Day 10

I woke up throughout the night with Lola snuggled between me and Ryan. She'd figured out the best spot - curled up in the crook of Ryan's legs on her sleepmat and quilt. She was exhausted from the hike!

 

Brayden and Ryan were so excited to have her with them they got up way too early to cuddle with her. She was loving it so much she didn't even want to come outside! Eventually they all came out and Lola watched as they played hangman in the dirt.  I could tell she was pretty sore and stiff so I had them take her back to Grammie's spot. I took a quick drippy shower for 50 cents and met them down there with the car.

We had a great breakfast and hopped in the car heading for the city. Our first stop was Old Town San Diego. Laney loves visiting historical towns and reenactments so I thought she would enjoy this one too. This place would be a little different that the towns on the east coast with more of a Spanish influence. The area was discovered in 1542, inhabited by Spaniards by 1769, and declared American in 1846.

After a stop at the visitors center I handed Ryan the map and we began to explore. The kids led us to the shopping area first with lots of colorful creations and wares to buy. We could already smell the fresh tortillas being made for lunch!




Our next stop was for root beer floats - always a favorite for my kids! They picked out a local root beer and we all shared delicious floats while we walked on. We finished just as we reached the carriage museum.

It was fascinating to see and learn about how wagons and carriages were used in this area. In this particular wagon, 6 people sat shoulder to shoulder for more than 30 hours with 15 inches of area. It would cost them $200 but quite a bit less if they were short!

The kids have ridden horses quite a bit but never thought about how to control more than one at a time like was used for these carriages. They all learned how to manage 6 horses and be able to control a specific one by holding the reins between individual fingers. We'd definitely need a lot of practice!

We visited the candy shop before we left of course. Grammie bought us all some treats for now and some for later. I was too busy eating mine to get a picture!

Next up was a visit to the beach. Grammie navigated us to Coronado Beach where we luckily found a parking spot close to the water. We compared and compared our beach to this one as we made the trek to the water. California beaches were definitely much longer!

Ryan asked on the way down about their swimsuits. I told her if she wanted to swim I would go back to the car and get them knowing full well she would be lucky to put her toe in for more than a minute. It was very windy and the water was yelp-inducing cold! Grammie walked in up to her knees but we stopped at our ankles and called it good. We examined the giant seaweed on the beach then headed back to the car.

By this point we were all getting a little hungry so I read off the local options to much debate. Eventually the kids decided on Mc P's Irish Pub because they had tuna and fish & chips. I was just excited to try a local beer! The food was delicious! I noticed a doodling opportunity on my coaster so the girls tried their hand at completing the dog. Not bad and definitely kept them busy until their food came and while they were eating.




Next up was Belmont park for rides, shopping, and time at the arcade.  The area was the busy boardwalk kind of place my kids love to visit. Brayden wanted a lifeguard hoodie from one of our beach stops and found it just as we walked in.

When researching San Diego I'd read about the Big Dipper roller coaster and knew Laney and I would have to ride it. The other two opted for bumper cars instead.

















The roller coaster had originally been build in 1925. It had survived fires and avoided demolition. It was now a National Landmark. It was wooden, loud, and oh so jerky. I screamed a lot and we loved it!

We looked through the shops for t-shirts and stickers but the kids didn't find anything so once Grammie found a shirt we headed back towards the woods. We would be leaving the next day so I took some time to reorganize the car. It amazes (and annoys!) me how cluttered everything gets when we sit still for a few days!

We relaxed for the rest of the night reading and playing games in Grammie's RV. We would have much rather been outside but the bugs were a 9.8 on the annoying bug scale. The kids ate and we played a quick game while Grammie got some things organized. I took Brayden and Ryan back to our tent for an early bedtime. Ryan reminds me some days with her behavior that she needs sleep!  Laney and Grammie were planning on a rummy take down tonight!