My week of February 26- March 3, 2012 was well-spent, as most of my weeks are.  One can never complain, though, when the days involve San Diego.  After the hike with my friends in Granite Basin, a joy in and of itself, I had a quick salad lunch, then got gas in the small town of Congress, about 32 miles southwest of Prescott.

The road west took me through Arizona’s Outback, across the Colorado River, then through the southern tier of the Mojave Desert, which looks like this, at Wiley’s Well:

Once further along the road, past the Coachella Valley and Inland Empire, it was time for dinner.  This meant the always reliable Ono Hawaiian Barbecue, a southern California standby.  The one in question is found in the Riverside suburb of Perris.  I enjoyed some fine chicken katsu, made a mental note to check out Perris’ lake on my next jaunt this way, and headed for San Diego.

My digs for the next two nights were at Easy-8, one of my favorite San Diego motels.  It’s off the Pacific Highway, near Old Town.  There is an interesting mix of people there- lots of “homeless”, most of whom are busy collecting recyclables.  It is also close to Perry’s Cafe, the “Breakfast House”, which serves up some killer fritattas.

HIGHLIGHT: Lunch at Salome Cafe-an old haunt.