Inspiring travel stories, tips, and guides from a couple exploring the world one destination at a time.
Every so often my family comes out from Colorado to visit and to see my father Jim, who lives in an assisted living facility in Escondido. Jim’s wife Hazel passed a number of years ago, but he has been doing very well. They had six children — getting four of us together is more than we could hope for.
Living at The Crosby means sharing the neighborhood with a lot more than golfers. Our home sits on the edge of San Diego County preserve land that stretches back hundreds of acres toward Lake Hodges — and the wildlife doesn’t pay much attention to property lines. Some of it is spectacular. Some of it requires snake fencing.
This summer has been a good one for butterflies, flowers, and birds. Possibly because there were significant winter storms and now everything has responded.
When Patrick and Sheila Corey flew in from Portland, Maine for a week-long visit, we finally had a good excuse to revisit some of our favorite San Diego spots — and a few we had been meaning to get to. Over several days we made it out to the Safari Park in Escondido, Birch Aquarium in La Jolla, the USS Midway downtown, Queen Califia’s Magical Circle, the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park, and a handful of our favorite local places for food and drinks in between. Showing visitors around a place you love has a way of reminding you why you love it.
We had driven past the turnoff for Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve more times than we could count during our California coast travels, always telling ourselves we would stop on the next trip. Finally, on a warm July morning, Sandy and I turned off the 101 and hiked it properly — and it immediately reminded us of why it ranked among our favorite spots in all of San Diego County.
Last Updated: July 17, 2026
Life on the road has been one of the most remarkable chapters of our lives. Over the past four years, we traveled across much of the United States and parts of Canada in our Newmar Dutch Star motorhome, immersing ourselves in each region in a way that no hotel stay or vacation schedule could replicate. We explored remote national parks, tiny historic towns, sweeping coastlines, and everything in between — unhurried, on our own terms, with Jake riding shotgun for every mile. Now, in the summer of 2020, we find ourselves at a turning point: transitioning from full-time life on the road to spending a few months each year back in San Diego, while keeping the adventures very much alive.
