November 8 – 11, 2014: Are you surprised that we happened to roll into San Diego during San Diego Beer Week? Honestly, it wasn’t planned that way.
We spent the first day in San Diego catching up over beers at Ballast Point Brewing Company, Coronado Brewing Company, and Oggi’s Pizza & Brewing Company. At Ballast Point Brewing Company we were given a tour by the manager and I found it interesting to learn that all staff are required to brew their own beers. There’s a separate area where all this takes place and the resulting products are actually served to customers. Fascinating, huh? As we traveled from location to location we were given a personal tour consisting of a wealth of information about the local sites and history from our friends.
Our second day was spent at the San Diego Zoo! We love to visit zoos and aquariums; and the San Diego Zoo lived up to its reputation as world renowned zoo. We didn’t even make it through all the exhibits but it was amazing. Words don’t do it justice but so I’ll just say that you should be sure to check out the Galapagos turtles (we were there during their mating season), famed pandas, polar bears, and hippos (there’s an portion of the exhibit where you can watch them underwater which provides a very interesting vantage point).
The next day, on our way out of San Diego, Michael and I stopped at AleSmith Brewing Company. They had announced a special event later in the week however, there was a bottle release happening that day. After waiting in line and purchasing said special bottle, we ate some tacos, and drove a few hours to just outside Joshua Tree National Park. We arrived at our campsite for the evening after dark but could tell we were now in the desert with posted warnings about mountain lions, bears, and rattlesnakes.
Accommodation:
- with amazing friends, La Mesa, California, United States
- Lake Cahuilla Recreation Area, La Quinta, California, United States