Outdoor

By Cynthia Lamont
PassPort to San Diego

One of the world’s richest deposits of tourmaline is found in San Diego County.Gemstone collectors and families from all over the U.S. and world come to the Oceanview Mine located in the foothills of north San Diego County to mine precious stones such as tourmaline, kunzite, aquamarine, quartz and more. In the 1900s pink tourmaline was in high demand and exported back east to big jewelry stores like Tiffany’s.

My family and I visited the mine recently. We brought our gloves and a picnic lunch. There’s a shaded pavilion with picnic tables and a beautiful view to enjoy.

Tons of rock are taken from the mine and put in a big pile in a circular area, surrounded by sifting tables and trays of water. Right away my grandson found a beautiful quartz crystal and my son and daughter-in-law found some lovely pink tourmaline. Cameron Mertes, the gemologist, looked at our just screened gems and said we had over $100 worth of stones. We had just started!

I talked with people from all over. Many couples and families have been here a half-dozen times or more. One gentleman, a jewelry maker, comes to the mine twice a month from Arizona.

This is a great time and an exciting adventure to possibly find the “mother lode.”
It might not be gold, but there are some real gems in “them thar hills.”

I would like to thank Jeff Swanger and his hard working staff for a fun and very informative afternoon. We will be back!

Oceanview Mine is at 37304 Magee Road Pala, CA.

For more information, call (760) 415-9143 or visit www.digforgems.com.

Cruise into August’s warm summer days with cool events! Catch Thoroughbred horse racing, live theater, a fine-arts festival, wine-tasting, and savor summer dishes throughout the month! Check out our August newsletter for more things to do here: https://buff.ly/2GHU9f7

By Carolyn Howard
PassPort to San Diego

It was a very warm Friday afternoon in October when my friend and I rented a couple of Segways for an hour from Segway of Pacific Beach.

We didn’t go on a tour, but were happy to see they have a trio of guided adventures: On the Mission Bay Segway Tour, guests glide along the ocean boardwalk. On the Gaslamp Segway Tour, they ride around downtown and see Petco Park, the USS Midway and the Star of India, among other stops. And on the Mt. Soledad Segway Tour, riders enjoy a 360-view from the war memorial atop Mt. Soledad in La Jolla.

We decided instead to take a self-guided tour and enjoy a relaxing ride along the oceanfront boardwalk and then cross over to the Mission Bay side. Once there, we headed in the direction of the Catamaran Hotel and around Crown Point.

Before our excursion, we both received instruction from a very patient Segway guide named Mike. Neither my friend or I had ever ridden a Segway, so we were a little nervous about operating and controlling it properly. But Mike taught us the basics, first inside the shop and then outside in the parking lot. Once we both felt comfortable, we were on our way!

We rented our Segways for just an hour, followed by lunch. Because our legs felt tired after about 30 minutes, I would suggest having a picnic or going out to lunch during your Segway adventure. There are many places to eat along the Boardwalk.

I had a great time and felt completely at ease with the maneuverability of the Segway. If you would like some history along with your ride, take one of the three Segway tours Segway of Pacific Beach offers. I would definitely recommend trying a Segway if you have never done it before!

Segway of Pacific Beach is open from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. It’s at 4150 Mission Blvd #141, in San Diego. Call (858) 270-2881 or visit http://www.segwaypb.com/