MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, SAN DIEGO, CA

 DAY 3 Dick is up by 7:30AM and finds coffee and a newspaper in the hotel lobby. Carolyn is up by 9:00AM and we enjoy the buffet breakfast that is part of our room package.

Retrieving the car, we head back north to Oceanside to visit Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, "The King of the Missions." Ths mission was founded in 1797 and is the number eighteen of the the twenty-one. This mission is half way between the Mission San Juan de Capistrano and San Diego, the site of the first mission. The church is very majestic from the outside, done in the Moorish style and looks out over what was once a beautiful valley, before the Interstate came through. Once up in the hills above Oceanside, we get out of the coastal fog and it is a beautiful day with bright blue skies.

When we leave the mission, Carolyn’s Nikon 40 camera is acting up so we find a camera shop and a Subway. The camera shop cannot find the problem, and Carolyn gets a sandwich. We then head south of I-5 to the La Jolla exit. We drive through this area and our impression is one of a crowded, tourist area with no parking.

We do not linger and continue on to the Point Loma area where we visit the Cabrillo National Monument and enjoy the view from this promontory overlooking San Diego and the harbor. The monument celebrates Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo the first European to set foot on the West coast of what is now the United States claiming the land for the Spanish king fifty years after Columbus landed in America. This National park is also home to one the lighthouses that protected California’s coast until modern navigational aids took over. The Old Point Loma lighthouse was built in 1855 on the crest 422 feet above sea level. The light could be seen for about 30 miles out and for the next 35 years it welcomed sailors to San Diego. Unfortunately the fog often obscured the light so in 1891 it was closed and a new light station was opened at the base of the hill. It is now a very nice interesting museum with a spectacular view of the southern coast.

Returning to the hotel, we make reservations at McCormick and Schmicks, just around the corner from us, for tonight and at Fleming’s for tomorrow night. At 7:00PM we are seated and enjoy a bottle of Cuvaison Chardonnay along with calamari, Ahi tuna and a shrimp/crab special. We are back in our room and in bed by 10:30PM.