Sea World + Two Travel Days

Yesterday we traveled from Ramona Canyon RV Park to KOA RV Park near Barstow. When we arrived it was hot, 101, which called for us to hit the swimming pool after we got set up. After dinner we went to the office/store to get some ice cream treats and then played a few games in the recreation room.

Today we drove from Barstow to Kingman, AZ. Not a very long drive, but enough miles for three tired travelers. It was a little cooler today, only in the low 90s. The Kingman KOA has a very nice pool and a challenging miniature golf course, both of which we enjoyed. Pat prepared a special dinner, chocolate chip pancakes, eggs, fruit, and sausage. Lassen wasn’t quite sure about having breakfast for dinner, but he gobbled down six pancakes plus all the trimmings. Tomorrow we head to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

But, I digress. What I really want to share are a few photos and comments from our day at Sea World (Tuesday). I have tried to load this post the past two days but had limited wifi access and was unsuccessful. It was a beautiful day with clear blue skies and temperatures in low 80’s. We attended several shows and viewed a lot of sea creatures and other animals. 

Lassen sat in the soak zone while Pat and I went to higher rows to avoid getting soaked.

We walked through the sharks and turtles displays. We have never seen so many turtles in one place.

 

The polar bear exhibit was very special.

The walrus was also quite impressive.

As we headed to the exit we encountered a parade of flamingoes. 

Our last stop was at several tanks where you could put your hands in the water to let the fish peck at your hands to eat off the dead skin. Lassen was fascinated by this experience. 

Tomorrow we head to the Grand Canyon that we will visit on Saturday and then Sunday we are off to Durango.

U.S.S. Midway

Wow, what a day! We departed the trailer at about 9:00am and got to the U.S.S. Midway shortly after they opened. We found a parking space up close and since we had already printed out our tickets we were able to go on board without any waiting. There are three decks that we were able to explore. We entered at the hanger deck where many planes were on display as well as a number of interactive exhibits, a gift shop, and a cafe. Lassen and I waited in line to experience a flight simulator. We were enclosed in the capsule for 3 minutes and flew as best we could. We did a lot of banking and tumbling. Lassen had a ball; I survived (I tend to be claustrophobic so being in the enclosed capsule was not a favorite thing for me, but I decided to be a good sport in order for Lassen to have the experience). While we waited our turn we were able to do a little practicing.

         

Next we went up to the flight deck where there were more planes of all sizes and a variety of helicopters. It was a bright, comfortable day, which made it pleasurable to be outside on the flight deck. We learned about how planes were guided to land and the safety precautions when launching and landing. Several docents that spoke about their experience as pilots or crew members. We also received audio headsets when we entered so that at several dozen locations that were numbered we could enter the number on the device and then listen to a description of what we were seeing. It was possible for Lassen to go on board several of the planes and helicopters, which excited him. It is really amazing how big the flight deck is.

    

     

We were able to join a group of 20 persons for a tour of the control tower and where the captain is in control of the ship. The docent was a former pilot who sailed on the Midway for several tours. We got to see the chart room, the control tower where the flight operations officer controlled all the launches and returns of planes, and the bridge where the captain and his mates controlled all the ships movements. 

     

We descended to a deck below the hanger where the ship’s crew, pilots, and plane mechanics all lived. It was a maze of passage ways and a variety of spaces. We saw a chapel and the chaplain’s quarters, an infirmary with operating room, a dentist’s office, first officer’s quarters, several chow halls, and many other sites. Fortunately they had arrows pointing the way so that we didn’t get lost, though we were totally confused.

     

      

     

After four hours of touring the ship we had lunch at the Fantail Cafe, sitting outside at the back of the ship. It was a good day. We were all duly impressed with the size of the U.S.S. Midway as well as impressed that this ship was the longest serving aircraft carrier on active duty in the history of the Navy. It was commissioned in 1945 and was decommissioned in 1992. We took about 80 photos but I hope the few I have chosen provide a glimpse of our experiences.

When we returned to our trailer we rested a little, did laundry, went swimming, and had a late dinner. While Lassen was taking his shower Pat made some dark chocolate pudding for which we had also purchased some whip cream topping. Needless to say this hit the spot with Lassen. I titled this photo of Lassen, “Pudding Face.”

     

 

First Sunday on the Road

We drove to the Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church for an 11:30 traditional service. This is a large church with a very active congregation. We learned that last Sunday the members spent the day serving a variety of agencies in the community as a way to put their faith into action. At our church in Livermore we do the same thing on the last Sunday of September under the heading of Neighbor to Neighbor. I loved the entrance to the sanctuary where they have a large baptismal font that reminds you of your baptism as you enter to worship. The service was well orchestrated and the pastor preached a very moving sermon. He has a wonderful gift for storytelling, both biblical and contemporary stories.. 

We have been without a good wifi signal all week so we packed up our digital devices when we left for church and after church found the nearest McDonald’s where we could get a strong wifi signal to do some of our business while we ate lunch. Lassen has been recording some of his activities using an application called “Notability,” which allows him to add photos with captions so that his parents, aunts, cousins, and grandmother can keep abreast of his adventures. Pat needed to do some banking and send a few e-mails and I needed to do the same. We spent about an hour and a half eating and utilizing the Internet. It felt good to all three of us to get caught up.

After our sojourn at McDonald’s we went to a nearby theater to see the movie, “How to Train Your Dragon 2.” It was a fund movie. I’m amazed at what can be done with animation these days. Sure is different that the Tom and Jerry cartoons that we saw when our children were Lassen’s age.

Following the movie we returned to McDonald’s and tried to connect with Scott and Veronica via Skype so that Lassen could visit with his parents. The timing was not good so we hit the road for Ramona, the closest town to our RV Park, where there is also a McDonald’s. This time we were successful connecting and Lassen had a great video conversation with his parents. I don’t know who misses who the most. I think all three of them will be ready to be reunited a week from tomorrow when we return to Durango. Lassen got to see his pet dog, Carmen, in action and also learned that Veronica had found a snake in their back yard this afternoon. 

We still had two things to accomplish while in Ramona … find a nice restaurant to celebrate Pat’s birthday and go to the grocery store to restock the shelves, the fridge, and the fruit basket. We had a wonderful meal … Lassen a hamburger, Pat shrimp skewers and salad bar, and me a delicious steak and salad bar. It wasn’t much of a celebration, but at least Pat didn’t have to cook dinner on her birthday. By the time we finished with the grocery shopping it was getting dark. After the groceries were put away we continued our game of Uno and it was very appropriate that Pat had the big scores on this night. Tomorrow we head off to the U.S.S. Midway in San Diego Harbor.

 

San Diego Zoo Safari Park

Today we visited the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, which was a little less than 20 miles from our RV Park. We arrived about 10:15 and it was already getting pretty warm (temp got up to 90 by early afternoon). We got ourselves oriented and then headed out to see the Gorillas. On our way we encountered a bird (not sure its identity) and Lassen sat down on a bench to get an up close and personal visit. It kept moving closer to him so he decided that was enough. Just a little further on the path we came upon a little pond with ducks to feed with food we purchased.

When we arrived at the Gorilla enclosure we weren’t able to get any good photos because they were somewhat hidden in the shadows. But, Lassen was interested to compare his arm span with that of an average Gorilla.

We walked to a place where you take an elevator down to the level where we waited in a long line to board a tram that took us on a tour of the large area where the animals seem to be in their natural habitat. Fortunately they had misters providing some relief from the heat while we waited in line. The ride around this part of the park was a highlight of our visit. The driver/narrator of the tram was excellent, providing a lot of information about the various animals. We saw a number of different animals. One of the hippos we saw is only one of seven of its species who are living in the whole world. We saw another species of hippo of which there are thousands living. 

On our way back to the main part of the Park we spent a little time viewing two lions, one of them snoozing on a warm rock and other strutting for us to take photos before laying down. The close-up photo Lassen shot and the other Pat shot.

We were hot and hungry so headed out to find a place to eat. Found a nice place with outdoor seating in the shade with misters cooling everyone. Our next stop was a staging area for an acrobatic show. I’m not sure what the connection is between Chinese acrobats and a Safari Park, but it was a great show with young men juggling, young women twirling plates on sticks while doing some amazing moves, a young girl who did unbelievable contortions of her body, two men doing strength moves, and a young man on a unicycle tossing cups onto his head with his foot. From there we went to the gift shop for Lassen to browse all the merchandise before selecting a pair of play binoculars with night vision. 

After a full day at the Safari Park we were ready to spend some time in the pool after we returned home. It was a good day that ended with watching the movie, Field of Dreams, which Lassen selected from our collection. He thought it was a neat movie and wondered why they didn’t show at least one more game.

 

 

Legoland

We left the RV park about 9:15 headed to Legoland and returned at 6:30, which added up to be a long, tiring day for this old guy, but not so much for Lassen. I think he did everything he hoped to do and had a great time. 

Lassen tried to entice me onto the roller coaster ride, but a sign at the entrance warned that this ride was not recommended for the elderly. I guess that applies to me so I had a good excuse to not accompany him. He joined up with another family to make a foursome. I have never liked roller coasters so was happy to wait for him. When he returned he said, “The ride was really fast and a little scary, but awesome. It was breathtaking.” I wish I could have captured a photo.

High on his list was to drive a car in the Volvo track. First he applied for his Legoland driver’s license, had his photo taken, and received his license. There were about 20 cars and by the time he got on the track his car was way in back, out of range to get a photo. He really enjoyed this ride. 

 

The day was pleasantly cool and we didn’t have to wait in any lines longer than 20 to 30 minutes. Lassen had his photo taken with several characters from The Lego Movie. Emmet was his favorite.

 

I couldn’t resist Lassen’s persuasive powers when he wanted me to accompany him on a ride where the large boat/raft/barge goes up a track and then plunges into the water. I thought if we were in the back row we wouldn’t get too wet. Big mistake. We got soaked. Fortunately I took off my outer shirt and went just with my undershirt. That way I had a dry shirt after we got off the ride. Lassen did the same. I think me getting soaked made his day. It sure made my day. I guess that is one of the roles of being grandfather.

Two other rides we went on were a Pirate Ship that tossed and turned and a helicopter ride where Lassen had the controls for going up and down as well as left and right. Both rides were tame compared to the splash boat.

While Lassen was totally captivated by the rides, Pat and I found all the Lego creations to be totally beautiful and amazing. I would love to see how they go about creating the animals, characters, buildings, and other constructions.

 

Lassen had money to spend so the last stop before leaving was to visit the large gift shop near the entrance/exit. He searched throughout the store and ended up puchaseing just a few small items and The Lego Movie DVD. All in all a good day was experienced by everyone.

As you might have guessed, we had to view the movie before going to bed. It’s a great movie and he is proud to be the only one among his friends that has the movie. Not sure of our plans for tomorrow.

Thanks for checking in.

San Diego Bound

There is not a lot to report for today, Wednesday, since it was mostly a travel day. We slowly wound out way down from the hills above Santa Barbara and headed south. The road from the RV park to a main road was very narrow, which required careful focus and hoping we wouldn’t meet a vehicle coming toward us. Well, that happened when we encountered a delivery truck. We both moved forward slowly and inched as far to each side as we could and then passed with inches to spare.

The drive south of Santa Barbara took us along the coast, which was beautiful.

The only way to get to San Diego is to go through the Los Angeles metro area where traffic is crowed and crazy. I kept to the far right lane keeping the speed at 55 mph or less and paying careful attention to all the direction signs to be sure that I stayed on the right track. It was a little nerve racking but we made it through just fine.

Somewhere south of LA Pat located a public park with the map on her iPad that was fairly close to Interstate 405 so we pulled off to have lunch. It was a great place to stop, eat, stretch, play a little ball, and relax before hitting the road for the final leg to our destination, which is Ramona Canyon RV Park which is about 20 miles east of Escondido in San Diego County. This will be our location for the next seven days. 

As we were traveling, Pat read another Goosebumps book that kept us all on the edge of our seats. What a great way to help the time pass quickly. Number 1 on Lassen’s “must do” list is Legoland. That is where we are headed on Thursday morning. I will have a lot more to share after that adventure. Actually, Legoland has been on my bucket list. It is nice to have a grandson who wants to do something that i would like to do. We were in San Diego last year, but didn’t go to Legoland because we didn’t have a kid to accompany us.

Rancho Oso RV Park

Monday was the longest travel day we will have for the whole trip of two weeks with Lassen, 340 miles, which is about 100 miles more than I like to drive in a day. In order to help the miles go by and to keep Lassen engaged Pat read a book from the dozen she and he checked out from the Livermore library last Friday. Lassen has read a number of the Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine so when he saw several in the library that he hadn’t read it wasn’t difficult to select a few more. Pat often reads books for me when we travel so this activity is part of our routine. The story really does raise a few goosebumps and I enjoyed hearing the story along with Lassen.

 

Our destination was Rancho Oso RV Park in the rugged hills a little northeast of Santa Barbara. This RV Park is associated with the 1000 Trails network, of which we are members, so the cost for two nights was 0.00. In addition to that nice feature it is a ranch with horses and lots of other animals, as well as a full service RV park. We found a nice site to park our trailer and then headed out to explore the facilities. After dinner we played a little baseball. Lassen was keeping score and told me that it was 10 to 1. Guess who had the 1. Well, he surely ran many more bases than I did. The whole exercise was to wear him out so he would be ready for bed. When we got back to the trailer we played Uno until bedtime.

 

We have begun to develop a routine when we are parked at an RV park … Lassen wakes up first (about 7:00) and entertains himself until we get up about a half hour later. He helps set the table and then eats a  good, healthy breakfast. After breakfast he helps clean up; Pat washes dishes, I dry, and he puts everything away. After chores are done he practices his guitar for about 15 minutes and does some situps and pushups to help him get in shape for playing football. Another chore he has when we arrive at an RV park is to put down the four stabilizer jacks after putting the plastic pads down on which the jacks will rest, and we are getting ready to hitch up he raises the jacks. This is a big help to Pat who usually has that job.

 

On Tuesday morning we went down to the corral and stable to see if we could arrange for him to have a horseback ride. There was space for one in a group leaving about a half hour later. So, we got Lassen signed up and fitted with a helmet. While waiting we wandered around the barnyard. We met a ranch hand who wanted us to meet the newest arrival, a seven-week old colt name Sonny and her mother, Windy. We spent some time feeding them carrots and petting them. Back at the “saddleup area” Lassen was introduced to his horse and helped to mount Bandit and given some basic directions as how to make him go, stop, and turn. Then he was off for an hour’s ride. When he returned with a big smile we learned all about Bandit and what a great horse he is. I think a few memories were made on Tuesday. 

 

Giants vs. Rockies Ballgame

On Saturday Pat, Cathy, Lassen, and I went to AT&T Park in San Francisco to attend a Giants – Rockies ballgame. We left the apartment at 10:00 to go to BART, took the train to Embarcadero Station where we transferred to a MUNI streetcar for a short ride to the Ballpark. Our seats were in the next to last row in the upper deck. The good news of that location is that you can see everything happening on the field as well as all the activity out on the Bay and in McCovey Cove, and the seats were in the shade. The bad news is that there are a lot of steps to climb and when the wind blows we feel it. 

        The fire boat helping with celebration of a group seeking to preserve the Bay.

 The game was a good one until the top of 9th inning. The Giants were leading 4 to 3 and then Sergio Romo, the relief pitcher, gave up two hits (one an inside the park home run after having two outs and two strikes on the batter), allowing the Rockies to win the game 5 to 4. This was the second night in a row that Romo blew a save in the top of the 9th. Needless to say, we were all a little disappointed.

The disappointment was offset by a special event for which we had free passes given to us by friends at church who are season ticket holders. It was fan appreciation day. After everything was prepared on the field we were allowed to wander all over the field. There were activities for children, free hotdogs, ice cream sandwiches, and beverages, followed by a Q&A time with eight ball players and their manager, Bruce Bochy. It was a special, delightful time seeing and hearing the players answer good questions from two broadcasters as well as some fans. They teased, joked, and interacted with each other in a spontaneous, entertaining way. 

We didn’t get home until after 8:00pm. It was a long, enjoyable day, with great weather.

     You can see that we were way up there in the “nose bleed” seats.

     Four fans standing on home plate.

     Two fans posing with Lou Seal, the mascot, in front of the Giants’ dugout.

      Fan gathered on the the field to enjoy the Q&A with the players and coach.

Rockin Jump and Swimming

Friday was a busy day for Lassen. After breakfast, making his bed, and practicing his guitar he and Nana (Pat) went to the library to select some books to read while we travel for the next two weeks. By then it was time for lunch, which we ate in the Courtyard of our apartment complex. Lassen and I went to Rockin’ Jump in Dublin where he jumped on large trampolines and played dodge ball for an hour.

It was a warm afternoon so after returning home it was time for swimming in our apartment’s wonderful pool. We were in the pool for over an hour. Lassen swims like a fish and delights in splashing and teasing Pop Pop (that’s me). I felt like I had a good workout. Swimming was followed by showers, dinner, watching the Giant’s ballgame on TV, and then going to bed. I was even more ready for bed than Lassen was.

The Adventure with Lassen Begins

On June 1 we joined Scott, Veronica, and Lassen at their time-share on the shore of Lake Tahoe. We had a fun, relaxing three days and then brought Lassen to Livermore with us while his parents had a few days to themselves. We had a fun morning with three kayaks; Lassen and me in singles and his parents in a double.

As a Boy Scout I spent a lot of time with canoes, but this is my first time to be in a kayak.

When Scott and Veronica returned from Lake Tahoe the went to Gilroy to visit Veronica’s mother, sisters, niece and nephew. It was a pleasant evening with good food and good stories.

          Lassen, Anna (Veronica’s mother), Veronica, and Scott

         Lassen with his cousin, Patrick. Good buddies they are.

Today we did something Lassen listed as high on his “to do” list while with us in the Bay Area, a visit to Alcatraz AKA “The Rock” in San Francisco Bay. He had read a couple of children’s books about several of the infamous inmates. In order to get there we used four modes of transportation: took a local bus from a stop on the curb outside our apartment building to the BART station for a train to the Embarcadero Station in San Francisco. From there we took a historic trolley on the F line to Pier 33 where we boarded our ferry to Alcatraz. After the tour we asked Lassen if the visit was what he expected and his response was, “It was even better than what I expected.”

                Approaching Alcatraz Island.

       Lassen’s photo of Pat and me, with Cathy, who is on break from teaching. 

We learned about some of the history of Alcatraz as a fort protecting the Bay during the Civil War period, as an Army prison, as a Federal Prison, as a site occupied by Native Americans as a protest movement, and now as an attraction of the National Park Service. We received audio headsets that provided an excellent recording presented by former inmates and guards with lots of information and interesting stories.

We only had a snack before boarding the ferry at 11:30 so we were really hungry when we returned at about 4:00. We walked from Pier 33 to Pier 39 for something to eat. We chose Bubba Gump and were ushered to a fabulous window table where we could watch all the activity on the Bay. Lassen named the meal our “Lupper” since it was between lunch and supper. We left with full tummies and reversed our route with a trolley to BART to Dublin/Pleasanton station to the bus to Livermore. We will all sleep well tonight.