Downtown Oceanside is a treasure trove. Artist Alley is one of many places that makes it so. The very name, Artist Alley, is intriguing in itself, since an alley typically is no place for a two year old to cruise around. This brightly lit alley, which runs behind Coast Highway between Pier View Way and …
Old Town is considered to be the birthplace of San Diego. It was here that, on behalf of Spain, Spanish priest Father Junipero Serra, established the first permanent European settlements in California, in 1769. Old Town San Diego Historic State Park takes you back to a time when California was still part of Mexico. The …
Batiquitos Lagoon is a nature reserve ran by the Department of Fish and Wildlife. It is one of only a few remaining tidal wetlands in Southern California. There is a two mile long trail on the north side of the lagoon that allows visitors an opportunity to see distinct habitats (mud flats, coastal sage scrub, …
Today is Earth Day. What better place to celebrate our planet, and the amazing animals we share it with, than the Safari Park. The Safari Park is always a great experience but today we saw a lot of new things. The non-profit changed their name from San Diego Zoo Global to the San Diego Zoo …
Cerezo Bluffs is my new favorite beach (if I am going to drive). The tide pools always offer something interesting to poke, but the most fascinating thing at the beach today was not marine life. Instead, it was ladybugs. Thousands of ladybugs, crawling on algae and sea grass, swimming by wavy turban snails, hanging out …
The Maritime Museum consists of a series of submarines and sailing vessels (four of which are listed as National Historic Landmarks). It is one those places you have walked past one hundred times while strolling along the San Diego Embarcadero, oblivious to the treasures onboard. Our first time visiting the museum was on our wedding …
Walking along Pier View North beach (which parallels the Strand, just north of the pier) we found more sea glass in one day than I have found in a long time. The competition was on after my two year old daughter found her first piece of sea glass! After that I noticed there was much …
I have been dying to go to the Calico cemetery to read the gravestones but it was closed today. Instead, we parked in the bottom lot and walked up to town. Calico is one of just a few remaining original mining towns in the west. It is also the exact half way point between Las …
As we make our way back home to Oceanside, we decided today would be a great day for Eric and A1 to enjoy their first Vegas show. It was not your typical Las Vegas show, but it was absolutely perfect for us. The Neon Museum offers a great option for people of all ages with …
We are officially headed back to California after a week of spring break fun. Today was the first day that we have ever stopped in Downtown Provo, just 45 minutes past Salt Lake City. We loved it. We started off with homemade ice cream at Rockwell Ice Cream Company, which has some of the best …
After Raya finished up her work day we took their quad out on some backcountry potato roads in the Ammon foothills. Ammon is a suburb located just east of Idaho Falls. As we drove we saw sandstone (evidence of being underwater at one time) as well as basalt (evidence of being along the path of …
The Snake River runs right through Downtown Idaho Falls. There is a green belt on both sides of the river with a sidewalk, rocks for climbing, and grass for running. There is also a Japanese Friendship Garden which houses some sculptures, water features and viewing platforms. Downtown Idaho Falls is filled with historic buildings, many …
One of the nice things about Idaho is that you can be in any number of states in a matter of hours. Today we drove two hours to Jackson, Wyoming. Jackson was discovered by trappers and mountain men soon after the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The town square has been the center of activity of …
East Idaho Aquarium is a non-profit, opened in 2013, whose mission is to raise awareness about aquatic and non-aquatic ecosystems. It houses fish, birds, reptiles and a rodent (Rufus that porcupine). Two of the fish here (large albino alligator gar) were recently donated by Tracy Morgan when they outgrew his home fish tank. Upon entry …