Very Expensive Flowers

I remember going to the flower fields in Carlsbad when I was in elementary school and it being amazing. The pictures of the flowers are full, vibrant, and in the middle of no where. It was something that was truly worth driving out there to wander around and look at. I also don't remember it costing any money.

It wasn't particularly sunny when I went, which took something away I think, but this can be easily overlooked. The first hiccup was discovering that they were charging ten dollars for admission. Nine if I had a AAA membership (which I do). Once inside, I found the atmosphere too different, unsettling, crowded, and grossly touristy. Again, tourism happens, it was a Sunday afternoon, so that too could be overlooked. The flowers weren't what I had expected from my focused, bright memories of this field. The rows of flowers were there, but they looked unhealthy. The rows weren't filled in as well as they could have been, they weren't pruned well, and were interspersed with dead, withered looking flowers.



The biggest change was the rows of condos that backed up the fields. I really don't remember that little eye sore, and it made the fields less enjoyable. Before, you felt like you traveled to the middle of no where almost, and had the opportunity to wander around these vast, dense flower fields existing all on their own. Now, it's very clear that it's this maintained, condensed, tourist trap.


The afternoon wasn't miserable, because the flowers are still pretty and novel. There are still hills covered in flowers, it just isn't something I would pay nine dollars for when I can see it all well enough from the road. This last weekend there was a special orchid exhibition, and rows of vendors peddling their various plants, which was interesting. They also had a small scale, sweet pea maze, and an astonishingly good middle school rock cover band.

The flower fields weren't what I expected, and I just can't find a reason for it to have been worth the admission cost. If there's nothing else to do, and it's an experience that you feel you need, it's a relatively enjoyable way to spend the afternoon. It's just not cheap and doesn't resemble the Technicolor dream-scape that I remember it being.

The Hunt For The Black Mountain Arsenic Mine

Forget about the rattlesnakes and beautiful Penasquitos views. Hiking through the canyons and hills surrounding Black Mountain is all about crazy, wild adventuring. There is a whole myriad of trails in this area that I had no idea about. The Black Mountain Open Space Park offers trails that wind all the way to the water tower on Penasquitos Drive and back, with four different trail heads. The trail that I took was the Lower Miner's Ridge Loop Trail, which can either loop back real quick to the parking lot, or continue to the tower, 4S Ranch, or Hilltop Park. The center of the park is the summit of Black Mountain, which can also be accessed by a trail from Hilltop Park, near Black Mountain Middle School. It's a good idea to take one of the maps provided in the parking lot with you.


One of the best things about the trails is the variance. You don't get bored because the incline, terrain, and difficulty level change throughout the hike. There are two different outlook off-shoots from the trail also. The first is longer and takes you down a very skinny, overgrown trail that opens out to a small lookout point with a bench.

Now, I have to say to approach the bench with caution because of a little encounter my mom and uncle had on their first time down there. Remember, I said that this trail is impossibly narrow and then it just all of a sudden puts you right on top of this bench. No warning, nothing. So the first time that they stumble on this bench, there's a cozy looking couple sitting there. I'm sure it absolutely killed the mood, as the look-out area is only big enough for two people to comfortable stand and only turn around in place. I'm sure the four of them were really feeling the love. It also prompted my family members to create long, drawn-out scenarios about how much worse it would have been if just my uncle walked down that trail, playing the part of creepy old guy in the underbrush. Needless to say, make a lot of noise on your way down. The view really is worth it.





The trail is called Miner's Ridge Loop because it circles an old mine, that is down in an extremely overgrown valley. If you cut the trail, and sneak through the brush to the edge you can see down. We saw a Subaru parked down there, which is very interesting considering no vehicles are allowed. Sounds like the beginning of a b-list horror movie to me...



As you climb the hill, you get closer to the summit of Black Mountain and get a really great view out from both sides. From here you can choose different trails to continue down, all depending on where you want to end your hike. Look at the maps, research a bit, and you can plan a path that works the best for you.


It's just a really great place to explore, find new trails, and enjoy the brush while it's not super dried-out yet. It's an amusing yet satisfying, very free way to spend the day. Let me know if you find the abandoned mine shafts...

Free Wine is Never a Bad Thing

Speaking of Escondido, the Orfila Winery is local, has beautiful grounds, and good wine. Down San Pasqual Road towards the Wild Animal Park, this Winery can actually be a really enjoyable and completely free outdoor event.

Today I printed out a coupon from SanDiegan.com--found under the coupons tab, then scroll down to wineries--for a wine tasting for two, drug my mom and uncle along, and trekked the short distance up the freeway. The winery opens at 10am and closes at 6pm every day. We didn't get there until around 4:30pm though, but I discovered that this isn't really a bad thing as the winery is not only not crowded, but practically deserted. This will work in your favor I promise. Not only was the woman conducting our wine tasting more attentive, but way more helpful.

The wine tasting is for whichever six wines you want. It is normally $10, and includes the Orfila logo emblazoned glass. With this coupon you get the six wines, but unfortunately not the glass. Most of the decent bottles are priced at $15, so if you didn't want to look like a deadbeat while enjoying your free wine, these bottles would make a nice, unique gift for someone. The nicer, reserve bottles go for around $30.00.

After this, touring the winery is the perfect activity. If you go in the afternoon, there is a free guided tour every day at 2pm, or you can take a self-guided tour, which in my opinion is much better. I'm not really one to be paraded around and talked at. I much prefer exploring on my own. This said, I really would suggest visiting on a week day during off-hours. You beat the crowds, and as I was saying, you get way more attention. We asked the woman in charge for a map to aide us in our self-guided tour, got simple directions, then took off. You get the opportunity to wander around the rows of grapevines--something the guided tour doesn't really offer--and get to read the fun facts out loud in any manner you want from the self-guide pamphlet. After looping through the vineyards, you walk up the driveway, around back, and up to the heavy machinery. This late in the afternoon it was completely unsupervised, and we were able to personally inspect the stainless steel equipment.

The end of the tour brings you to the barrel rooms behind the wall of oak barrels that are behind the wine-tasting area. It didn't really seem like somewhere that they would allow us, but just ask. They'll let you wander back there among the huge, steel vats, touch barrels galore, and roam the depths of the warehouse.



Needless to say, a little tipsy off the wine tasting, this room is the best part of the tour by far.



If you do choose to go in the daytime--when it is sunny and not raining like it was today--there are really nice picnic areas provided. One is just a row of tables underneath the arbors where you're allowed to bring your own food. There is though, a second, nicer, grassy picnic areas with a huge sign informing all guests that they are only allowed to drink Orfila wine and eat Orphila food products. But honestly, it didn't look that well patrolled and I'm sure if you were careful bringing in your own food wouldn't be that much trouble.

This was my first time going wine-tasting, and on my extremely tight budget, not really something that I thought I would be able to do properly. The coupon makes it free, the grounds provide exploration opportunities, and it's a great afternoon all in all. Free wine is sort of an afternoon adventure all on its own too, which is right up my alley.

Feeling the Magic of Queen Califa and Kit Carson

I know that Escondido isn't technically part of San Diego but sometimes you just need to branch out and expand your horizons. Just around the corner from the North County Fair Mall and across from San Pasqual High School is one of the most magnificent parks that I've ever seen. Kit Carson Park is so much more than that and I honestly didn't even know it existed/what it offered for a very long time. Even when I lived in Escondido.

If you bring the right attitude and the proper supplies, you could kill infinite amounts of time in this park and feel great afterwards. First off, it's enormous. When you're walking around the grounds, it feels like the park truly never ends, as you pass by duck ponds, grass mounds and picnic areas, sculptures, gardens, and hiking trails. Not to mention to tennis courts, soccer fields, softball fields, and playgrounds. The park is fairly tucked away too so you're not up against a road, in the public eye. You can remain relatively secluded if you so choose.

So just having a picnic is a really cheap and fun thing to do in this park. It provides a great enviroment for it and gives you lots of location options for where to set up shop.

After that though is what I think is the biggest enticement/incentive to drag yourself all the way up the freeway to Escondido for. Queen Califa's Magical Circle sculpture garden. This garden is the architectural dream of Niki de Saint Phalle and it was her last large scale international project. You'll find that it covers a decent amount of ground as you walk around the enclosed circular area, in and among these huge, colorful, sometimes trippy figures and shapes. The best part is, it isn't look and don't touch art. You can climb in, on, up, and through these pieces and amuse yourself for a good couple of hours. There are walls to scale, snake mouths to sit in, and little holes to burrow through.

It's very unique and the fact that it's outdoors makes it even more so I think. A lot of the pieces are coated in mosaic-esque tiny mirrors that in the sun create a really loud, inviting scene.



Give Kit Carson a try. You won't be dissapointed.

The Joys of Loitering in Seaport Village

Seaport Village is a classic tourist spot in San Diego. It's on the brink of downtown, has the water, a million photo op spots, and lots of gift shopping. Not to mention the fabulous carousel. This all means that of course, Seaport Village is really expensive.

One of the great things about San Diego is how much beautiful land there is. As long as you can get yourself somewhere--which is admittedly difficult sometimes--wandering around is always free. I think the most money I've ever spent at Seaport Village is the cost of an over-priced Ben & Jerry's ice cream cone. And that was only to get my parking ticket validated. Parking is of course a necessary evil and you will have to either find some amazing un-metered parking nearby or try and park in the lot. Downtown parking is always so frustrating.

Once you're there though, it's beautiful and peaceful, and there are always interesting people to watch. You can always count on any number of crazy performers to be lined up along the waterfront, peddling their talent, hoping for some spare change. The last couple of times that I found myself down there, there was a man standing just over the wall separating the little boardwalk from the water, making rock piles. No joke, he was squatting down, hopping around on the rocks in the bay, making very oddly balanced, crazy looking rock piles. It took some real talent and was fantastic to watch.

There are also always old men playing pianos, heavy on the synthesized drum beats, and various flutes, violins, and guitars. I could honestly sit on a bench facing the water, watching and listening to all of them for hours. Especially if I have someone to giggle with.

The best part of Seaport Village though I think, is the view from The Hyatt. You walk across the parking lot, and enter The Hyatt Hotel through the side doors. From there you walk down a shopping mall-type hallway to the elevators and go to the top floor. There you will find a bar and a viewing deck. You can see out over the water, all of Seaport Village, and most of downtown. The view is amazing.

One of my favorite, adorable bookstores is in Seaport Village too. The Upstart Crow is small, but not cramped and uncomfortable. It has two floors, with the upper being only children's books. It also has a little cafe section where you can buy coffee, browse, and then sit outside. It's the epitome of that corner bookstore where you don't feel lost and confused. In short, a great way to round out the day, and you don't even have to buy anything. Just browse and loiter, poke around, and not get told to leave. It truly is a very satisfying use of time.