Lynne, a forever friend from New Hampshire, wanted to enjoy more soothing weather conditions so booked her flight to visit me at Ocean Beach, San Diego. The locals refer to Ocean Beach as “OB”. As a nurse, I had to get used to that acronym because OB for medical purposes is obstetrics. I was able to absorb that and move on…..
Lynne was aware that I was not able to take any extra time off during her visit so I would be working 5 out of the 7 days. That didn't squelch her desire to come to the West Coast as she had her own plans she was going to put into action.
What were those plans you wonder? Solo adventures while I was working. Not just day trips, she was headed out to the desert. I loved this for her and couldn’t wait to hear what she was going to be up to. Was I wishful I could take some time off to omit the fear of missing out? Hell yeah! But it wasn’t in the cards this go round.
Her arrival at San Diego airport was just in time for me to get her acquainted to San Diego with a gorgeous beach sunset at Dog Beach. We then experienced the cool vibe and burgers at Hodad’s burger joint in the OB. Definitely worth the trip there if you’re in the area.
We had arranged plans for the following day, my first day off, to go sea cave kayaking in La Jolla. We followed that with a hike to Annie’s Canyon in Solana Beach area. We enjoyed our day thoroughly with these two exhilarating adventures! (****)
Next three days were work days for me. Lynne shared that she was off to explore the Southern California desert, namely The Joshua Tree National Park area. That was about 2.5 to 3 hour drive from OB depending upon California traffic. She rented a car and headed out on her 3 day, 2 night independent vacation time. We planned to meet up around 4pm on Saturday so we could attend our next together event which was at Petco Park: Billy Joel and Sting concert and then head to Anza Borrega State Park on Sunday. (****)
Lynne provided an update when she arrived to her glamping site in the desert. She got to experience California traffic on the 5-6 lane interstate and was able to check that off her bucket list (likely a bucket list item she did not truly wish to have, but what the heck you experience it, put it on the list. Ha.). She also learned that she was the only person who was camping that night in the desert. She joked wondering if she would be abducted by aliens in the desert while she slept. A true good friend response on the fly to provide reassurance and cease any further anxiety, I relayed if she was abducted by aliens she would not remember it anyway, so all was going to be just fine. She made it through the night. Do we truly know if she was abducted by aliens? No, no we do not. LOL.
I thoroughly enjoyed hearing her share her adventures, verbally, and seeing her pictures on social media.
She participated in a group driving tour through the Joshua Tree National Park. The extra bonus for her visit at the park was observing the bloom season for desert flowers there. Magical!
She enjoyed checking out PioneerTown which could be considered the Wild Wild West for movies.
Pioneertown is an unincorporated community of the Morongo Basin region of the High Desert in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is an 1880s-themed town developed as a shooting location for actors working on Western films and TV series with businesses and residences. Wikipedia
She spent her second night in Palm Springs and indulged in luxurious self care at a hot spring spa. (I was super envious of this excursion! I love a great hot spring!)
Palm Springs, a city in the Sonoran Desert of southern California, is known for its hot springs, stylish hotels, golf courses and spas. It's also noted for its many fine examples of midcentury-modern architecture. Its core shopping district along Palm Canyon Drive features vintage boutiques, interior design shops and restaurants. The surrounding Coachella Valley offers hiking, biking and horseback riding trails. ― Google
Lastly, she explored San Diego by taking the Trolley Tour. The beauty of the trolley tour is one pays a daily rate and can hop on and hop off wherever one wants to at the following areas:
I was pleased to have Lynne visit and admired her bravery for her independent management of checking off some touristy bucket list items. Lynne's main objective was to thoroughly enjoy her time in Southern California, and I'm happy to say she achieved that goal!
****What about our together visit experiences: kayaking, hiking, state park adventures, and concert? Will write those up in another story.
I like how your storytelling tone details personal experiences and adventures through vivid descriptions. Thank you for sharing Michelle.