"That was a Golden Era".. that certainly was/ is true..
I went to San D. in '72 , for USN boot camp,...stayed there for HM "A"school, .& "C" school (Electroencephalography Tech) school.
Sent to Japan X 2 yrs, then returned to San D. for last year of USN, & stayed there for college (SDCC & SDSU)
Worked there from '81-'86..had bought my '79 FXEF & had a few dirt bikes, enjoyed the So. Calif lifestyle.
Beautiful place & few people (@ the time)..Until around '85, noticed it was starting to get crowded @ the beaches,
couldn't catch a wave w/o someone standing in front of you. Left in '87, returned to Mi., where I'd been raised, to care for aging parents w/ health issues.
Didn't return to San D. until '98..that was my last time there.
It was so dirty, & crowded it broke my heart to see how it had become "developed"
Desert area I used to ride is now fenced off as a "desert tortoise preserve " (!) (Anza Borrego Desert State Park)
Area off 805 South, near the Tecate border crossing, was canyons as far as you could see, ( another Favorite riding spot)
is now subdivisions, for as far as you can see.
No interest in going back there, was too upsetting to see the changes.
It'll never go back to that " Golden Era"...guess I'm fortunate I got to spend the time there when it was.