Staycations California

Foot Golf

I tried Frisbee golf many years ago and I was surprised at how lousy I was. How does a Frisbee go backwards? I knew I wasn’t very good at throwing a Frisbee, but that was ridicules. Plus, I found every tree on the course.

Now, there is a new activity that can be played on a golf course called Foot Golf.  I can see no possible way that I could kick a ball backwards.

Foot golf is the combination of golf and soccer. You basically use a soccer ball and kick the ball from designated tees to the marked hole. In our case it was orange tees to an orange flag. You play on the same fairway as the regular golfers but the holes are to the side of the putting green and a little shorter as the soccer ball doesn’t travel as far. You actually hit the ball into a large white bucket that is sunken into the ground; it looks just like a golf hole, but bigger! At 21” in diameter, it gives you plenty of room to sink your putts.

The hole looks just like a golf hole except waaaay larger

All of our soccer balls are gathered around the hole

The same rules of etiquette apply to foot golf and on most courses you do play alongside the golfers.
We had the pleasure of playing at Reidy Creek Golf Course in Escondido California on a warm October day. It is one of about 6 courses that offer it in San Diego County.

We had a brief instruction at the check-in desk by one of the many friendly employees at Reidy Creek. We didn’t feel intimidated at all, considering we were fifty-year old plus woman trying this for the first time. A few in our group had never even been on a golf course. As usual, Staycationer JoJo found us yet another new activity to try that she found from her trusty Groupon page.  Keeping us young!!!!

JoJo heading for the orange flag that is right next to the sand trap in the distance

Robin showing good form on the tee box. As with all of us, too bad the form didn’t match the actual kick

With instructions on where to go and what to look for, we excitedly walked to the first tee! I was asked to be the guinea pig and start us off with the first kick. It has been years since I kicked any ball at all. The vision in my head was of me doing a Charlie Brown type kick and totally missing the ball while flipping up in the air.  Luckily that didn’t happen. I actually felt like I kicked the ball quite solidly.

As I stood there waiting to admire how far it went, to my surprise it really didn’t go that far at all.  Inside, I kind of got embarrassed thinking, “Is that all I got?”  My friends didn’t do much better so we all came to the conclusion that once the ball hit the thicker grass, it actually slowed down, yeah that’s it.

Our soccer balls lined up ready to hit our second shot on this long Par 4.

Along the way you are faced with some challenges such as sand traps, sloped fairways, reeds, and other obstacles. The course had different elevations which also added to the challenge. Don’t even ask me how to kick it out of a sand trap! I did try to kick over one and came under the ball just like a lofted golf club to give it some height. It actually worked, except as usual no distance, so of course it flopped right in the sand. That trap had a huge lip and I would have loved to see how the good foot golfers get out of that situation. In my case, I opted to pull it out of the sand and place it on a nice cushiony piece of grass. We weren’t keeping score so who cared.

The beautiful Reidy Creek Golf Course nestled in a valley in Escondido, California.

The course plays just like golf where you have to shoot for par, on this course they were par threes and fours.

As we played on, we started to get the hang of it and established a kicking pattern. After more holes, we learned how to play the slopes especially when putting. We figured out how hard to hit at a given length and if we were going to hit side foot or straight on.

It is actually a very fun game! We weren’t good by any means but you saw us improve over the course of the game and I am sure we would get better if we did it again.

As with Frisbee golf, this sport has advanced enthusiasts that compete in leagues and tournaments, etc. I would love to watch them play one time, now that I have tried it myself.

So what could be better? You’re outside on a beautiful course, with friends, laughter, getting exercise, and kicking a ball around like we used to do as kids.

Two thumbs up to Reidy Creek for setting this up.

If you are interested, check out more about foot golf at:
http://www.pga.com/news/news-feature/what-footgolf-new-golf-phenomenon-video

Reidy Creek Foot Golf Link:
Reidy Creek:http://www.footgolfsandiego.com/reidy-creek

Story:Debbie Colwell

Photos: JoJo Schmidt

Airbnb’in 

Recently my family and I wanted to take a long weekend and stay along the coast or on a harbor somewhere in Southern California. I suggested one of my favorite places and it was decided we would find a hotel nearby. The two places were Marina Del Rey in Los Angeles County or Alamitos Bay near Long Beach.

Our goal was to have a patio or balcony overlooking the water so we could relax and enjoy family time. We found a few hotels that met our requirements and one seemed perfect except they wouldn’t let us reserve a balcony room.  It wasn’t guaranteed even though we would be paying and reserving it well over a couple months in advance.

Someone suggested Airbnb.  I had never heard of Airbnb until about a year ago so I wasn’t familiar with the process. Basically, it’s an online marketplace where you can rent vacation homes, condos, and apartments for a designated amount of time. In some cases you can rent a room from a house while the person resides there.  Some people on budgets prefer this when traveling in order to cut back on hotel fees.

There are over a million listings on Airbnb and in 191 countries as of this date.

Just Beachy
We decided to try it out and found a listing for a cute little cottage that was right next to the water near Naples Canals in Alamitos Bay.

The accommodations looked perfect judging by the photos on the web page and its catchy title, “Just Beachy on the Bay.”  It was a one room lower level apartment with lots of windows, cozy furnishing, and a reasonable price for three nights.   It had exactly what we wanted which included a large brick patio in front with a barbecue and plenty of space for lounging around and socializing.  Beyond the patio was a small street which you crossed to get to the beach.

The view from the patio

The day we arrived, I was apprehensive thinking that the place wasn’t going to look like it did in the photos.   However,  much to my surprise it was better than the photos!   It was precisely what we had hoped for with huge windows looking out to the bay, comfortable furnishing, a kitchen, nice sized bathroom, and of course the beachy decor as promised on the home page.

The view from the couch

The beach in front of our rental

We knew ahead of time that cars would be parking on the street so it wasn’t a surprise that our view was slightly impeded by the parked cars.  One of them was my car so I didn’t mind.

The beach was a popular place for families and swimmers because there were no waves, plenty of sand, and a roped off swimming area.    We were experiencing exceptionally hot weather for this first day in October so I took a few dips in the swimming area myself.  The water temperature had a bite to it but it WAS still very refreshing!

The beach stretched out for a few miles along the bay and spanned in front of the homes on the west side.  Every type of water vehicle could be viewed from our vantage point.  Sailboats drifted by as well as kayaks, paddle boards, and  even outriggers.  There were also  Duffys,  motor boats, and anything else that you could think of that float.   Our little paradise of a brick patio was the perfect spot to watch all of the activity on the bay!

Our cottage was just under the three palm trees on the left


Views of the harbor nearby

As a bonus, three bicycles were available for us to use at any time during our stay. We took full advantage of this by taking a ride ever day to explore the area.  One day we rode on the boardwalk in front of the amazing bay front homes, while the next day we peddled over to the ocean.  Watching a vibrant Southern California sunset was just a few minute ride away and there was a nearby pier to explore.

Only a half block away, sits Second Street with its eclectic mix of restaurants, bars, and activity. Having a kitchen available saved money on food but it is nice to have the option to dine out at someplace that is within a short walking distance.  No need to even get in your car, everything was there.

The Duffy
We did have to get in the car once to drive across the bay to rent a Duffy.  For those of you who don’t know, a Duffy is an electric boat that has a canopy, table, and plenty of seating.  The Duffy was a little oversized for just the three of us but we didn’t care as we happily rented it for two hours to explore the nooks and crannies of this wonderful harbor.

Where we rented the Duffy, off we go!

Ten minutes into the trip we could hardly wait as we turned into the Naples Canals.    The area of Naples is built on three islands which are divided by canals that can be accessed from the main bay or bridges for cars and pedestrians.

The canals on this hot day were full of life.  It was like any  neighborhood except kids played in the water instead of the street.  They were jumping off docks, riding in kayaks or riding  a stand up paddle board.  The canals are clean and the water is a beautiful tint.  Later when the sun departs, all you will hear is the gentle lapping of a gondoliers oar as he expertly guides his passengers through the peaceful passages.

Each home is unique and during the holidays at least 85 percent of the residents decorate their homes, yards, and docks.

As our Duffy slowly departed the canals, we headed over to the main harbor entrance where larger boats were making their way in for the day.  Near the entrance, the Ballast Point Brewery offers a one-eighty degree view of the bay as its patrons enjoy the sunny weather and of course a nice cold glass of brew.

The Harbor entrance jetty with kite surfers in the background.

After seeing most of the harbor we cut into some channels off the beaten path. One area was at least fifteen degrees warmer as the homes were tucked away from the cool breezes skimming off of the ocean.   Homes and condos lined the water front and we all agreed that we could live in any of them.

The view from the Duffy

Even though our Duffy seemed slower than normal, we easily saw the entire harbor in our allotted two hour time frame.

Because we loved it there so much, we didn’t want it to end.   We all decided that we liked it as much as our beloved Newport Harbor or even more.

After our day in the bay, we relaxed a little before heading over to the ocean to watch the sunset again.

While the kite surfers are done for the day, we watched one last sunset. Long Beach and San Pedro Harbor are in the background

Time to Leave
Check-out was the next day at noon so there was plenty of time in the morning for one last walk on the beach. This time the water was empty and the beach was quiet.  Everyone was back in school or at work.

Time to say goodbye to our little beach cottage which was actually an apartment but it didn’t feel that way to us.

It was nice hanging with family and I will definitely be back, maybe during the holidays where Alamitos Bay does it up nice.

You can find an Airbnb place too by going to https://www.airbnb.com.  Or rent out the same place we did by going to: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/14300283

I almost hate giving the info out because I selfishly want it available when I go again.  Anyway, rent an Airbnb or visit Alamitos Bay, either way, you will enjoy yourself.

Also, I still do love hotels when traveling but for the needs of this trip, we got what we wanted and enjoyed every bit of our stay.

Story and photos: Debbie Colwell

Parting shot:

As I have said before, “Everything is better on a Duffy!”

Less than a minute trip through a part of the canal.

The Day of the Event

“Sink, Sink, Sink!!!!,” that was the sadistic mantra of the crowd during our 2003 attempt at the Nail and Sail competition.  With no idea on how to build a boat, we still entered the event with a basic design of a square boat and an angled front.  We utilized all of the wood provided and basically made a heavy, oversized box.

As the monstrosity was taking on water during our heat, my two tired team mates were heroically paddling the massive wooden boat back to home base. Being the last boat in the water, the crowd was hungry to see yet another boat tip over or just plain…sink.  They were merciless in their continual chant.

We are happy to say we did not oblige them the pleasure and our team made it back in one piece with about 6 inches of water seeping through the seams.

So what possessed us to try this again?  Staycationer Jojo of course.  She makes it her life mission to find things unusual and fun to do.  Sometimes fun is a subjective word, but in all of our adventures we can at least say we tried it, whether we liked it or not.

2016
Thirteen years later two of the original three, myself included, decided that it wasn’t still on our bucket list, so JoJo found a new crew and competed on September 25^th, 2016.  This time she recruited a former sailor and although the design was still square, it was a little more streamlined and sea worthy because of his ideas.

They had two hours to construct the boat and a half hour to decorate.   Our original team name was “Shark Bait” but this time they called themselves “Sponge Bob Square Boat” in honor of the soon to be square boat. They wore Sponge Bob shirts and painted the boat yellow to keep in the spirit.

One hour from the start and they had it almost done except for the front

The two hours of building was made exceptionally hard because of the extremely hot weather we were experiencing here in Southern California just a few days into autumn.  After an hour they had all but the front of the boat built.  The event gives you a couple pieces of plywood, some other various wood, caulking, and nails. That is it!!  No power tools are allowed so you are down to hammers, saws, and whatever else you can find around your house to help construct it in that limited time.

The team is hard at work

The grueling heat didn’t deter the Sponge Bob crew as they finished on time.   Another half an hour was given to decorate and then it was time to take the boats to the dock for launching; now was the real test to find out who was seaworthy.

Heading toward the dock to compete by paddling across the bay and back

The Earlier Heats and Competitors
A few of the boats had return participants and it was evident because of how fast they moved in the water and the sturdiness of their craft.  They had clearly done this before.   A few others, it was equally clear that this was their first time as a few didn’t make it too far before sinking or tipping over.   However, all participants gave a gallant effort and of course the crowd favorites are the ones who sink or tip over.

The Pink Team, going, going, gone.

A catamaran with a sharks head.

A great event for father and son

Always a crowd favorite, the tipping over or sinking boat.

Sponge Bob Takes the Water
The third heat, Sponge Bob Square Boat was hoisted into the water.   After a slow start, they were on their way.  Sorry to say, they’re not going to win any speed records but they made it back to the starting dock in one piece and dry.  That in itself is an accomplishment!   As they slowly paddled back to the dock, surprisingly, I didn’t hear any chants of “sink, sink, sink!”  Are the crowds getting nicer?

The team rounds the buoy, still afloat, still dry

Smiles as the end is near

It did bring back memories of when we participated many years ago. Same result, didn’t sink, didn’t win.  The bottom line, is it is a great experience, one of which I am glad I tried ONCE.    Hammering and sawing on a hot September day isn’t my cup of tea, sitting in a chair taking pictures sounded perfect, and it was.

The Nail and Sail is part of the Oceanside Harbor days and is a crowd favorite.  Sorry you missed it this year, but whether you participate or just come to watch, check it out in 2017.

Who knows, maybe crazy JoJo will give it a try a third time.