SAN DIEGO SUMMARY
Day 1 - We began the 8-hour drive in heavy rain. Fortunately it cleared up fairly quickly. After a brief stop at some stegosaurus statues, we crossed the Rocky Mountains. We spent the night in Beaver (Utah) where we dined at The Creamery, famous for making its own cheese.
Day 2 - We spent the morning at the Valley of Fire State Park. It was HOT out so we only did a few short walks. The rock formations were spectacular and we even saw petroglyphs and several bighorn sheep. We continued on to Las Vegas where we stayed in Excalibur. In the evening, we attended the Tournament of Kings. We were seated in the "Dragon" section... whose knight was the bad guy. We still huzzah-ed for him heartily though.
Day 3 - We explored a few of the nearby casinos including the Luxor, Delano, New York New York and MGM Grand. In Mandalay Bay, we visited the shark reef aquarium. We could walk through a glass tube so the fish, sharks and sea turtles even swam overhead! There was also a spectacular virtual reality swim with sharks. A ride on the monorail took us to the Linq, Caesar's Palace and the Bellagio (in time for the fountain show). Once the sun had set, we hopped onto the High Roller Wheel for a ride 550 feet into the air, with incredible views of the sparkling city far below.
Day 4 - We took the longer route to Orange County via the Mojave Desert (historic train station of Kelso), Joshua Tree (Big Josh Muffler Man statue) and Palm Springs (Forever Marilyn statue) where the temperature was 105 degrees F! My sister was kind enough to host us for a couple nights.
Day 5 - We spent the entire day at Universal Studios. Some of the rides were simply physical, but most of them combined some kind of 3D or cinematic effects. The results were spectacular! There was Harry Potter, Kung Fu Panda, The Simpsons, The Mummy, Transformers, Shrek, Jurassic Park, Waterworld, King Kong, The Fast & Furious, Mario, Gru & the minions, as well as some classics such as Jaws and Psycho.
Day 6 - On the drive down to San Diego, we stopped at another Muffler Man (Joor Muffler, who was getting repainted) and the spectacular San Diego Zoo Safari Park. There were gorillas, tigers, lions, elephants, zebras, giraffes, rhinos, assorted antelopes and zillions of birds, including California condors, In a special section, we could walk among kangaroos! We ended up doing the African safari tram twice.
Day 7 - We set out on a 2 1/2 hour whale watching tour. Unfortunately we only saw one fin whale but did see lots of dolphins. We then headed over to the Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala. Built in 1769, it was the very first of California's many missions. We headed back towards the water and wandered around Seaport Village, stopping for views of the USS Midway and various WWII memorials.
Day 8 - Cabrillo National Monument was the location of various events... Spanish explorers, WWII defensive posts and two lighthouses... plus some tide pools. We then drove up to La Jolla, where boisterous sea lions lounged about on the rocks.
Day 9 - SeaWorld was packed full of fun shows (sea lions & otters, orcas, dolphins), spectacular exhibits (including another shark tube), interactive tanks (we got to pet sting rays and get nibbled on by cleaner fish) and even thrill rides! It was a very full day!
Day 10 - It was another full day at the San Diego Zoo. The exhibits were sensational! There were numerous unusual or less common animals... koalas, Tasmanian devils, polar bears, rock hyraxes, anteaters, red pandas, lemurs, orangutans, mountain lions, meerkats, bears, cheetahs, maras, baboons, fossas, coatis, burrowing owls, crocodiles, tamanduas, caracals, giant cockroaches, and so much more... not to mention incredible aviaries. We took a small cart tour as well as a double decker bus tour around the park. There was also the Skyfari, which offered magnificent views from high above.
Day 11 - We began the long drive home. In Yuma we saw Big Wes, and in Flagstaff was the university's lumberjack mascot, both of which were former Muffler Men. We also passed through Sedona on the Red Rock Scenic Byway. We spent the night in Flagstaff, off old Route 66.
Day 12 - We spent the day driving up to Moab via Monument Valley. There were even a couple rather large dust devils!
Day 13 - We briefly swung through Arches National Park, then headed home back over the Rocky Mountains. Total miles: 2,680
