San Diego Recap

I am back home after a week long vacation to San Diego. The wildfires in the area weren't really apparent to me, as a tourist, until Monday evening. That is when many of the evacuations started in earnest.

As I sat in the hotel lobby checking my email and doing some writing, I couldn't help but notice the steady stream of people. It turns out they were evacuees looking for a place to stay for the night after being forced from their homes by the approaching flames. The hotel clerk had to turn each of them away. The hotel was sold out, as were all of the other hotels in the area. He referred them down the highway to Qualcomm Stadium which had been turned into an evacuation center.

The next day, as my family and I were checking out of the hotel, I silently hoped my room would go to an evacuee, rather than another tourist. I bumped into a friend, who was staying in San Diego a few days longer, and I asked him what his plans were.

"My wife and I were going to go to Sea World, " he said, "but it's closed because of the fires, so I'm doing laundry instead." It turns out my family and I were leaving at just the right time.

I felt guilty having such a good time in a beautiful city like San Diego while so many people were losing their homes just a few miles from my hotel suite. I hope the emergency ends soon, and that the residents who lost their homes are able to rebuild. San Diego truly was a fantastic place to visit, and I highly recommend it to everyone. I know I will return there one day soon.

If you would like to assist those in San Diego who have been forced to leave their homes, you can make a donation to the San Diego chapter of the American Red Cross. Right now, monetary donations are best, and your donations are tax deductible.