Mountains and water!

Monday, June 21, 2010

Jeff played tour guide for us. We went for a hike into the Santa Monica mountains up to a small waterfall (more of a trickle during this dry season) and saw lizards, three deer, plenty of butterflies, crows and a couple of roadrunners. After a rest and some lunch, we packed up and went to Zuma Beach, near Malibu. The water was cold with waves that seemed high to us, but disappointing according to Jeff. The kids tried out the boogie boards with Jeff, but everyone mostly sat out in the sun. It was breezy and a little cool. After a dinner back at Jeff's with the leftover food from Sunday, the kids again played Wii with Cameron until it was time to go. Mom and Dad enjoyed the spa.

Happy Fathers' Day!

Saturday, June 20, 2010

We decided to kill two birds with one stone by going to Mass at the mission at San Juan Capistrano. Well, the website had the Mass times wrong, so we arrived an hour before the next mass. Just enough time to visit half the mission. It definitely brought back memories of reading the Song of the Swallows by Leo Politi when the kids were young. After mass, we did a quick finish to our tour and pack up to go visit cousin Jeff up in Newbury Park. We were late leaving, of course! We arrived at Jeff's and saw cousins Dale, Dave Tara, and Craig, and, of course, Jeff, Lynn, and Cameron. We ate lots of chips (nearly finished off the 5 lbs. that Jeff and Lynn bought) and delicious Mexican food. We certainly enjoyed their beautiful pool and spa, despite the chilly weather. When the kids were not in the pool, they were playing on Cameron's Wii.

Aquarium of the Pacific and Newport Beach

Saturday, June 19, 2010

After a relaxing morning, we headed out to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Watching jelly fish, touching rays, starfish, sea cucumbers, anemones, sharks, laughing at the wrestling sea lions that reminded us of thumb wrestling - all great fun. We also listened in on a presentation in the big tank and watched some fish getting fed. The lorakeet exhibit was LOUD, but the birds were beautiful.

Later, we drove the Pacific Coast Highway down to Newport Beach, watching the ocean all the way. On the NP pier, we saw silly people swimming in the frigid water and spotted dolphins out beyond the sandbars. We met Pat and Gary at their favorite restaurant, the Crab Cooker. I am glad I brought some Benedryl, just in case there was some cross contamination. Okay, so it wasn't the best place to go for someone with a shellfish allergy, but it was delicious. Old Blue (our rental car) had a flat, so, after AAA came to put on the spare, we had to exchange it at John Wayne Airport. After a few stops and starts (giving us cars that weren't actually there), we ended up with a black Tahoe. Lots of room. but we worried how hot that car was going to get in Arizona!

Disneyland!

Friday, June 18, 2010 Disneyland!

The lines were very long, but the weather was beautiful. We have to thank Kimmy for the Fast Pass suggestion, which really cut the waiting time for some of the rides. Meg had her first roller coaster ride on Space Mountain with all its sharp turns in complete darkness. The best part was seeing the in-ride picture with all our bizarre facial expressions. Tom's was classic! For lunch, we got to experience California's sorry excuse for pizza. We also did the Matterhorn, Star Tours, the Mark Twain riverboat, Pirates of the Caribbean (which has been updated since the movies) and the Teacups. Meg succeeded in getting the most annoying song in the world stuck in her head (It's a Small World) and had her first driving experience at Autopia. She also got her "first ears", mouse ears, that is - a pink, fuzzy version she designed herself.

Summer 2010 Trip

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Meghan's first airplane ride. She said that she liked the takeoffs and landings, but the middle was boring. She also said she was nervous and couldn't imagine how she'd survive a ten-hour flight. We had some trouble getting a rental car that would carry all our luggage, but eventually ended up with an enormous powder-blue Grand Marquis. We also got our first taste of Southern California traffic - it took over two hours to go from LAX to Mission Viejo. At Gary and Pat's, we watched the Lakers win the NBA championship (boo hiss) and got an introduction to LA's favorite method of celebrating (rioting, looting, and burning.)

Heavenly sights

Yesterday, after viewing Rushmore in the morning light, we went for a hike. We heard that the Little Devil's Tower trail was a good, short, but very strenuous hike - right up our alley. After about 10 minutes, it was almost all uphill. Us old folks had to stop and catch our breath several times. Not so for Meg and Mark. She was disappointed that there weren't many rocks to climb over. Well, her disappointment was short-lived. The last bit of the path was scrambling over rocks. We started to call her our little mountain goat. When we noticed that she had gotten off the trail and urged her to come back, she said, "It doesn't matter. I'm already up here!" And she was!. Meg was the first to get to the top. While she was playing with the little pools of water in the rocks, the rest of us caught our breath at the view. It was worth the sweat and exertion to get up here. We could see Harney Peak (the highest peak in the Black Hills,) Mt. Rushmore (the tip of Washington's nose) and the town of Custer - a 40 minute drive away. Breathtaking, simply breathtaking. We had to admonish Meg several times for wandering away from us. She was very curious, but I feared that she might fall off the side of some of these rocks. I had to remind her that she is not, in fact, a mountain goat.

Of course, the camera died as we were taking pictures. Nothing like "battery exhausted" to put a damper on things. Fortunately, it just needed a rest. We did get several more pictures out of those batteries.

At last, we sadly had to leave that heavenly place. Scrambling down those rocks was more difficult than getting up. Although it was less tiring going down hill, it was more painful.

What an exhilarating hike! What a fantastic cap to a fantastic trip.

The Monuments

Yesterday, we did the monuments: Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore. Crazy Horse was a celebration of Native American culture. They have grand plans (the monument much bigger than Mt. Rushmore, Native American university and Medical center and much more), but I really wonder if they will ever accomplish what they what they plan. It is all funded by private donations, not public funds.

After that, we headed over to Mt. Rushmore. It was beautiful, even though a hail storm came through, forcing us to spend most of our time in the visitors center. We went back later in the evening for the lighting ceremony. Very patriotic and very impressive. I'd show a picture, but our camera just isn't that good.

Today is our last day here in the Black Hills. This morning we are headed back to Rushmore to see it in the clear morning light and to hike around it.