Exploring Doane
Thu, Jul 15 2010 11:26
| Day Trip, Kids Fishing, Camping, Kids
| Permalink
It was then I knew I'd had enough,
Burned my credit card for fuel
Headed out to where the pavement
turns to sand
With a one-way ticket
to the land of truth
And my suitcase in my hand
How I lost my friends
I still don't understand.
Its the end of the day and I know I'm beat. My patience has been strung out and I know I'm due to pass out on the couch and let it all go. For those out there that are parents, they know the drill. Go to work, Get home, Feed the kids, put em to bed, eat dinner, kiss your wife goodnight and start the whole routine all over. It sucks and it's a horrible way to raise a child and keep a family.
We try to break from the mold, but there's only so much your body can handle, and once you've reached that point - its back to zombie parenting.
As I drove to work today, I thought about how fast Noah has grown up. Almost 4 years ago, we brought the little hurricane home, ecstatic yet hoping he would quit crying and get some sleep. Time is flying and I frequently think back about the younger me, when I was Noah's age and my father was mine. The pictures in the hallway do nothing but remind me how fast time flies.
Taking Noah fishing is like re-living my past, only its my turn in the drivers seat. We always talk about what we would do when we are older, yet few of us actually remember that we are and its actually our turn. There's so little time to raise your children. It is flying away at exponential rates. In many ways, I already miss my 2 year old, who is now 3. It won't be long till he wont want to fish with his old man on a Saturday. Do yourself a favor. Take your children outdoors. You owe it to yourself and your kids.
J
We try to break from the mold, but there's only so much your body can handle, and once you've reached that point - its back to zombie parenting.
As I drove to work today, I thought about how fast Noah has grown up. Almost 4 years ago, we brought the little hurricane home, ecstatic yet hoping he would quit crying and get some sleep. Time is flying and I frequently think back about the younger me, when I was Noah's age and my father was mine. The pictures in the hallway do nothing but remind me how fast time flies.
Taking Noah fishing is like re-living my past, only its my turn in the drivers seat. We always talk about what we would do when we are older, yet few of us actually remember that we are and its actually our turn. There's so little time to raise your children. It is flying away at exponential rates. In many ways, I already miss my 2 year old, who is now 3. It won't be long till he wont want to fish with his old man on a Saturday. Do yourself a favor. Take your children outdoors. You owe it to yourself and your kids.
J
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Guajome Regional Park - Discovering San Diego
Need is a relative thing these days,
It borders on desire
The high tech world is full of bright shiny things
We think that we really require...
Its so easy to dream about traveling to exotic lands while browsing through the latest copy of The Fly Shop catalog or National Geographic Traveler. And although I will admit to keeping those materials on hand to read (pretty much anywhere), you'll find me often enough nestled with a cup of coffee, a DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer, a Thomas Brothers map book and Google Earth. Sometimes traveling is easy as calling a travel firm that specializes in fishing, surfing or safaris - other times, its do your research.
A great many people I run into seem to think that I'm blowing wads of dough traveling all the time, and although world travel is by no means cheap, you can find your own escape oftentimes in your own backyard. Most of the time, all you'll spend is time and fuel. The benefits are astounding.
Guajome Regional Park
Guajome Regional Park is about 557 acres in northern San Diego County - located on the border of Oceanside and Vista. While not drop dead gorgeous by any means, its a scenic oasis in an urban environment - a perfect place for a picnic or a hike through its extensive network of trails. If you've got kids, theres a nice little playground that overlooks the lake - and its free from splintering tan bark. Guajome was home to the Native Americans but there is little information describing the actual inhabitation of the place prior to 200 years ago. Two Native Americans eventually received the 2200 acre Rancho Guajome as a land grant from a Mexican Governor back in 1845. They then proceeded to sell it off to a LA Merchant who then gave it to his sister in law. More historical information is found in the fairly informative Guajome Regional Park pamphlet found at the gate.
The main lake is quite nice, with a couple islands in the middle. Most of the lake are covered with tulles and reeds, so its difficult to fish from shore. It would make for a great lake to float tube or kayak - but entering the lake is prohibited. The day we checked out the lake, it was chocolate brown with a 3-4" visibility. There are actually two fishing ponds, but the trail to the second pond was a bit muddy for a 3 year old (or rather, I didn't want to clean him up) so we stayed in the main area.
There's a nice campground that is very clean and relatively quiet. There are 35 sites with electrical and water power. Hot showers, toilets, fire rings and a disposal tank are also offered. Although you're right of CA-56, its quiet and feels remote. Reservations are required, but it didn't look like you'd have a problem reserving a site.
Both hikers and horses can explore the miles of trails; however, when i was there, I didn't notice any riders. The place had a very nice family feel to it and there were several parents walking and hiking the trails with their children and pets. Pets are allowed on a 6' leash, which is usual in California.
Overall, this small park is nice and clean and offers a nice and varied relaxing environment to take your family and enjoy for the day or overnight. I wouldn't count on the fishing, but you never know - you just might be lucky.
