We made a trip to Bakersfield so the boys could visit with their great-grandma. My brother Nick was also in town visiting, having flew all the way from New York City. The boys loved playing with their uncle and showing him all the fun they have on their tablets.
After spending a few days in Bakersfield, we headed over to the coast to spend a few days in San Luis Obispo. You can’t beat a tri-tip sandwich at Firestone Grill for dinner.
We started off our day walking around the Cal Poly campus. The boys were interested in seeing where we had gone to college. It is amazing how many new buildings have been built since we graduated. The new Baker Math and Science building is very impressive!
After having lunch at Tiki Hut, an old favorite of Aliciana’s and mine, we drove up Highway 1 to Morro Bay. The boys explored the beach around Morro Rock and we saw a bunch of sea otters chill’n in the bay. Then we continued up the coast and hung out on the Cayucos pier.
We had dinner at Klondike Pizza in Arroyo Grande, another favorite of ours. It was the first time we have taken the boys, and they dug the crazy Alaskan atmosphere. Their favorite part was eating peanuts and getting to throw the shells on the floor.
After dinner, we finished up our day playing at Dinosaur Caves Park in Shell Beach while enjoying the beautiful ocean views.
We spent the whole day having fun with our imaginations at the San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum. Unfortunately, Connor was feeling a little under the weather, but he still managed to have some fun.
Before heading back to Bakersfield, we couldn’t leave the coast without a stop to see the elephant seals. They like to come ashore just north of San Simeon. It was Connor’s first time seeing the beasts, and both boys were impressed.
Just some random photos taken while enjoying Grandma’s beautiful backyard.
My parents drove down from Portland, OR with their RV in order to visit us and Grandma. The boys love hanging out with their little uncle and aunt, AJ and Michaela.
The boys showed off their newly acquired swimming skills in the RV park my parents were staying at. After they had enough of the water, we all headed over to visit with Grandma.
On the way back down to San Diego, we stopped by the Discovery Cube LA to check it out. They have some exhibits that were different than the Orange County location, so it was a nice way to break up our long drive south.
Our first day of our Colorado trip was spent driving to St George, UT. We stopped at The Venetian to show the boys the indoor canals and the amazing recreation of Venice. Then we walked down to the Forum Shops to have dinner and walk around the cool shops.
The second day of our long drive across the Western United States ended in Grand Junction, CO. We walked around their cute downtown area, enjoying the outdoor sidewalk art.
Continuing our Colorado trip, we spent the day driving though the majestic Rocky Mountains on our way to Denver. We spent the afternoon in Aspen, walking around their downtown area and enjoying the outdoors.
We continued out the back of Aspen along the “Top Of The Rockies” scenic byway. It was a 2 lane road most of the way, winding though beautiful valleys and high along the mountain tops. The views were mind boggling in their beauty. We crossed over the Continental Divide and stopped along the drive to hike a bit in the Rocky Mountain tundra.
Day 4 of our vacation was all about exploring Denver. We started off the day walking around inside of the Colorado State Capitol. Then we drove over to a different part of downtown to check out the FED’s Money Museum. The boys got to see lots of old types of money, learn about how our banking system works, and do a lot of hands on activities.
The second half of the day was all about baseball. We spent the afternoon at the National Ballpark Museum. The building was packed to the roof with tons of old memorabilia from the older “classic” ballparks and their players. We saw treasures from greats like Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson, Mickey Mantle, and Babe Ruth. Gavin was in heaven and Connor managed to entertain himself. I don’t think Gavin would have minded spending weeks in the little museum, soaking up every inch of baseball history.
After the museum, it was time for some baseball. We got into Coors Field the minute the gates opened and were able to see lots of the Dodgers warm up. Aliciana even snatched a baseball out of the air barehanded, like an eagle, when a player tossed it up into the stands. We were all quite impressed with her reflexes… especially the guy behind her who lost out on a cool souvenir.
After pushing through a rain delay in the first inning, and some cold weather the rest of the game, the Dodgers ended up losing with a score of 3 to 7. The game didn’t wrap up until after 10pm, so it was an extremely long day for the boys, but they had a blast.
It was a much more relaxing day, after spending all of yesterday running around downtown Denver. We spent the entire day at the great children’s museum in Denver, so the boys could play, create art, and have fun pretending.
