I was stationed at the Naval Air Station at Ream Field, Imperial Beach California after completing Avionics training in Millington, Tennessee. The contrast between the two places couldn’t have been more striking. I spent as much down time as I could at the beach

La Jolla

At the time I didn’t have a car, so on the weekends I would buy a day-pass and ride the bus north to La Jolla. It had a funky bookstore, Mexican restaurants and a great beach. This is a photo of the steps to the beach.

Not having a car had a few disadvantages. The funky bookstore would show movies on the weekend. I watched a trilogy of English horror films and realized that i had missed the last bus back to Imperial Beach. I had the brilliant idea of sleeping on the beach. I was no stranger living like a vagrant, my Navy pay was paltry, enough for the bus ride, movie tickets and some Mexican food, certainly not enough for accommodations especially in posh La Jolla.

I found a sandy area between some rocks that was about the tideline and settled down for a restful sleep. It was warm enough and as I remember bug-free but hardly restful. I forgot if I was rousted by the cops but that might have happened. Finally when dawn arrived I was able to catch the first bus back to the base. It was a fine weekend in the Sunshine State.

Pacific Coast Highway

After I returned from my Westpac cruise to Vietnam, I bought a brand new car, a Datsun B210. This was my first new car. I gave up my 1961 VW convertible when I joined the Navy. That is a topic for another posting.

What I love about the Pacific coastline is the accessibility to the ocean. With a few exceptions I could turn off the highway and explore. These photos were taken probably about half-way up the coast.

Different plants grown on the west coast, lots of California poppies and these red flowering plants.

The new car picked up a lot of dust on these trips.

I was discharged from the Navy in July 1972. Drove this car from California to Connecticut with my girlfriend (who became my wife). That was an adventure . The car survived for a while on the East Coast, eventually featuring an orange door and plenty of rust holes, now merely a memory.