Places, Earth San Diego, 2022

San Diego, 2022

I left about 6:45 heading south on the 405. I could have taken I-5, but there is a lot of road construction in Orange County on I-5. I discovered there is a lot of road construction in Orange County on I-405 too. Anyway, I stopped at the Aliso Creek Rest Area near Camp Pendleton and arrived at the parking at the San Diego County Administration building. It is $15.00 all day until midnight. I could have parked for less at the Embarcadero, but that is a maximum of three hours so if you are taking a harbor cruise at the Maritime Museum, that could be a problem.

Aliso Creek Rest Area, southbound.

I had visited Maritime Museum of San Diego twice before, but it had been almost twenty years and they have added three new vessels since then, San Salvador, USS Dolphin, and Swiftboat PCF-816. I paid my admission and for the harbor cruise on the swiftboat. I skipped the Star of India, the olest metal hull sailing ship still in service and went directly to the Berkeley. The Berkeley is a ferry boat that once connected Oakland and San Francisco, now it is the centerpiece of the Museum. It contains exhibits, restrooms, gift shop, and is the waiting area for the various cruises.

Interior of the passenger deck of the Berkeley.

I stepped aboard the Swiftboat for a few photos then went on to the San Salvador. I climbed all over the ship taking photos and marveled over all the lines of rigging. In the cabin are about a dozen small bunks for the crew, spending months on a vessels like this was not a pleasure cruise. The San Salvador is tied up at a dock that services other vessels such as the California which I visited next. This is a reproduction of a revenue cutter and the state's official tall ship and also does tours. A few smaller boats are setting on the dock, such as the Mary Ann.

Rigging of the San Salvador.

Narrow passage in the USS Dolphin submarine.

I then headed back to the USS Dolphin which had been an experimental submarine for the U.S. Navy. I had visited the Russian submarine many years ago but it's gone now. Real submarines are much tighter than those in Hollywood movies and the narrow corridor that passes several small equipment filled cabins is one-way. About mid way is the control room complete with periscope and lined with buttons, gauges, and switches.A few hatches were open, covered with plastic sheet, to allow views of the lower deck which is not accessible. The submarine had been built to test torpedo launches at great depth, but I didn't see the torpedo tubes, maybe they are in the lower deck. Just before climbing out of the boat is the machine room, a small space filled with small tools and machines, mostly for working metal and piping. Back on the surface, I explored more of the Berkeley and used the restroom before my cruise in half an hour. The deck below the auto deck has exhibits and the mighty

boilers and engines. The Berkeley was one of the first ferries to be double ended with propellers at both ends so the ship didn't need to waste time turning around between stations. It was time to wait for my cruise. At 12:15 the passengers were gathered for a brief safety talk and then went on board the Swiftboat. Even though I was the first in the waiting area, I was one of the last to board and ended up sitting on the life vest cabinet at the back, which was probably a

Engine Room of the Berkeley.

USS Somerset, LPD-25, San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock.

good place to take photos and close to the life vests in case we had to abandon ship. We departed, sailing south along the harbor's eastern shore, past restaurants, the Aircraft Carrier Midway (also a museum), fishing boats, and a few cargo vessels. San Diego is not a major shipping port since the only rail line goes through Los Angeles with its massive cargo center, San Diego is somewhat isolated. We continued past Navy vessels, under the Coronado Bridge, and more Navy vessels including some of the new trimaran destroyers. The cruise didn't make it all the way to the south end

of this large natural harbor so we turned around and came back on the west side. For about three minutes they demonstrated why the vessel is called a Swiftboat and they ran it up to full speed.

After a little over an hour it was time to tie up next to the USS Dolphin. I had seen all I wanted to see. Another quick visit to the restroom and I was off for my second major stop . It only took about fifteen minutes to arrive at Presidio San Diego and the Serra Museum. I had visited the Presidio many years ago but had seen some archeological excavations on TV, but today the excavations were complete, filled in, and there was nothing to see. About the only thing to see of the Presidio site is a low garden wall that roughly follows the original Presidio wall. Unlike Presidio Santa Barbara which is on a flat site,

This wall approximately traces the original Presidio wall. The road cuts through in two places.

Presidio San Diego is on a rolling hillside. I tried to imaging working at a site so uneven. The road to the parking area runs through the site with breaks in the wall, in this way similar to Presidio Santa Barbara which has an intersection in one corner. I walked the perimeter of the wall and photographed the large cross within and then climbed the hill to the Serra Museum. The Serra Museum has exhibits about the Presidio and early San Diego. San Diego was the first European settlement in Alta California and as such, much of the original structures and constructions are long gone. Mission San Diego, which I

The Serra Museum contains exhibits on the Presidio and sometimes other subjects.

didn't visit today, is about six miles east but was, for a while, at the Presidio first and again after some misunderstandings with the local native population. It was about 3:30 and time to get back on I-5 and head north again. I think this was the first time I used the facilities at Aliso Creek Rest Area northbound. I arrived home about 7:00 pm still with some of the gas I started out with and my 25 year old car enjoyed the exercise.

Aliso Creek Rest Area northbound.

Supplemental: Four Hour Cruise

A month later I returned to Maritime Museum of San Diego to spend four hours cruising aboard the San Salvador. I again traveled south arriving at the museum about 9:45, parked in the same parking, and got signed in for my cruise. I had a little over an hour before boarding so I started with the Star of India which I had skipped last month. The Star of India was built in 1863 and is the oldest iron hull sailing ship still afloat. Built at the Isle of Man, she was originally named Euterpe. She made numerous voyages to India and circumnavigated the Earth 21 times. The lower decks are filled with exhibits. Next I visited the Medea, a 1904 yacht built of steel, oak, and teak. I then visited the rest room, check to see if the gift shop had hats because I forgot to bring one, but they only had caps, and I began to queue for the San Salvador.
Star of India, one of the few remaining ironside sail ships.	Full sail on the San Salvador.
Once we received our safety briefing and boarded, we pulled away. The ship, a replica of the one built for Juan Cabrillo and sailed to San Diego in 1542, is equipped with an engine and we motored out of the harbor. Once at the opening to the harbor, they cut the engine, we dropped the sails, and tacked back and forth under only wind power for two hour while we watch demonstrations of how the rigging worked and receiving educational commentary by a docent named Ken. After two hours going back and forth, the sails were rolled up, engines restarted, and we returned to port. Everyone seemed to have had a great time and maybe learned something. I returned home getting stuck in traffic at an accident, a car on its side. On my way south this morning, there had been another car on its side about the same place and also on the northbound side. A bizarre coincidence. I then somehow missed the fork in the freeway and took the I-5 instead of I-405 and spent more fun time in traffic but eventually made it home by 7:30.

This site maintained by Kenneth A. Larson. Copyright © 2004 - 2023, Kenneth A. Larson. All Rights Reserved. Website content including photographic and graphic images may not be redistributed for use on another website.