to find a suitable spot with a lot of the state beaches charging extortionate amounts to park up for a couple of hours. After a bit of back and forth we found ourselves at Aliso beach - about a 10-minute drive from Laguna. We found a fire pit and set up.
The BBQ was bliss, and as we looked out to sea we saw a dolphin playing in the waves. It felt magical. We enjoyed our food and saw out the last of the sunlight.
Finding a place to sleep was just as challenging as finding a BBQ spot - with no parking signs everywhere. Not wanting to risk being towed, we settled for a Walmart car park - it can’t always be beaches and sea views I guess.
We woke up and got out of there sharpish, heading to the gym for a workout and a wash. I left feeling disappointed with my double unders but happy for a shower and clean hair. We decided to spend a couple of hours at Laguna beach to see what all the fuss was about - wandering round the town we browsed the cute little shops looking at things we couldn’t afford.
After considering remortgaging for a mega jawbreaker, we dipped our toes in the ocean and stopped off for a coffee. It was nice, but didn’t slap like St Ives does.
Dropping into Dogtown
On the opposite end of the spectrum was Venice Beach. Known for its bohemian counter culture, skate and surf scene, and muscle beach - this place was absolutely wild. An eclectic mix of drunkards, street performers, stoners, skaters, and mad men, Venice Beach put you on edge but in a good kind of way.
We walked along the boardwalk and soaked it up stopping for a quick snack at one of the bars along the promenade.
It’s come a long way from its Dogtown days, with a fascinating mix of the old and the new. Souvenir tat shops sit next to high-end coffee shops and colourful street art adorns the old buildings on the pier.
We hit muscle beach and attempted a few pull-ups, I showed Stan how to do a rope climb and he practiced his posing on the stage.
It was lots of fun but we needed to find a place to sleep. Not wanting another night at Walmart, we headed up the coast to find the perfect spot.
Settling for some cliffs just outside of Ventura, we set up and sipped hot chocolate while watching the dolphins swim in the ocean below us. This was just how we intended it to be. We woke up, we popped the trunk and enjoyed the ocean breeze blowing into the back. When we had breakfast, some curious little friends wanted to join us- we obliged and gave them a little treat.
We headed to Denny’s for our second breakfast. Stan got steak and eggs and I got french toast. We waited for our tech to charge and finished off the morning at the laundrette. Wanting to spend the rest of the day on the beach, we drove to Surfer’s point. Stay tuned for our next entry.
Stan & Beth x
