San Diego
Our tour started with a late morning meeting in the Marriott hotel in San Diego's Hotel Circle. This was the first time we met our fellow travelers: 18 from all over the country. 13 women and 5 men. 4 couples and the rest solo travelers. We started by introducing ourselves and what we did before we (most) retired. We came from all different professions.
After lunch we boarded a bus and headed for the Birch Aquarium at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla. This is also the campus for the University of California in San Diego. I have been to La Jolla countless times but I never knew the Birch Aquarium is there. It was exciting to go there for the first time. We had a lecture on gray whales - their diet, lives and migration. It gave us a very good understanding of what we'll be seeing later.
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| Entering the Birch Museum |
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| Statue of Gray Whales |
We were then led on a tour of the aquarium by one of the volunteer docents. The Birch Aquarium is a relatively small aquarium compared to some of the aquariums that I have visited.
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| A Sea Dragon |
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| A Seahorse |
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| Jellyfish |
We next drove to La Jolla shores to see the wildlife along the beach. I have been coming here for many years because it is one of the highlights of San Diego. They have improved on the walkway along the shore. In some places they even allow people to get on the beach, to be close to the wildlife. But no one is allowed to touch the wildlife.
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| Variety of birds on the beach |
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| Another view of the beach |
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| Sea lion and bird |
Our day ended with a dinner at a popular Italian restaurant called Bucca di Beppo in San Diego's Gaslight District. The dishes are big, to be shared by everyone at the table.
Crossing the Border into Mexico
Early in the morning we drove about 30 minutes south to the border with Mexico and then crossing into
Tijuana. It is the most populous city in the state of Baja California, with a population of a little over 2 million people. It has a bad reputation as a destination for gambling and drinking in the early 1900s'. It also has a bad reputation for crime.
San Ysidro is one of the busiest port of entry. It is where we legally cross into Mexico.
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| Cars waiting to cross into Mexico at San Ysidro |
We started with a cultural immersion at the mercado (market) in Tijuana. We stopped at many of the food vendors selling different fruits and vegetables. They are common in countries in Central and South American but not in the United States.
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| Prickly pear cactus, which is chopped up and cook with everything |
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| Tuna - fruit from the prickly pear cactus |
Our original plan was to spend the first night in the coastal town of San Felipe, along the coast of the Gulf of California. However, because of recent violence with the drug cartel in Mexico, our first night was changed to San Quintin. We were told to stay on the main highway, Highway 1 in Baja California.
On the way we stopped for a bathroom break at the town of San Vicente. We met other Road Scholar travelers going the other direction.
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| Museum at San Vicente |
South of Ensenada we passed many farms and businesses on both sides of the highway.
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| Location of San Quintin |
The hotel is located at a beautiful location besides the Pacific Ocean
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| Hotel in San Quintin |
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| Sunset by the beach |
The next day, on March 1, 2026, we drive deeper into the desert. We also passed many farms that grow produce for the US market. We took a short hike in the desert to give everyone a taste of what the desert is like. For me, it's very similar to the Arizona desert, except for the Cardon cactus and the Boojum tree.
Every night our guide Jazz, put up a notice on what to do the next day.
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| Schedule and plan for the next day |
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| Farms alongside the road |
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| A Cardon cactus, similar to a Saguaro |
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| Hiking in the desert |
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| Boojum trees, only found in Baja California |
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