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Day 5 (February 19, 2019): Bye-bye, SoCal!

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Departure day already.  Seems like we just got here!   It was another clear, sunny morning when we woke, but very chilly - around 5C.  We decided to stay in the local neighborhood for breakfast, instead of driving further afield for breakfast at an American chain restaurant.  Katy's Cafe, just up the street, is where the locals hang out, so that's where we headed for French toast. After that, we decided to end our time in Imperial Beach as we had started: with a walk on the Pier.  As we walked on the beach for the last time, we were struck with how beautiful the area is and with how pleased we were with our choice of  location for our stay. By 9AM we left for Charles Lindbergh Field in San Diego, about a 30-minute drive north, gassed up and returned the rental car, and were checked in with plenty of time to spare.  Our Air Canada Rouge flight to Toronto left on time at noon.  A short connection in Toronto, and we were back in Halifax rig...
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Day 4 (February 18, 2019): The wildlife of La Jolla and the (more human) wildlife of Mission Bay!

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What do you do when you wake up at 1AM and can’t get back to sleep?  You go look at the moon, of course!  And that’s exactly I did.  The almost-full moon reflecting on the Pacific was stunning at 5AM, lit up in the early morning hours. A couple hours’ extra sleep did eventually return at daybreak, and we got up and away by 9AM.  Breakfast was had at Denny’s and as was the case yesterday, the crowds were unbelievable.  I guess it was at least partially due to this being the actual Presidents’ Day holiday. On the agenda for this morning: the quaint (if not overrun-with-tourists) seaside town of La Jolla, just north of San Diego.  The air wasn’t exactly warm, but the sun was very present, making a stroll along the ocean in La Jolla just perfect.  La Jolla is drippy with upscale shops and cafes, begging you to drop spend til it hurts.  But we were here to see seals, sea-lions and pelicans.  And see them did we ever!  Seal and sea-l...
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Day 3 (February 17, 2019): Point Loma, Old Town and Balboa Park

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Saturday night brought a long and deep rest.  That, along with whatever was in the Thai soup last night, really zapped me out of the man-flu zone.  We were up and away by 8:45 and headed to an International House of Pancakes (IHOP, for short) for breakfast.  Wow, do Americans ever eat large portions.  And do they ever eat out in droves!  Filled with IHOP’s four different flavours of pancake syrup, we made our initial goal conquering Point Loma.  On a map, Point Loma looks like an elephant’s trunk guarding the entrance to San Diego Bay.  It’s a fascinating peninsula to drive, as the Navy dominates most of it.  Besides the plethora of naval installations, the trees, rugged coastline, and veterans’ cemeteries all make for a fascinating drive out to the tip, where the Cabrillo National Monument is located.  As it is the Presidents’ Day weekend in the USA, the line-up of vehicles to access the National Monument was long.  But once in,...
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