We went on the double decker bus tour to see where everything was and learn a bit about the zoo. We saw lots of interesting animals. Some of our favorites were the panda, hippo, and the elephants.
A couple of other highlights were the moving escalator (nice huh?)...
...and the Skyfari.
After a hot day at the zoo we headed for our beach house. It was so great! In no time the kids were on the beach! And, once again, we had more unplanned cousin time! We both came all the way to San Diego and didn't realize we had rented places .2 miles from each other!
After some beach time, we had a very late dinner at Fred's Mexican Cafe. Although some of us were falling asleep at the table, the food was delicious and it was a nice dinner!
The next day we headed for La Jolla. There was a nice little beach called the children's pool. It was perfect for digging in the sand, watching the seals, and doing a little snorkeling.
One of the coolest things about this area is all of the seals! In this picture you can see them on the left side of the rock.
After the children's pool, we went further down to another beach where I literally almost stepped on two seals because they looked like rocks on the beach. Mallory and Isaac sat and watched this guy for a long time.
It was also a great beach for snorkeling. (I was too wimpy because the water was so cold!) Mark and the kids saw lots of cool fish - many that were bright orange!
After the beach we enjoyed some delicious food at Burger Lounge - a retro, organic burger place that was delish!
That evening we enjoyed more cousin time on the beach - boogie boarding and playing in the waves.
Afterward we grilled out at our beach cottage. Fun evening!
The next day we headed for Sea World. We got there when they opened and headed straight for the Manta roller coaster. It was insane, in my opinion. But, I'm not a big thrill rider. I survived that, and next we got in line for the Shipwreck water ride. That was fun! We all got pretty wet!
The shows at Sea World were a highlight.
We hit the sea lion show,
the dolphin show,
and, of course, the Shamu show!!
After the show we met up with the Hoels for the first time that day and went on the Atlantis ride, which was a super fun ride similar to the MOA log jam ride! I even got to ride in the front car with my 5 year old nephew, Parker!! (Wish I had a good pic of that!). We really enjoyed Sea World!
We spent our last day doing lots of fun things. We started out heading to Misdion Beach for some more boogie boarding. Then we drove to Torrey Pines State Park. We went to the visitor center and from there we hiked the beautiful Beach Trail down to an amazing ocean view.
It was a great hike, with a stunning view where cliffs meet the vibrant blue ocean.
saw hang gliders,
and enjoyed a long walk along the beach
After a fun afternoon on the beach, we went back to our place to clean up. Then we rented some beach cruisers, which was really fun! We had a nice ride down the Oceanside Boardwalk.
We rode down to Belmont Park. That is a happening place! Lots of beach volleyball, surfing, shops, and restaurants.
And, of course, the Big Dipper roller coaster, which was a fun ride!
After all of that excitement, we rode out bikes back to the shop and walked to World Famous, a delicious restaurant by the Pier. It was Taco Tuesday and the shrimp tacos were to die for! Yum!
We had a nice walk back to our place, and went for a late night stroll down the bayside with a nice family from Texas. Just a perfect night!
We enjoyed our last night in San Diego
and were also celebrating our 14th Anniversary!
After packing up our place, we hit the beach one last time. We really loved San Diego. I know we'll be back because I wasn't sure Mark was going to leave b
