San Diego to Hollywood

Saturday was our last day in San Diego and we made the most of it. We drove up the coast line to Imperial Beach.

They had a nice pier for fishing and lots of white sand.

Then we drove up to Point Loma. Here we saw the Cabrillo monument. Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was the first European to set foot on the west coast of what is now the United States.

It is also the location of the Old Point Loma Lighthouse that was in operation from 1855 to 1891.

At the bottom of the cliff where the lighthouse and monument are there are tidal pools for exploring.

Since we still had plenty of daylight ahead of us we drove north to Carlsbad, CA. You may have heard of the Flower Fields that are located here. One of the better known things is the American flag made out of flowers. We were getting towards the end of the blooming season but everything was still beautiful.

The flower fields are only open from March 1-May 30 every year. The fields have been in operation since the 1950's but were not marketed as a tourist attraction until 1993.

When you enter the grounds there are rows of ranunculus as far as the eye can see.

In addition to the flower fields, there is a prize rose garden.

Here is a bed of ranunculus showing the different colors that have been perfected here.

To the north of the Flower Fields, there are strawberry fields and there was a booth selling the best strawberry shortcake we have ever eaten. They were so big that I didn't think we would get through them but we did.

Sunday was a travel day and we moved to Seal Beach, CA which is right to the south of Long Beach. The Seabreeze RV Park is located on the Navel Weapons Station which is adjacent to a wildlife sanctuary. So far all we have seen are rabbits. I have to get a camera permit if I want to take pictures on base.

On Monday we drove into Long Beach and drove over to the Queen Mary. They have made her into a hotel. I hope the made the staterooms larger than the ones we have been in before.'

From there we drove into Los Angeles and to Hollywood. We never found Rodeo Drive but we did find Sunset Blvd and Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood Blvd is where all the stars have their stars in the sidewalk. You can see them for blocks. Here is a classic, Greta Garbo.

Here is Grauman's Chinese Theatre.

Marilyn and Elvis are discussing something important out in front of Grauman's. There were lots of characters that you could have your picture taken with.

Marynelle liked this character best. Note the elaborate doors in the background.

The walkway up to the theatre is covered with blocks with signatures, hand and foot prints, and occasionally something else. We took this picture of John Wayne's hand, foot, and fist print and signature just for Bob, a friend of ours.

We left LA before the traffic got too bad. Wayne made himself a margarita just as soon as he got back. I don't think I will be able to get him back in the LA area again. Catch you again soon.