After a hot breakfast at our hotel, we headed to the beach which was two blocks away. It was truly a site to behold and so different from our east coast beaches. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. I can still hear the roar of the ocean when I look at them!
Next we headed to La Jolla Cove. We marveled at the ocean views, the spring flowers that covered the rocky cliffs along the coast, and of course the seals that pretty much ruled the La Jolla Cove.
Our next adventure took us to Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial Park. The cross was erected on Mt. Soledad in 1954 to honor the veterans of the Korean War.
In 2000, memorial walls were added. It is the only memorial in our country where a veteran’s family can honor their veteran with a
plaque bearing the veteran’s picture and service information. Four presidents are among the honored here-Ford, Truman, Eisenhower, and Reagan. It was humbling to see. One was a Revolutionary war vet.
Torrey Pines State Preserve was established to protect Torrey Pines which are found only in this area and would have vanished if the land had not been preserved.
The park had lots of hiking trails. We took the easier loop route and saw great views of Torrey pines, wild flowers, cactus, and awesome cliffs.
We headed to Del Mar for a late lunch and then returned to the beach at Torrey Pines. Walking along the ocean with red sandstone cliffs was a real treat. Lots of people were walking or jogging and a few brave souls were swimming. We got our toes wet, but did not venture any further. It was pretty cold with a strong undertow.
Heading back to our hotel, ready for some R&R, we were pleased at all we saw on our first day. Not bad for four fifty year olds ( well, we feel like that anyway) !