CALIFORNIA ESCAPE SUMMARY

Day 1 - After an easy flight, my sister picked me up and we enjoyed a couple of Balboa Bars after a pleasant walk around the area.

Day 2 - We took an afternoon tour of the Crystal Cathedral (although it's now called Christ Church). Wow! We had a wonderful docent, met some nice people, and were amazed at the incredible structure, both inside and out.

Day 3 - We swung by the Oceanside visitor center on our way south and were surprised to learn there was a mission nearby! We spent some time wandering about Mission San Luis Rey (founded in 1798) then continued farther south to Encinitas, where we had a lovely sunset walk with my niece. Oh, and some delicious gelato!

Day 4 - It rained heavily today but we did manage to get in a walk at Irvine Regional Park. There were happy ducks, sopping wet peacocks, and even a small flock of wild parrots!

Day 5 - While Venice is mostly known for its beach, it also has some canals! We enjoyed some lovely long walks around both of them, then caught sunset on the pier at Seal Beach.

Day 6 - More rain! On the news there were reports of flooding (although that ended up being much farther south). But we thought it might be interesting to check out the Santa Ana River Canal, which is usually always dry. There were a surprising amount of birds there.

Day 7 - It was $10 Tuesday at the Queen Mary! This meant we could walk around certain areas and explore by ourselves without having to take a more expensive tour. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering a lovely section of Long Beach, including to a small lighthouse.

Day 8 - Time to fly home. Fortunately the weather had improved for my return!