24 September 2016
Welcome Back to LFLatSEA

It has been a while since my last posting of 21 April 2016, when I returned from my spectacular cruise from Hong Kong to Mumbai, followed by 11 days in Northern India.  I had waited a very long time to visit India (at the age of 69), and now I can't wait to return to see other parts of that fabulous country.  But I am now ready to announce my next cruise, after describing a brief diversion to Southern California.

3-6 July 2016

Carlsbad-By-The Sea, California

My only trip since last April has been four days/three nights in Carlsbad-by-the-Sea, CA, with my good friend Anita.  Although we were not on a cruise, we were close enough to the sea for the trip to qualify for inclusion in the blog.  We stayed at a Hilton Time Share Hotel and Condominium (with much thanks to Anita for taking care of that arrangement).

Carlsbad is one of many picturesque communities that line the Pacific shore north of San Diego. It takes about seven hours to drive from Tucson to San Diego, mostly on freeway through the Arizona desert.  There isn't much novelty as you speed through the northern edges of the Sonora and Mojave Deserts, but once I-8 crosses the state line into California, the scenery changes dramatically as the highway climbs and dips over a series of mountain passes.  At one point, we are so close to the Mexican border that we can actually see the "wall."  At another point the curves are so tight that eastbound traffic ends up on the left side of westbound traffic, instead of the usual configuration. The contrasting scenery of sand dunes and mountains is much more interesting than the flatness of Arizona's desert.  When we drive over the first range of California mountains, the temperature plunges to the seventies and remains there for the rest of our holiday time. In Tucson and southern Arizona, the thermometer hovers close to 110 degrees at this time of the year.

We enjoy several days at the resort (including 4th of July fireworks), visiting the local seaside towns and indulging in some hearty meals--primarily Italian and seafood.  Anita also enjoys a half-day visit to the nearby Premium Outlets Mall, with a large number of very high-class stores that you won't find at other outlets.  We wander through some of the beachside towns and see many sunset views over the Pacific.

Pacific Ocean, Carlsbad-by-the-Sea

On our last afternoon we take the freeway down to San Diego to visit Point Loma, location of a US Navy base and the Cabrillo National Monument.  From the high point of the Monument we have 360-degree views over the city of San Diego, the harbor, the Navy base, and the Pacific Ocean.  Point Loma is also home to a military cemetery where lines of white crosses against the background of green grass and blue water are reminders of both the violence of war and the tranquility of death.  We also get to watch a Navy submarine as it sails from San Diego out into the Pacific Ocean.

Pacific Ocean, Point Loma, San Diego

                                                     

We drive back to Tucson on Wednesday, 6 July, following the same route in reverse, except for a detour into the mountains to the town of Julian, the apple pie capital of California, where we purchase a few edible souvenirs to take home.

Julian, CA

***

Preparing for My Next Cruise:

12-24 October 2016

Holland America's ms Koningsdam

Western Mediterranean

Roundtrip Rome

Be on the watch for the next blog entry which will give details of my next cruise, only two weeks away.  I will be sailing for 12 days on Holland America's newest ship (maiden voyage April 2016), visiting several familiar ports as well as several new ones.