As we drove north to Crystal Cove State Park, we could see the weather changing and the clouds and rain moving in. But we were able to set up camp at Moro Campground and visit Pelican Point to check out the tide pools before the rain started in the evening. While setting up our tent we spied a squirrel munching on flowers around our campsite. Possibly the same squirrel that snuck into our tent that night while we were at the bathrooms brushing our teeth? It took some convincing to get Norah to not sleep in the car that night, lol.

After a rainy and windy night we weren’t surprised to wake up to a rainy and gray day. We still drove up to Top of the World, hoping for at least a brief clearing, but no such luck and we didn’t see much of anything up there. We spent most of the day just killing time - we saw sea lions and learned about seals and sea lions at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, had lunch at Taco Mesa in Costa Mesa, and checked out some shops. We had decided to bail on camping and added a night onto our stay at Laguna Beach Lodge. We spent the afternoon drying everything out, reading, and watching Karate Kid. Luckily the weather started to clear close to dinner time and we enjoyed a beautiful sunset while having burgers and shakes at Shake Shack (local joint, not the chain) overlooking the coast.

The sun was back out on Wednesday and we spent the morning and afternoon soaking in the rays at Crystal Cove in the Historic District. I thought this area was charming - there are restored beach cabins, a small visitor center with information about the history of the area, a restaurant, and a nice beach. We were also happy to discover on Wednesdays we could make a piece of jewelry with sea glass. Again, this was another spot we easily could have spent all day, but we had plans to meet up with our friends, so were on our way. We had a great time with Jason and Jana - we had a delicious meal at Nick’s in Laguna, walked around Main Beach (another pretty sunset!), had dessert at Gelato Paradiso, and drinks/snacks at Watermarc. Lovely day!

I had been obsessively checking the weather our whole trip and it was with reluctance we had to cancel our plans to go to Six Flags Magic Mountain (one of the primary reasons Norah wanted to go to CA for spring break). In addition to the rain, the Covid-19 situation was getting more serious, so I wasn’t sure about an amusement park anyway. So instead we went straight to LA and decided to visit the California Science Center. It was basically empty, so it seemed okay to visit (and without crowds it was great - had everything pretty much to ourselves). We watched the Touching the Stars IMAX film, marveled at the creations in the Art of the Brick exhibit, and walked around the Endeavour (very cool!). One bonus of the cancelled plans is that we had more time with our friends that evening when we stayed with them in Thousand Oaks - we played a rousing game of Pictionary and had takeout from MOD Pizza.

On Friday we had planned to visit Santa Monica Pier and do a WB Studio tour, but that was cancelled and more rain discouraged us from outdoor activities. We decided it was best to not go out and instead spent time with Frank and Alisa playing games (including Pandemic!). We had more friend time when we stayed with Sally on the east side on Saturday. We spent the day battling it out on Mario Kart, enjoying take out from Langer’s (pastrami nirvana - this will likely be a must on every visit to LA), and a short visit to 99 Ranch Market for bubble tea, 85C Bakery for some goodies to take home, and Vroman’s bookstore. Loved spending time with our friends!

On Sunday it was time to head back to the canyon and hunker down. Between the rain and Covid-19, it was kind of a crazy week, but we made the most of the situation and still had a good time. We definitely will be back (in non-pandemic times!).