Month: September 2018

Calafia Beach is a part of the San Clemente State Park but is also open to the public year round.

It is the type of beach that has everything, a snack bar nearby, bathrooms, showers, and parking (although metered.)

On this second weekend in September, the day was bright making the Pacific Ocean sparkle in a bluish green hue.   It was the perfect kind of afternoon where everything looked more colorful.  The water as mentioned ,had the prettiest tint, the coast line was as clear as I have ever seen it. There were multicolored umbrellas looking extremely vibrant, and even the sand had a sparkle.

Everything seemed to sparkle on this perfect day

With the coast in California sometimes socked in with a gray marine layer, this day was like someone turned on a bright light across the Southern California coast.

So with the weather still perfect, we decided to give this place a try.

To get there and after you park your car, you walk by the Calafia Beach Café and head toward the waves.  There is a pathway that allows you to safely pass over the railroad tracks where Amtrak and Metrolink pass by from time to time.

The tracks run right near the beach

I liked Calafia Beach a lot and so did a lot of other people.  Summer was rapidly coming to an end but the days were still warm which brought in the crowds for the weekend.

Continue reading “Calafia Beach, San Clemente”

The Dana Hotel and Marina at Mission Bay

 Some estimate California to being the number one tourism destination in the country and records show that over 250 million tourists visit California each year.San Diego hosted at least 35 million visitors last year on its own.  Count me in as one of the 35 million as we set out to do a true staycation and visit one of the nicest resorts in San Diego.   We didn’t have to travel far as it was only about 35 miles from home.This was to be a relaxing vacation, one where we had nowhere in particular to go and nothing special to do.The idea was to just enjoy the resort, relax by the pool, fish, eat, sleep in, and maybe drink a little.

The Resort
The Dana Hotel in Mission Bay is situated around a small marina that offers its guests rentals of every type of water craft.   Also, you can set up your fishing pole anywhere along the marina or the larger part of the bay just beyond the resort.

The marina

On the Mission Bay side of the hotel there is a walkway that takes you along the water’s edge with sweeping views of the bridges, boats, inlets, and Fiesta Island.  You can sit there for hours watching the boats go by.   It is pure relaxation.

Mission Bay

Continue reading “The Dana Resort, Mission Bay, San Diego”

FORT BRAGG

Fort Bragg: Living Life in the Slow Lane
When you hear about popular vacation destinations in California you usually hear about the well known areas such as San Diego, Catalina, Hollywood, San Francisco, and Palm Springs. You don’t usually hear the name “Fort Bragg” in a conversation of someone planning their next vacation. Yet, Northern Californians have been flocking here for years just to relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Recently, more and more international travelers have been visiting this area. They are intrigued by the rocky coast and the breathtaking Redwoods that are inland.

Mendocino Will Have to Wait
When we decided to do a Northern California staycation, we originally had our sights set on visiting Mendocino. We had seen pictures of Mendocino and the amazing coastline caught our eye. It was nothing short of spectacular from what we could tell from Google photos. So what took us 10-miles north to Fort Bragg instead? It was the hotel. After researching accommodations along the coast, we saw a perfect hotel nestled right on a cliff with a 180 degree view of the ocean, a beach nearby, and an 8-mile trail right out front. So Mendocino was set aside and Fort Bragg it was. We did wander over to Mendocino for the day but that adventure will be told in another staycation story.

Continue reading “Fort Bragg”