The view of Glorietta Bay from Columbine 7-4-2010. The boats are anchoring almost right next to the bridge because there's no more room!
Coronado Island is a small community across the bay from downtown San Diego. It's not really an island at all since it is connected to the mainland on the south side by a long spit or "strand" called the Silver Strand. The island hosts a large naval air station on the north end, creatively called Naval Air Station North Island. This one is in no danger of becoming a community garden site any time soon. As mentioned in one of my previous posts, the military presence in San Diego (and Coronado in particular) is significant. And, so, the 4th of July is an extra BIG deal. Glorietta Bay is the spot to be to see the navy's 4th of July show, complete with men jumping out of helicopters, and everything.
Glenn and I zipped into the bay a few (okay, 6) years ago to see what the commotion was all about. There were around 500 boats anchored in this tiny bay! They were all tied up side-by-side so that it looked like a giant temporary marina had been installed prior to the weekend. But, no... these boats were anchored. And, we should have brought our super-soakers with us, because we were instantly surrounded by a flotilla of small motorized inflatables manned by every child under 15, and armed with every manner of water-tossing weapon you can imagine. We were no match.
Most years, we have decided to vacate our little slice of paradise we call "Columbine" on the 4th of July weekend. We fully embraced the landlubber way of life and high-tailed it to the nearby desert area of Palm Springs. Although the daytime highs over 100 degrees farenheit may be a bit much for some (not for Glenn), the nighttime temperatures are ideal for relaxing under the brilliant stars! Other than our many very good friends that we've met over the years here, the proximity of San Diego to the desert is one of the things we will miss when we leave.
I think my favorite 4th of July that we spent in the San Diego area was actually our first. We decided to anchor at the Coronado Islands which are actually in Mexican territory although they are less than 15 miles from the mouth of San Diego Bay. There, we could feel the ocean swell under our keel, hear the thousands of gulls nesting in the cliffs right next to the anchorage, and we could see multiple fireworks displays spanning the distance from Chula Vista near the border to La Jolla and probably further north, too. Many of the fireworks displays along the coast were synchronized, and I think the rhythm was based on some music available on a local FM radio station. I don't know which one. We weren't listening to the music.
I remember 4th's of July in Friday Harbor too... These were much less grand... and, yet more grand. Okay, I am biased, but I swear they were better! San Diego has beaten the love of fireworks clean out of me. Every night in summer... I mean, EVERY summer (a.k.a. tourist season) night, there is a fireworks display on the bay. It's the same one every night. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing! In Friday Harbor, fireworks were reserved for one night of the year only... Okay, maybe a few were inadvertently set off on New Year's, but it was a special occasion always.
My favorite evening of the 4th was spent in a small motorized inflatable next to Turn Island near Friday Harbor with my boyfriend (at the time) Dave, Glenn, and Glenn's wife (at the time) Suzie. We were close enough to the fireworks display that we could feel the shudder of the BOOMs, but we were far enough away that we could also see the fireworks display in the water around us... that is, the blue-green bioluminescence of hundreds of tiny organisms flashing underwater as the boat disturbed the water. How peaceful, and yet tremendous at the same time. The closest I've come to that experience since then is our weekend at the Coronado Islands.
View Friday Harbor / Turn Island in a larger map
This year, Glenn and I are staying in San Diego Bay because we have so much to do in preparation for leaving. While we are working, we are also enjoying watching the parade of patriotic boats flocking into Glorietta Bay. I wish we had gotten a picture of one sailboat that just went by which was flying probably 50 US flags in its rigging, including two which were so large they could fill in for sails if needed! Later tonight, I'll talk Glenn into setting up the hammock outside in our rigging. We'll fill it with blankets and pillows, and enjoy the cacophony of fireworks displays surrounding the mooring area (check it out in the map below). There's sure to be a large display coming from the base at North Island, one from the Hotel Del Coronado on the south side of the island, another display from downtown San Diego, more from National City and Chula Vista just south of San Diego. And, if we setup the hammock high enough in the rigging, we'll be able to make out the displays from SeaWorld next to Mission Bay.
Happy 4th!
View San Diego Bay Fireworks in a larger map
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