Spring Break: Southern California (Part 1)

In mid-March we piled up the Mazda and headed west for the coast.  It took 14 hours total with one overnight stop in Phoenix.  The kids were super travelers and we remarked over and over how driving in our own vehicle with stops where and when we wanted to was so much more enjoyable (and affordable) than air travel with a party of 4.  We rented a condo right across from this beach in the village of La Jolla north of San Diego.  It has to be one of the most beautiful places I have been to in the U.S.  We fell in love with the little sandy coves along the miles of coastal walking paths, the seals and sea lions that lounged all over the beaches, the interesting water birds and plants.  We ate fresh caught seafood every night and visited kid-friendly parks every day.

We sought out the La Jolla farmers market on Sunday on the recommendation of some friends and the kids gorged themselves on fresh picked berries.  There was a plethora of ethnic food stands which Phil and I were happy about.

While Jack took his nap in the afternoons, the rest of us would sit out on the sunny patio and read, practice violin (Sasha), soak in the hot tub, and play Sorry or Uno.  Sorry is an obsession of Sasha's currently.

On Monday we went to Sea World in San Diego.  Sasha loved the rides, shows, and other attractions.  We had to coerce Jack to go on his first ride  but he eventually enjoyed it as well.  Sasha always wanted to sit in the "Soak Zone" for the shows but didn't love getting water in her face when we actually got soaked!

Sasha going to town on a smoked turkey leg.  You can never predict what this picky girl is going to like!

On Tuesday we went to the Wild Animal Safari Park in Escondido.  This was my personal favorite of all the parks we visited.    Getting to see the baby rhino on the safari part where we were in these open tour buses in the "savannah" was the highlight for me.

Sasha with her souvenir, "Laura" the rainbow lorakeet.

Brushing the goats in the petting zoo.

On Wednesday we went to the San Diego Zoo.  Wow!  It's not just another zoo to be sure.  We could have spent 3 days there to see everything.

Our last afternoon in La Jolla we walked a long way along the coast stopping to splash in the waves or explore the tidal pools at various beaches along the way--enjoying the serentity and natural beauty of this small corner of the world before kicking it up a notch at Disneyland for Part 2 of Spring Break.