It was a beautiful, sunny day Saturday so we decided to head out to Balboa Park. Of course we can say it was a beautiful, sunny day most of the time here in San Diego, but for some reason we felt compelled to get out to the park. The temperature reached the upper 70s with blue skies. We rode the Spyder which made parking relatively easy. Parking a car on a weekend at Balboa Park can be an exercise in patience.

Balboa Park is about 1,600 acres of land in a roughly rectangular shape. The land was set aside for the park in 1835, making it one of the oldest public recreational parks in the country. The park is bordered by Sixth Avenue to the west, Upas Street to the north, 28th Street to the east, and Russ Boulevard to the south.

There are 16 museums in the park along with 17 gardens and botanical buildings. Much of the park is open space with green belts, natural vegetation, walking paths and areas set aside for archery and frisbee golf. It also includes the world famous San Diego Zoo.

Donna was interested in a display and video presentation at the San Diego Automotive Museum. This display detailed the Plank Road. The Plank Road was built in 1912 and operated until 1927. It was literally wooden planks on the Imperial Sand Dunes. The planks were the only way an automobile could cross the sand dunes between El Centro, California and Yuma, Arizona. The Plank Road allowed travel from San Diego to Tucson or Phoenix by motorcar. Eventually a paved road replaced it. We learned that a portion of the Plank Road still exists west of Gray’s Well. We intend to stop there and check it out on our trip from San Diego to Arizona at the end of the year.

I shot a few photos of cars I found interesting in the museum. The first two are German compact cars from the 1950s. Post-World War II Germany had a need for cheap transportation. These three-wheel cars provided it. The first one is a 1957 BMW Isetta Sport. To enter the car, the front panel opened up – this was the only door.

The second one is a 1955 Messerschmitt KR200. Messerschmitt was an aircraft company and it shows in the design of the cockpit with the driver in front and passenger rear with a clear canopy. This car isn’t much bigger than our Can-Am Spyder – and we have more than ten times the horsepower.

It was great way to spend the afternoon – the museum was interesting and walking around Balboa Park is always a treat.

Sunday was November 11th, Veterans Day. On this day we pay tribute to those that have served our country in the military. It’s also Armistice Day marking the end of World War I. Today military personnel and veterans are treated respectfully for the most part. It wasn’t always this way though.

My step-father, Ken Keller, served in the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and fought at the battle of Chosin in Korea. It was a horrible battle as US troops were outnumbered and overrun by Chinese forces. Veterans of the Korean War are largely forgotten.

In 1974 at the age of 17, I enlisted in the USMC and went to boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) San Diego. That’s right, boot camp right here in my home town next to the airport. Boot camp was hell at times but I mostly enjoyed the 13 weeks at MCRD and Camp Pendleton. I excelled at most tasks and graduated on December 31st, 1974.

From there I had orders to report to the Naval Air Station in Millington, Tennessee near Memphis. That was where I attended “A” school and learned to be a jet mechanic. Again, I excelled at the program and graduated in the top 5%. I was given some choices in my next duty station. I decided I wanted to be back in southern California and chose Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in Orange county – about 50 miles north of San Diego where I was a plane captain (military occupational specialty 6012 – ADJ). This move was the first of a series of poor choices.

Being that close to home, I spent most weekends or any other free time back in the neighborhood hanging out with friends, going to the beach or parties. But things weren’t the same. People looked at my high and tight Marine haircut and assumed I wasn’t from here. They also assumed I must have come back from service in Vietnam. Both assumptions were wrong, but that didn’t stop people from disrespecting me. I was called a baby killer at a party in La Jolla. Another time I was waiting for a bus to the beach on Balboa Avenue when a guy came up with a couple of girls and spit at me and told me to go back where I came from. What? I’m from here, I thought, but I didn’t say anything.

It didn’t take long for me to become disillusioned with the military way of life – instead of directing my anger and shame at the people disrespecting me, I turned against military authority. Within two years, it was clear I had no future in the military. I wish I would have done things differently, but that was another time and public sentiment was largely anti-military back then.

I’m glad things are no longer like that although we still have much division in this country. I have nothing but respect for our military forces and the people that serve in them.

If you’ve followed my posts you may remember me mentioning the high-end liquor they have at Costco here. The Costco store on Morena Boulevard is gearing up for the holidays and that means more high-end booze. This bottle of 41-year-old Glenmorangie Single Malt Scotch doesn’t quite match the $18,999 bottle I saw there last year, but at $6,999 for a liter, it’s not cheap!

The week ahead looks like we’re in for more of the same weather-wise. Highs in the mid-70s with a few clouds and no rain in the forecast.