By Mark Goodkin
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US Imperial Beach Sandcastle Competition
I drove down I-5 from North County to the US Imperial Beach Sandcastle Competition yesterday. I made a detour through Coronado and the Silver Strand Hwy, which made for a pleasant journey on such a nice day. I got to Imperial Beach around noon and parked about half a mile away in a small neighborhood. As I walked along Imperial Beach Blvd to the beach, there were a few empty spots here and there, as well as paid parking at Imperial Beach High School, were bike cabs pedaled people to the beach.
As I got closer to the beach, I couldn’t help but admire the small beach town atmosphere, with mom and pop shops and restaurants. This part of town is definitely not glitzy, but nor was it seedy, as it once had been. The neighborhood I parked in and others I walked through are humble, yet well maintained. Close to the beach now, I saw the Tijuana Estuary, an open expanse, stretched all the way to the border. The town is definitely isolated from the rest of San Diego County, separated by a bay, a naval area, and estuaries.