You may live an additional 24 hours this Saturday, Feb. 29 due to the leap year, but will you live it up? What you would do if you only had one more day left?
Given it’s a weekend, and you’re likely not working your typical 9 to 5 gig, possibilities for things to do in San Diego, and indeed all of Southern California, are limitless.
Here are just a few suggestions for things to do, in and around San Diego, on your extra 24 hours, whether that be trying out something new, or taking a day trip elsewhere within a short drive. • Try kitesurfing. If you would like to feel the sensation of flight, water walking abilities and a superhero complex, take kitesurfing lesson from Jeff Raney, who is based out of Fiesta Island. Kitesurfing takes desire, commitment and time flying the kites. The more time you spend flying the kites, the better your kite control will be in the water and progress with your board skills. On average, about 8-10 hours of lessons needed before you can safely get on your own. About the first four hours are all land lessons so you will most likely not be touching the water on the first day. Call 760-840-0028 to set up some lessons. • Yoga by the ocean: Come practice yoga by the Pacific Ocean in a free, donation-based class held every Saturday and Sunday from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the end of Law Street in PB. This is a challenging, all-levels class that will leave you feeling completely alive and invigorated, led by local instructor Steve Hubbard (aka Namasteve).
Hubbard started out in yoga years ago to improve his volleyball game. “Very soon, I discovered that it provided way more than a better jump serves,” he said. “The overall feelings of physical vitality, emotional equanimity, and mental clarity were astounding.”
Hubbard describes yoga as “a tool in a journey toward personal growth.”
“My intention in teaching is to encourage students to discover their personal greatness,” said Hubbard.  “We’re powerful beyond belief and yoga has a way of helping us remember that. The classes I lead are physically powerful, yet introspective and meditative. I encourage students to listen to their inner intelligence and to honor themselves.” • Whale watching: There are plenty of options for a whale watching trip out of San Diego and February is prime time for seeing gray whales off the coast. Just head down to Quivira Road in Mission Bay where they are several places offering cruises for whale and dolphin watching. Sometimes the smaller operations – such as the six-passenger Gone Whale Watching boat – offer a more exciting and intimate experience than the larger cruises. • Shop at the leap day bar yard sale. Society PB on Garnet Avenue will be the host of a bar yard sale starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 29. Visitors can buy, sell, and enjoy drinks at the community yard sale. • Take a taco tour: Take a ride to visit some of San Diego’s most delicious taco locations. Taco Tour SD departs from Seaport Village and takes you on a guided historical lunch or sunset tours through Barrio Logan, Point Loma, Ocean Beach, and Mission Beach while indulging in the best tacos, craft beers, and libations that America’s Finest City has to offer. Visit tacotoursd.com for more information.ß • Hike Bike Kayak Adventure Tours: Owned by native La Jollans Michael and Sharon Luscomb, HBK is exactly what their name implies, an adventure, and a local history lesson, on La Jolla coastal geography and ocean wildlife.
“Our tours run 90 minutes to two hours,” said Michael Luscomb noting he and his wife have run their family-owned and operated La Jolla Shores business for 25 years. “Our tours start at 9 a.m. and run every hour on the hour.”
Tour guides, who are lifeguard certified, are well versed in La Jolla’s wildlife, and place a heavy emphasis on educating guests about the ecology and conservation of native species they’ll encounter on their guided tours of the La Jolla Ecological Reserve. The reserve is home to California Sea Lions, Harbor Seals, Garibaldi fish, Brandt’s Cormorant, Brown Pelicans, Leopard Sharks, and dolphins, among others. La Jolla Kayak also rents an array of beach equipment including sun umbrellas, masks, snorkels, wetsuits and boogie boards.
“We explore the seven caves of La Jolla and discuss the history of La Jolla,” said Luscomb. “Our kayaks are extremely user-friendly and are very stable.” Call 858-551-9510 for more information. • Visit Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and check out the amazing sculptures at Borrego Springs. There are more than130 steel-welded sculptures created by ‘Perris Jurassic Park’ owner/artist/welder Ricardo Breceda at Galleta Meadows, including a 350-foot-long serpent, a scorpion and a huge T. rex. After taking photos of the sculptures, roam the 100 miles of hiking trails like The Slot or Hellhole Canyon to Maidenhair Falls. For more information, visit parks.ca.gov. • Visit Laguna Beach. Right up I-5 in Orange County is the artist colony of Laguna Beach. The city’s topography is unique to other California coastal cities with its seven miles of coves and beaches where visitors can explore sea caves, tide pools, ocean side bluffs, natural tide pools and of course, sandy beaches, all within city limits. Laguna also boasts the most beachfront lodging options in California, making it an ideal spot for a weekend getaway. • Visit both sides of the border wall: On the U.S. side, head to Border Field State Park and take an easy hike down the beach to check out the wall as it extends into the Pacific Ocean. Be on the lookout for horses and what they leave behind. On the Mexico side, cross the border at San Ysidro and head west to Playas de Tijuana. At the Monumental Plaza de Toros you will be in the shadow of the bull ring, the lighthouse, and the colorfully painted border wall. Stroll the Malecon that’s filled with vendors selling churros, elotes and Tostilocos. • Hiking just might be Southern Californians’ official pass time. There are dozens of options – from the Potato Chip Rock in Poway to Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve to Tecolote Canyon Trail right outside PB to Annie’s Slot Canyon near Solana Beach. Of course, one of the most popular hikes is Cowles Mountain in Mission Trails Regional Park – the highest point of the City of San Diego. • Climb California Tower: Visitors are once again able to tour the California Tower, one of San Diego’s most iconic historic landmarks. Make the climb on a 40-minute guided tour highlighting the origins of Balboa Park and the histories of some of the many diverse communities that call San Diego home. All tours culminate in breathtaking 360-degree views of San Diego from the tower’s eighth-floor viewing deck – from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Cuyamaca Mountains in the east, and beyond. • Temecula wine tours: Enjoy breathtaking scenery and award-winning wineries on a tour in the wine country of Temecula Valley, an hour or so drive from San Diego. Experienced chauffeurs lead guests on an exciting limo bus ride for the day. Wine tour packages, like that offered by Temecula Wine Tours, take all the guesswork out of planning to ensure no details are left out. Visit temeculawinetours.net for more information. • Ride in a hot air balloon. Sip champagne as you travel over some of the most exclusive golf courses including Torrey Pines and through a maze of coastal canyons. Compass Balloons private hot air balloon rides offer 360-degree views of the Del Mar coastline and can be a fun trip for that special occasion. Hot air balloon flights of up to eight people are available to ensure a quality of flight that is unmatched. Visit compassballoons.com for more information. • Go skydiving. GoJump Oceanside, located at Oceanside Municipal Airport, offers thrilling jumps from 13,000 feet out of a colorful, fast-climbing PAC 750XL jump plane that was designed for skydiving. Visit gojump-oceanside.com for more information. • Finish your extra day with a sunset. From La Jolla to Point Loma, the coast offers amazing views of sunsets. But if you want one of the best experiences, check out Sunset Cliffs. A PERFECT DAY ALONG WITH COAST San Diego influencer Celeste Hernholm, who posts weekend guides on Instagram @Seldomlystill, offers her take on how to best enjoy leap day at the beach. “Because a leap year only comes around every four years, Feb. 29 is the perfect day to hang out with a friend you haven’t seen in a while. Start with a hot beverage from Bird Rock Coffee Roasters and a freshly baked English muffin at Wayfarer Bread & Pastry. Then go for a leisurely stroll along the boardwalk in Mission Beach. Grab an early dinner and catch the sunset at Tower 23’s restaurant, JRDN, in Pacific Beach, and finish your ‘San Diego Riviera’ day with a wine tasting at 3rd Corner Wine Shop & Bistro in Ocean Beach.” FEELING COMFORTABLE – AND SEXY – IN YOUR OWN SKIN Luci Lampe, an Ocean Beach-based mom of four, author of “Achieving Sexy,” songwriter/model, and founder of the Sexy Mama Movement, shares her thoughts on trying something new on leap day. “Many of us wish we had more hours in a day, and most have an idea of what we’d do with those extra hours. Lucky for us, every leap year we get a whole extra 24 hours. So how can we take advantage of the extra hours in 2020?
Personally, I like to spend time going on new adventures and trying things I’ve been curious about, but maybe a little scared to do. One of those things was visiting Blacks Beach with my husband on his birthday last year, shedding our clothes in favor of our birthday suits. Who doesn’t want to spend their birthday naked with their lover, right?
At first, I thought it would be weird being naked in front of other people. To my surprise, it felt so natural and very freeing! Our tan lines gave us away as newbies, but the regulars were so surprised at how comfortable we both were walking around, exploring the beach, even making friends (yes, naked friends. It wasn’t so awkward after all!). People there overall seem very accepting of themselves and their bodies, regardless of their shape or size. I love that.
Since then, it’s been our favorite beach to visit when we have some time to get away for a couple of hours. The hike down and up is definitely a good little warm-up, so be prepared for that; and bring lots of water and snacks. It may be a bit nipp(l)y out on Feb. 29, but even if you wait till it’s warmer, I hope you give it a try! WHY IS THERE A LEAP YEAR EVERY FOUR YEARS?
The reason we have leap year, according to WorldTimeServer.com, is that “the calendar is designed to concur with the Earth’s revolutions around the sun. For example, it takes the planet about 365.242189 days – 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 45 seconds – to circle one time around the sun. Therefore, we have 365 days in the calendar.” The full rotation is called a tropical year, also known as a solar year, astronomical year, or an equinoctial year. However, those extra hours, minutes, and seconds – the ones that are part of the decimal at the end of the tropical year – add up over time. If we didn’t include a leap day every four years, we would lose nearly six hours each year. This would “add up to a total of 24 days in a span of 100 years.” Over time, the calendar wouldn’t match up and things would certainly be off, thus we have a leap year.