Coronado Island

Coronado Island is connected to the City of San Diego by the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge. It's also accessible by ferry. The area includes some nice beaches, shopping and dining. There are bike paths along the tidal pools and beaches. Silver Strand State Beach seems to be especially popular with kite-surfers and campers.

Further along, just a few miles from the Mexican border, Imperial Beach is the most southwesterly community in the U.S.

The atmosphere there is more laid back, with a fishing pier, lots of rental beach houses and a few restaurants. Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge and Border Field State Park are nearby for walking and wildlife viewing.

The Hotel Del Coronado, a National Historic Landmark dating back to 1888;

Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon filmed "Some Like it Hot" here in the '50s.

Therapeutic Beachdays

In a last hurrah before being exiled back to the stifling Inland Empire, we spent a sunny weekend not too far from the coast. This allowed not only a relaxing afternoon at the beach, but time spent with good friends in Orange County. In addition to having dinner at a dining room table instead of in a restaurant, Donny got to add to his poker winnings. We were even able to have some visitors at one of our events later in the week! The photo above is Crystal Cove. The one below is near Newport Harbor.

I-70 Drive

It was a long way from Springfield, MO to LA, so a hundred extra miles was worth avoiding I-40, its construction, need for repairs and generally less than appealing scenery. We opted to drive back through Kansas to Denver, then across I-70 through Colorado, Utah, and a bit of AZ and NV before arriving in California. It was a good choice. We spent one night in Hays, Kansas, and one in Dillon, CO (an hour or so before Vail, Aspen, etc.) Halfway through Utah, at a truck stop. we coincidentally ran into Del and Connie, a couple we know who haul around one of the Tony Stewart Home Depot showcars. When we found out we both planned to spend the night in Cedar City, we arranged to meet for dinner. The steak at Rusty's on Canyon Road was decent; the company was better. We'll see them again when we work together in LA.

Click here for some photos of this portion of the drive.

The last stop was Primm, NV, south of Las Vegas at the last exit in Nevada before entering California. We stayed at Whiskey Pete's, where once again I lost more than I wanted to. Donny hit for $100 on a quarter slot to even things out. As an unsurprising welcome to LA, it took almost as long sitting in traffic as the drive from Vegas. We'll be here for two more weeks 'til we finally take vacation.

Cedar Breaks National Monument

Cedar Breaks National Monument is located east of Cedar City, in southern Utah. It's a giant amphitheater dipping over 2000 feet from the Colorado plateau from a height of over 10,000 feet. President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared it a National Monument in 1933. Inside the bowl are columns, arches, pinnacles and canyons resembling a smaller version of Bryce Canyon. The range of reds, oranges and purples inspired Native Americans to call Cedar Breaks the "Circle of Painted Cliffs." Bristlecone and ponderosa pine, along with aspens and alpine meadows with summer wildflowers fill the Dixie National Forest surrounding Cedar Breaks. The location, a bit off the typical Zion/Bryce Canyon route means less of a fight with the pesky tourist train for those (like us) who really want a place to themselves. It's a beautiful area, and definitely worth a visit. Take a look at the Cedar Breaks area, including a short walk to the Alpine Lake, HERE.

Pythian Castle

The Pythian Castle was built in of cut limestone blocks in 1915 by the Grand Lodge of Knights of Pythias, a fraternal order, as a home for aged members and orphaned children of members. In 1942, the property was sold to the US government during World War II. The few remaining orphans ad elderly residents were placed in private institutions, while the building served as a popular spot for USO dances and shows. Bob Hope appeared on stage there, among others. POWs from several nations were held there at times as well. The building later became a part of O'Reilly General Hospital and then it was used for a number of years by the Army Reserve. It is now owned privately by a family who is restoring it and renting it out for various functions. For those who believe in such things, the castle has been certified haunted by several paranormal organizations. It was even featured on a Sci-Fi Channel show on haunted places. People report hearing unexplained noises, and orbs have been detected in several areas of the building along with temperature changes and voices caught on tape. Click here to see what showed up in some of our photos and judge for yourself.

Branson

We didn't realize Springfield was so close to the live music mecca of the Ozarks: Branson, Missouri. We took care of work stuff early, and head on down. It was a must to see a show while in town, especially since outdoor activities were not an appealing option in the 100 degree weather. From among options like Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede, the Baldknobbers Jamboree Show and Yakov Smirnoff's Dynamite Russian Comedy, we chose the New Shanghai Circus Acrobats of China show. After a look around town, a frozen custard and a quick photo with the world's largest banjo, we head to the theater. Branson has over 40 of them, with 60,000 seats and over 70 live shows.

The show was impressive. It included amazing feats of balance, strength, contortion and coordination. The acrobats spend eight months a year right there in Branson, returning to China for the other four months. Click here for some photos of Branson.

Colorado to Missouri

It might not seem to make much sense to stop in Springfield, Missouri on the way from Denver to LA, but apparently someone in Springfield has some pretty persuasive powers. I guess we can think of it as being very, very wanted.

Since there really is no direct route between the two cities, we ended up on some very rural highways toward the end of the drive. We passed mostly hay bales, cornfields, and an occasional cluster of cows munching for the last few hundred miles. It was really very pretty.