With Charles safely returned home, it seemed to make sense to visit
Legoland on our last full day in San Diego. Our morning didn't quite go as planned, with our vehicle registering that we were out of gas on the freeway drive up to
Carlsbad. Something that you don't notice until you need it is that there are no gas stations visible from I-5 or advertised at the exits. Thus began a somewhat stressful detour of driving around the medical research community of Del Mar where hospitals and luxurious condominium complexes abounded. In desperation, Scott motioned to the passenger in the vehicle next to us at a red light to roll down their window. His exasperated request of "Where are the gas stations around here?!" was answered during the red light as she quickly searched her phone, yelling directions as the car drove off. What a godsend that was! So later than we planned, but arriving with a full tank we got there eventually.
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| Getting us before entering... |
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| ... and minutes after! Sucked in again. |
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| Nora had to have her map. |
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| Interesting sights everywhere, all made of LEGO of course. |
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| And the photographer got us again at the Fairy Tale Brook... |
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| Checking out Prince Charming with his iPhone. |
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| ~ Jack and the Beanstalk |
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| Not exactly action-packed! |
It didn't take long to realize that Legoland was definitely for younger kids, and we sort of missed the opportunity for the boys quite some time ago when Star Wars lego was their passion. So many times through the day, we thought of how glad we were that Charles wasn't with us... he would have found it almost as excruciating as us! (Partially kidding...) Thomas and Lewis were good sports, though. Here we are in
Duplo Village, which is what Nora does play with occasionally.
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| Best brother #1 |
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| The other best brother #1! |
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Don't get me wrong, everything is very cute and clean...
just don't plan for your heart rate to accelerate here. |
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| Our favourite Duplo "block". |
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| Hopefully Nora's brief stint at Junior Driving School aren't indicative of her future ability... |
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| Talk about distracted driving! |
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| Gaining some confidence... |
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... until trying to turn. The instructions called out
from her family gate-side were of no help whatsoever. |
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| Stuck at the side until an employee pulled her out straightway. We didn't envy his job... |
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| And yet somehow, Nora got her "license". Frightening for everyone~ |
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| Reassurance from pilot Tom before take-off in Fun Town. |
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| Enjoying Skipper School after a 30 minute wait. The older boys went up ahead... |
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| This little penguin likes his map, too. |
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Upon entering Castle Hill ~ in the background I am searching for
Thomas and Lewis. Not being able to locate the boys for 45 minutes
resulted in a stressful time... they got an earful about that. |
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| Not the best ride to go on after lunch~ |
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| One of the more impressive LEGO sculptures. |
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Nora is easily persuaded to try out rides. Lewis gives
instruction on wearing the sack for the Dune Raiders giant slide. |
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| Before she realizes what's coming~ |
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| Where are the brakes?! |
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| Too scared to scream... |
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| Wow! Let's do it again! |
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| Second attempt ~ now a pro. |
And the highlight of the park, exploring
Miniland USA. It would have been good to see this area earlier on. Here's just a sampling...
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The Star Wars exhibits would have been the ultimate
5-10 years ago. Charles still might have enjoyed this part. :) |
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| I think Nora won in that department! |
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| Trying to match up today~ |
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| And Nora matches again~ |
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| The world's largest LEGO model, the X-wing fighter is made of over 5 million blocks! |
Leaving the park we easily came to the realization that we only had to visit Legoland once in our lives... we were lego-ed out! Unbeknownst to everyone else, I was hoping to visit the nearby
Carlsbad Premium Outlet mall. I knew it was pushing my luck to try to shop so close to the dinner hour, but I made a deal of 45 minutes of shopping time as Scott would drive around in hopes of Nora maybe falling asleep for a nap. Well, I had some success but he did not. She was one grumpy girl when I got back in the van. Oh well. We headed down scenic highway 101 in search of a quaint place to eat. But in the spirit of spontaneity, it wasn't long before we realized that it would be much prudent to take in our last California sunset. We pulled a quick right into the northern
Cardiff State Beach parking lot, also known locally as "
George's", just below Encinatas. Times like this are what memories are made of.
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| Many surfers trying to get that last wave... |
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| A glimpse of our handy rental vehicle, which was a challenge to get. But that's another story... |
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| Eskimo kisses. |
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| Glimpses of childhood joy. |
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| Lifeguard stations dot the coast. |
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| Ready for a new adventure, minus the nap. |
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| Nothing like sand between the toes. |
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| I wish we could have more memories like this~ |
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| Lewis missed out, not wanting sandy feet. His loss! |
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| Lewis emerged to take a photo, though. |
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| The universal beckon of the beach.... |
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| Sunspots and all, still happy. |
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| And happier, still. |
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| My next California vacation would include more beach time. That's where it's at. |
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| Zooming in on the surfers. |
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| Beautiful scene, but I can only imagine being a surfer's Mom, warning not to surf after dark! |
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| I'm sure James would be a surfer if he lived down here, our thrill-seeking son. |
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| A sunset reminds me of the future glories of heaven. |
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| Thomas' red cheeks are so cute ~ not his usual look up here in rain-ville. |
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| Because I just couldn't choose the best one~ |
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| Helicopters in the distance ~ Scott's view. |
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| A wise surfer calls it a night, at least until tomorrow. :) |
Starving at this time, we drove southward seeking food until settling upon
Casa de Reyes, in Fiesta de la Reyes, where we visited with Charles on Wednesday. Eating delicious Mexican food outside at 9 pm seemed the best way to end an awesome day of exploring once again. (And I was able to make a last minute purchase at a shop before it closed... a delightful place!) Let's just say we missed the pool that night.
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| Nora has yet to sleep, but it enjoying every minute. |
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| A natural result from hanging out with brothers 24/7... |
