We have not taken a “real” family vacation since Hawaii in summer 2021. As the boys get older, the ability to find time for vacations will continue to dwindle as jobs, friends and other commitments take priority.
We thought about trying a New York City do-over (that trip got cancelled in 2020 because of COVID), but New York weather in December seemed uncertain. We’ve been to northern California, but the boys had never been to Southern California – so San Diego was the spot.
Tuesday, Dec. 19
We arrived at our airport (15 minute commute) during one of the busiest travel times of the year. Security was a mere five minutes. This is why I love our airport!
I’ve seen plenty of wind farms from the highway, but never from the air, so of course I had to take a picture. I also love the patchwork quilt of the Kansas plains.
We changed planes in Denver, and landed in San Diego around noon to sunny skies and temps in the 70s. We rented a car and stopped by our airbnb to unload before we headed to Morely Field to play disc golf. 🥏⛳️
Our airbnb was in a great location, about 15 minutes from anywhere in San Diego (including the airport. It had plenty of room with two bedrooms, two full baths, full kitchen and living area.
I wasn’t sure about it at first because it was five minutes from the airport and some of the reviews mentioned the noise of the planes. I let it slide because we weren’t hanging out in the airbnb much. This was the view from the front patio.
We ate downtown at Las Hadas Grill, and then headed to the grocery store to stock up for the week.
Wednesday, Dec. 20 | SeaWorld
I didn’t realize SeaWorld had rides too, like an amusement park. Sc and Kid 2 paired off to ride all the roller coasters, while me and the other took a more leisurely approach. We rode the SkyTower, a slow ride that goes up high for 360 degrees views of San Diego. We were the only ones on the ride. At the top, the worker came over the intercom and said they were closing the ride because of high winds. I looked at my watch and the wind was 7 mph. 😆 I think we were the first and last riders that day!
We watched cool shows with dolphins, orcas, sea lions and seals. We also saw penguins, turtles and so many others. Plus got up and close personal with the walruses!
We must have picked a good time to visit, because the park was not too crowded.
On the Bayside Skyride which was a gondola-type ride that took you over the bay.
We rode the log ride which had a pretty good drop at the end. I got talked into riding the Shipwreck water ride, and of course, I ended up getting soaked. I insisted we pay the $6 to use the “family dryer,” a large enclosure where it blows hot air on you 😆. This is us inside the dryer…
By now, it was dark. The other two wanted to ride a few more roller coasters, so me and Kid 1 stopped by the Underwater Cantina and paid $23 (including tip) for a Limonada (Jack Daniel’s Whiskey, Bar Draught Blackberry Lemonade, Fresh Lemon). Seemed steep, but it was SeaWorld, We did both comment about how good it was…
Grilled salmon and chicken tonight for dinner. We also somehow got hooked on watching old Family Feud episodes… from the 90s.
Thursday, Dec. 21 | San Diego Zoo
I didn’t realize how big the San Diego Zoo really is! There’s so much to see that I can’t even name them all.
The weather has been perfect – 60s and 70s and the same forecasted for the rest of the week. It was entertaining listening to the weather report. At one point, it was announced that the “temperatures will take a nosedive to the low 60s with increasing chances of rain…” The nosedive was about 5-7 degrees. That doesn’t even register to us midwesterners. To us, a nosedive is at least a 20 degree difference…
Friday, Dec 22 | Kayaking at La Jolla Cove and Sunset Cliffs
Sc was pretty excited about this day. The information said the kayak tour included going through some caves. We headed north about 15 minutes to La Jolla Beach. We all opted for wetsuits and walked to the beach with the others in our group. We got a 30 second lesson, and hit the water. Unfortunately, the guides said the water was too choppy, so we just ended up kayaking around the area.
Note to self: If you are just sitting out in the ocean in a kayak, you might start to feel seasick.
It was still fun and we did see a sea lion in the water near us. We headed back to the airbnb for showers, and then it was out to Sunset cliffs, a “must-see at sunset.”
Interesting fact – sunset in San Diego in December is 4;45 p.m..
We saw three couples get engaged! Sc tried to propose again – I guess he forgot that he already did – 27 years ago. 😆
For dinner, we headed to Blue Water Seafood, a small eatery on Ocean Beach. It was a cute place, specializing in fresh fish… and a view. We ate out in a covered deck area, steps from the ocean.
Saturday, Dec. 23 | Torrey Pines State Park
We ate lunch at a historic landmark – Tom Ham’s Lighthouse. The restaurant features harbor-side outdoor seating and was built around a functioning beacon. It was nice enough that we were able to enjoy the outdoors. It was a little chilly in the morning, but they had the outdoor patio heaters on, warming up the space.
Then off to hike at Torrey Pines State Park. We hiked a trail that finished at the beach.
When I took my shoes off to walk in the water, it took some convincing to get the others to join me. The water was cold, but ended up walking all the way back to parking lot with our shoes off!
Brothers. 🙄
We watched “A Charlie Brown Christmas” (the boys had never seen it, and started the Percy Jackson series on Disney+.
Sunday, Dec. 24 | USS Midway Museum
The last day we visited the USS Midway Museum, a historical naval aircraft carrier parked in the San Diego harbor. We had a bit of a grumpy morning. First, we could not find a place to park and Sc was itching to get to the museum. Then when he showed his federal government badge to gain free admission, the worker argued with him that it wasn’t the right credentials. He eventually let us in, but not without annoying Sc.
We watched a quick movie about the carrier, then spent the next six hours exploring the museum.
We saw the living and sleeping quarters… the bunk beds were stacked three high.
This is the command information center…
We saw the engineering areas, sick bay, war room and boardroom, control and communication centers, officer’s and sailor’s quarters, chow hall, jail, laundry room, kitchen, and steam room. We saw where the sailors pulled up the anchor. One “link” in the chain that pulled the anchor weighed 200 pounds. The ship’s sailors sometimes went weeks without going above deck, so they used a red light if it was night time, and white lights if it was daytime.
When the museum closed, it was dark and everyone was hungry. Since it was Christmas Eve, some restaurants weren’t open, and others had a wait. We ended up getting grocery store pizzas. Our Christmas eve dinner was pizza, rice, chips and carrots.
Monday, Dec. 25 | Home
Headed home. I am TSA-approved, so I was able to fast track through the security line, keep my shoes on and electronics in my bag. I tracked how much time I saved – more than 20 minutes.
Had to take a Christmas Day family picture at the airport!
One Kansas Girl 