We picked up our first traveling companion in Phoenix, AZ. A young, ambitious, blonde geologist gal š She had some free time before starting a new job and lucky for us she decided to spend a few days traveling!
But quick rewind to our long weekend in Phoenix. A good friend of mine, Meg had just moved from Roswell, GA to Phoenix with her sweet family. Is that fate or what?! Luca and I stayed with them and had a great weekend hanging out by the pool, exploring a Saturday market, and pigeon hunting-apparently this is almost something of a sport in Phoenix. To all Pigeons “fly away, fly away!”
On Monday, Luca, Sally & I were beach bound…destination: SAN DIEGO CALIFORNIAAAA. We were greeted by an overcast, slightly chilly, shockingly humid evening. BUT none of that seemed to matter because right below us, at the base of the cliffs, roaring in all her glory was the Pacific Ocean. And that’s all we cared about! We set up camp, popped open a couple of cervezas, and enjoyed a surfside dinner.
The next morning Luca took his first swim/surf ever in the Pacific. Sal and I stayed on the shore, the water was way too cold to dive in without a wet suit. Plus, a lot rockier than the Atlantic and gulf coast we’re both used to. Late morning we drove into the city to explore Old Town, grabbed lunch in Barrio Logan, and then afternoon coffee with the sea lions at La Jolla Cove.
The next day Sal was on her way back to AZ. Short stay but she had lots to do before starting her new job…like moving. But first, coffee/matcha date at Better Buzz in Encinitas. We reluctantly said our good-byes and tried to will another 24 hours into the week but to no avail. Luca and I spent the rest of the day crying and moping around Encinitas. We found a bit of consolation in the rock garden and by the whale mural but not much. Thanks Sal.
The following morning we were forced out of our somber state to take care of some business. The Van had been making an odd ticking sound ever since we arrived in San Diego. She had just gotten a full (expensive!) maintenance check up in Phoenix so we were sure that the ticking was just something loose they needed to tighten up real quick. So off the dealership we went!
It only took 5 minutes with the technician to realize this would be no short fix. Most likely there was something wrong with the engine. We were sent to a bigger dealership in the city, where they were more likely to have the staff and resources to take us on. We left the Gecko there for her check-up and enjoyed an afternoon walking along Mission Beach and Crystal Pier. All the while, crossing our fingers that the technicians were able to identify the problem and diagnose a quick fix. Unfortunately that was not the case. Little did we know, this was only the beginning of quite an ordeal.
It was an issue within the engine issue and rather than fix it, Ford wanted to replace it. “Oooo a brand, new, shiny engine. Great!” we thought. The van was/is still under warranty so a new engine just amps up her value. BUT the engine wasn’t due to arrive until Aug. 15th… SAY WHAT??? How in the world is it possible that I can order almond butter on Amazon to be delivered within hours but for one of the biggest car makers in the world to transport an engine it would take over a month!
At that point, we had been waiting a whole week for this engine delivery date. All the while parking-spot hopping around San Diego. Even though it’s a fantastic city and probably one of the best places to get stranded in a van, there are still a few issues we ran into.
SD Vanlife Issue #1: Public bathrooms are scarce. Like so scarce I may have peed in a back alley once or twice…hey, street life. But really even a lot of coffee shops don’t have bathrooms, it’s CRAZY. I don’t know how these people run errands with the constant fear of “What if…” looming over their bladders.
SD Vanlife Issue #2: Finding water. In Phoenix we installed a 2nd water tank so our total water capacity now is 50 gallons. Which we were really looking forward to using. Only problem is that filling up water in San Diego is difficult. We searched everywhere, gas stations, back alleys, car-washes, grocery complexes, recreation centers, yes even cemeteries for water spigots with potable water. Finally, we found one on the side of a condo complex. We hooked up and filled our tanks there twice before the owner came out. He was super nice, we actually ended up running into him the next week at a festival. But filling up water at his place was no longer an option. We found out why. Water is REALLY pricey in this city. Most Americans pay under $40 for water a month, San Diegans pay $80+, (those that have vanners tapping into their system probably end up with bills over $100…yikes, oops!).
Parked at Sunset cliffs: Shower curtain up and ready.
SD Vanlife Issue #3: Nowhere to take WARM showers. This actually is more of a vain complaint because there are beach showers everywhere. But when it’s 60 degrees, cloudy and windy out, the idea of immersing my entire body under a icy shower makes me want to cry. Luckily we have our own portable shower that is warmed with propane. We used it on really cold days but with the water scarcity issue we tried not to overdo it. Most of the time we’d run or do some training to work up a sweat then beach shower it…brrrrrr.
Otherwise, San Diego is a great place to be living out of a van. In fact they even passed a law this past January making it legal to live in your vehicle within the city limits. So that worked out perfectly. We spent most of our nights split between Ocean Beach, Sunset cliffs, and South Mission Beach. We became regulars at the organic co’op in Ocean Beach. They have an amazing & reasonable vegan hot bar <3. I rolled out of bed one morning to find a cliffside yoga class right outside our window. Oh YESS! I tried out lots of coffee shops while Luca searched fishing spots. We went exploring/rappelling down the cliffs to explore the beaches below and Luca even started going to a volleyball meet up. For any of you who haven’t met Luca, he’s like a human golden retriever…he makes friends anywhere and everywhere he goes. haha gosh I love it.
AND my cousin lives here! We hadn’t seen each other since we were kids so a visit was way overdue. We enjoyed a couple of dinners together and played some mini-golf at Belmont park. Very fun.
Oh and WE WENT TO THE SAN DIEGO ZOO!!! Which was a bucket-list moment for me. I grew up watching Animal Planet’s “Zooventure”, it was shot in the San Diego zoo and omg it always just looked so sunny, animal-rich, and glorious! I’ve wanted to visit ever since…so for over 20 years. And you know what, it did not disappoint. We saw polar bears, jaguars, lions, cheetahs, red pandas, hippos, a tiger and even MEERCATS. The whole experience is like going to an amusement park but better… much better…they have lemurs. So without further ado, I present “Luca & Anna’s Zooventure 2019”.
Meercat ticket = FATE! 
At attention 
Truly magnificent 
Nose itch. 
If the zookeeper hadn’t been there I totally would’ve tried to pet this guy. He was SO close! 
not dead…just an intense siesta 
I think this is a viper but I forgot exactly 
Lunch time by the giraffes. Goodness I’ve developed such a love for sandwiches on this trip. 
Ahhh Hey guys!! 
Caught a little desert fox doing his yoga routine. 
She was so graceful to watch. 
There were over 20 koalas & each one of them was fast asleep…hmm eucalyptus high? 
Baboon Fam with their newest addition. 
Lemur central 
In need of an afternoon nap but loving this place all the same. 
So wary. 
So Alert. 
So observant. 
Well…yeah it is Tuesday. 
From desert to jungle. 
Hippo snuggles? 
Mom and baby 
And then the star of the show.
Oh and we met some van friends. Tatiana and Eliza, a young couple living in a mini-bus they had just finished building out in Phoenix. While Luca and Eliza played volleyball, Tatiana and I suited up in our leggings, grabbed our mats and headed to a yoga festival being put on for International Yoga Day. Ahhh it was awesome! First, to have met a new friend with a similar passion in health & wellness and then to experience such a fun event together. Very inspiring š
After our first week, we needed a change of scenery so we headed up to Carlsbad to park a few nights. It was nice to get out of the city for a bit and explore a new area. Plus, Handel’s Ice Cream had one of my all time favorite flavors: Graham Central Station. So that was my dinner one night…it was transformative. I hadn’t had an ice-cream cone since our Sardinia trip last September. It was time.
Luca surfing out there somewhere 
Carlsbad farmers market. 
well hello there long lost friend… 
BESTIESSS!! 
Carlsbad beach sunset, cone in hand š
So back to the van. When we were given the Aug. 15th delivery date, we dropped our “go with the flow” attitude and got real involved, real fast. Ford Corporate became one of my speed dials…no joke. After lots of back and forth, they were able to find a dealership in Oregon willing to sell the new engine we needed. Woohoo!! The deal was made, papers signed, engine shipped and delivered to our dealership here in San Diego and the work was scheduled to begin on Monday July 1st.
Cheesin 
Morning view from Shelter island parking spot. 
Dinner with a view at Shelter Island. 
our fav. seafood spot 
Mitch’s seafood-scallop tacos + crabcakes…to die for. 
just another van-lifer.
Granted we needed a place to live while the Gecko was in the shop. With it being 4th of July week, lodging prices in San Diego were super expensive. Not to mention we were booking really last minute and needed somewhere with a kitchen. After considering all the options, it seemed the best was to fly the coop and hit it to MEXICO. I mean why not? And that was that. Vamos a la playa! Baja, California post coming up y’all.
Roaming Geckos 