A Brief Beach Tour in San Diego County

I am a real beach person. I have spent most of my life on the east coast, but now live on the west, and while I lived for some years in the midwest, the lure of the coast with it's ocean beaches has always been there. While I enjoyed the lakes of Minnesota, for example, somehow the ocean beaches are so different...at least for me.

Some of my love for beaches developed as a child, I suppose, as I had grandparents in St. Petersburg, FL and we visited there yearly. The Jersey shore was near my Pennsylvania home so trips to Cape May and other NJ beaches were common. And we had a vacation home on Cape Cod (2 hours from Boston) directly on the water for 7 years before moving out here. I never grew tired of the views and the feeling of life at the beach.

I hate wearing shoes, so Southern California works well for me. And I enjoy a stroll on the beach just about any time...although time constraints seem to preclude spending as much time at the beach as I would like. So when I can, I at least drive along the coast when going to and from appointments. The beach is there, even if I am in my car.

I have explored beaches in the Caribbean (St. Martin, Aruba, Jamaica), Europe (Italy) and South America (Brazil) and never grow tired of finding new ones to enjoy - whether walking, sitting, or dining. So here is a brief visual tour of some of my favorite beaches near my home. There are other great beaches not included since I simply have not taken time to take the pics.

Enjoy.