There is a River path….

The San Luis Rey River is mostly a hidden gem due to the brush and plant life growing beside it and in it. The few glimpses you get of it while driving show a big and wide flow of water probably filled with fish and frogs and more. Now it may not be big by some river standards but for the Southern California coastal desert it will make you take a second look.

The path along side the river is a Class I bicycle trail open to walkers, runners, Rollerblades and leashed pets but not horse riding.. It totals just over 7 miles and is flat and safe for all ages.

Access first at Neptune Way Then again at Benet Rd. and on to Foussat Rd., then Douglas Drive and finally College Blvd. Ride or run or skate back and hop on the commuter train near the western end.

There are no night lights.

There are some safety rules and there are information kiosks along the entrances to help you with these.

Favorite neighborhood

My neighborhood off of Benet Rd. and hwy. 76 has more pluses than minuses. The San Luis Rey river flows by separating this neighborhood from major highways, noise, and apartments or condos. Yet we are as close as a mile from the beach and Interstate 5 and less for shopping.

Homes here range from $399,000 to $800,000. I have a listing here that is $399,000 is in great condition and has a huge back yard that opens out to natural open spaces and a bike/hiking trail. The biking /hiking/walking trail runs along side the San Luis Rey River which normally is hard to see because of some unruly imported toolies that have taken over.

one of the best views of the San Luis Rey river is either from the Flying Bridge restaurant, or alongthat trail which is best seen from the overpass at Hwy 76 and Interstate 5 that seems to go knowher. Whats up with that? anyway if you walk you can park and climb it and see the most beautiful views of a full rushing river fed by other rivers and many creeks

ThOne town of Oceanside itself is an interesting destination point. We have 5 industries here that keep us from a recession. We have Tourism, Dot Com, Biotech, Military (5 bases in San Diego County) and we have a flourishing flower industry

Among my favorite events are the farmers market which is not only Thursday morning downtown but also covers a larger area on Friday evenings and has many local artists and foods. Then there is the pier which is lit up all night and doesn’t require a permit to fish from it. It claims to be the country’s longest pier so it’s a nice walk to the end and back.

I just closed escrow on a fixer across the river for my buyer at $250,000. He and his wife never dreamed they could afford a home in this area. It was really a fixer but hey, a mile from the beach. They deserved to be home owners as he just finished his 4^th tour of

duty to Iraq. She’s a school teacher so she’s a hero too. So things are moving and the buyers are out there. They have a lot of choices now.

Some reasons Oceanside, Carlsbad and Vista are the best places to live

The area is often referred to as Tri City area of San Diego County or North County in San Diego. Whatever you call it, it is undoubtedly the best place to be winter or summer.

In the summer it is cooler than the rest of Southern California and in the Winter it is warmer. You can check the weather Data history at http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=32.72999954,-117.19000244#History

There are more things to do with the family than any other area I have been in. More birds along the many rivers and lagoons to learn about,  More wildlife than other urban areas. More contests and races, More fairs and open air Markets. bowling alleys, pools both salt water and freshwater. Art classes, craft classes, Yoga classes, writing classes, acting opportunities in at least 2 playhouse. And so much more.

Fabulous-Fun and Free Places to go in North San Diego County

Living anywhere near the coast makes one very popular among friends and family who liver in hotter and colder climates. Over the many years I have lived here (born in Corona, Riverside County) I have discovered where I might take or send my guests for entertainment that wont break the bank. What an adventure it has been to discover the treasures we have. Of course the beach could go without mention except that you can’t really do that very long and not acquire some painful memories such as sunburn and sand in unwanted places. There is the country’s longest pier in Oceanside and it does have a small shuttle that will haul you out to Ruby’s restaurant at the end. Rubys is a typical 50’s style soda fountain. You can have a picture taken at the end of the pier where there is nothing but ocean in the background. If you do it right, viewers will wonder if you are walking on water. The pier stays lit up all night and is a free place to catch fish.  No license is required.

Cruising to Hwy 101 or the Coast Hwy as it is called in Oceanside you will find a free surf museum with old longboards and older photos of some of the areas greatest surfers. That is on the corner of Pier View Way and the Coast Highway. Just across the Street is our City Hall grounds that are as inviting as any water sculpture park and is next to Oceanside’s Art Museum.

California’s oldest Mission called Mission San Luis Rey de Francia located appropriately on Mission Avenue at 4050,  houses the country’s first Pepper tree which was imported here. Behind that area is Heritage park. which is really a best kept secret. Perhaps it is so lonely because it is not on the main drag and maybe tricky to find but it is worth  it for the photo opportunities.  All the historic buildings such as Oceanside’s first newspaper, Jail, feed store and more are there. It is at 220 Peyri Dr.

Not much farther down the road  bordering the quaint village of Vista is theRancho Guajome Adobe Museum: 2210 North Santa Fe  which was built from the discarded lumber and more from the Mission. Next to that is a Steam engine train museum.

Probably my favorite places are the gardens and the nurseries which one can wander through and spend many days yet never cover them all since flower growing is one of the areas top industries. A good place is early in the morning at San Diego International Floral Trade Center at 5600 Avenida Encinas in Carlsbad. You can feel the amazing synergy of the hustle and bustle of farmers bringing their flowers into the market place where distributors buy them and sell them to shops, hotels, and other distributors from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Giant trucks load up next to smaller farmer trucks and the display of never seen before flowers is unbelievable. Behind every vendor are giant cooler rooms where they keep just as many flowers as they are displaying. Little known fact is that our area exports more poinsettias than any other place in the world.

There are other gardens that are amazing. The Encinitas Botanical Gardens at 230 Quail Gardens Drive only charges a voluntary $2 parking fee last time I checked and it’s trails are worth wearing gym shoes to hike through. They have a gift shop where you can buy cuttings of some of these drought resistant palms and plants imported and tested from all over the world. It is beautiful.

The  perfect garden has lots of free labor. That is affectionately known as Swami’s garden at 215 “K” Street in Encinitas towards Cardiff by the Sea.  It is a garden taken care of by the Monks of the Self Realization Center founded by Parmahansa Yogananda. The plants are perfect the Koi fish are fat and there are benches to sit and reflect on the bluff overlooking the sea. A really cute tour of this majestic garden is on you tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7g9w_S9Btw&feature=related

Right next to it is a park known as Swami’s as he donated it to the City for public use and it is a great spot to watch the surfers.

By now your tourists friends or family are tired and you need to take them home for a nap and start again another day. We have only just begun. Next we will visit the wonderful bronze sculptures in Fallbrook and the many events in Escondido an old town with a memorable flavor. For now we need that nap…..

Choose your words wisely

I once had a home owner ask me to list his home for sale. He was one of my vendors, a painter to be exact. He said he had made some extensive renovations and I just had to see it. I expected to see a few old dried up paint cans around and maybe some tools of the trade that might have outlived their useful life but nothing could have prepared me for that viewing.

  This man and his wife had removed the cottage cheese ceiling and added a room  with permits they showed me but the ceiling was all you could see. You had to walk through  a narrow path way surrounded by towering stacks of boxes and newspapers. It looked as though everything that came into the house did not seem to leave. I think I heard strange little animal sounds in the stacks.

   I took the listing and then I thought however am I going to advertise this house. Even the description required on the MLS baffled me. Finally a light went on, I had it!

“Needs a buyer with vision, or better yet, one without”