Wet & Wonderful – Del Mar Beach

Gorgeous Del Mar Beach...those cute little houses on the right are $30-million dollar homes

San Diego is essentially a collection of “beach towns” and it’s one of the things we love about the place. Take a 30-mile drive along the coast and you’ll find a medley of little downtowns each with its’ own unique vibe and its’ own community. So you can go hang in free-lovin’ Ocean Beach, party with the college kids in Pacific Beach, or shop in style in up-market La Jolla. All the beaches are public so there’s access everywhere, and in low tide you’ll often have miles of open sand at your disposal.

Hanging at Del Mar Dog Beach

But being us we like to be where the doggies go, so we stick to paw-friendly spots, and Del Mar is one of the ones we love. This little beach community is somewhere between laid-back and way up-scale. There’s a relaxed beach and excellent surf-break on the south end, backed by massive, $30-million+ dollar homes and beach restaurants along the side. Nothing is cheap on the beach so we don’t generally dine there but for a special occasion sunset appetizer and drink we like Jake’s Del Mar. The whole area is kinda like a southern Malibu, but with a much more private and quiet feel.

All ours....ALL OURS!!!

The northern end of the beach is where the doggies go and has ~1 mile off-leash access from Labor Day thro’ June 14th which spans both sides of the estuary. There’s paid parking at the “official” entrance to dog beach, but for those in the know you can drive across the bridge and park for free just south of there (local tip of the week, folks!). We go there to get wet, sandy and beautilisciously beachy. And after you’ve romped with pooch in the water you can hike into town for a meal (Pacific Breeze Cafe is a cute little spot with a dog-friendly patio) or  take a trip to Dexter’s Deli for some special doggie snacks.

The massive Del Mar Fairgrounds as viewed from the beach road

And then there are the Del Mar Fairgrounds. These massive grounds dominate the landscape just inside the estuary, and there is always something going on there. The biggest yearly event is the San Diego County Fair in June, but there are tons of in-between events ranging from music concerts to dog shows (the yearly Ugly Dog Contest is probably one of the most fun), wine and beer festivals and more. There’s even RV parking for $30/night…it’s pretty much a big parking lot, but it does get you close to the action.

In our case we just go to get wet and wonderful, which is BY FAR the most interesting and fun thing to do. And with doggie along for the ride, life really doesn’t get much better than that…don’t you agree?

Beach, ocean and a big stick...what else could you want in life?

Flowers a-bloom on the beach road

RV Park Review – Mission Bay RV Resort, San Diego, CA

Polly poses by the water next to Mission Bay RV Park (Fiesta Island is in the background)

This is a so-so RV park in a FABULOUS location. We love staying here just for the access to water & beach with pooch.

Link to park here: Mission Bay RV Resort
Link to map location here: Mission Bay RV Resort

1. Site quality = 2.5/5 Just so-so sites here. The park is probably best described as a large asphalt parking lot. It has small strips of green and trees, but sites are all asphalt and there is really no separation or privacy between campers. Sites are a decent size with full hookup (50Amp/water/elec + local cable) and most are very similar. There are several “premium” sites, but I (personally) don’t feel they are worth the extra $$
   -> Premium Bay View sites have a nice water view through the back fence, but they are back-in only (so class A’s can’t face the view).
   -> Premium Beach View sites have somewhat of a view, but beach is across the park from a parking lot so it’s not really that attractive
   -> Super-size sites are really just longer asphalt sites
   In my opinion the nicest sites are next to green strips by the facilities (sites 154, 139, 127, 112) or in the middle of the park around the low 120′s which are often quite empty (so good chance of not having a neighbour).
2. Facilities = 3/5 Facilities also so-so here. Bathrooms are rather dated and have an older feel to them. Also the showers seem to take forever to warm up. However stalls are large, there is good water pressure and they are kept meticulously clean.
3. Amenities = 2.5/5 Also so-so amenities here. There is a small “snack shack” on-site, a pavilion, 2 laundromats and community room, but really not much else. They do offer free Wi-Fi which “mostly” works, although it does tend to cap out with users when park is fuller.
4. Location = 5/5 Location is where this place gets it’s star points. You are in a quiet corner of Mission Bay with full water-views right outside the park and small on-site beach. There are miles of walking/biking/exercising available around Mission Bay directly from the park, plus you’re crawling distance to Mission Bay Golf Course. You’re also only minutes from all San Diego’s best attractions incl. Sea World (right around the corner), Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach and even downtown. For location this can’t be beat.
5. Pet friendliness = 4/5 If you want to be walking distance to dog-friendly beach & water there is really no other park in San Diego that compares. There is small on-site pet run, pretty water-side walking around De Anza Cove directly from the back park gate, plus pooch can go on the beach and around Mission Bay (before 9AM and after 4PM in winter, or after 6PM in summer). Best of all you’re only ~5 mins drive from off-leash pet heaven Fiesta Island, and ~10 mins drive to Ocean Beach Dog Beach. Only ding is the park does limit certain breeds.

Overall rating = 3.4
BONUS ALERT: Stroll along miles of beach and water with pooch!

Summary: This park is all about location, location, location. It’s in a quiet corner of Mission Bay Regional Park surrounded by green, sand and water, within easy distance of practically all San Diego’s best attractions and right next to Mission Bay Golf. Also it’s the only RV park in San Diego I know where doggie can directly access a beach (within hour limits), or be only 5 mins from off-leash beach access (Fiesta Island and OB Dog Beach). All other RV & State parks in the area do not allow dogs on the beach. So for all those reasons we really (really) love this place. But the park itself we could probably take or leave. Sites are fully asphalt with no separation/privacy and there are minimal amenities. It’s kept nicely clean, there is good security, but there are not alot of “extras”. It is also quite pricey ($50-$80/night) unless you take advantage of discounts. Water and beach-front sites are back-in only and not (in my mind) worth the $$, but on internal sites you can use Passport America for 50% off Mon-Thurs ($25/night) plus in winter the park offers excellent monthly rates ($800/mo all-inclusive). If you stay here in low season (winter) and take the discounts I think this park is one of the best locations in the city, and we’ll come back again and again just for that.

Extra Info: Good Verizon 3G & 4G LTE signal. On-site free Wi-Fi, but it is unreliable. All sites are full hookup. Nightly rate $50-$80. Monthly rate (winter) $800/mo (all inclusive -> 30-day stay limit then need to go out for 24 hrs before another 30-day stay). Park takes Passport America (mid-week) and Good Sam’s.

Typical site view (#117 on left, 116 on right)

View of our site by the facilities (#112). It has a nice green strip.

Typical Bay View site (#40 shown). These do have nice views, but they are pricey and back-in only

View down one of the rows

Another view down one of the rows. Winter is low season and many spaces are unoccupied.

View of facilities

The "snack shack" at Mission Bay RV Resort

Walking on the beach by Mission Bay RV Park

The Great Urban Escape -> Mission Trails Regional Park, San Diego, CA

Top o’ the world on Kwaay Paay

In San Diego it’s easy to get lost in beach and sea, but just ~15 miles inland is a whole other world which is equally absorbing….in a whole other way. The spot is Mission Trails Regional Park and it’s one of my fav places for hiking in the entire city! When we stay at Santee Lakes we’re just a hop and a skip from the park and this week we headed out there for a change of scene and some outdoor fun.

The gorgeous trails in Mission Trails Regional Park

At 5,800 acres Mission Trails is actually one of the largest urban parks in the United States. Originally traditional grounds of the Kumeyaay indians, it was transformed by building of the Old Mission Dam in the 1800′s (the very dam that supplied Mission San Diego De Alcalá…and pretty much founded the growth of modern-day San Diego), which is still preserved within the park boundaries today. The park encompasses rugged mountains, natural valleys and the Mission Gorge. For the outdoor-minded there are over 40 miles of hiking, as well as Lake Murray and equestrian areas.

Showcase of Kumeyaay trade routes and crafts at the Visitor’s Center

Oh, and let’s not forget the fabulous Visitors Center which is well worth the visit all for itself. It showcases traditional Kumeyaay history, a wonderful overview of natural flora/fauna of the park and hosts exhibits as well as kids and adults programs. It also hosts free music concerts which are über-cool -> for a taste DO check out the Native American Flute Players on 2nd Sunday of each month.

Oh, there is just Sooooooo much to see and do!

Million dollar views from the peak

But we come here mostly for the hiking. And most other folks do too. The most popular hike in the park is Cowle’s Mountain, which also happens to be the highest point in San Diego. During the week it’s a hot-spot for fitness freaks and on the week-end it becomes a family go-to. We like the hike….but….we prefer our privacy so we tend to go off-the-beaten path. Our fav mountain hike is Kwaay Paay and it’s the perfect morning walk for family and pooch topped-off with a perfect 360-degree view of San Diego.

View from the Kwaay Paay trail

We hit the trail after several days of rain with the sun still baking off the moisture from the ground. It’s a lovely, and shall we say vigorous, uphill walk through chaparral thickets and yucca through to the open views of the city. If you’re in the mood for an all-day affair you can drop-off half-way up and head west to the Old Dam and onwards to miles of unused trails from there.

Total urban escape just around the corner from downtown San Diego. Not a bad deal at all….:)

Coyote shown at the Visitor Center

The lovely Visitor Center

RV Tank Sensors &The GEO Method

Working tank sensors....pricelss

Almost every RVer I know complains about their tank sensors. It’s almost a given that after a few months the sensors start acting up and giving false readings showing tanks that are full when they are really empty. For anyone who dry-camps alot this is kinda annoying, and most end up just “living with it”. But there is hope! We’re not tank wizards by any means, but in 2 years of RVing we’ve managed to keep our black tank sensors working perfectly with our grey sensors OK most of the time. And most of it is thanks to the GEO method.

Typical tank sensor set-up. From dmbruss.com

Now to understand why tank sensors go bad it’s worth understanding a little about how they work. Most RV tank sensors are basically just 4 screw probes that stick into the tank. When liquid hits the screw it makes contact & completes a circuit that turns the LED light on your panel on. Over time crud and slime covers the screws causing connectivity when there really is none (so sensors “think” the tank is full even if it’s not). It’s a really poor system, but it’s a cheap one which is why it’s so widely used. So, the key to making these things work again is simply to clean off that grime. Easier said than done, right?

The Horst Miracle Probe -> a great little sensor upgrade

There are a ton of cleaners, tank chemicals and what-not out there each of which have their passionate supporters. Also there are much better sensors such as Horst Miracle Probe and SeeLevel, both of which get excellent reviews. But for those of us with old sensors and a cheap pocket, this is the method that’s worked best for us:

1/ Never Dump Until Tanks Are At Least 2/3 Full

Waiting until your tanks are full before dumping helps keep things liquid and pressure high so that when you finally pull the plug “stuff” comes out rather than drying out and building up as pyramids in the tanks. So, even when we’re fully hooked-up we keep our tank valves closed until we’re ready to dump.

2/ Dump Black First, Then Grey

Always dump your dirtiest (black) tank first before dumping your grey. For those of you not in the know, the black tank contains run-off from your toilet, while the grey is run-off from your shower and sinks.

3/ Use Lots of Water & Back-Flush

Using lots of water (when you can) really helps to keep things flowing in the tanks. We’ve got a factory-installed back-flush system in our black tank and after we dump we’ll usually back-flush and re-dump before heading out again. There are after-market back-flush systems that are super-easy to install and work very well too.

4/ Clean With The GEO Method

The GEO method ingredients

The GEO method is a home-made cleaning technique that’s been around in the RV community since (at least) the early 80′s. Where the name came from no-body seems to know, but the original method is HERE. The original formula uses chlorine, but that can ruin your valves so these days most RVers use a slightly modified method with just 2 common items, both of which you can get at any big department store:

• Calgon Water Softener -> This stuff helps to break down water surface tension, clean scum and prevent hard mineral deposits. I’ve used Borax on occasion when I can’t find Calgon and find it works just as well.
• Dawn Dishwasher Detergent -> The “original formula” blue detergent is excellent at cutting grime. Laundry detergent works too.

After you dump pour 1 cup of Calgon and 1 cup detergent into the tanks. Leave them in until your next dump. Before driving some RVers will also throw a bag of ice-cubes down the tank to “scour” their walls (we’ve never done this, but others swear by it).

And that’s really it! We don’t use the GEO method each time we dump, but just whenever our sensors need an extra cleaning. Either way it’s a simple, easy and environmentally-friendly method to keep sensors mostly clean. And in a moving house on wheels that’s really as good as it gets.

What tricks do you use?

Book Review -> Income Anywhere

It’s an inside kinda week-end here in San Diego. Saint Patrick’s Day seems to have brought in the Irish weather and it is pounding rain out there (local San Diegans are at a loss). It’s the perfect weather to cozy-up inside, make some hot chocolate and settle down with a book….which brings me quite neatly to something I’ve been wanting to do for a while.

A few weeks ago I was given the chance to pre-read Live.Work.Dream’s newest book “Income Anywhere“. This nifty little e-book is all about how to many money “on the go”. Mobile lifestyle, mobile income if you will, and those of you who’ve followed our story know that’s exactly what we do. We’ve been on the road for over 2 years now and our lifestyle has been entirely supported by investing (our principal has not been touched in those 2 years). We’ve met tons of other full-timers who support their lifestyle in creative and mobile ways too -> anything from editing to software development to CPA work. In fact I feel that “mobile income” is a trend of the future.

Now Rene and Jim’s book won’t teach y0u how to invest (maybe one day Paul and I will get round to writing that book ), but it’s a neat little resource for various easy and accesible ways to make money on the road. Interested in monetizing your blog? Or selling crafts online? Or freelance writing? Or workamping? The book will give you good, basic info on how to start looking at each. This is a quick read and contains a ton of links so I look at it as more of a reference/resource book than anything else.  You can go ahead and download a free chapter from their website, or go directly for the full download. For $9.95 (there’s a spot to share a link and get another $5 off too) it’s a great little read for a great little price.

P.S. I’ve got no affiliation and make no money from any sales here. Just love to promote resources that enable people to make their mobile dreams come true