Well, Spring Break 2020 is one we won’t soon forget. Sure, we enjoyed hiking among the Joshua Trees, splashing on the beaches, and spending time with friends, but what makes it one for the record books is that it’s our only spring break that turned into a pandemic. When we left Arizona in early March life was still somewhat normal - just a lot more handwashing and reminders to not touch our faces - so everything was a go. But as the week progressed, the news became more dire. When the NBA shut down I remember thinking “wow, it just got real”. It was really crazy to watch it all unfold in real time. By the end of our trip we were minimizing going out and mostly holed up with friends playing games. So we had to change our plans and miss out on some activities, but that’s okay. We still enjoyed what we were able to do and especially seeing so many friends. We’ll be back - hopefully next time not in a pandemic and with a lot less rain (Seriously So Cal? That much rain in a week??).

This was our final itinerary:

Day 1: Drive from the Grand Canyon to 29 Palms, stopping in Seligman on Historic Route 66 for lunch

Day 2: Joshua Tree National Park - sunrise at Cholla Cactus Garden, Arch Rock, Hidden Valley, Barker Dam, Queen Valley drive, Keys View, Cap Rock, Jumbo Rocks and Skull Rock, sunset in Queen Valley. Camping overnight at Jumbo Rocks Campground.

Day 3: Last hike at Ryan Mountain before leaving Joshua Tree NP. We stopped at the farmers market in Joshua Tree and had breakfast at Frontier Cafe in Yucca Valley. Drove to San Diego and stayed with friends. We went to the kids’ school for the International Fair, hiked Annie’s Canyon at San Elijio Lagoon, watched sunset at Fletcher Cove in Solana Beach, and had dinner at The Crack Shack.

Day 4: Spent the day at the San Diego Zoo. Met another friend and her family for dinner at BJs Restaurant and Brewhouse.

Day 5: Sea kayaking at La Jolla Coves, hiking at Torrey Pines Preserve, and checking out the tide pools at Pelican Point in Crystal Cove State Park. A rainy and windy overnight at the Moro Campground (with a squirrel in our tent!).

Day 6: Rainy day, so didn’t get to do what we had planned. We still drove up to the Top of the World (didn’t see much), stopped by the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, checked out some shops, and had lunch at Taco Mesa in Costa Mesa. We had bailed on camping and got a room at Laguna Beach Lodge and spent the afternoon reading and watching Karate Kid. The weather did clear for a beautiful sunset while we had burgers and shakes at Shake Shack.

Day 7: Spent the morning and early afternoon at Crystal Cove in the Historic District and enjoyed the rest of the day with friends in Laguna. We had a fantastic meal at Nick’s, walked around Main Beach, had dessert at Gelato Paradiso, and drinks/snacks at Watermarc. Overnight at Laguna Beach Lodge.

Day 8: Today was supposed to be our Six Flags Day (one of the primary reasons Norah wanted to go to CA for spring break), but rain nixed that. Instead we had breakfast in Laguna and drove to LA and went to the California Science Center, which was very empty (a pandemic will do that). We loved the Art of the Brick exhibit, watching the Touching the Stars IMAX film, and seeing the Endeavour. We stayed with friends in Thousand Oaks.

Day 9: We were supposed to visit Santa Monica Pier and do a WB Studio tour today, but the tour was cancelled, more rain discouraged us from any outdoor activities and we weren’t keen on going out to crowded places, so just stayed put for the day. We did have fun playing games and hanging out with our friends, so all was not lost.

Day 10: What else, but more rain? We made the trek across LA to another friend’s place and spent the day battling it out on Mario Kart, enjoying takeout from Langer’s (pastrami nirvana), and a short visit to 99 Ranch Market for bubble tea, 85C Bakery for some goodies to take home, and Vroman’s bookstore.

Day 11: Time to head back to the canyon and hunker down. So long California!