Friday 17 July 2026
Summer in the City and Food this Summer

It is well into summer, and I am once again at home in San Diego, California. Actually in the north part of the city, almost the suburbs. I was hoping to be in Spain, but that did not work out this year.

Another Pilgrimage Walk in Spain?

Last winter I found myself thinking about returning to Spain to walk the Camino de Santiago route known as the Vía de la Plata & Camino Sanabrés. This route runs 1040 kilometers (650 miles) from Seville in the south up to Santiago de Compostela in the far northwest.

I first walked that route in the spring of 2023 with my friend Tom from Sydney, whom I met at Wild Rose Yoga in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We walked the 800-kilometer (500-mile) Camino Francés in the autumn of 2017 with Julie, his girlfriend. After the pandemic and our having both retired, we decided to take another long walk in Spain, namely the Vía de la Plata & Camino Sanabrés. Unfortunately, a couple of stages north of Zamora, after over 660 kilometers, I developed severe tendonitis in my left leg that worsened every day, and I had to stop.

I returned in the spring of 2024—this time with my brother-in-law, Ron, and his friend Dan. We started at Zamora, a couple of stages before I had stopped, and continued on to Santiago de Compostela, finishing what I had started the previous year.

The Same Route Again?

So why walk a pilgrimage route I have already walked? A fair question.
The first time you set out on a long walk like this, there’s some anxiety in the back of your mind each day. How steep is the hill noted in the guidebook? What’s the descent like—is it rocky, steep, or tricky? Are there places to get food along the way? How much water do I need to carry? Will I find the place where I’m going to stay overnight?

The second time, while you don’t remember every detail, you have a good idea of what each day will bring. You have seen the hills, felt the terrain underfoot, and know what provisions are needed. The anxiety is dramatically lessened, almost to nothing, leaving time. Time to explore and see what is along the way, time to really notice the beauty of Spain all around, time to be immersed in the meditative rhythm of walking, and time to embrace the spiritual and religious dimensions of the pilgrimage.

When I walked the 800-kilometer Camino Francés for the second time, that’s precisely what happened. The experience was deeper—not just physically, but cerebrally, in a way that’s difficult to describe unless you’ve been there. (For context, my first Camino Francés walk was in the spring of 2016, and the second time with Tom & Julie was in autumn 2017.)

I want to return to the Via de la Plata and Camino Sanabrés. Here are two photos from that 2023 walk en route from Villafranca de los Barros to Torremajia on April 18, 2023. This was the 9th day of walking after starting the day after Easter in Seville. The distant sun rising over a vast vineyard, and then me in daylight still walking through that vineyard.

I want to return because, overall, I truly enjoyed both of those long walks. And, I’d like to see if I have the same experience the second time, similar to the second Camino Francés walk. I am not sure when, but I’m now hopeful for the spring of 2027.

Soft Food

I have had some challenges over the years with my teeth and gums. The goal is to keep my teeth as long as possible. Two months ago, I had surgery by my periodontist to correct some receding gums. That meant for four weeks after, I could eat only soft food-food that does not need chewing: yogurt, cottage cheese, applesauce, scrambled eggs, soups, mashed potatoes, etc. Also, no exercise, because if the blood pressure raises, the gum graft may be compromised. And, no saxophone practice, either.

I learned how to make applesauce. Peel and chop 4 apples, place in a pan with 1/4 cup of sugar and a cup of water, and heat over medium-high heat until soft (about 20 minutes). Reduce heat to medium-low, stir in a tablespoon of lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, then smash the chunks with a fork. The first photo below is the apple chunks in the saucepan. The second is the softened apple after stirring in the lemon juice and cinnamon. The third is after using a fork to smash the chunks, and the last photo is the applesauce ready to go into the refrigerator.

In those four weeks, I made applesauce many times. After the four-week checkup with the periodontist, I was given the all-clear to eat and chew any food. So (of course) I went to Chief’s, that is, Chief’s Burgers and Brew in Solana Beach, CA.

Chief’s Burgers and Brew

I love a good burger occasionally. When searching for “best burger in North County San Diego,” Chief’s Burgers and Brew in Solana Beach kept appearing on the list. Being a non-alcohol guy, it took me a while to bite the bullet, so to speak, and just go, have a Coke, a cheeseburger, and fries, and see how they were. I loved the burger at Chief’s! So I returned the next week and the next. I noticed that the servers seemed to know many of the people there, suggesting that there were many “regulars.” And the other diners (and drinkers) at Chief’s were friendly – the people at the next table would talk to me. I kept coming back, almost every week. And I started trying their other food: the tri-tip tacos, the red chili, the green chili, the pulled-pork sandwich, and the chili-rice bowls; even something as simple as a BLT is done very well at Chiefs. I am one of the regulars now, and while I seldom have a cheeseburger, I always look forward to dinner at Chief’s.

Chief’s is a “sports bar” with about 20 large television screens to watch sports. The owner is (as I understand it) part Native American, thus the name. And the owner is from Denver, so Chief’s is a Denver Broncos place (not a Kansas City Chiefs place). Here I am at the front door by the wooden Indian.

After getting the “all clear” to eat anything from my periodontist, I went to Chief’s for dinner. I should have gotten something really crunchy, like a starter of carrots, celery, and radishes (on the left). Instead, I started with a small salad, then a cheeseburger, fries, and a Coke. Yes, my favorite…and so nice to be chewing! A highlight for me is the fries – Chief’s fries are SO good. Sometimes I get the potato salad instead of the fries, also excellent.

I like so, so many things at Chief’s; here are a few:
On the left, the chili & fries, and on the right, the pulled-pork sandwich & potato salad.

I don’t have a photo of the tri-tip tacos, one of my favorite dinners. On the left is the tri-tip sandwich with swiss cheese, and I add horseradish. On the right is the BLT – simple, but done very well.

And the fish tacos are not to be forgotten. Fish tacos are served at many places in Southern California, and like the BLT, they are done well at Chief’s. And just to round out this selection of some of my dinners at Chief’s, the dinner that started it all, a cheeseburger and fries with a Coke.

Planning a Return to Thailand

I returned from my 13th yoga-focused Winter in Chiang Mai on February 12. I am leaving to return for my 14th Winter in Chiang Mai on November 12. The half-way point between those two dates was June 28, already passed. Three months and three weeks until I leave for the Kingdom again. I feel ready, but I will miss the food at Chief’s.

Next: More posts as I prepare for my 14th Winter in Chiang Mai