The three of us have been BFFs since middle school. This summer, we decided we FINALLY needed to go on a girls' trip. I don't know why it's taken us this long. We headed out to San Diego, one of my very favorite cities in the entire world.
Everyone assumed we were college girls on vacation, which was kind of fun. :) We had a hard time convincing the rental car guy we were old enough to get a car. (Thank goodness for IDs, huh?)
Oh, and speaking of cars... I DROVE IN CALIFORNIA AND NOBODY DIED. I've been terrified of California traffic since I got stuck in rush hour traffic near Corona on a business trip (my coworker was driving). It seemed like bumper to bumper traffic with everyone still miraculously going the speed limit.
Traffic in San Diego was much calmer... Not too different from Colorado or Utah, actually... although perhaps with more courteous drivers. :) Getting over my fear of driving in California is a huge deal. Maybe that takes me one step closer to actually moving there (although I do worry a bit about the cost of living).
We ventured to as many sites as we could fit into 5 days.
Such as the San Diego Safari Park:
We went as soon as it opened and beat the crowds. We really lucked out with the animals. They were almost always out at the front of their enclosures when we came by.
Of course we had to stop and ride the zoo carousel. The ride operator gave us a hard time. "Are there children with you?" No. No, it's just us.
I rode the deer, of course, since Lori's nickname for me is Bambi. After snapping pictures of my friends, I spent the rest of my ride trying to take selfies and laughing hysterically at the poor results. I kept up a running commentary so my friends knew what I was doing... and of course the ride operator overheard me and gave me a hard time. What can I say? Sometimes I'm a dork.
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| Best shot! |
On our way out of the zoo at the end of the day, we ran into a cheetah on a leash! (which really makes me want to keep one as a pet. Although his eyes creeped me out a little.)
Hayley got a great shot of the zookeeper warning us to stay back as they walked past.
We spent a lot of our trip hanging out at various beaches.
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| La Jolla Beach! Complete with sea lions (don't worry, this one was asleep) |
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| Silver Strand Beach! (Great for shell collecting) |
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| Mission Beach! Where we went boogie boarding. |
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| Ocean Beach! (Does that name crack anyone else up?) Features its very own pier. AND we got to see the tail end of a surfing competition. |
It's gigantic and features lots of museums and gardens. We paid a visit to the lovely Botanical Gardens there.
After that, it was off to Little Italy for lunch.
Then to Point Loma to check out the historic lighthouse there, and to take a look at the Cabrillo tide pools. While that area was beautiful, unfortunately we arrived at high tide and so no tide pools were visible.
We finished the day by visiting Sunset Cliffs in the hopes of seeing a gorgeous sunset. Unfortunately it was cloudy, but we did come across a sailor's beach wedding right there on the cliff! We slipped up closer to listen in (although I wasn't quite brave enough to snap a picture of their special moment... That seemed too creepy.)
And of course, what better way to finish off a California trip than dinner at In N' Out?
All in all, it was a spectacular trip, and it left me feeling a little more in love with California. Maybe I will end up there someday.
