3 Day Trip: San Diego to Palm Springs {Day 2}
3 Day Trip: San Diego to Palm Springs {Day 1}
Cabrillo National Monument
Last week the kids and I headed to Cabrillo National Monument to meet up with friends for a day of hiking and exploring.
Before heading to Point Loma we checked the low tide times because there is supposed to be a great spot for tidepooling. Unfortunately though the high and low tide chart we checked was not accurate, so I recommend calling ahead to see what the low tide times are, which on this particular day were 6pm (one hour after the park was closing). We still managed to have a great day, we must have seeing as we arrived at around 10am and didn't leave until nearly 5pm.
Our first stop was the Visitor Center, where the helpful staff gave us directions to the lighthouse and the hiking trail. There is also an exhibit of wildlife you may come across during your visit, a screening room, and a great selection of books and nature themed activities to purchase.
And you really cannot beat this view.
Orange County Great Park
I've blogged very briefly before (or should I say, shared photos) of the Great Park in Orange County. I attended an Instameet - you know an Instagram meet-up, where you spend hours snapping Instagram pics of cool things, with even cooler people.
Anyway, after attending that my kids had been wanting to go there and ride in the big orange helium balloon. So after scouring their website and choosing the perfect date, watching weather forecasts and wind speeds for two weeks, we settled on going last weekend.
The weather report was wrong, it rained all the way there, and it was too windy for the balloon. Thankfully though I'd chosen a date where there were loads of other activities going on so that there would be plenty to keep the kids busy.
We started our day going on the carousel a couple of times, ventured over to the park where there is free sports equipment to use in the grass area, and then wandered to the Terrace Lawn where the Bark in the Great Park was just gearing up. There were dog safety talks for kids, a Disc Dogs demonstration, a doggy fashion show, and lots of dogs attempting to make their way through obstacle courses. Of course there were crafts too. From there we headed to the Farm and Food Lab where they were telling the Three Sisters Garden story. The kids then made little seed packets and brought home corn, squash and bean seeds to plant.
Lastly, we headed to the Farmer's Market for some fresh fruit and veggies, shaved ice and kettle corn. I love food trucks and I tried the yummiest Chicken Bacon Fries for lunch. They were so good. Really!
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
On my bucket list this year (and last) was to take the kids out to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park during wildflower season, which is generally between April and May. Unfortunately I missed it last year, it's tough trying to co-ordinate schedules with wildflowers, they don't tend to tell you when they are going to bloom, especially in the quantities that one sees in photographs from that area, which is really quite annoying. So, we decided to just try our luck during Archaeology Weekend.
Unfortunately there hasn't been a lot of rain this season so there weren't masses of flowers just begging to be photographed, but we did manage to come across a few wildflowers, particularly on our 3 mile hike.
There are a number of hikes you can take throughout Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, and the visitor's center is a wealth of information. We were supposed to take a guided hike to Bailey Cabin in the Hawi-Vallecito Cultural Preserve, however it was cancelled due to the guide being ill. So, while the kids made paddle and anvil pottery outside, I popped into the visitor center to chat to a volunteer who gave me information and maps for a couple of great hikes that kids would love.
The hike we settled on was the Borrego Palm Canyon Nature Trail which is approximately a 3 mile round trip.
Before I share photographs and more information about the hike, I want to share a few photographs of the pottery, which was a special hands-on project for Archaeology Weekend.
San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s Butterfly Jungle
You might remember that we took the kids to see the Butterfly Jungle last year too, and this year, the butterflies are just as spectacular.
Tidepooling at Swami’s Beach
If you are wanting to explore tide pools in North County San Diego, then head to Swami's Beach in Encinitas. I had no idea that there were tide pools here until a friend invited us to join her and her children for some afternoon fun at the beach. They had previously been to this location to explore the tide pools, and although I have driven past this beach more times than I can count I had always considered it more of a surf beach.
It's quite a steep decent to the beach as you can see in the photograph below, which means if you are tired at the end of your beach and tidepooling adventure, you still have to make it all the way to the top of the stairs, which I have to say almost defeated me (I am also one of the most unfit people).
Even though we arrived at the beach a little later than we had intended, we still got quite lucky finding a couple of starfish and a hermit crab.
High Tea in Seal Beach
If you are looking for the perfect location for a girls day out, head to Seal Beach in Orange County, California.
In the downtown area you will find vintage and re-sale stores, art galleries, and lovely places to get a meal, or enjoy an ice-cream. A short walk away is Seal Beach Pier, which is apparently one of the longest wooden piers in California.
I had recently come across a Groupon deal for McKenna's Tea Cottage - the deal was for their Queen Mum's Tea (for two people). They had me at 'mum', and of course indulging in high tea is on my bucket list this year so I immediately snapped it up, and then contacted a couple of friends who have daughters and we made a reservation for mother/daughter tea together.
Of course I didn't think to take my camera to high tea, but thankfully when you have a friend who is a photographer she is bound to remember, and capture some beautiful shots like the few below. Normally I hate being on the 'other side' of the camera, but for shots like this I'm more than happy to be.
Photograph by: Mandy See
They have quite a lovely selection of tea to choose from, and for little girls who don't care for tea, there is pink lemonade, in a tea pot of course.
Pennypickle’s Workshop
If you live in Southern California and are looking for something fun to do with the kids this weekend, head to Temecula and take them to Pennypickle's Workshop. Temecula is located about an hour north of San Diego in Riverside County.
Kids are going to absolutely love this fun, educational, and hands-on children's museum. Entrance to the museum is done in sessions, there are 2-3 sessions per day, so find one that fits with your time frame. They are normally closed on Monday's, however with the long weekend, they will be open this coming Monday.
I have a few photos to share from our visit there, however, I did forget my camera (I know, again), so please forgive me for all of the grainy cell phone shots. I'm really going to have to just leave a camera in my car from now on aren't I?
