My sister-in-law, Kym, found out that every October San Diego offered free admission to kids at most of its attractions. When I heard about it, I immediately wanted to take our family. I visited San Diego when I was a kid and had so many great memories from the trip. However, we had already traveled so much this year that I tried to put it in the back of my mind. One night we were talking with the Olsons, and I mentioned it. They immediately suggested that we go during Fall Break with both of our families. We have been wanting to do a trip with them, so we spontaneously decided to do it!
We spent the next few weeks planning, reserving hotel rooms, and purchasing tickets to our chosen attractions. Finally, Fall Break arrived. The kids were so excited, and so was I! Jonathon was happy to go, but it was a little tougher for him since he had to miss one of his classes. He was so nice to sacrifice for us.
We drove half-way and stayed in Las Vegas on Tuesday night. We stayed in the Marriott, which was amazing! Of course, the first thing the kids wanted to do was jump in the pool, even though it was already 8:00pm. We obliged and had a fun time swimming and sitting in the hot tub. The Olsons couldn't leave that day because of school, so they were going to drive the whole way on Wednesday. We would meet up at the hotel the next night.
We ate breakfast and left the hotel the next morning and headed to San Diego. On the way, we stopped and ate lunch with Crista, who lives in Riverside. We played a little bocce ball with her and let the kids stretch their legs before continuing on. The drive was easy and uneventful. I am so grateful that our kids are such excellent travelers!
Since we arrived in San Diego in the early afternoon, we decided to head to a few places before going to the hotel. We first went to the San Diego temple. I knew that it was being renovated, but I didn't realize that even the grounds would be closed. That was a bit of a bummer, but at least we got to see it and show the kids how beautiful it is.
After the temple, we headed to Cabrillo National Monument. Apparently, it is one of the best beaches around San Diego to see tide pools. When we arrived it was super foggy, to the point we could hardly see the ocean when we were approaching, but it cleared up later in our visit. We stopped at the Visitor's Center first and learned a little about the history of the area. The park commemorates the landing of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, a Spanish explorer that first landed in San Diego Bay way back in 1542. Then we hiked up to the little light house there.
After that, it was time to head to the tide pools. The park actually closed before low tide, but it was low enough to see some pretty cool stuff. We hiked down on the rocks and looked for the little animals living in the tidal zone. We saw lots of little crabs, some anemones, sea cucumbers, and other sea creatures. One of the coolest things about the experience was a big area of rock covered in algae. It was the most amazing color of bright neon green that I have ever seen in nature. We didn't have long before the park closed, but it was long enough to enjoy the pools.
After the tide pools, we headed to the Mormon Battalion Museum. The museum has been completely renovated in the last few years, and I was surprised to see how amazing it was. The whole experience was completely immersive and so well done. Sister missionaries served as the tour guides, and they led everyone into different rooms as they told the story of the Mormon Battalion.
Right off the bat, we sat down, and the pictures on the wall started talking. It caught me completely off-guard and reminded me of Harry Potter. I was hooked from the get-go. We then moved into a room where we watched a movie and the kids got to play instruments along with one of the songs. The next room was set up like a log cabin, and a child volunteer got to try on a soldier's uniform. Then we moved to a room set up like the prairie. We sat on some old boxes and listened to a story about a buffalo stampede, complete with sound effects and shaking boxes. The final room was set up like an old church where the pictures on the wall finished up the story. The kids were entranced the whole time. I loved the interactive experience. When the official tour was over, we got an old-time picture taken, got to look at some artifacts in the museum, and then got to pan for gold outside. It was 45 minutes very well spent.
We were all starving by that point, so we grabbed some dinner and then headed to the hotel. I wasn't sure what the hotel would be like since we had only seen it online, but we were so happy to find out that it was in a great location and was an awesome place to stay. As usual, the kids wanted to go swimming before bed, so we let them. We figured that swimming at the pool was often the kids' favorite part of vacations, so we might as well let them enjoy it as often as possible.
The whole set up of the hotel was awesome. It had an open-air lounge area with tables, couches, a two-sided fireplace, and a huge TV. That area was connected by a gate to the pool area. There was also a hot tub, which was where I spent most of my time while the kids did canon balls and reverse vids. After swimming, we headed up to get ready for bed.
That's when we got the text from Jared and Michelle that they were having car troubles. At that point, they were only to Saint George and had no idea what they were going to do. Sad! We felt terrible for them because they had already purchased tickets to the zoo and paid for the hotel. Plus, we were really looking forward to hanging out with them on vacation, but it just wasn't meant to be. We found out the next morning that their van was beyond repair. They decided to limp it home and buy a new car. Bummer!
It was too bad that the Olson's couldn't join us, but we were determined to still have an amazing vacation. The next morning we went to Sea World. It had been over 20 years since I went last, so I had no idea what to expect. I was actually quite nervous when we went in that it would be a waste of money because it was pretty small and didn't have a whole lot of attractions. We saw the dolphins and then went to a sea lion show that pretty much bombed. The sea lions were in a bad mood that day and refused to do what their trainers wanted. It was so funny, and I just had to laugh because they were acting so much like naughty little children. Haha! Next we went to the orca show. That one show made the entire day and all the money we paid worth it. It was incredible! We sat in the splash zone because the kids really wanted to. It ended up being super fun because we were so close to all the action. The killer whales were so cool. They performed tricks, responded perfectly to their trainers, and were so majestic. I loved every single thing about it! One of my memories from going as a child was when Daniel (who was only 3 or 4 at the time) was asked if he wanted to help participate in the show by sitting on an orca's back. He was far too scared to do it, so we still tease him about it today. They no longer have audience volunteers touch the orcas, but it was still amazing.
We got some super yummy funnel cake and pineapple ice cream at the park before heading to the rides. My kids have never been to Lagoon or Disneyland, so I wasn't sure how much they would enjoy the rides. It turns out that it was a perfect introduction to amusement parks for them. The rides were pretty mild, with only a few big scary ones. I didn't think that the boys would even want to try the scarier ones, but they surprised me again by wanting to go on "Journey to Atlantis," a roller coaster. Even Hyrum wanted to go, so Jonathon and I took turns going with them. One of the great things about Sea World is that there weren't very many people there, so the lines were really short. We hardly waited at all. The kids loved the ride and were so proud of themselves for going. Hyrum was so small that I was afraid he might fly right out on the big steep splashdown, but he did great. We did a few more rides, including a river rafting ride (twice), another roller coaster, and some kid rides for Hyrum. Overall, it was a wonderful day.
We were pretty tired by that point, but it was our only chance to go to the beach, so we took it! Emily suggested we go to La Jolla Shores beach because it was kid friendly and really nice. We took her advice, and it was perfect. The kids tried boogey boarding with Jonathon for a while. The water was a little cold, but not freezing like the Oregon Coast. They played in the water for almost an hour. I enjoyed sitting on the beach watching the sunset. It was so gorgeous. It is moments like those that I wonder why we don't live by a beach. It was all so serene and peaceful.
When we returned back to the hotel, we ordered pizza and hung out by the pool again. It was a perfect day.The next morning, we got up early and headed to the U.S.S. Midway museum, right on the ocean. It was an original aircraft carrier that was built in the 1940's and later turned into a museum when it was taken out of service. We thought it would be really neat seeing it because Jonathon's grandfather served in the navy during World War II. It seemed like a nice way to connect with our history and better understand a little of what he went through.
The experience was unreal. Each person got their own headset with an audio tour. The kids got to fill out a little worksheet during the tour, and could earn their "wings" if they completed it. It was the perfect way to keep them involved the whole time. We were able to tour the entire ship, from the command center to the mess hall to the flight deck. The crew's quarters were so incredibly small, with very little space for any personal belongings. It was amazing to see how they had to live.
Another favorite moment was when we got to ride in the flight simulator. Each of us got a chance to go in pairs. We were able to take the controls, steer the "plane," and try to shoot down enemies. Jonathon and Christian started with a fairly easy ride because he was nervous, but Andrew and I went a little crazy and went upside down and all around. It was so fun!
When we were done at the Midway, we headed to the San Diego Zoo. We debated over and over if we wanted to do the Zoo or the Wild Animal Park, but in the end, the zoo was a lot closer and more convenient. We were all tired by the time we got there, so we took the opportunity to ride the tour bus all around the zoo. It ended up being a perfect way to see the zoo in a much shorter time. Hyrum really wanted to ride on the top of the bus, so Jonathon was nice enough to take him up there. We saw lions and tigers and bears, oh my! We also saw giraffes, rhinos, koalas, gorillas, and much much more. At the end, we walked to the far end of the park and took the Sky Tram back to the entrance. We only spent a few hours there, but it was just the right amount for us. And thankfully, all the kids got in free, so it was relatively inexpensive too!
When we got back to the hotel, we went swimming again (surprise, surprise!), ordered Panda Express for dinner, and then watched The Great British Baking Show as a family before bed. The next morning, we ate the yummy continental breakfast, and then drove all the way home. Aside from the Olson's car trouble, it really was the perfect trip. We loved spending the week together as a family, and San Diego met all of our expectations! We definitely want to do it again sometime!
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