TGIF--Cannondale to Del Mar

It twas the friday before the memorial day weekend--a good day to goof off! I had an old client call me who was thinking of moving back to Kansas this year! Wow!, moving from San Diego to Kansas--bummer on the weather. But since I am from Minnesota originally, there is something to be said about the simplicity of the midwest. Four distinct seasons provide variety in the challenges of living each part of the year, and the pace of life, as I remember, is more tuned with both nature and with neighborly relationships. Don't think I would head back that way though. I did, however, spend a few months during the summer in Kansas City once when I got out of college, and thought it was preety nice!

So I had a morning filled with business--! Even worked through lunch! About 1:30 I decided that the best use of most of the rest of my day was to pursue my physical conditioning goal for the year and hop on my bike for a trip south from Encinitas to Del Mar, which I figured would be about 15 miles round trip along old hwy 101 south. So, on with the spandex,the funny shoes, and the helmut and gloves, and away down the hill to 101. On my last excursion a couple of days ago, I headed north to Carlsbad, always a good trip. But had a bad experience! Some nuts in a SUV tossed a water balloon out the window as they passed me and hit me right in the middle of the back. Surprise!!!! Must have been some kids--who didn't know any better--because it could have been a dangerous prank--it could have ended in a fall--possibly into the path of an on-coming car--and squish!! Going to Del Mar seemed like a more civilized destination on Friday!! I read that a biker had been hit by a truck in the San Diego area a week ago and died. It seems to happen a couple times a year in the San Diego area--So I am always careful and ride defensively!!

So, I zipped down the hill riding my brakes, across the railway tracks to olde downtown Encinitas and headed south! Its four or five blocks of businesses in one of the last and best preserved beachtowns on the coast before one comes to "Swamis", which is a retreat and religious center on the bluffs above one of the best surf breaks on the south coast. Why Swami's? It was built by an honest to goodness Swami back in the early part of the 20th centrury, and is still an active retreat for his followers--The "Self Realizatin Center". People come there from all over the world to meditate! Locals go there to surf! There is a small overlook park where you can stop and look down the bluff at all the surfers waiting for their wave, or take a trip down the access stairs to the beach for a walk. If the tide is low, there are some great tide pool areas to explore for all the little sea creatures that live in the tidal zone. You might guess that Encinitas has lots of yoga studios!!

Heading south from Swami's, there is a great view of the ocean--I have seen whales spouting as they swan along the coast on their migration, and sometimes porpoise jumping just outside the surf line. Then,just down the road, it's always fun to see all the camping rigs pulled into the seaside Cardiff State Beach Campground. On past "resturant row", some beachfront resturants, mostly for the tourists (Charthouse,e.g.), and up a short hill to Solana Beach. Two more miles and I am zipping down a hill past the Del Mar fairgrounds on the east side of 101, and Del Mar's Dog Beach on the right. It is about the only beach area left where dogs can run free. If you go there, watch where you step!!

Into the Beach Colony of Del Mar, where a home on the beachfront sand usually runs for 6 million to 11 million depending on how much sand there is on the lot. If you are a block off the beach, you can buy something for about 3 million. That's about a 4-5000 sq foot lot and a nice little beach house. If you got it, flaunt it!!

Up a hill into the Del Mar Village area. The incorporated area of Del Mar is pretty small--the population is only about 4500 people. Alot of what is considered Del Mar (92014) is part of the city of San Diego. So if one lives in the actual city of Del Mar it tends to cost more and is a bit more "toney". The streets in the village area are "windy" with lots of protected Torrey Pines (trees), and great ocean views, and even a itsy bitsy little cottage built in 1955 with no view is 1.5 mil +. The zoning usually allows only a 25% sq footage allowance for the lot which means that big lots--like 10000+
sq ft are worth about 1.5 million just for the dirt. So someone buys a small home that is 1500 sq ft on a 10000 sqft view lot for 1.8 mil, tears it down, and puts up somthing thats 2500 sq ft--still not huge, but new with a view and worth 3 mil. Ahh, how the wealthy live!!! Their vacation homes!!

Today I stopped at the bus stop in front of the L'Auberge Hotel in Del Mar to drink some water and rest before heading home--also to watch the activity a bit ( all the blondes in their Mercedes 450 SLs). There was what looked like a homeless person sitting down the bench aways-(it was a long bench)--who came over and asked me to open his twist-off cap on a plastic bottle of Pepsi. ( He was a very small homeless person) Of course I did. He went back to his plastic bags on the bench and swigged his pepsi, thankful for the twist!! So a good deed for the day as well a a nice ride!!