Southern California - San Diego Area

Because we're gluttons for punishment (or more specifically because Southwest had one of their cheap airfare specials), we flew straight from St. Louis to San Diego.  Here we toured San Diego for a couple of days, then headed north to see LEGOLAND and Disneyland before flying back.  Now that Sarah had finished her work obligations, she was able to join us on our adventures.

 

First up is Sea World.  The girls love petting areas in the tidal pool.

Stopping by to check out Sarah's favorite animal.

Well, I guess technically these two are her favorite animals, though
sea turtles are a close second.

Vanessa wanted to ride one of those log flume-esque water roller
coaster rides, so I took Elizabeth on the Skycar.

We had a great view of the San Diego area.

And luckily we got back just in time to see Sarah and
Vanessa get really wet on their ride.

Yea, they're a bit wet.

 

Of course the girls love any chance to bounce.

Elizabeth shows off her form.

 

Vanessa is old enough now that she started bouncing for
distance and/or height, not just balance.

We took a little break to play in the fountains.

 

One of my favorite shows at Sea World is the pet show.
Here the girls meet of the pig stars.

Our silly penguins.

They had a nice day at Sea World, still smiling at the end.

The next day we went to see the USS Midway, an old US Aircraft Carrier docked in
San Diego that is open to the public.  Vanessa and Elizabeth were intrigued by the triple bunk beds.

Taking a little rest.

Further in the tour Elizabeth tries her knot tying skills.

I pity the troops using the surveillance picture provided by this E-2C.

 

Nothing like flying a real plane.

After the Midway, we drove over to Coronado for lunch and sight seeing.  We didn't bring a lot of suncreen, but we wanted to see the beach for a little bit.

The girls got to see what an expert sand castle looks like.

The Hotel del Coronado was beautiful.  Maybe we'll have to stay there on a return trip sometime.

Some tidal pool action.

We even got to see a wedding.

The next day, we met a friend from Vanessa's kindergarten class named Devin that had moved out to the San Diego area.

Snack time while we wait for them to bring the elephants around for feeding and grooming.

The gang just hanging out.

The girls love face paint.

 

I'm not a big fan of face painting, but I'm a bit more of a pushover on vacation.

 

The next day, we started north to head to LEGOLAND and Disneyland.  On the way we stopped at La Jolla, one of my favorite spots as a kid.  First up was the Children's Pool to see the seals.  Now of course, we weren't about ready to wade in seal poop covered water and go swimming and bother the animals like some folks seemed bound and determined to.  But we figured we could walk along the edge to see them.  The smell is, shall we say, unique?

Living on the edge.

This is about as close as we were going to get.

After rinsing our feet, it time to head up top and check out the views.

Elizabeth points out some seals that she sees in the water.

What a nice family!

 

Sarah said that she liked to climb these trees when she came here as a kid.

 

It was about here when I found the sign that says no climbing.  The kids didn't like listening to their rule-oriented dad.

Finally, we stopped by the tidal pool area to watch the waves break on the rocks.  Sarah got a nice up close and personal view.