12 April 2007
What a trip...
I wanted to write a post vacation blog to sum up my experiences. If you are not interested that's fine, you can skip to my next blog.
Like with my trip to Yellowstone I took some pictures of my travels but I will only post those I can find on the Internet for now.
As I mentioned in my last blog we left on Friday [March 30] right after I got off of work. But before I get to deep into the story of my trip I wanted to share with you a little tool I used to plan this vacation.
It helped me find restaurants and other stops along the way as well as great maps to get from spot to spot. I started using this after I had already made reservations but I still found it helpful.
As you can see from the Trip planner, out first stop was in Cedar City. We had considered staying in St. George but the prices were higher there. Staying in Cedar also saved me from driving so far after having worked all day. [I know, I sound like my dad but sadly it is true]
One of my favorite parts of I-15 is the Virgin River Gorge just outside of Utah...
...in the small section of the freeway that passes through Arizona.
The north fork of the Virgin river flows through Zions National Park.
This is the same river that flooded its banks in 2005...
...and took several homes with it.
--------------
We arrived in La Jolla much later than I had expected. I received several different recommendations to take I-215, which swings out toward Riverside and San Bernardino and avoids traffic from L.A. but the route is under construction and the detours slowed our progress.
We stayed at the Embassy Suites La Jolla which was a mistake for two reasons. 1. We had to pay $17 a night to park the van, and 2. Now my children will never want to stay in a regular hotel again!!! The suites were very nice and they had a free custom ordered breakfast every morning. We had plenty of room for us and the kids. Besides the parking fee my only other complaint was that the hotel seems to host high school teams for several different sports. We felt chased out of the pool by the players every night and one of the La Crosse players knocked over the condiment table for omelets on Monday morning. Grr!
After settling into our room we went to explore the beaches of La Jolla and San Diego. I thought it would be fun to see the sunset over the ocean.
We ended up driving down the coast through Mission Beach past Sea World and into Old Town.
We ate at the Rockin' Baja Lobster it was in a building with an open courtyard the weather was cool enough we needed the heat lamp that was placed closely by our table. There are several restaurants in Old Town but we had decided we wanted Mexican food and we saw a little shop with women making handmade flour tortillas. Public parking was cramped so when we got out of the lot I noticed some families going into the Rockin' Baja so we followed them instead. I enjoyed my meal but with the kids meals and tip we spent nearly $100.
It was dark when we came across the temple on our way back to the hotel.
It was late when we got back to La Jolla and we had to park in the P.F. Chang's parking lot [which has the bottom floor of the parking terrace] because the rest of the lot was full.
----------
Sunday morning ended up being the lightest line for the free breakfast. We planned on spending the day at the beach but we woke up to a thick fog that didn't start to clear until 11:30.
We decided to get in the van and go to the La Jolla Beaches and see how warm it was.
We checked out Children's beach but there was a cool breeze and the seals were all sleeping on the beach.
It didn't seem like the fog was going to clear so I suggested driving up to Carlsbad because I remember the beaches looking like this.
The problem was that as soon as we got into Carlsbad all we could see was this.
Apparently every year Carlsbad City hosts a race called the Carlsbad 5000. This year they had over 10,000 runners in town for the race.
[I should have got a shirt!]
Well, as easy as it was to get into Carlsbad, it was nearly impossible to get out of town. What a bummer! I was convinced that Heavenly Father let me get into this mess because we were missing General Conference.
After we finally got out of Carlsbad we decided to go to Ocean Beach. My wife had spent time there as a child and I had heard it was a nice sandy beach with easy access and great waves.
The only problem with Ocean Beach was trying to park. But after we circled the parking lot 7 times we finally got a spot near the bathrooms and the life guard tower.
We had a great time. The kids played in the waves, made sand castles, dug nearly bottomless pits, and helped their dad find shells. We also got to watch the lifeguard run out into the water to help surfers avoid the riptide about 70 times!!! [Think David Hasselhoff instead of Pamela Anderson].
We spend the rest of the afternoon at the beach and started to leave just as the breeze came back. We decided that for the rest of the day we would explore a little. We headed south along the coast from Ocean Beach until we were forced into a neighborhood.
[Thanks Google]
After we crested the hill up the steepest road I have ever driven on there was a sign for Cabrillo National Monument. So we decided to follow the sign. The road led into Fort Rosecrans and through Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.
As we approached the National Monument we noticed that the road to the tide pools was blocked off because it had closed, Drats!!! But we drove out to the point and could see across San Diego Bay to downtown and all of Coronado.
The buildings and paths around the monument were under construction and we were really looking for a place with picnic tables to we decided to head toward Coronado.
The drive back through Fort Rosecrans was a much better view of the Cemetery. It was very emotional and beautiful. After we got off of Point Loma we ended up driving past the Air Port and the open bay. There we saw the Aircraft Carrier USS Nimitz.
[You can see Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery at the top of the picture in the background.]
As we rounded the corner we could the Maritime Museum of San Diego.
We stopped to use the restrooms and tried to find a picnic table but had no luck.
It was starting to get late so we decided to head to Balboa Park and eat there. In the 'which vacation post', I blogged a lot about Balboa. My memory of the park was not as keen once we got there. I remembered the buildings, the zoo, the roads, but not the way everything was laid out. So we tried to find a picnic table, who would have thought that other people would be doing the same thing on a Sunday afternoon?!?
We managed to find a small open area with several open tables. As we got out of the van we realized that we were next to the Drum Circle. Bummer!!!
We ate quickly and decided that we did not have a contact high yet so it was OK for me to drive. We returned to La Jolla, bathed the kids and put them to bed. Then we watched the news and saw that there was a major sewage spill in Carlsbad lagoon and it contaminated the beach.
[I guess all those runners ate a few carbs before the race!]
We also learned that the Aircraft Carrier USS Nimitz was deploying to the Persian Gulf the next day. I am impressed we had seen it that day.
-------------
Monday was 'Sea World day'. It all started with a La Crosse Player spilling the omelet goody table. Then I waited in line for half an hour to get the tickets to get into the park. While standing in the ticket line a guy with a megaphone was warning us that the wait for the shows and rides inside the park would be up to two hours.
We rushed in and barely got seats to see Shamu.
Then we rushed over and didn't make it to the Walrus-seal-sea lion show. After a quick diaper change we made a mad dash to the Dolphin Show. We should have sat in the splash zone. It was so hot!!!
Then we went to the Walrus-seal-sea lion show. After another potty break we went to see the Shark Exhibit.
Wheew!!!! At mid afternoon the breeze started to blow and people began leaving the park in droves. I realize now we never had to wait in line for anything except the tickets to get in, the Shark encounter and 'the haunted lighthouse 3D'. We didn't even have to wait for lunch.
We finished the day with the nighttime Shamu show and fire works.
We drove straight back to La Jolla, had to park in P.F. Chang's again and put the kids to bed. My wife and I ordered some P.F. Chang takeout and then I crashed with the TV still on.
----------
Tuesday was 'get our butts to Vegas day' but we didn't want to leave San Diego. So we drove over to the Temple and took some pictures. A sister missionary gave us a pamphlet for the Mormon Battalion Museum in Old Town so we went and checked it out.
..ageshack.us/img63/4788/mormonbattalionmuseumkg5.jpg">
We left Old Town and slid back to the Maritime Museum and visited the gift shop and then we ate at Anthony's Fishette.
We made out way to I-15 with a quick stop in Balboa Park at the Boy Scouts of America shop. After settling the kids in for the 'Harry Potter Marathon' we didn't get into our room in the Luxor until about 11 pm.
------------------------
We slept in on Wednesday. I think it had sunk in that regular life starts again the next day. We left the Luxor and went to Caesar's Palace and the Forum Shops. We ate at The Cheesecake Factory and shopped at FAO Schwarz. We left Vegas and made a mad dash to Beaver. Yes Beaver, Utah. If you don't know why I'm pretty sure you wouldn't understand. Anyhow, we got there about half and hour to late :(
We made it to Provo just before 9 and into Ogden around 10:30.
Wheeeeeewww!!
-----------
Looking back on my decision between Highway 89 and I-15 one of the factors was that we wouldn't have to drive as much in San Diego because everything was closer. We also wanted to avoid the crowds of 4x4s in Southern Utah. I guess the trade off was Spring break in California, with about 2,000,000 more people and La Crosse players to deal with. hmmmmm......
We enjoyed our trip to San Diego but I think my heart remains with Highway 89.
Thanks for letting me share my experiences with you. 1000 points for making it to the end of this blog!!
Like with my trip to Yellowstone I took some pictures of my travels but I will only post those I can find on the Internet for now.
As I mentioned in my last blog we left on Friday [March 30] right after I got off of work. But before I get to deep into the story of my trip I wanted to share with you a little tool I used to plan this vacation.
It helped me find restaurants and other stops along the way as well as great maps to get from spot to spot. I started using this after I had already made reservations but I still found it helpful.
As you can see from the Trip planner, out first stop was in Cedar City. We had considered staying in St. George but the prices were higher there. Staying in Cedar also saved me from driving so far after having worked all day. [I know, I sound like my dad but sadly it is true]
One of my favorite parts of I-15 is the Virgin River Gorge just outside of Utah...
...in the small section of the freeway that passes through Arizona.
The north fork of the Virgin river flows through Zions National Park.
This is the same river that flooded its banks in 2005...
...and took several homes with it.
--------------
We arrived in La Jolla much later than I had expected. I received several different recommendations to take I-215, which swings out toward Riverside and San Bernardino and avoids traffic from L.A. but the route is under construction and the detours slowed our progress.
We stayed at the Embassy Suites La Jolla which was a mistake for two reasons. 1. We had to pay $17 a night to park the van, and 2. Now my children will never want to stay in a regular hotel again!!! The suites were very nice and they had a free custom ordered breakfast every morning. We had plenty of room for us and the kids. Besides the parking fee my only other complaint was that the hotel seems to host high school teams for several different sports. We felt chased out of the pool by the players every night and one of the La Crosse players knocked over the condiment table for omelets on Monday morning. Grr!
After settling into our room we went to explore the beaches of La Jolla and San Diego. I thought it would be fun to see the sunset over the ocean.
We ended up driving down the coast through Mission Beach past Sea World and into Old Town.
We ate at the Rockin' Baja Lobster it was in a building with an open courtyard the weather was cool enough we needed the heat lamp that was placed closely by our table. There are several restaurants in Old Town but we had decided we wanted Mexican food and we saw a little shop with women making handmade flour tortillas. Public parking was cramped so when we got out of the lot I noticed some families going into the Rockin' Baja so we followed them instead. I enjoyed my meal but with the kids meals and tip we spent nearly $100.
It was dark when we came across the temple on our way back to the hotel.
It was late when we got back to La Jolla and we had to park in the P.F. Chang's parking lot [which has the bottom floor of the parking terrace] because the rest of the lot was full.
----------
Sunday morning ended up being the lightest line for the free breakfast. We planned on spending the day at the beach but we woke up to a thick fog that didn't start to clear until 11:30.
We decided to get in the van and go to the La Jolla Beaches and see how warm it was.
We checked out Children's beach but there was a cool breeze and the seals were all sleeping on the beach.
It didn't seem like the fog was going to clear so I suggested driving up to Carlsbad because I remember the beaches looking like this.
The problem was that as soon as we got into Carlsbad all we could see was this.
Apparently every year Carlsbad City hosts a race called the Carlsbad 5000. This year they had over 10,000 runners in town for the race.
[I should have got a shirt!]
Well, as easy as it was to get into Carlsbad, it was nearly impossible to get out of town. What a bummer! I was convinced that Heavenly Father let me get into this mess because we were missing General Conference.
After we finally got out of Carlsbad we decided to go to Ocean Beach. My wife had spent time there as a child and I had heard it was a nice sandy beach with easy access and great waves.
The only problem with Ocean Beach was trying to park. But after we circled the parking lot 7 times we finally got a spot near the bathrooms and the life guard tower.
We had a great time. The kids played in the waves, made sand castles, dug nearly bottomless pits, and helped their dad find shells. We also got to watch the lifeguard run out into the water to help surfers avoid the riptide about 70 times!!! [Think David Hasselhoff instead of Pamela Anderson].
We spend the rest of the afternoon at the beach and started to leave just as the breeze came back. We decided that for the rest of the day we would explore a little. We headed south along the coast from Ocean Beach until we were forced into a neighborhood.
[Thanks Google]
After we crested the hill up the steepest road I have ever driven on there was a sign for Cabrillo National Monument. So we decided to follow the sign. The road led into Fort Rosecrans and through Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.
As we approached the National Monument we noticed that the road to the tide pools was blocked off because it had closed, Drats!!! But we drove out to the point and could see across San Diego Bay to downtown and all of Coronado.
The buildings and paths around the monument were under construction and we were really looking for a place with picnic tables to we decided to head toward Coronado.
The drive back through Fort Rosecrans was a much better view of the Cemetery. It was very emotional and beautiful. After we got off of Point Loma we ended up driving past the Air Port and the open bay. There we saw the Aircraft Carrier USS Nimitz.
[You can see Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery at the top of the picture in the background.]
As we rounded the corner we could the Maritime Museum of San Diego.
We stopped to use the restrooms and tried to find a picnic table but had no luck.
It was starting to get late so we decided to head to Balboa Park and eat there. In the 'which vacation post', I blogged a lot about Balboa. My memory of the park was not as keen once we got there. I remembered the buildings, the zoo, the roads, but not the way everything was laid out. So we tried to find a picnic table, who would have thought that other people would be doing the same thing on a Sunday afternoon?!?
We managed to find a small open area with several open tables. As we got out of the van we realized that we were next to the Drum Circle. Bummer!!!
We ate quickly and decided that we did not have a contact high yet so it was OK for me to drive. We returned to La Jolla, bathed the kids and put them to bed. Then we watched the news and saw that there was a major sewage spill in Carlsbad lagoon and it contaminated the beach.
[I guess all those runners ate a few carbs before the race!]
We also learned that the Aircraft Carrier USS Nimitz was deploying to the Persian Gulf the next day. I am impressed we had seen it that day.
-------------
Monday was 'Sea World day'. It all started with a La Crosse Player spilling the omelet goody table. Then I waited in line for half an hour to get the tickets to get into the park. While standing in the ticket line a guy with a megaphone was warning us that the wait for the shows and rides inside the park would be up to two hours.
We rushed in and barely got seats to see Shamu.
Then we rushed over and didn't make it to the Walrus-seal-sea lion show. After a quick diaper change we made a mad dash to the Dolphin Show. We should have sat in the splash zone. It was so hot!!!
Then we went to the Walrus-seal-sea lion show. After another potty break we went to see the Shark Exhibit.
Wheew!!!! At mid afternoon the breeze started to blow and people began leaving the park in droves. I realize now we never had to wait in line for anything except the tickets to get in, the Shark encounter and 'the haunted lighthouse 3D'. We didn't even have to wait for lunch.
We finished the day with the nighttime Shamu show and fire works.
We drove straight back to La Jolla, had to park in P.F. Chang's again and put the kids to bed. My wife and I ordered some P.F. Chang takeout and then I crashed with the TV still on.
----------
Tuesday was 'get our butts to Vegas day' but we didn't want to leave San Diego. So we drove over to the Temple and took some pictures. A sister missionary gave us a pamphlet for the Mormon Battalion Museum in Old Town so we went and checked it out.
..ageshack.us/img63/4788/mormonbattalionmuseumkg5.jpg">
We left Old Town and slid back to the Maritime Museum and visited the gift shop and then we ate at Anthony's Fishette.
We made out way to I-15 with a quick stop in Balboa Park at the Boy Scouts of America shop. After settling the kids in for the 'Harry Potter Marathon' we didn't get into our room in the Luxor until about 11 pm.
------------------------
We slept in on Wednesday. I think it had sunk in that regular life starts again the next day. We left the Luxor and went to Caesar's Palace and the Forum Shops. We ate at The Cheesecake Factory and shopped at FAO Schwarz. We left Vegas and made a mad dash to Beaver. Yes Beaver, Utah. If you don't know why I'm pretty sure you wouldn't understand. Anyhow, we got there about half and hour to late :(
We made it to Provo just before 9 and into Ogden around 10:30.
Wheeeeeewww!!
-----------
Looking back on my decision between Highway 89 and I-15 one of the factors was that we wouldn't have to drive as much in San Diego because everything was closer. We also wanted to avoid the crowds of 4x4s in Southern Utah. I guess the trade off was Spring break in California, with about 2,000,000 more people and La Crosse players to deal with. hmmmmm......
We enjoyed our trip to San Diego but I think my heart remains with Highway 89.
Thanks for letting me share my experiences with you. 1000 points for making it to the end of this blog!!
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