Fridays with Jim and Ginger

This Friday we decided to do something a little different. The new Sprinter, a fast rail transit system, just opened up in Escondido. It goes from Escondido to Oceanside. It is only a very short drive from our house. So we decided to take the Sprinter and go to Oceanside to walk out on the pier.




For only $2.00 we were able to purchase a round trip ticket. As we were boarding I noticed that some of the passengers were a little iffy. One was obviously a homeless woman and a couple of others looked like they had been working in the fields for a day. I don't think I would like to ride it during rush hour. But for the most part, it wasn't too busy and we had good seats going forward not backwards (important for me). It was fun seeing the backside of buildings. Boy, do some people have a mess behind their houses! It did take an hour with all the stops compared to the half hour it would have taken to drive. But it was very relaxing and gave me a chance to talk with Jim.

When we got to Oceanside we were just a few blocks from the pier so we walked to the pier. If was a beautiful day, warm but with billowy clouds and the sun starting to set. I love the smell of the ocean and the cool breeze. As we started walking out the pier we realized that there was a surfing competition going on. So we stopped and watched the surfers for awhile. We you are on the pier you are even with them on the water and can really get a good look.

There was quite a few people fishing. It looked like a good day, most were catching fish. I think I would have thrown some of the small ones back, but all the fishermen seemed to be keeping them. Not worth the cleaning to me.

At the end of the pier is Ruby's Diner. We had cheeseburgers, onion rings and old fashioned milk shakes. It was soooooo good! Probably the best cheeseburger I have had in a long time (yes, it was better than In-n-Out) and the shake was it's equal. As we were finishing up the waitress kept walking by with banana splits, hot fudge sundaes and all kinds of fantastic goodies. But we decided to be good, since we already blew 2 days calorie allowance and decline. So we are going to have to go back just for dessert.

The trip home was after dark so not as much fun. I think the first seat I sat in had a previous problem since there was sawdust on the floor. We moved to new seating and the rest of the trip was fine. A fun trip, we'll do it again.