Posted in: Exploring California, Food, Sightseeing

Visiting LA: Beach, Stars, and a Sign

Written by tepetravels

Since the Fair Foodie Fest was further north, we decided to visit Los Angeles on the same day. On our way into Los Angeles, we stopped at the Bagel Shack for breakfast. Their bagels were really good, nice and soft. We picked a berry cream cheese, which had bits of berries in it! The strawberry and chocolate chip did not have a very strong flavor, although they were still a nice bagel. Things like bagels and donuts are just more expensive here: small cream cheese $3.50, 1/2 dozen bagels $9.

We drove up to Venice Beach first and walked around. Ben and I had been there many years ago, before we had kids. It was still just as unique as I remember it. The scammers with CD’s were still there, lots of touristy kiosks and shops, street artists, etc. The size and amount of homeless camps set up along the sidewalk and the beach seemed much larger than I remember. And of course, there were still rollerskaters, rollerbladers, bikers, and skateboarders. VIDEO: Walking Venice Beach, Los Angeles, CA

We walked down to Santa Monica Pier and walked around. The Chess Park was neat and there were a few people playing. The boardwalk/pier area was really fun to see. The rides and games were not open, but many of the restaurants were. People were enjoying the beach, exercising, or walking around. We even saw a dance class being held outside.

The “original” muscle beach at Santa Monica was closed, although a few people snuck past the fencing and ropes to use some of the permanent equipment. The muscle beach at Venice Beach had several people there as well.

We drove over to see the Chinese Theater and the stars in the sidewalk. It was a little crowded and also hard to park the truck, so we just drove by and took in the sights. On our way out, we saw the Hollywood sign on the hill.

Nick took the Hollywood sign picture!

Posted in: Exploring California, Sightseeing

Surf Lessons at Pacific Beach, San Diego, CA

Written by tepetravels 4 Comments on Surf Lessons at Pacific Beach, San Diego, CA

We decided to get the boys a surf lesson. When/where else would they be able to do it? Plus, they’re still pliable as kids and not as breakable as we adults tend to be. 😉

We chose a surf shop at Pacific Beach, Pacific Beach Surf Shop. We got them in a lesson together. The temperature was a little cool, both in the water and out.

The shop provided the boards and wet suits for the lessons. The kids also wore a bright yellow/green shirt over the wet suit. Lessons were 1.5 hours long, starting out on the beach learning about the board and how to stand on it, and then moving out into the ocean.

Their instructor, Angie O, was very encouraging and patient with them. She did a great job. Every time they got on the board she cheered, even if they fell off quickly. I think it helped give them confidence to keep trying.

They both managed to get up on the board in the water. They also made it into shore on the board a couple of times. There were plenty of wipeouts as well, but they kept getting back on. We were proud of them.

Since we didn’t take the lessons, the boys wrote a little bit about their experience! 🙂

Hey Guys! This is Will. How are you? The surfing thing was cool. We only learned about it 2 days before the event and I was pretty excited. It seemed like forever until we got to surf. We got there and talked to our instructor for a few minutes and she got us wet suits that were maybe 1/8 or 1/4 inches thick. They felt like winter coats all over your body except not hot. We went down to the beach and she taught us about all sorts of things such as how to swim with the board, how to get up, and how to, well, surf! We even got to ride the waves a couple of times and one of their guys got a couple of pictures of us. It was super fun and if you are looking for something to do in San Diego I would recommend, if it is in your budget, getting surf lessons.

Hello, my fans, this is Nick. You may have seen that Will and I went surfing. It was really cool. It was hard to get on to the board at first but we got it at the end. We did 30 minutes on land and then a hour in the water, it was fun. I made it about 4 to 5 times all the way back to the shore line. Some advice is to not go all the way to the shore line at the start. The reason is it will hurt if you do not land right. I got thrown off the board and got sand in my eyes on my first try. Another tip is that the wet suits are really hard to get on, but not as hard to get off though. Our instructor was really nice and was really good at teaching us how to get on the board and surf. She gave us most of the instructions on land and some in the water. That was my experience surfing!

Posted in: Costco, Exploring California, Halloween, Holidays

Finding a Pumpkin Patch in San Diego

Written by tepetravels 2 Comments on Finding a Pumpkin Patch in San Diego

One of our Halloween traditions has been going to a pumpkin patch with our friends Dave and Megan. We have been going for years, even before either of us had kids. We wanted to keep some of our traditions going while on the road, so we looked for nearby pumpkin patches. We planned on FaceTiming with our friends while they were also at a pumpkin patch.

This year’s group picture

We ended up choosing Bonita Pumpkin Farm. It wasn’t too far from our campground and it was listed as one of the “farm” locations for this company.

There was a line to get in, as they were limiting the number of people in the area (COVID). You entered under a tent, with hay bales and decorations for picture taking to the right, and the check out to the left.

Walking straight ahead through the tent area, there were rows of pumpkins. Off to the right were port-a-lets, a petting zoo (it looked like goats only), and a cut-your-own sunflower patch. They also offered a hay ride and a train ride. There was a small patch of pumpkins growing, just much much smaller than I was expecting. We did see large boxes of pumpkins behind the petting zoo by the bathrooms, so I think most of their pumpkins were shipped in.

Top Right Corner: You can see the small pumpkin patch and part of the sunflower field behind it.

The sunflower field was off to the right of the entrance tent, behind the petting zoo. You could use one of their clippers and cut your own for $2/stem. The sunflower field was bigger than the pumpkin field! They were really pretty (and one of my favorite flowers).

Back home, it can be a little bit of a hike through the fields to find the right pumpkin and they loved finding the biggest one. When they were younger, we carried the pumpkins, but as they got older we made it a rule that they have to be able to carry their own pumpkins. The kids have to be able to carry it back to the hay ride (to get back to the cashier), to the check out line, and to the car. It’s worked so far, and the kids love picking out their pumpkins. Here in San Diego, the pumpkins were a lot more expensive, so they had a price limit and ended up with smaller pumpkins that were very easily carried.

It was a different experience than I was expecting, or used to. I guess growing up in Ohio, we were spoiled and used to a larger sized farm for our pumpkins. It was still nice to catch up with our friends and do a virtual pumpkin patch together.

We did also get a larger sized pumpkin later in the day at Costco.

Comparison of Bonita Farm, Irons Fruit Farm, and Costco Pumpkins

Posted in: Exploring California, Food, Sightseeing, YouTube Video Link

Drive-Thru Fair Foodie Fest

Written by tepetravels 2 Comments on Drive-Thru Fair Foodie Fest

Ben once again found a unique event to go to: the Drive-Thru Fair Foodie Fest held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California. Admission was free and if you made a reservation online, you got a free mini funnel cake. The event was only held on weekends in October. We weren’t sure exactly how it would work, but it sounded like a fun experience and definitely something new.

We went in the later afternoon, a little before dinner time. Although we put in the address on the website, it was a little hard to figure out how to get into the stadium. The first couple of gates were locked and there were not signs up directing you where to go. We finally turned into this maze of a parking lot with concrete barriers and cones. We saw a few people coming out that way and gave it a try. There was finally a small (8.5×11 size) piece of paper taped to a pole with an arrow for the fair food. There was nothing closer to the street though, making it extremely hard to find.

There was a small line when we arrived, but it moved pretty quickly. They had a few non-food booths set up along the way to give it more of a fairground/festival type of feel. We had already pre-planned on what we were going to eat, as the food was not exactly cheap. We stopped at booth #1 for a gyro ($12.93), booth #3 for a giant turkey leg and roasted corn on the cob ($21.55), and finished it off with a funnel cake ($11.85) from booth #5. We did get our free mini funnel cake when we entered, but it was just big enough for everyone to have 1 bite. The booths only took credit cards and charged tax as well.

Ben is a nut and had carnival themed music playing on his phone to help set the mood.

At the end of the food line, they had stuffed animals on display (the kind you would win at a festival) for sale. You could also play ring toss from your car! We didn’t play, but it certainly was an ingenious idea.

There was another side parking lot where you could park and eat your food. It was a good thing we stopped: funnel cakes were not meant to be eaten in a car!

Posted in: Exploring California, Halloween, Sightseeing

Drive-Thru Haunted Trail: Scream Zone, San Diego, CA

Written by tepetravels 1 Comment on Drive-Thru Haunted Trail: Scream Zone, San Diego, CA

Ben heard an ad on the radio for Scream Zone, a drive through haunted attraction. California certainly is creative with keeping Halloween going through COVID. We tried to get tickets early in our stay, but the earliest we could get them was for 10/22. They sold completely out rather quickly.

It was quite an experience. It was held at Del Mar Fairgrounds. They had two events going that night: Scream Zone and Mainly Mozart (movie/music event), quite the odd combination! We drove on what looked like a utility road behind the fairground, past campers, storage areas, equipment. It was about 6:45pm, already dark, and it was a little unsettling driving back there.

Driving behind the fairgrounds: it’s almost like the haunted trail has started, but it hasn’t! Sorry for the lack of pictures. Photography and videos were not allowed along the trail.

We drove past a mini fairground food area with the option of funnel cake, gyros, and light up gear. They had a soundtrack you could tune to online while you drove through and had signs when to switch tracks.

Some of you may be wondering why the heck I was there, because although I love Halloween, I hate horror movies and haunted houses. You could customize your experience a little bit. If you wanted more of a scare, roll your windows down. Less of a scare, keep the windows up. I kept mine up the whole time. Ben and Will had theirs down. Nick mostly had his up, although he did try it down a few times. After he about hit his head on the ceiling from jumping after a startle, the window stayed up almost the rest of the drive.

The trail incorporated motorized figures, statues, and real people to create the scenes. The actors all wore masks (face masks/COVID, not just Halloween type masks) as well and were not allowed to touch you (although they did come right up to the window!). When it was your turn to enter the trail, you turned off your headlights and slowly traveled down the road (3mph limit).

At one point, Ben had a clown come towards the car, drop down, somersault, and pop up next to the truck and blow a horn. Everyone jumped on that one.

From my side, the beginning of the trail was a little scarier with more actors coming near you. We got there right when it opened, so maybe not everyone was in place yet? The exit gate was also still shut, so we had to wait a couple of minutes until someone came to open it.

It was a really neat experience for the boys, and I think they did a great job of working within the COVID restrictions to still be able to offer a Halloween event.

Posted in: Animal Sightings, Exploring California, Injuries, School, Sightseeing, YouTube Video Link

Sunny Jim’s Sea Cave

Written by tepetravels

There are 7 caves along the La Jolla coast. Most of them are accessible only by water, but Sunny Jim’s Cave can be walked to through The Cave Store.

The history of the Cave Store goes like this: Gustav Schultz, in 1902, hired two men to dig out a tunnel down to the cave. (It took 1.5 – 2 years to finish, depending on the information sources I read.) He then charged admission to walk down and see the cave. The original path did not have lights or stairs. The stairs were added in later. The store claims there is 145 steps; however, Will counted 142 (including the ones beginning at the store level).

The store employees said it is still the original foundation for the store, which is pretty cool! It’s a great hidden spot on the coast, so apparently smugglers also made use of the cave many years ago. There is still a charge for admission ($10/adults, $7/kids ages 3-17). You can also book your time online, as reservations are required due to COVID.

I definitely took the stairs slowly, as they were uneven, some slanted to one side, and some were wet from moisture dripping out of the rocks.

Once we entered the cave area, we saw a large sea lion resting on a rock in the cave. He had a fishing hook in his mouth. The store employees said he frequently comes in to the cave. Video: Walking Down the Tunnel to Sunny Jim’s Sea Cave

If you are in the area, I think it is definitely worth the trip to see it!

Other links about the cave/tunnel: Atlas Obscura, La Jolla.com

Posted in: Exploring California, Sightseeing

Quirky Tourist Stops (San Diego)

Written by tepetravels

San Diego has a lot of quirky locations to visit. We’ve managed to see a few of them this past week.

Mini Taco Bell: This mini Taco Bell is right next the drive thru at one of the restaurants. It is easy to miss as it is under a tree and a little hidden. The back of it looks like a utility box. The boys got a burrito, so they were very happy to get lunch out.

Harper’s Topiary Garden: This is someone’s personal garden on the hill in front of their house. The topiary gardens were crafted from existing plants, so it must have been a lot of work to form the figures.

El Campo Santo Cemetery: The cemetery is located in Old Town, San Diego. The cemetery was partially paved over to make way for a streetcar. Only one grave was moved! The road and sidewalk now cover the grave sites, although there are small medallions to mark the sites.

Posted in: Exploring California, Hiking, National Park, National Parks, Sightseeing

Cabrillo National Monument

Written by tepetravels

Today we visited the Cabrillo National Monument. We had missed seeing it before because there is a Naval base in front of it. I thought you weren’t allowed to go through the base, but apparently you do indeed drive through part of a Navy base to get there.

It was very foggy out when we left in the afternoon. Visibility was pretty low in some areas.

We went to the tide pools first. We did get there a little after low tide, so the water had started to come back in. It was still a really neat experience. We saw small crabs, barnacles, hermit crabs, sea grass, and a few anemones! The park did a great job with signs at the top of the entrance labeling different creatures you might see.

After finding several creatures, we headed back up to the Visitor’s Center. The inside of the center was closed the day we were there. The fog had momentarily cleared and we could see the bay area and the downtown area. The Goodyear blimp was out, as well as several boats on the water. It was relaxing just to sit on the wall and watch the bay.

After awhile, we saw a Navy ship coming back into the bay. It had quite the loud horn!

The fog started rolling back in. While it was cool to see it drift down the hill towards the water, it did make visibility in the bay a lot lower. We headed up the hill to the Point Loma Lighthouse and Assistant Keepers house. The Assistant Keepers house had the glass part of the beacon showcased. It was really neat to see. The Lighthouse itself was closed.

The Lighthouse was the original lighthouse for San Diego. However, it actually sat too high and wasn’t as effective because the fog would block visibility of the light. They closed the lighthouse and made a new one at a lower elevation.

The park closed at 5:00pm, which seemed really early. I’m not sure if that is a COVID restriction or it that is the time they normally close. It was a nice park. There are several things to see and the views are amazing.

Posted in: Exploring California, Food, Sightseeing

Liberty Station

Written by tepetravels

We explored Liberty Station and Market. We went midweek and it seemed like a lot of the shops were closed, but some of the restaurants open. There was a lot of outdoor seating options, which seemed to be a gathering space for people working on their laptops.

We stopped at Le Parfait. There were so many tempting goodies in the cases. I ended up with a Nutella macchiato and a chocolate almond croissant, which both were really good. I never would have tried a Nutella drink on my own, but the barista recommended it.

Liberty Station used to be a Navy barracks and training center. While walking around, it appeared that not all of the buildings had been renovated and reused yet. There was a lot of open green space which would be great for hanging out and enjoying a book or any goodies you bought from the stores. It looked like it would be a really neat area when everything was open. (When we drove by on the weekend, it looked packed, so maybe more things were open on weekends?)

On our drive out, we saw some ship canons.

Posted in: Halloween, YouTube Video Link

Campground Light Up Bike Ride Parade

Written by tepetravels 1 Comment on Campground Light Up Bike Ride Parade

Our campground (RV Resort) has been really good about having weekend events. Thursday normally has BINGO, Friday has a movie by the pool, Saturday has a kid activity (decorating rocks, pumpkins, Halloween craft), there has been a food truck, and Sunday mornings they offer $1 donuts up by the office.

Last weekend, they had a light up bike parade through the campground. The boys really wanted to do it, but didn’t have lights for their wheels. They checked in with the front office who was selling and attaching the lights. They each got a color changing set for their back wheels (they’re getting a set for their front wheels for Christmas).

Everyone gathered by the office. There was music playing and a pretty large group. I want to say at least 30 people. It wasn’t just kids either! Most people were on bikes, but there were a few scooters, skateboards, and even some golf carts. Some were super lit up, some just had a glow necklace on. The campground led the drive with one of their decorated golf carts, while another staff member rode on her really cool bike playing music. The group rode down each street in the campground and then headed back to the office. VIDEO: RV Resort Light Up Bike Ride

The boys had a blast! It was fun watching everyone drive past.

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