Gophers!, a visit to Civita Park

There’s a saying “Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.”  But what if the mole has already made the mountain?

Lowes in Mission Valley carries the little ‘dynamite’ stick as seen in Caddy Shack.  They look like explosives, but are really gas bombs.

Not far from Lowes is Civita Park.  The final phase of the Park was completed in late 2022.  I’ve never been and it’s Saturday, which means the Mission Valley Farmer’s Market is being hosted there every Saturday morning.

Civita is from the Latin meaning a gathering place, village, etc.  And surrounded by high rise condos this is indeed a favorite gathering place.

The Farmers Market is well attended, with fresh bread:

Fresh veggies:

and food trucks:

A mac-n-cheese taco ??? Why not ...

Long time visitors might remember this area as a sand and gravel quarry.

The quarry was run by the Grant family for over 70 years.  The sand and gravel to build Petco Park was mined here.

The park encompasses 14 acres and is open for day use free of charge.  It is dog friendly and ADA accessible.

Summer concerts are held at the amphitheater.

There are two trails that lead upward to the Magic Tunnel.  The east trail is paved.  It begins just past one of several outdoor living rooms.

The first bunny on the way up is resting on the sofa with his favorite kitty.

Passing the Green.  A large open area for lawn sports.

The paved trail continues to ascend past playgrounds, basketball courts

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it then passes through a succulent garden, winged garden and a scent garden.  Each garden has its own unique features.

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I continued up to the base of the staircase. 

The stairs parallel Civita Creek, which will have some water after a rain.  Today it was a dry waterfall and rock path.

The platform at the top of the stairs provides a nice view of the park, but it sure could use a bench to rest my creaky knees!

The Magic Tunnel is a mural history of San Diego.

Balboa Park, Zoo, Mission, Tony Gwynn

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Sports - golf, bike, ride, hike

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Big Bay - Star of India, Hotel Del, Point Loma

The magic is its ability to create an echo of the softest sounds.  Pretty cool and worth the effort to climb those 120 steps to the top.

While going up I saw a few bunnies on the rocks, coming down there were many more.

I think I did the trail in the right direction, as it was not until I returned that I learned the story of the bunnies.

The bunnies are explained in the book behind.

“Finding Home

Once upon a time there were two little bunnies named Franklin and Alta.  They were looking for the magic stone that had once covered their little doorway for so long.

You see, the very special, very magical Civita Stone had always led them home safely.  However it had been captured by the raging river and lost in the rapids of the river.  The stone had been tossed up and around and down and about until our friend Franklin and his sweet Alta no longer knew where to find home.

They would have to search for the Civita Stone and the touch of the stone would lead themto their little doorway and a special place along the river once more.

So, if the sky is blue and wind blows fair AND you believe in magic, search for the Civita Stone and know that once you touch it, you too have found home.”

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