Last weekend

We are leaving the San Diego area, Ben kicking and screaming all the way.
We decided to spend our last weekend visiting our favorite places. Thursday we went to Pizza Port Carlsbad. Our home away from home while we were here. It has to be the best brewpub in the country. That's not even the correct term to describe it. It is a brewery that also serves pizza. The "Beers brewed here" side of the board had anywhere from 17 to 21 beers while we were here, all great.



Friday we went to Port Brewing, a sister company. It has to be the most fun tasting experience. The tasting bar is in the brewery, the forklifts are going by while you are doing your tasting and you can wander around their keg room. They have great people and great beer.










































Saturday we went to AleSmith Brewing also a fun place with the tasting bar in the brewery. We got a tour from the owner/brewer. It was probably the most informative tour we've ever had. It is a unique brewery in that a lot of the equipment was previously dairy equipment such as the horizontal open fermentation tanks.

































Sunday we went to Stone Brewery - the reason we first came to Southern California and the first brewery we visited on our first trip. We have watched them grow up. They have a beautiful brewery and restaurant and a great outdoor area.





It just doesn't get any better than this.













We aren't going far though. Tomorrow we leave for Ventura, north of Los Angeles to explore that area for a couple weeks.

Flower fields

There is an area in Carlsbad where they grow flowers commercially. It is particularly beautiful this time of the year.

Beaches

I am falling behind on my postings. This week we saw a lot of beaches. Tuesday we went to Long Beach and Manhatten Beach. Thursday we visited the San Diego beaches - Pacific Beach, Mission Beach and Ocean beach.

Coronado Island

Saturday we drove to San Diego and visited Coronado Island. It is a beautiful place and by coincidence it also has the Coronado Brewing Company

The Midway

Last Friday we took the train to San Diego again and visited the Midway aircraft carrier museum. It was a great time. It was a very interesting tour and a very impressive ship.

Happy Easter!!

Celebrating Easter, Southern California style. Happy Easter to everybody, especially Christian, Juergen and Elke, the first Easter we haven't celebrated together in 10 years.

Catalina Island

Yesterday we went to Catalina Island. That involved a half hour drive to Dana's Point and then an hour and twenty minute boat ride. It is a beautiful place and we had a fun day. It is partly like a resort, partly shopping, there was a cruise ship in port, and partly kind of third worldly with it's golf carts and other small vehicles and tiny houses.

We also saw a William Wrigley mansion. We seem to see those wherever we go, we saw one in Phoenix.

The Train

There is a train that goes along the coast between Oceanside and San Diego. It is called the Coaster, those Californians are imaginative people. We took it to San Diego on Wednesday. It was nice in that we could catch it just a couple blocks from where we are staying and it took us to the bay and downtown area. We walked around both areas, had lunch and took it back.

The first picture is of an Amtrak train that went through the station while we were waiting, the second is ours.

The third picture is on San Diego bay.






Barb thinks she found THE Hotel California.