To San Diego and ...

We left Los Angeles and drove by car along the coast, to San Diego, September 10, 2014.
The distance is not too large between the cities, 3.5 hours driving by car.

When you will plan a route, you can to use Google Maps.
You can determine the distance and driving time.
However, the map does not prompt you how much time you need for a rest and for walks.

So, we wanted not only to come to San Diego but also to take a walk around the city, for one day.
But we had not the experience of trips and the situation was quite different.

Many beaches are from Los Angeles to San Diego.

We stopped every 5-10 minutes for walks by the ocean, for a swimming and for a sunbathing.

My wife was very pleased.
She was not afraid of strong waves, and of muddy water.

We drove by HWY 1, near of the edge of the ocean, city names were very beautiful:
Vista Del Mar, Palos Verdes, Dana Point, La Jolla.

Villages and towns were to the left of the road, and to the right - the sparkling ocean and beaches, beaches ...

The Station of Lifeguards was on all the beaches.
Do you remember the movie "Baywatch"?

Sometimes, sandy beaches interspersed with rocky beaches and cliffs.

We were standing near cliffs, were looking to the water and were listening to the whisper of the ocean...

Seagull was nearby. What was she thinking?

Bays and lagoons began to appear closer to San Diego.

People had appeared on the beaches to the evening.
It were surfers.

Our plan of route has collapsed.
We have not yet arrived in San Diego but the night was coming soon.
Our skin itched from the salt and sun, we thought about a shower.
Leaving "inspection" of San Diego on the next morning, we rushed to the motel.
The ocean was preparing to sleep...

And only the palm trees were still standing as sentinels.

We did not know what to do when we woke up in a motel "Super 8 El Cajon"...
GPS-coordinates: 32°48'01.3"N, 116°57'44.3"W
San Diego is a beautiful and green city, where there are many interesting places in the center and near the ocean.
Many beaches, parks, museums are in the city, there are a zoo and world famous Balboa Park and SeaWorld park.
The streets in the city center, such as the GasLamp Quarter, also attract tourists.
*San Diego*

But, we had no more than half a day.
In the evening, we should be in state of Arizona, where in a small city, we booked the motel.

The Ocean won!
We drove by car on HWY 75, across the Coronado Bridge to the See Port Village.

The Coronado Bridge - it's fantastic!

Seaport Village - is the tourist place with restaurants and shops and the recreation area near of the bay.
*Seeport village*

The bay of San Diego...

A white steamship moves slowly...

The boat moves fast...

Apartments in the houses on the other side probably are not cheap, I think so.

Apartments in these buildings probably are expensive too...

But here, you can relax near the bay and to lie down on the grass.

After a rest, we drove to the park "Cabrillo National Monument".
The streets of San Diego.

Very beautiful houses on the promenade of San Diego.

We climbed up by the winding road and drove into the park "Cabrillo National Monument".
*Cabrillo National Monument*
The entrance to all national parks, forests, and monuments in the United States are not free.
You can pay at the entrance or buy a travel pass "America the Beautiful"...
Price - $ 80 for one car per year.
We used the pass "America the Beautiful" during our two trips to USA.

The Park "Cabrillo National Monument" was founded in 1913 on the southern part of the peninsula of Point Loma.
The Monument of Juan Cabrillo was established in 1939.
He was the first European who reached California in 1542.

The old lighthouse is located not far from here.

The city of San Diego can be seen very well from here.

The city is very beautiful.
We really liked this city.
Unfortunately, we don't have a free time and we leave from here...
But we'll remember San Diego, a wonderful city near the Mexican border.

Our road went from San Diego, we drove by car away from the ocean.
We were traveling to state of Arizona!
We shall spend the night in the "Motel 6", in Kingman, AZ, and to the next morning - to the Grand Canyon.

The road was long and took at least 6 hours.
We used HWY 8, HWY 95 and HWY 40...

I have drove these roads before, but had never seen such a miracle.
It dunes...

The desert was around, the land with sparse bushes.

Dried bushes were like scary monsters in the setting sun.

Our road was long...