THE SAN DIEGO ZOO

The zoo in San Diego is by any one's standards, a world class facility, with a world class reputation. It had been about 17 years since Patty and I last visited this magnificent collection of plants and animals, and except for the large crowds, it was a thoroughly enjoyable day.

The first picture shows the long lines waiting to buy tickets into the zoo, and that was only the beginning. The popularity of the zoo has created both a good and a bad. The good is that with a high admission price ($42 adult), the zoo has a lot of capitol for animal care, research, and infrastructure expansion. The bad is the admission price, and the huge numbers of people.

Lunch time at the Zoo.

We started the morning with a bus tour of the zoo, sitting on the top of the Double Decker Bus. I paid the upgraded ticket price of $59, which got us to the front of the huge line waiting to board the buses. It also got us admission into the 4D theater which featured a a 15 minute 3D movie, incorporating moving seats, air, bubbles, water, and a couple of snowfalls. Very cool experience.

Riding the sky ride from one end of the Zoo to the other.

3 silly seals in the ice pack.

You won't see a lot of animal pictures, despite the fact that there are approx. 4,000 creatures at the San Diego Zoo. However, I did take a few shots of the Giant Pandas, after we waited in a line for 15-20 minutes. This zoo is one of only two in the U.S. that I know of, with a Giant Panda exhibit. I could be wrong, but I think the National Zoo in D.C. is the only other place. Both of the Pandas on display were sleeping, but at least they were out in the open.

There's only a few places in the world where you can see a real live Giant Panda.

Laila with her new genuine San Diego Zoo Penny, right out of Grandpa's pocket.

It was around 3 pm, when we all decided that we had just about enough walking for the day, and so we headed for the exit. If you've never been to the San Diego Zoo, one thing to consider is the fact that there's lots of ups and downs. The facility is built on acreage that is anything but flat, so a day of walking here, is more like several days of walking at other zoo's.

On the way out, we made one last stop in the gift shop, where Laila picked out the stuffed animal pictured below. "Squeaky" is the new addition to the family, and with Laila's other new addition "Princess" the unicorn, there was lots of 3 way conversations going on in the back seat of the jeep, on the ride back to the motor home.

When it was time for dinner, Laila and Grandma fixed some twirly squash, while I BBQ'd some steaks. After dinner, we took a leisurely stroll around the park, ending up back at the motor home, long after the sun had set.

Not sure where our destination is today, but we're not in a big hurry. The Sea World and the Zoo days were early riser days. Today is a lazy morning day, with no urgency to get anywhere. So, after breakfast, I'm sure we'll find a new adventure, somewhere.

LIFE'S A BEACH

The first goal of the day was to not be in a big hurry to do anything. We all slept in a little bit (5:30 is sleeping in for me), then took our time getting ready to head out for the next big adventure. The destination yesterday was the Coronado area, and some time at the beach.

Grandpa fixed some scrambled eggs, with cheese & honey ham, which turned into a sort of egg McMuffin for Laila. So far, Grandpa is 3 for 3 on fixing a breakfast that Laila finishes. After Grandma put all of that beautiful hair into a big ponytail, we jumped in the jeep, and headed for Coronado.

There's about a 5 mile stretch of state beach on the narrow strip of land that connects the mainland with the town of Coronado, and the big Naval facility at the tip of the peninsula. After I mistakenly put a $20 bill into the machine that spits out a parking pass, thinking that I was paying $6 to park, I realized that the fine print stated "No Change Given". Did I feel any better, thinking that I had just contributed to helping solve California's fiscal problems - heck no. I should have followed my original instinct of taking my chances on a parking ticket, and not even walking over to the darn machine!

Once on the beach, Grandma & Laila went off in search of shells, and any other treasures that they could find, while I staked out a spot in the sand. This was another one of those picture perfect weather days, with mild temperatures, and lots of sunshine. We remembered the sunblock this time.

Someone left this sand castle for others to admire, and Laila makes the sculpture even more special.

"Watch out for the big waves Grandma".

Doesn't every kid like to play in the mud?

After a couple of hours at the beach, we drove farther north on the Coronado Peninsula, and one of the first things that you see is the world famous Hotel Del Coronado. This iconic structure was built in 1888, entirely out of wood, and has been maintained to perfection over the last century.

We didn't stop at the hotel, just cruised through the valet parking area to get a few pictures. It was just a little bit farther to the downtown area of Coronado, where I did park, and we walked around, checking out all of the shops. We found a shirt, and a purse with a unicorn for Laila, then drove around Coronado, before heading back to the mainland via the big bridge.

We were back at the Thousand Trails by mid afternoon, and the heated pool was the next destination. It was a warmer day, and the pool was quite a bit more crowded than yesterday. Grandpa jumped in the pool, and Laila rode around for awhile on my back, while we dodged kids and spray guns.

After homemade pizza that Grandma & Laila fixed, we watched an old classic movie entitled "Where the red fern grows". When that was over, it was time for bed, and the end of a fun filled day.

Grandpa's feet, and the pink noodle form a perfect picture frame.

SEA WORLD SAN DIEGO

No sleeping in yesterday morning. We were on the road to Sea World at 8:30 am. Only one "are we there yet" during the 30 minute drive through downtown San Diego. Upon arrival, we were quickly in the gate, and headed toward the first ride of the day, the mad teacups.

The rest of the day, until about 3 pm, was a mad dash from one attraction to the next, mixed in with a few rides and lunch. We saw 3 shows featuring Dolphins, Orcas, Sea Lions, and a River Otter.

The Blue Horizon show was pretty spectacular, featuring dolphins, aerial acrobats, and high divers. We all agreed, this show was the most entertaining!

Watching these huge animals jumping out of the water was pretty awesome. Shamu has been entertaining folks here at Sea World for a long time, and the stadium was completely full. I did notice one change from the last time I watched a Killer Whale show when the trainers used to go in the water with the animals. Not this time. Probably not since the incident where one of the trainers was drowned.

Miss Laila sat on my lap for most of the stadium shows, and by doing so, had a better view of the action in the water. We had a full day of sunshine, with almost perfect temperatures in the mid 70's. Life is good!

When the first "I'm hungry" was heard, naturally it was at the height of the lunch hour, and the lines were very long. We found one eatery where the wait was only about 10-15 minutes, and Laila and Grandpa dined on chicken and fries, while Grandma had a salad.

One of Laila's favorite activities turned out to be the huge web of netting, where the kids climbed all over the place. At the upper levels, there were tunnels, and buildings that connected everything together. This playground on steroids was so big, it was hard to keep track of where she was, as her movement was perpetual motion.

This giant air bag was almost like a trampoline, as the kids bounced from one side to the other.

The Sea Lion show was pretty funny, featuring two of the Sea World veterans, plus a Sea Otter.

We were entertained by the Sea Lions at this large enclosure, as they begged for small fish that people were throwing. Some of these guys were pretty inventive with their begging techniques. The guy on the rock had a loud voice, and when he decided to use it, everyone payed attention.

When we returned to the Thousand Trails, it was still warm, so, with bathing suits on, we headed over to the heated pool for some water time. We had not seen Laila swim, and she certainly isn't afraid of the water, as she was all over the pool. After about an hour in the water, it was dinner time, so we headed back to the motor home.

It was a busy day, and by the time we watched the movie Cats and Dogs on DVD, we were all ready for bed time. Not sure where we're headed today, but I know we're not in as big a hurry as we were yesterday.

BALBOA PARK

Parked at the Pio Pico Thousand Trails, near Jamul, CA (E/of San Diego).

Our first day on the San Diego adventure was started with Laila's favorite breakfast item, Grandpa's "Mickey Mouse" pancake. She gobbled up two of these before we piled into the jeep, and set off for Balboa Park in downtown San Diego.

After some serious frizzy hair fixing by Grandma, Laila posed for a picture, with her "My Mom Rocks" shirt front and center. From where we're parked, it's about a 30 minute drive into San Diego, short enough not to hear those most famous words, "are we there yet"? Our destination was Balboa Park, home to the world famous San Diego Zoo. Because we had a leisurely morning, I decided to save the zoo for another day where we'll get an earlier start.

Our first stop was at the 1910 Carousel , one of the last in existence that still offers a chance to grab the brass ring. We rode this authentic merry-go-round twice, with Laila on a dog the first time, and on a horse the second time.

It's often interesting, how certain smells can transport you back in time, to places that are associated with certain aroma's. While inside this mostly all wood structure, if I closed my eyes, I would have sworn that I was inside the carousel at the Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk. While growing up in Santa Cruz County, the boardwalk was a place that I knew quite well.

If there's one thing that's a given, if a train ride is anywhere nearby, Grandpa can sniff it out in a heartbeat. So it was with the Balboa Park Railroad. We only had to walk a short distance from the Carousel, to the train station, and we soon heard that very familiar "All Aboard".

The train ride was about one half mile, and it didn't last very long, but put me on just about anything that travels over steel rails, and I'm a happy camper. The 1950 era diesel engines were authentic down to the last detail, and it's neat to see that kids of all ages are still enjoying these miniature park railroads.

Laila picked the seat right behind the engineer.

When Laila saw the balloon artist, one of the sculptures caught her eye, and she decided that it needed to go home with us. We watched with awe, as this guy created a combination bear and flower, and the finished product is displayed below. Always interested in the business side of just about everything, I asked this individual if he had to rent his little space. His reply was that it was based on a monthly lottery among street vendors. Two years ago, he won a permit for all 12 months. Last year he only scored a permit for 3 months. I guess times are tough for even the unconventional worker.

Laila with her new air filled toy.

This little yellow bucket spun around, and it didn't take Laila very long to figure out how to make it go, with just a little leg action. She kept coming back to this very simple fixture, and there was often a line of kids waiting to get themselves dizzy.

By the time we got back to the motor home, it was time to BBQ some chicken, and when that was done, Laila & Grandma played a card game while I watched the Las Vegas Drag Race. At my oldest son Michael's request, who's still in Afghanistan, I joined he, his brother Marc, and two other guys in a fantasy drag racing league. After the first weeks race in Gainesville, FL, I was in first place. After yesterdays race, the drivers I picked didn't do very well, and my top dawg position is in serious jeopardy.

This morning, we're headed for Sea World. Hope it's a sunny day like yesterday.

ARE WE THERE YET?

It was exactly one hour and 5 minutes into our 8 am departure from the Desert Diamond Casino in Tucson, before we heard the big question. Over the next 7 1/2 hours, on our drive to the San Diego area, it's safe to say we might have heard that question just a few more times.

The drive across the desert of southern Arizona & California was pretty routine, just a little longer than someone would have liked. Armed with more electronic devices than Grandpa even knew existed, they only served to occupy part of the time, as we headed westbound on Interstate 8.

Early in the morning yesterday, before we left Tucson.

My co-pilot was seriously into one of her games.

According to my GPS, the total mileage yesterday was 393, and at this point, we still had 326 to go. We made a couple of stops, one for fuel at the Flying J ($4.08 for diesel), and one for a doggie break, but other than that, it was pretty much a mindset of lets get there before it's too late in the day.

During the course of our all day drive, we had to stop at 3 check points. 2 were courtesy of the Border Patrol, and one was the California Agricultural Inspection just west of Yuma. The illegal alien issue requires the Border Patrol to be pro-active, and I have no problem with stopping at any of their inspections. The California Agricultural inspections are a different matter entirely. We have driven in 49 of the 50 states in our motor home, and CA is the only state with these inspection stations. They even have these checkpoints out in the boon tulle's, on secondary highways where you enter CA. If you're in a car or pickup, they almost always just wave you through. But, if you're in an RV, that's a completely different story. Every RV has guess what? If you said a refrigerator, you would be correct.

So, as I pulled into the inspection station, I almost knew what the predictable question would be.
"Do you have any fruits or vegetables"? "Oh, yes, we have a refrigerator". When the lady came inside, and told Patty that she was confiscating a lemon, I just shook my head. No wonder the state is broke. The millions of dollars spent to support all of these inspection stations, just so they can keep an evil lemon from wreaking havoc, if allowed to cross the border, is almost laughable. Enough of that!

Gracie jumped up and stayed with Laila twice during the trip.

The second Border Patrol check stop, not too far east of San Diego.

After we arrived at the Thousand Trails, we explored a little bit of the park, and discovered a playground, and lots of B U N N I E S. We don't say that word around Sami, so the code word is B. We also saw lots of S Q U I R R E L S. That's another word that's taboo, so our second code is SQ. Laila was speaking the special code for the rest of the day. During our first walk with Sami, somehow she didn't see any of those critters, but when she does, the Beagle howl will be loud and clear.

Today, after Grandpa fixes the requested pancakes, we're off to Balboa Park to see what new adventures we can discover.