As per usual, our group swarmed the breakfast area of our hotel this morning making sure to fuel up for a jam packed day. The Holiday Tours bus made its way south down the I-5 all the way to SoCal. Traffic free, this drive along the California coast would take only about an hour, but this Monday morning commute took us about three! It was worse than Raleigh and Charlotte traffic combined. Thankfully, the group had their portable speakers, pillows, and phones (with service!) to help pass the time as we painfully crawled our way to San Diego.
San Diego Zoo's 35 minute non stop open air double decker bus ride was a great start to our adventure through one of the world's largest zoological parks. It is one of the few zoos in the world that houses and successfully breeds the giant panda. The emphasized message from the tour was how the SD Zoo is working hard to fight and prevent extinction, sharing ways that WE can contribute as well! Favorite exhibits included giraffes, zebras, penguins, and pandas. The kids also loved seeing lions, tigers, and bears, OH MY!
Spanish missionary Father Sera founded its first mission in San Diego in 1769. Some of the city's past is preserved on its Old Town Historic District where we enjoyed lunch at one of the oldest restaurants in town. The group enjoyed a filling buffet with the whole array of authentic Mexican food rice, beans, chicken, enchiladas, and of course chips and salsa.
Our afternoon adventure consisted of an audio tour of the USS Midway. The USS Midway was America's longest-serving aircraft carrier of the 20th century, from 1945 to 1992. Approximately 200,000 sailors served aboard the carrier, known for several naval aviation breakthroughs as well as several humanitarian missions. It was the only carrier to serve the entire length of the Cold War and beyond. The group enjoyed roaming below deck, getting inside fighter planes on the flight deck, and even participating in flight simulations.
With only a brief moment to unload at our lodging for the night, The King's Inn, the group quickly boarded back on the bus for a BBQ picnic in La Jolla, delivered to us beachfront by Phil's BBQ. The famous sea lions of La Jolla cove were out in full display tonight, barking, fighting, scurrying up the rocks, some were spotted with their babies. The guys and gals enjoyed watching their last west coast sunset of the trip, because starting tomorrow we turn east to start making our way back home.
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