Both my kids have graduated from San Diego; one with an EE, and the other with a ME.  Each has decided to stay on, making this Shangri-la their home.  While several of their non-engineering counterparts have struggled with employment, Engineering majors seem to have a better time of it here, landing positions in their field.  

Having spent a number of years going to school, they are now the tour guides and my youngest (who begins full time employment later this month) suggests a morning hike to the top of Cowles Mountain.  


This is a popular hiking destination, as it is the highest point (1,593') in San Diego, offering 360 degree panoramic views of the city and beyond. 

The hike to the top is only 1.5 miles, but it's the 950' elevation gain that will get your four chambered metronome a tickin'. 

For many years Cowles Mountain was locally known as "S" Mountain. In 1931, 500 students from San Diego State University (SDSU) painted a 400-foot-tall (120 m) letter "S" on the side of the mountain, after which it took on its popular name.^[3] In April 1942, during World War II, the local military ordered the S covered up for the sake of national security. After the war the painting tradition was resurrected. In the 1970s, the annual repainting tradition was discarded due to complaints from environmentalists but enjoyed a brief resurgence in the late 1980s. The mountain is now a protected area, and the "S" has not been repainted for nearly two decades.

Views from the top are spectacular, spanning all the way to the ocean.  Feeling like you are at a much higher elevation than 1,600', Cowles proffers healing from the bypass of daily city living.






A walk on the beach never gets old and it's a quintessential California thing to do.

All seem to enjoy it, including
this doggie with a hipster assist.

We stop off at Which Wich, a sandwich shop (chain) that let's you customize your sammich to your heart's content.  

 










This is a first for me.  Lettuce offered as a "roll".  It wraps like a burrito but without the carbs of a tortilla.  Now that's near and dear to my heart.