San Diego Adventure, Day 1: Sea World!

Hello! We're on vacation this week.

Reporting from our temporary AFB HQ in the fabulous Hotel Circle area of San Diego... here's our full coverage of Day 1: Sea World!

The kids insisted on leaving Burbank at 5:00 AM. They were up at 4:45.

By the time Mom & Dad were ready to go, it was about 6:30.

Underway at Sea World! I'm still in my "resting" time frame following my stem cell transplant... and with the ongoing neuropathy affecting my feet, I rented a scooter. It was awesome. And I made it through the day only hitting objects and walls, not people.

Looking at the map, planning our day!

First stop was the Skytower Ride, a big round elevating room thing which rotates, giving guests a view of the whole park (and, they claim, 100 miles beyond). Didn't get many pics of that, so you'll have to use your imagination. Next stop for Daddy & the kids was the new Manta roller coaster, which was a big hit. Also no pics.

Next, the Shamu show!

Maren made a stop at the ray petting area...

Isn't it Shark Week on the Discovery Channel right now? Appropriately, the next stop was Shark Encounter.

In the shark tube.

Back outside for a fake-beach photo op!

Deacon is real, the turtle is not.

Next ride: Riptide Rescue.

Ready to go!

The kids are somewhere up there.

Maren: "It was awesome!"

At the Sesame Street Bay of Play...

A little later in the afternoon. Deacon had a couple of disappointments during the day; the unavailability of some yummy chicken strips he remembered from a previous class visit to the Shipwreck Cafe, and the absence of the Manatee Rescue (they must have returned Mr. Manatee to his habitat or something!)

The temp reached 90 but felt much, much warmer due to the high humidity.

So we decided to wait in a hot 45 minute line for the Bayside Skyride, a tram on cables that travels over Mission Bay! Wait, is Derek wearing the same shirt he wore last time we came here 3 years ago??

It was great...

Everyone loved it.

A little later... we ran into a St. Paul's family! Sylvia recognized me, even with my silly hat (which I had just soaked in water for a cooling effect) and little-old-lady scooter. It was great to visit with her while our families were off enjoying other activities.

Next stop: Aquarium de la Mer (fun fact: did you know Maren means "of the sea")? Anyway, this octopus was kind enough to pose for a pic.

I guess this is a coral reef or something - it was rather dark in there and Derek always has fun getting the kids to stand still for a shot with a long exposure (so he doesn't have to use the flash).

On our last family trip to Sea World in 2009, the Shamu tank was our first stop. Yesterday, it was our last...

See you next time, Shamu!

Today is Tuesday the 14th, and we're relaxing a bit. Derek was particularly worse for wear yesterday after sustaining a foot blister, bad sunburn and finally an end-of-day FULL drenching on the Shipwreck Rapids ride (Maren insisted). His cell phone is still functioning but his wallet required overnight content removal and air-dry.

He'll need the rest for tomorrow, when we visit the San Diego Zoo! We'll have a full report.