| FISHING PIER, DEL MAR |
DEL MAR.
Del Mar is one of the few beach resorts where the pleasure-seeker can divide his time among the whole range of out-door amusements. The long pleasure wharf and the miles of just that character of beach where the whiting, the croaker, the chub mackerel and the young sea bass love to feed, offer the finest of still fishing. If he is ambitious for a contest with the big fighting fishes of the deeper waters, he can take a boat and soon be floating over the haunts of the yellow-tail, the albacore and the bonito. If he prefers the report of the gun to the music of the reel, a short walk back from the hotel brings him into the country of the game little quail.
Again, he can, by a short ride to the ponds and lagoons, change from upland to waterfowl shooting.
But the gamut is not yet run; for within easy reach are several mountain streams where he can cast his flies on their waters with good returns. And, if he seeks to pit his cunning and his skill against the watchful deer, a pleasant and interesting ride over a good motor road, takes him into the wilds of the Cuyamaca mountains.
But the sportsman in his outings will always think of his comforts as well as his sports, and for those Del Mar has planned with a lavish hand.
It is not all of the enjoyment of a good meal to have a choice selection of viands, admirably cooked by an experienced chef, and served in the most approved manner. It is not all of a good night's rest, after the fatigue of a day's sport, to have lain on a downy bed in a richly appointed room. Agreeable service; the affability of the management; the pervading air of welcome; the society of congenial companions; the beauty of the situation; the inspiring views; the charm of the many scenes that each day photographs upon the memory, adds a relish to the menu which no chef can compound, and a restfulness to one's slumber that the ingenuity of no upholsterer can supply. For a part of these delightful adjuncts to one's enjoyment, I am willing to give credit to the excellent taste of the founders of Del Mar. But the beauty of its surroundings, the possibility of its charming individuality, must be credited to those exclusive gifts which nature first bestowed upon it.
Del Mar is twenty-two miles from San Diego and 111 from Los Angeles, and can be reached from either of these cities by the Santa Fe railroad, or by a good motor road, distinguished for its many interesting views.