California vacation ideas?

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

We enjoyed Raging Waters in San Dimas about five years ago. The kids chose that instead of Disneyland. (They were 8 & 12 at the time and had been to Disneyland at ages 4 & 8.) It was a great day even though the next morning, DH and I woke feeling like we'd been in a physical fight. The rides completely kicked our patooties!

DH has been to the aircraft carrier in SD as an adult and he loved it. I've been there as a child and I don't remember it too much. I remember SD Zoo though, and I remember enjoying that. 

Yosemite is NOT close to the LA/SD area. My grandmother had a vacation house 30 miles from Yosemite for about five years, and we thoroughly enjoyed spending time there. 

[Bonny]

When is this trip? I ask because it's going to be expensive if you're thinking of going this month or next. You need to book before Memorial Day or you will pay dearly.

I'd spend the whole week in San Diego. Next year go to Huntington Beach in Orange County (greater LA area) and see the greater LA Area.

Are you interested in seeing;

LEGOLAND?

A day in Coronado?

Point Loma and Cabrillo light house, Sunset Cliffs?

Balboa Park (where the zoo is located) is huge. I'm glad you want to spend a day looking at the other museums. The Ruben H. Fleet Center has an IMAX theatre. Go to dinner in the Gas lamp quarter.

BTW Stone Brewery has opened up a new gastropub in Liberty Station. I think this was the old MCRD recruiting center and is next to the airport. Food up in their Escondido/San Marcos facility is delicious so I would guess the same at the new spot.

Whale watching is typically in January. That's also when you want to visit the Wild Animal Park. It gets pretty hot out there (but not as hot as desert AZ!).

ETA: Forgot about the Yosemite question. Agree with Knee Deep in Water Chloe; it's actually closer to SF than So. CA and you really want to spend a minimum of four days there. Make a separate trip and book way ahead. I booked two weeks before Memorial Day and I was having trouble finding a decent place for our July 23-28 trip.

[debthaven]

We went to Yosemite for ONE DAY on the way from DHS to Crater Lake.

I'm absolutely hoping to go back but it was absolutely worth it, even for one day! 

We were up very early and we were second in line for the back entrance (Route 5? Not sure). We also went to see Mono Lake late that day. 

Again, I am so happy I got to see it briefly rather than not at all. This said you are much closer than we are, so it is probably more feasible for you to plan another trip there than for us to. 

[kent]

Ratchets, whatever you do, bring water because we won't share ours with anyone from out of state.  

[Bonny]

Jul 5, 2015 19:01:10 GMT -5 debthaven said:

We went to Yosemite for ONE DAY on the way from DHS to Crater Lake.

I'm absolutely hoping to go back but it was absolutely worth it, even for one day! 

We were up very early and we were second in line for the back entrance (Route 5? Not sure). We also went to see Mono Lake late that day. 

Again, I am so happy I got to see it briefly rather than not at all. This said you are much closer than we are, so it is probably more feasible for you to plan another trip there than for us to. 

395 and 120 (Tioga Pass) is just about where Mono Lake is.

Ratchets,

Yosemite is BIG. The valley, where most people spend time is a full day by itself. You will also want to go to Glacier Point and Mariposa Grove (where there are Giant Sequoias). There is also some other things to check out like Mono Lake as debt mentioned, June Lake, Bass Lake.

Since you want to do hiking you'll want to give yourself a day to acclimate especially if you want to do any high country hiking. You definitely will feel it.

[Bonny]

Jul 5, 2015 19:24:24 GMT -5 Ratchets said:

I'll have to check into that place, Knee Deep in Water Chloe - haven't heard of it before.  I thought about doing one day at Disney or Universal Studios, but for the 4 of us the tickets are like $300 for US and the kids won't ride any big roller coasters so it would be pretty pricey for not a lot of fun.

Bonny - we looked at the Bilboa Park info a couple months ago, and it looks like there's some really nice museums there.  Especially the science center and air and space museum.  Do you think you could see both of those in one day or are they too big and need their own day?

I don't know about the other places you mentioned, so will have to look them up and see what they're all about.

Maybe we'll have to cut Yosemite off the list.  That's a shame, but it was more of an afterthought anyway really.  I'll have to do more research and plan out the days and see what we end up with.  I'd rather cut LA off the list to be honest, but I don't know anything about LA other than it's close to San Diego so figured we might as well see Hollywood or something.  I'm sure there's more attractions there with a city that size, I just don't know what they are.

San Dimas is in Eastern LA County. LOL, that's the Costco gas station I go to when driving to and from our cabin. That's at least a 5 hour RT from San Diego but it is on either the 10 or 210. I'd look to see there are water rides at either LEGOLAND or Sea World. There may be some others in San Diego.

You might check out the San Diego Go Card:

www.smartdestinations.com/san-diego-attractions-and-tours/_d_Sdo-p1.html?pass=Sdo_Prod_Go&GCID=MSN-sandiego-SANDIEGOPASS&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=san%20diego%20discount%20tickets&utm_content=Tickets-Discounts&utm_campaign=SanDiego-Outside-Generic

But you're blowing it Ratchets. You got to go the 2nd week in November during Beer Week. Currently 110 microbrewers. DH is going for his birthday this year.

ETA: On the museums; yes you can do both of those in one day.

[MarleyKeezy78]

Hearst Castle and Big Sur!!! Yes it's north, but it's beautiful 

[Bonny]

Jul 5, 2015 20:16:31 GMT -5 Ratchets said:

Ugh, everything is sooo expensive!

Didn't I warn you back in JANUARY that you needed to make these reservations? Do you think you are the first Zony who wants to head to the Coast when the temps hit 100?

   <----- this is Bonny giving Ratchets the Stink Eye.

It's possible that you might score a last minute cancellation. But I'm a planner and I'd suggest that you start a new thread about how best to work that angle. I was able to score some last minute reservations for a Grand Canyon hike by constantly calling the reservation number but you should talk to others who do this on a regular basis.

For your itinerary, I suggest looking at the Hilton at Mission Bay and hotels in the Fashion/Mission Valley area. Look for Hotel Circle North or South addresses. Check the Trip Advisor reviews. I haven't stayed at a San Diego hotel in over 10 years since we have so many friends and family in the area.

Or here: www.hotellajolla.com/la-jolla-beach/index.html This is the property next door to the condo we own. I'm too cheap to stay here but cocktail hour at sunset is really worth it!

ETA: Are your girls athletic? A really cool thing to explore is Surf Camp. There's a surf shop that does a girls only Surf Camp. I so wish this had been an option for me as a pre/teenager. If you PM me I'll find it.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

See, a five-hour round trip doesn't phase us. 
Last Monday, DH and I drove to the state capitol so he could meet with a senator for 45 minutes. We left the house at 8:30 and were home by 6:00. 

Ratchets had said they were thinking of splitting the days between SD and LA, so I was thinking of the days in LA for the Raging Waters suggestion. 

If you go to Yosemite, that could be your entire vacation. You might have to stay outside of the park because, as Bonny mentioned, the park reservations fill up fast. 
This is where my family's vacation house was:

www.yosemiteregionresorts.com/pinemountainlake.htm

[cael]

We had pretty short time in SD when we were out there, but we loved Coronado, we went to La Jolla to the beach at Scripps (because I'm an Ansel Adams fan), went to dinner in gas lamp (?) one night, that was all great. I was sad we missed the zoo trip, and I had wanted to check out Balboa park but we didn't have time.

[tractor]

Ratchets,

You can visit several of the museums in one day. Park one time, then walk around. I did the trip with my family several years ago. I think you can buy one pass for all the museums. You will need a full day at the zoo, it will be money well spent. What I always do is buy an annual pass so you can also go to the Wild Animal Park which is associated with the zoo, and about 1 hr away. By buying an annual pass, you are purchasing a membership to a non-profit organization, which is then tax deductible. San Diego has been one of my families best vacations (we have been there three times in 15 years).

[Bonny]

Jul 6, 2015 7:49:20 GMT -5 cael said:

We had pretty short time in SD when we were out there, but we loved Coronado, we went to La Jolla to the beach at Scripps (because I'm an Ansel Adams fan), went to dinner in gas lamp (?) one night, that was all great. I was sad we missed the zoo trip, and I had wanted to check out Balboa park but we didn't have time.

Cael,

What is the connection between Ansel Adams and Scripps?

And last night I was thinking the Birch Aquarium should go on Ratchets' list. I think the whole family will love it.

[cael]

Bonny - He took this photo of the Scripps pier: www.art.com/products/p10100675-sa-i797302/ansel-adams-the-scripps-pier.htm that I really like.

[Bonny]

Jul 6, 2015 8:32:19 GMT -5 cael said:

Bonny - He took this photo of the Scripps pier: www.art.com/products/p10100675-sa-i797302/ansel-adams-the-scripps-pier.htm that I really like.

Cool. I've never seen that photo. I think he must have taken it from around where the aquarium is.

I'm usually looking up at the pier so this is a neat view to see. Thanks for sharing!

[svwashout]

Zoo and the surrounding Balboa Park are my favorites. Some other attractions between downtown and Oceanside:
- beach at La Jolla Coves (or Black's beach if you're into that sort of thing)
- top of Mt Soledad
- Torrey Pines state park
- wild animal park east of Escondido (pick a slow time or the line for the safari ride can be really long)
- flower fields next to Carlsbad outlet mall (Palomar Airport exit I think)-- best in springtime, not much to see now
- Quail botanical gardens in Encinitas

I'd second Birch Aquarium, not as big as Monterey Bay, but very nice exhibits, and close to the first three. Also on my first trip decades ago Old Town seemed boring, but a recent visit there felt much more interesting. This place connects to downtown by trolley (what's called light rail up in San Jose).

If you're in the UC San Diego area have your picture phone ready for the view of the Mormon temple along I-5. When you hear a sonic boom, look up and catch the fighters scrambling from Top Gun school. Hard to beat a drive down North Torrey Pines Road at sunset.

My favorite part of LA is north of LAX. I see Metro bus #734 hits several of the local museums, including Getty Center, Skirball, Fowler (UCLA campus), and Hammer. On Hwy 1 along the water there's Santa Monica pier and the nearby Getty Villa museum. And if you can take off your YM hat, have a stroll down Rodeo Drive in nearby Beverly Hills-- outdoor parking is only $2/hr.

Lately we've seen entire days go by with overcast skies, unlike most years when the sunshine always gets intense starting around 10am. So June gloom is still with us. Have a great trip!

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

cael:  did you see the Ansel Adams exhibit at the PEM?  

I took YDS -- our family's gifted photographer -- and he LOVED it.  He has since been focusing much of his photography on natural landscapes.  

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

Ratchets:  I like this idea for your trip better than the Vegas idea.  

I've been trying to squeeze a trip to San Diego in for several years.  

We we want a review when you get back!!!

[cael]

Jul 6, 2015 10:06:06 GMT -5 GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl said:

cael:  did you see the Ansel Adams exhibit at the PEM?  

I took YDS -- our family's gifted photographer -- and he LOVED it.  He has since been focusing much of his photography on natural landscapes.  

I did, it was great! Funny thing... I'm always in that area and almost never go to the museum, but I saw they were having that exhibit and made time for it. My aunt was visiting at the same time and went with me, she's a fan too. Wanted to get a few of the prints to frame but never ended up doing it... last time I was in the shop they still had a few clearanced, maybe I'll go look again!

I love Ansel Adams - the simplicity of his shots, the textures and depth the black and white creates, the beauty of the natural places he shot, so good. It was cool going to Scripps to see it in person! My pictures didn't come out as nice.

[t-dog]

Yosemite is a week all by itself. Its also much closer to us in Nor Cal then you will be in So. Cal.  Split the trip - do the south this time (if you must - I say this because I am not a so cal fan as I grew up in Nor cal) and then come back for Yosemite and the northern coast if you want a second destination (Yosemite can easily be a week).

[Jake 48]

Balboa Park and the aircraft carrier USS Midway. the Midway is a special place for me, my dad served on her during the war, he is a plank owner and was at the helm steering the ship. I have pictures of me and DS1(US Navy) standing where my dad stood

[Bonny]

Jul 13, 2015 18:10:00 GMT -5 Ratchets said:

Well, we had some personal stuff going on and had to cancel the trip.

I'd still like to go for two days, and at least do Seaworld and the zoo. Would be a shame to miss out on those two things, so we'll see when Mrs Ratchets gets home is she wants to do an abbreviated version of the trip.

Are you going to fly in? I hope so. It typically took me about 5.5 hours to drive one-way.

Also keep in mind that beach traffic can be a bear.

[Bonny]

Jul 13, 2015 20:24:20 GMT -5 Ratchets said:

That's awesome Jake 48 !  Looks like we'll get to see it too.

Was that 5.5 hours from Phoenix, Bonnie?

We decided to do 3 days/2 nights.  Too much driving to go out one day and back the next, plus it would have been driving late at night if we stayed at SeaWorld late.  So this way we can drive out and see the Midway on day 1, seaworld day 2, then the zoo and drive home on day 3.

Would have preferred another day or two, but just couldn't swing it this time.  On the first day maybe we'll have dinner in the gaslamp quarter too, think that would be fun to see especially at night.

From my AZ house which is N of Phoenix. I think it's about an hour to get to Gila Bend where it meets I-8. BTW make sure you tank up before you cross the AZ-CA border. Wait until you see CA gas prices.  Buy your gas at Costco if you have a membership. Check Costco.com but I think the closest one will be the one near Morena and Jutland. Interesting factoid; this was the location of the original Priceclub, the predecessor to Costco. Still housed in the original warehouse Sol Price bought from Solar Turbines. I grew up about 3 miles from there; north of Hwy 52.

[Bonny]

Jul 13, 2015 22:38:08 GMT -5 Ratchets said:

Well that sounds good, I checked on msn maps and it said 6.5 hours but they seem to estimate high quite often I've noticed. 5.5 hours sounds much better though! We're about an hour from I-8 also.

So this was weird. I booked a hotel through a website, then got an email saying the hotel had to cancel our reservation and call this number. So I called and they said it was their mistake so they would find us a comparable hotel at the sa
Me price. It turns out they found one cheaper, so we got $70 refunded. Woohoo!

Until we get there and find out what a it is lol.

LOL, where are you staying?

[nutty]

Was in Carslbad a few months ago. Had a lot fun. I enjoyed the safari thingy.

[Bonny]

Jul 14, 2015 10:57:19 GMT -5 Ratchets said:

It's a Howard Johnson near Seaworld. Our original hotel was rated 3.8 and this one 2.6 on the website :/.

As long as it's a safe area where the car won't get stolen or something. There are a lot of hotels in that area so I'm guessing it's not too bad.

Location is good. Mission Valley is great for what you planned. I stayed at the Ramada for two weeks maybe 15 years ago. Trolley stop is about a mile away in Old Town. Visiting Old Town is a fun couple of hours.

Boy those reviews on Trip Advisor are bad. But didn't read anything about bed bugs!

[Bonny]

When are you going? I hope it's not this weekend!

news.yahoo.com/storms-close-beaches-causes-power-outages-california-074424024.html#

You would probably be on Hwy 8 anyway but you'll notice this shut down!

[Bonny]

So did you get your sunburn in San Diego?

Glad you had a good time. Next time you'll need to do the N. County thing with LEGOLAND, the Wild Animal Park and Stone Brewery for Daddy Ratchets. The Wild Animal Park is several miles inland and gets pretty hot. I recommend the  shoulder season because the animals hide out in the shade too so it may be hard to see much during summer.

How long did it take you to drive there?

Finally, be careful driving this winter. Looks like we are going to get a whopper of an El Nino which means lots of flash floods in the desert. For a short, interesting and scary read try: The Desert Cries by Craig Childs. Any local AZ library should have it.

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

Yay!!

I thought I'd read somewhere that you didn't get to go to SD after all.

Sounds like it was a fun and interesting adventure.

And, FWIW, I LOVE long road trips.  If you had flown to San Diego, how would you have experienced the heat and nastiness of Yuma?  



 

[Bonny]

Jul 26, 2015 14:46:26 GMT -5 Ratchets said:

Yeah, at SeaWorld.  It was cloudy that morning so we didn't bother with sunscreen...rookie mistake .

We looked at the Wild Animal Park online and thought it looked good, so if we go back and have a longer trip we'll definitely put that on the list.

Would like to spend more time in the Gaslamp Quarter too, we had dinner there one night with Sparty and his fiancée (not sure he posts here anymore), but didn't get to shop or anything.  They were both very nice people.  Kind of a weird place though...it's packed with "bro's" and bums! 

It was a little over 6 hours drive.  I thought it would be the same as yours, but we get on I-8 at Casa Grande so a bit further east and it adds 45 minutes or so to the trip.  Don't worry, you're not missing a whole lot between Casa Grande and Gila Bend!  We stopped in Yuma for gas, what a hot windy nasty place!  I had looked at it before thinking it would be nice to do a Saturday trip there sometime, but after spending 10 minutes there pumping gas feel like we've seen enough.  Gas was $2.41 here (on base), $2.81 in Yuma, and $4.40 in San Diego  !

We saw some other stuff along the bay near the Midway that looked cool too, would like to spend a day checking out that area more if we go back.

Lol, I did something similar after moving to AZ. Went to Yahats, OR (it's on the coast) 80 degrees and so comfortable that the normal AZ warning (aka so freaking hot it's time to get out of the sun) didn't click and I was one big strawberry!

The gaslamp has come a long way from when I was a kid. 40 years ago the City started it's redevelopment process but for a long time it was just pretty sidewalks and gas lamps in front of porno theatres and tattoo parlors. It wasn't until they finally got some nice housing in the area that things really changed.

I warned you about the gas! Don't you have a Costco membership? Next best thing is to save up your Safeway/Vons gas credits and either go to a Safeway gas station (Pacific Beach) or a Chevron which takes the chits.

I want to spend a weekend in Yuma too but I'll wait until winter.  The Territorial Jail and all the Native American stuff sounds interesting. The river used to flow all the way to the Sea of Cortez so it's got a very interesting past.

Next time get onto Trip Advisor and rent a condo for a week. Book a year ahead. That's what the smart 'Zonies do!  

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

Aug 1, 2015 3:30:23 GMT -5 Ratchets said:

Jul 26, 2015 20:26:28 GMT -5 GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl said:

Yay!!

I thought I'd read somewhere that you didn't get to go to SD after all.

Sounds like it was a fun and interesting adventure.

And, FWIW, I LOVE long road trips.  If you had flown to San Diego, how would you have experienced the heat and nastiness of Yuma?  



 

I like the road trips too, especially waking up early and driving somewhere while everyone else is sleeping. Maybe that sounds weird LoL! It was different in the UK, there's a lot more traffic so you have to be on your toes or whatever, but it's also a lot more scenic if you go on a 6-hour drive.

I think one drive I can do without was when we moved here, the part between OKC and Civilization, NM...we lived in west texas for a brief time about 20 years ago and I have no desire to go back. It was weird to drive for a couple hours and not see anything, then see all these cattle penned up right by the railroad station. It was kind of cool going through Hereford, since that's the name of a county in England, but after seeing it and all it has to offer it wears off quick LoL!

But I guess it's part of America, and all this is a part we've never seen before.  And hopefully never see again .

That last line is exactly how we approach road trips -- especially the long, boring, stretches (there is at least one in every road trip, LOL).  We catch passing glimpses of towns/houses/farms/schools/people and remark how neat it was to see because a) we will likely never see it again and b) there are many people in the world who will never get to see these places and/or people.  I doubt I will ever be back to Route 4 outside Columbus, Ohio again, but it was still a memorable experience driving it between Columbus and Springfield before dawn on a frigid February morning a year and a half ago.  I actually prefer those momentary vignettes of other people's daily lives to relaxing on beaches or checking off another museum on a tour.