Inspiring travel stories, tips, and guides from a couple exploring the world one destination at a time.
Last Updated: June 6, 2026
From Jacumba Hot Springs, California we headed west to Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve, east of San Diego, where we set up for the holidays to visit Michael’s dad. After a couple of weeks in remote Jacumba at nearly 3,000 feet, it was a welcome change to have the full amenities of a major city within easy reach — Costco included.
Last Updated: May 2026
We still had a property in San Diego that we had rented the past couple of years. Our tenants moved out, giving us a great opportunity to make renovations and put it on the market. We changed our travel plans and based ourselves in Escondido — the closest RV park to the house in Rancho Santa Fe. Southern California is an amazing place and it was wonderful to be back after a two-year hiatus. Great year-round weather without mosquitoes, black flies, tornadoes, hail, or hurricanes — just fires and earthquakes. It’s easy to see why so many people live here and pay the insane cost of living.
Last Updated: July 2017
We interrupted our New England summer travels when Michael needed to fly back to San Diego for a week to manage his physician practice. It turned out to be a welcome reset — and a reminder of how much there is to do in a city we know well. Downtown San Diego has transformed steadily over the years, and with Comic-Con and Pride Week both kicking off during our visit, the streets had an unusually electric energy. San Diego is the eighth largest city in the United States, its economy anchored by military and defense as much as tourism, and its enduring appeal built on miles of sandy coastline and one of the most reliably mild climates in the country.
[Read more…] about Downtown San Diego: Gaslamp Quarter, USS Midway, Comic-Con & La Playa