In the mid-afternoon Tuesday, I dragged my weary self to the Best Western South Bay Inn in Chula Vista, a suburb in south San Diego.
The Mexican-American woman at the counter asked me how my day was going. Of course, she wasn’t really looking for an answer, but was just being courteous in the way that hotel stuff are trained to do.
So, I just smiled and said, “It’s been a long day.”
My alarm was set for 2 a.m. that morning at my hotel near Vancouver airport, but I woke up at 1 a.m. and couldn’t get back to sleep so decided to start early.
The previous day I left Osoyoos and drove through the Similkameen Valley, which alternated between sunlight and rain. Close to Cawston, a brilliant rainbow arched over the valley. I’m not superstitious, but sometimes for me rainbows are an auspicious sign. In any case, the air after a storm feels invigorating.
The Allison Pass through the Cascade Mountains was rainy, but there was no snow on the ground, though not far above a white icing dusted the trees.
When I got to the Lower Mainland, my task was to find some Mexican pesos so that I won’t have to deal with money changing when I arrive at the chaotic Mexican border. I located a bank in Richmond that sold them, saving myself the trip into Vancouver.
I set my alarm and went to bed very early, which brings me back to my early morning start on Tuesday.
After a last-minute bag organization, figuring what to bring and what to leave behind in my car, I dropped my vehicle at Park ‘n Fly and shuttled to the airport.
I detest flying and I detest airports even more. YVR airport is, however, better than most. It’s well-organized, and they have automated many processes such as checking in and going through customs, reducing, though of course not eliminating, the long lineups and cattle herding that constitute the airport experience.
As I overheard a woman behind me in line say, you don’t go to airports because you enjoy them. You go because there’s a payoff at the other end.
My flights actually both left and arrived on time, and I even had an empty seat beside me to sprawl out on and doze during the lap to Salt Lake City.
I was impressed by the barren sandy deserts and rocky landscapes below on the leg from Salt Lake City to San Diego.
There is a handy public transit bus right from the airport connecting to San Diego’s “trolley line,” which is actually an LRT or light rail transit. It only took about 40 minutes to go through San Diego and arrive at my hotel.
My first temptation was to go straight to bed, but that would mean missing the Museum of Photographic Arts at Balboa Park. So instead I hopped back on the trolley and retraced my steps, heading to Balboa.
This is also the location of the famous San Diego Zoo, but the admission is around $50, which is fine for an all-day excursion, but not worth it for a short visit of less than two hours.
The photography museum is relatively small, but it had some interesting changing exhibits, which unfortunately didn’t show the pieces I was most interested in from their wide collection that features some great photojournalists.
But one small exhibit commemorating the hundredth anniversary of the U.S. National Park Service was enough to satisfy me. It included some landscapes of the parks going back to the 19th century.
There were two photos by Ansel Adams, including the dramatic Trees and Cliffs of Eagle Peak Winter, Yosemite Valley, that were worth the price of admission.
There was another exhibit featuring large prints of some California photographers. One series by Michael Light showed aerial views of an aborted suburb development in the mountains near Las Vegas, composed artistically. It reminded me a bit of Edward Burtynsky’s manufactured landscapes both for subject material and the large prints.
Balboa Park looks like an interesting place, and I wish I had more time to explore. There are numerous museums and galleries, beautiful landscaping, and Spanish colonial style buildings. I took a stroll, but was anxious to eat and get back to bed.
It’s now Wednesday morning and I’m feeling much more rested. This morning I will cross into Mexico and catch a plane from Tijuana to Guanajuato. And there will begin my Mexican journey.
