TYPICAL Bike Ride to CORONADO

Instead of attending another Zumba or kickboxing class this past Saturday, i was persuaded to ride my bike instead. It was high time for another GODventureZ. This was a time to be alone with the LORD, with the Holy SPIRIT -- not some fitness jaunt to accomplish a speedy ride from point A to point B in three hours or less, but an open-hearted readiness to go where the SPIRIT leads.

So from Palm Avenue, i took a right on Saturn Boulevard, past Home Depot, onto the bike path which connects to the Silver Strand bike route.

From the end of Palomar Street is the entrance to the bike path... this is the "salt factory."

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. (Matthew 5:13)

Just around the bend, after the marshes, was Carl, a bird watcher of pelicans, egrets, terns, plovers, loons, grebes, herons... Then he (Noah) sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. (Genesis 8:7-8)

Yours truly...seeing everything this day as a GODventureZ with the SPIRIT of JESUS.

At the scenic lookout was Mrs. Walden, on her bike again, after many, many years... with Bella, all dolled up in the basket. She proved to me that once you learn to ride a bike, you don't forget. You just have to get your courage up -- and she had plenty!

Cyclists...12 of them -- i wondered if there was a disciple in the bunch of them...

Millionaires' haven -- Coronado Cayes. If you want to know where the most millionaires live, the data shows that it is in California. California has a total of 662,735 millionaires, which represents 5.28% of all households in the state. (Millionaires)

The world's richest individuals have a combined income greater than that of the poorest 416 million; 982 million people out of the developing world's 4.8 billion people live on $1 per day, and another 2.5 billion (40% of the world's population) live on less than $2 per day. (InfoPlease)

i was riding around Silver Strand State Beach (after checking out Coronado Cayes) and was blessed with this mural by Jaime Rayon.

Here's Angel... with a direction and purpose of his very own...

Here's the lifeguard (see his left foot?) at Silver Strand Beach... keeping a sharp eye on all the partakers of various water activities.

Here's Madison... one thirsty dog! But no living water from this fountain! ...whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4:14)

Not too typical, but not unusual either...all in a day's fun.

Big-boy toy... quite a move-up from his little-boy tricycle... more splash... more bells and whistles (read -- noise)!

Coronado swimming pool... human seal, up for some air. (Real seal...)

In front of the Coronado Civic Center -- something new to me... a giant kaleidoscope! With it's seeming infinite combination of colors and patterns, this is one toy is sure to please both adults and kids. i spent some time myself just ooh-ing and aah-ing as i turned the knobs this way and that way -- like a kid, being charmed with the intricate lacy designs created right before my very eyes.

Putting this 3-D mural of tiles together to create this wonderFUL mosaic of Coronado memories is artistic expression which evoked wonder in me of those by-gone days...

Imagine the almost naked, bikini-clad folks seeing this picture... they'd be aghast at the cumbersome full-dress of the women. But notice the hilarity on their faces -- they were having a ball... fully dressed and all! True joy comes bursting from deep within, no matter the outer circumstances.

A sweeping view of our "world-famous" Coronado Bridge. Remember when we had to pay a toll to cross? Remember when we had to drive the whole way, without the bridge? Remember the ferry... not the current tourist ferries -- the real ferry which took passengers and cars back and forth?

Magnificent engineering... reminds me of the arches of a cathedral.

When the wind blows, the wheels go round and round like pinwheels... as does the whole sculpture! This is located at the park immediately after the Coronado Bridge.

Family outing... father and son... and daughter? This miniscule beach at the Coronado Landing was crowded, but this teeny corner belied the sardine-capacity during that sunny Saturday.

A young girl's quinceanera... replete with all the attending male cousins and friends...

Quincenera attendants... probably already looking forward to their own entrance into womanhood.

Downtown San Diego -- a scenic background for this unknown celebration...

City of Coronado's summer concerts have begun... this contributing artist reminded me of Jimmy Buffet, except he sang much about down south Louisiana and not so much about Margaritaville.

No collision here... but BIG boats overshadowing little wee sailboats is but a typical scene here at the Coronado Landing.

The rich (if not so famous) with their play things... foreground for the Coronado Golf Course and Bridge.

Beautiful young lady visiting from Michigan, being shown the sights by a San Diego native.

The pooches are Ricardo and Lucy (named after the I Love Lucy comedic characters). Does the gentleman look Cuban?

This was truly a GODventureZ -- not only because of the many sights, people and music i was given to enjoy -- but because of the added dimension of being surprised like a little child as each new gift was unwrapped by the Holy SPIRIT's engineering. He showed me much, much more -- things that touched my heart in a very personal way -- like the seal popping his head up out of the water in answer to my silent prayer; the white egret posing, backlit by the morning sun; a bird of prey perched on a cross, the exact hat i've been looking for at a price that fit my budget... a much desired gift to top off the already full cup. Consciously feeling and seeing the presence of the SPIRIT throughout the whole outing was the real GODventureZ!

GODventuring in the South Bay -- SPRING Has Sprung!

Susana and Michael...out for a stroll -- appreciating that Spring has sprung!

This field of wildflowers is located at the foot of Via Tonga Street.

Looking down at the intersection of Coronado Avenue and Beyer Boulevard from "The Wing" -- Mexico in the the far background...

San Diego Public Library in the background at the intersection of Beyer Blvd and Coronado Avenue.

Montgomery Waller Community Park, "The Wing," and today's mode of transportation.

South Bay Drive-In...one of San Diego's last surviving outdoor theatres... since the '60's -- located on Coronado Avenue.

Utility boxes on the driveway to the Drive-In entrance...one of the more than 200 works of art the artist has done for the City of Imperial Beach -- many along Coronado Avenue, all the way to the beach.

This backyard is most likely owned by a Filipino gardener, for i saw many vegetables that are typical of Filipino gardens... and those banana trees are "signature" plants... favorites of Filipinos.

Another photo op -- this front yard caused me to get off my bike again, for the guavas looked tasty. Guava trees are no longer uncommon in San Diego, but still an unusual sight as these guava trees are more typically found in environments associated with tropical islands, not the desert-like climates of San Diego.

The estuary at the foot of 13th Street, which connects to the bike path along the Silver Strand Highway... Many thousands of birds "rest and refuel" in these waters during their migration to other breeding grounds.

Bike path towards the Swiss Park at the foot of Palomar Street (looking back towards Imperial Beach).

Mountain of salt in the far background.

JESUS said -- "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men." (Matthew 5:13)

The view from the other side of the road...

Everywhere i biked...wildflowers!

This road led me to the back of Home Depot at the foot of Saturn Boulevard -- at the Southland Shopping Plaza, Imperial Beach.

Gutsy gal...this area is somewhat isolated, with high hedges in a few places -- and the occasional homeless or vagrant or weirdo. She apparently had no qualms.

This field is at the foot of Palomar Street, immediately outside Swiss Park.

What a beautiful day! Overcast at the start, then the sun showing itself behind the clouds as the morning progressed.

This day was a day of reflection... after Monday's bombing of Moscow's subway by two female suicide bombers. i wanted to see these flowers at their best -- before the summer heat browned them dry. These blooms last but a few weeks, depending on the intensity of the San Diego heat. Like the life of these flowers and the 38 lives murdered from the bombing -- life is short indeed!

A Voice said, "Shout!" i asked, "What should i shout?" "Shout that people are like the grass that dies away. Their beauty fades as quickly as the beauty of flowers in a field." (Isaiah 40:6)

What, then, really matters?