Day at Balboa Park

After an early morning trip to the gas station and Walmart, I was feeling quite down. I hadn't accounted for California's crazy gas prices-$4.50 a gallon was the cheapest I could find near me-and ended up spending $70 to fill up my car. This was a hard blow to my finances and put me in an uneasy mood. Paired with an unsuccessful Walmart run for a collar microphone, I was definitely in a bad headspace.

However, determined to make something of my day, I decided to check out Balboa Park, a highly recommended San Diego attraction. I arrived just outside the park at about 11:30 and after a little deliberation decided I'd make some delicious sausage-egg sandwiches in the back of my Subaru for lunch before beginning my adventure onwards.

Before I could make it into the central park, I had to cross a grand bridge and the main gate. Luckily the park had tons of lush greenery and little buildings for me to look at as I walked.

Right outside the main gate

After about 10 minutes, I made it into the park, and was very quickly blown away. I think the best way I could describe my experience was Disneyland for adults, expect entry was free and there were no lines. Unfortunately, if you wanted to explore the numerous museums, like the Cannibals Museum and the Museum of Us, you had to pay a fee for each one. Due to time and financial constraints, I did not venture into any of said museums. However, that doesn't mean my time was wasted. A simple walk through the park is just as entertaining as any museum I've ever been in. Not only did each building have really neat pillars and beautiful features, but there was plenty to explore. Take for instance the Casa Del Prado Theater pictured below. It not only had a very colonial-era building design, but it also featured crazily detailed stone work.

Casa Del Prado Theater

Also notable was the Natural History Musuem. Although it's detailed stone work was much more toned down, it felt much more grand in design and was much larger than the Prado Theater.

Natural History Museum

Despite being absolutely blown away by the buildings here, like with the University of California at San Diego, there was much less variety in the design. All of the buildings had a very Spanish colonial vibe to them. However, I wouldn't mark this against the park. I quite enjoyed the cohesiveness of the buildings and think it actually complimented the experience quite nicely

I walked through the heart of the park and admired the architecture

After walking for about an hour, I was starting to get pretty hot. Fortunately-or maybe unfortuntaley-once it started to get to me, I ran into the park's main fountain. There was a sign that made it clear the fountain was for looking, and not swimming, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about it more than just once. Alas, I maintained my self-control and enjoyed just admiring the piece.

Y'know... that water's looking pretty tasty

I initially thought the fountain marked the end of the park, but I noticed a large collection of flowers and the sidewalk that led to it. Feeling curious and adventurous, I went to check it out.

Wide view of the flower collection at the Balboa Park Gardens

Good thing I continued on, because I had found yet another gem of the park: The Balboa Park Gardens.

Smelling the flowers was almost as fun as looking at them

I had initially been drawn to the Gardens by the flowers, but quickly discovered that Balboa Park had a huge collection of diverse greenery. Due to San Diego's unique climate, there were not only tons of unique flower colors, but there was also astonishing cactuses (like the one pictured below) and a smaller dessert themed garden.

My shaka might not be as spiky as the cactus, but it was still worth a try

Inside the dessert garden, I was pleased to find many familiar plants that are also found in Arizona. Paired with the lush green plants it was not only a sweet reminder of where I had started my trip, but of the many unique things I had yet to see. As I traveled through the garden, I stumbled upon a really cool tree root that had formed a perfect photo opportunity. Luckily, there were two ladies nearby who agreed to trade photos with me.

Trapped in a giant root

Eventually, I had reached the outer edge of the park, and decided to see if there were any side alleys or nooks I had yet to explore. Fortunately, I had missed a turn earlier in my walk and was able to explore it upon retracing my steps. This side adventure not only included a behind view of the Natural History Museum, but it also had an art collective and a path to the local Zoo.

I decided I'd start by checking out the collection of art stores and then move over to the zoo. There were plenty of really neat nicknacks and creative wood-workings, but as art collectives be, most of the stuff was out of my price range. However, I was lucky enough to meet a nice lady who took a photo of my underneath this crazy piece.

I was running out of time, so I decided that I would end my trip with a walk to the zoo. As I continued along the path, I could hear the excited screams of children as they gazed upon the many cool animals in the zoo. This gave me the desire to go check out the zoo myself, but I had underestimated how long the walk would be, and I was running out of time.

I stood here for about ten minutes, but for some reason the elephant didn't move. Maybe it was sleeping

I never did make it into the zoo, nor did I see any animals move, but I did manage to see this really green elephant (pictured above) right outside the zoo. I hope it's okay, I've never seen an elephant in that color.

Before beginning the walk back to my car, I decided to take a break in the shade. When I took a moment to look around, I realized that I was once again surrounded by unique greenery that didn't grow anywhere else in the park.

Imagine that! Even more unique greenery

Even though this post is making me sound like an architecture student or a botanist, my words really don't do the experience justice. I encourage anyone who is visiting San Diego to spend a day at Balboa Park. In hindsight, I not only wish I had allocated an entire day to explore, but I also wish I had set aside more funds to go through the museums.

Alas, my time at Balboa Park had come to an end, and I was feeling like soaking up the ocean, so I drove back to Robb Field Park in Ocean Beach.

I ended the day with a workout at the park and a soak in the Pacific Ocean. Fortunately, there was a parking lot nearby that allowed one day of overnight parking, so I moved some stuff around in my car and made a bed. I know the picture below makes it look like I'm miserable, but for a first time sleeping in the drivers seat, it was actually pretty comfy. I couldn't move around a lot, and sleeping like that is terrible for your body, but it really wasn't that bad. I think I could do it again throughout the trip. Anyways, sweet dreams! Here's to another great day tomorrow

The terrified look of someone sleeping in the drivers seat