After hiking in Joshua Tree National Park and grabbing a bite to eat, we were on our way to San Diego. We were looking forward to seeing our friends and checking out the area - it was our first time visiting! The kids’ school was having an International Fair and we stopped there first. We watched the performances, checked out the different booths, and ate our way around the world. Everything was delicious! Next we were off to San Elijo Lagoon to walk through Annie’s Canyon. Who knew we would be hiking in a slot canyon in San Diego? So cool! It was a gorgeous evening here - the light, the water, the flowers - we easily could’ve spent more time but we wanted to get to the beach for sunset. Luckily it was a short drive and we made it to Fletcher Cove in Solana Beach just in time for a beautiful sunset. It wasn’t hard to tell who the tourists were. The Californians were huddled together in warm coats while Norah immediately took off her shoes and ran into the water. We finished off the day with dinner at the Crack Shack. It was a great introduction to San Diego - I thought it was beautiful!

Sunday was our full day in San Diego and while there were many choices of things to do, we figured we had to see the famous San Diego Zoo (and bonus it felt like we had a personal tour guide - definitely helped navigate the large zoo!). We thought the zoo was terrific. Loved all the animals and the grounds themselves were really nice to walk around. I especially liked the koala bears - I liked how each one had his own tree to snooze in. There was a baby hippo that was cute and we got a kick out of the flamingos. When we got to their space, they were squawking loudly at one another and making a ruckus. We were startled when all of a sudden they all took off half running/half flying to the other side, then came strutting back. Whatever had them in a tizzy seemed to subside once they did that. We were amused. I’m glad we finally made it to the San Diego Zoo - it was thoroughly enjoyable.

The forecast for the week wasn’t looking so hot, so we thought we would get all the sunshine we could on Monday when we drove from San Diego to Moro Campground at Crystal Cove State Park (just north of Laguna Beach). We signed up for a sea kayaking tour in La Jolla with La Jolla Kayak. It seems visiting La Jolla Cove on a Monday morning in early March is a good time to go - ample parking and not very many people. We got geared up in our wetsuits and went out on the two hour tour. We learned about the marine life and history of La Jolla Cove, saw dolphins swimming, and got to go in a sea cave. It was a beautiful day on the water! Afterwards we walked around a little before continuing north to Torrey Pines. We spent several hours at Torrey Pines checking out the small visitor’s center, walking the trails, and admiring the views. It was such a gorgeous day! We walked out to Razor Point and did the Guy Fleming loop trail. We easily could have spent a whole day here - lovely spot!

Next up - Crystal Cove State Park ...