Spring Break

I'm at the tail end of a wonderful Spring Break. It's been quite nomadic, and a lot of fun! First, Eddie and I spent the night at his parents' house in Henderson, NV as a half way point to our real destination -- California. We went to Orange County to meet up with one of his friends from graduate school. Then, on Monday, the three of us headed north along the PCH to Hearst Castle and on to Monterey. Hearst Castle is amazing! There is this unbelievable view of the both the ocean and surrounding mountains. Everything is covered in green, and it's just beautiful. The Castle itself is beautiful, too. I still can't get over the fact that this man owned all of this art that ranged from hundreds to thousands of years old, and somehow made it into his house. The whole house was like an art museum, and to think of people living there and eating and everything else is just mind boggling to me. Check out the pictures!
About 4 miles north of Hearst Castle is a beach where Elephant Seals always come -- it's kind of like home base I guess. This time of year, there are a lot of babies, and it was cool to stop and take pictures on the way up and back. They kind up look like logs or something just lying there, but when they move around, it's really cool.
This whole trip was something out of National Geographic for me, because our next major even was whale watching outside of Monterey Bay. We saw lots of gray whales surfacing to breathe, and one even put his tail out of the water for the quintessential photo opportunity. Some people on our boat saw a humpback whale, but I was on the other side and missed it. :( Actually, once we got out into the ocean with the swells and such, I became very afraid. I didn't really want to go swimming that day in the Pacific. Seasickness wasn't a problem, but once I got comfortable somewhere, I didn't move much due to my fear. It subsided the more we were out there, but I still missed the humpback.
After our whale watching expedition, we walked down Cannery Row to the Aquarium. It was a cool, huge aquarium. I think my favorite parts were the jelly fish and the HUGE tanks where you could watch the animals swim (I could probably watch them all day if allowed). I took some cool pictures of jelly fish. I continue to be impressed with the capabilities of my relatively inexpensive little camera. If I may digress for a moment, I've fallen in love with my digital camera this week. What did we do before digital?!?! On the whale watching trip and on the drive down the coast, I just snapped pictures haphazardly hoping some would turn out. Several did, and I feel like I have better pictures than I otherwise would have had. Besides, now those pictures can be easily cropped, zoomed in, and shared with everyone in the world with just a couple of clicks. Again, what did we do before digital ...
Anyway, back to the trip. On our way out of Monterey on Wednesday, we drove through the 17-mile-drive in Pebble Beach and took pictures of the bay, the lone cypress tree, and lots of other scenic vistas. I'd never want to live somewhere as exclusive as Pebble Beach, but the views were spectacular. Continuing down the coast, I took more pictures of the views and seals, and we slept that night back in Orange County.
Thursday morning had Eddie and I up early again as the two of us headed down to San Diego. It was great to be able to shed jackets and actually need sunblock. :) First, we got my birth certificate so I can get a passport. Then, we decided to walk down to the shore and just take in the sights a bit. We "stumbled" upon the USS Midway and decided to take the tour. It is MASSIVE!!! I can't believe how huge and efficient those ships are. I loved going through level after level and room after room and imagining how our men and women live at sea. It's amazing.
After the USS Midway, we met Pete and Kristin Breinholt (Eddie's cousins) in Old Town, had lunch, walked around, and then headed to Point Loma and the lighthouse at Cabrillo National Monument. It was an entertaining drive full of surprises, but we finally arrived, and loved the views, again, and the weather. From that Point, you can usually see the submarines and any carriers in dock at the base, but there was only one sub there that day, so that wasn't the most impressive part of the view. I can't begin to describe how beautiful it was, so you'll just have to look at my pictures and imagine it for yourself.
Finally, we went back to Pete and Kristin's to relax and have a yummy supper. Friday morning, I went to the BEAUTIFUL San Diego temple on our way back to Vegas to hang out with Eddie's family for the weekend. Our nomadic trip is basically over, and after sleeping almost 12 hours, I think I'm ready to go again. :)