Wednesday, August 10, 2016

The End Is Coming

The Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend was the beginning of the end of my time in California. I was in my final weeks of living out there.

My mom flew out to spend the week with me during the race weekend. We spent 2 days in Disney enjoying each park. She had never been to Disneyland, just to California Adventure. We took a few fun shots that they had set up for the 60th Anniversary Celebration.



California Screaming' was a fun set up.
You can see everything from Paradise Pier!














Spending time with the  ghosts at Haunted Mansion was a must do!




We got to go on the Jungle Cruise! 
They were doing a soft open so we 
were lucky to go through this when
 we did! We had great time with the 
skippers! And their bad jokes!




My mom met Kylo Ren for the first time.
She thinks he was scary. I was not impressed.



We were lucky enough to get into the
Blue Bayou for dinner! The food was
incredible. The menus light up for easier
reading due to the ambiance. We did  the
Paint the Night package and think it was
the best option for the cost! 










We also met Chewbacca. He liked my mom's
hair. He was nice enough to take a selfie with me.









After the 5k on Friday, we headed up to LA with my mom's friend and her family. 
The end of Route 66!



We had a great time going to Santa Monica. We walked along the pier, went of the ferris wheel, and went to the aquarium. The aquarium only has animals that are living in the waters around the pier. This is a cool way to learn about the area you are in for adults and children.
Santa Monica Pier








There's great photo ops along the pier.
If you want to get the whole pier in 
a photo, take a walk along the street.
You can turn back and take a lot of photos.

View of LA from Griffith's Observatory.




From Santa Monica, we headed into LA to Griffith's Observatory. You can amazing views of LA from up here. You will be able to see the Hollywood sign from up here too. There's a lot to learn here about astronomy. It's really amazing!











After the weekend of running, we went to the San Diego Zoo. The zoo is celebrating their 100 year anniversary! We had never been to this zoo before and we were excited to go.










I was excited to see the pandas. I have seen pandas in DC, but it's not common to see pandas. I refused to leave until we saw these cute guys. This is the baby that was born there in 2012.














I was excited to see a koala! I have never seen one before and for some reason had no idea that they had some at the zoo. They are just really cute!









The last day my mom was in California we headed into Palm Springs to do the Palm Springs Ariel Tramway. This is the world's largest rotating tramcar. You start your journey at 2.645 feet above sea level.









By the time you get to the top you are at 8.516 feet! You are now surrounded by trees and even snow! It was really crazy to see the desert below you and snow around you.
Pano from the top of the Tramway







We also stopped by Cabazon Dinosaurs on the way home. Right next to a Burger King you will find these guys. You may recognize these guys from the movie, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure.









After my mom left I went back to work. Leaving that store was really emotional, but I knew I had to go home.

The next day Carrick flew into San Diego.



Before we picked him up we made a pit stop in La Jolla. You can go snorkeling here, shop, eat, or just hang out with some seals. I wish I spent more time in this area, but I'll be back one day!



Once we picked up Carrick at the airport we headed down to the USS Midway. 






From there we headed over to Coronado. We went into the Hotel Del and walked along the beach. We grabbed a late lunch and walked over to Ferry Landing. This gave up the opportunity to see the San Diego skyline beautifully.

Sandcastle in front of the Hotel Del.

View from Ferry Landing.
I had a great time in California. I was ready to go back home though. I can't wait to go back and see my new friends soon though!

No comments:

Post a Comment