Air & Space Museums

I like things that fly and make lots of noise. So we went to check out a couple of museums about flying.
At San Diego's Balboa Park is the San Diego Air & Space Museum.

It was pretty cool. They did have the Star Trek section, but we didn't want to pay a lot extra for it, so we skipped it (sorry George). There are lots of neat things to look at, even a really old Apollo Space Shuttle. Some of the planes had cool designs. Ahhh this plane is going to eat me. Mom can't you read it says danger. I even got to fly, or at least pretend. Can I be Superman? (I know he flies and all, but what's up with a poster of Superman at an Air & Space Museum)? They even have a plane just my size. Overall, pretty cool!

We also checked out Air & Space Museum at March Airfield. If you’ve driven up Hwy 215 in So. Cal., then you’ve probably driven by it a bunch, but we finally stopped to check it out. There are some cool things to check out inside the hanger

(watch out my turn to fly) and a whole bunch more cool planes outside the hanger. Plus some interesting history about the area. Not the biggest museum, but definitely worth checking out if you like planes and other flying objects.

So. Cal. Mountains

When you think of Southern California most people don't think of mountains, they think of beaches, but suprisingly there are mountains. Nothing too masive, but certainly some enjoyable spots.

For a unique view of Los Angeles check out Angeles Crest in Angeles National Forest. Take Hwy 2 into the mountains. You get up above the clouds and smog and it's quite a different view. The city actually looks nice from up here (especially if you pretend the smog is fog)! (Can you see all the little buildings on the right.)

There some hiking and other adventures to be had up here too. For adventures other then just the view, you may need a permit or pass, so be sure to check out this website before you go: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/angeles/.

Oh and while your in the area if your shors or leather goods need some repair check out my Papik (Grandpa's) shoe shop. He'll fix it all up for you. It's at: 4121 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite J, California 91214.

East from LA you hit San Bernardino National Forest.
View Larger Map There are many different ways to get there. From Hemet take the 74 East, from Banning take the 243 South, or from Palm Springs take the 74 West. Up in the mountains there's usually some pretty nice views of the area below. In the middle of the Forest there is the cute, little, mountain town of Idyllwild. Nice shops and eateries, and parks to go hiking from. We checked it out last March, so there was still some snow on the ground. Just a bit of playing in the snow. (Thanks Uncle Chris & Auntie Erin for the jacket, it kept me nice and toasty warm).

We also checked out Lake Hemet. It looked pretty nice, but a little cold and windy to get in just yet, maybe the summer would be nice. We only lasted long enough to take the picture. For more info. on this area, check out: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sanbernardino/.

There are other mountains in the area. Even ones that you can ski or board on. So when you're exploring So. Cal. don't forget the mountains, especailly in the winter when the beach is too cold anyways! "Are we there yet?"

Unpause!!

Finally back up and posting. We’re still enjoying more adventures, but mom finally sat down and posted some of the old ones. Thanks mom! Some of the posts are from adventures more then a few months ago (so I’m not really that small anymore).
Oh, and I really like avocado!

Central California Coast

Driving down Hwy 101 isamazing- from the giant Redwoods, to the beautiful beaches. While driving through the Central Coast here are a few places I’d recommend (and a whole bunch more that I still haven't seen) that you should check out. The drive down the coast really is beautiful. The views.The beaches. The sunsets. It’s best to take you time and smell the roses (or the salt water).
In Santa Cruz, take some time at the Municipal Wharf.

There's a great little resturant, that's been there forever. It's owned and operated by the Stagnaro family. Just inside the front door are some great pictures that tell a bit of the history, if you want to know more the man behind the counter knows all the interesting little facts.

We even got to see some sunbathing sea lions. It's pretty cool that they can get all the way up on those struts.
In Monterey Bay you shouldn’t pass up the aquarium. There are some many different kinds of animals under the sea. This is a great place to get up close to some and even touch a few. I was most enthralled by the jelly fish that seem to glow as they float through the water. Down the coast, just past San Simeon we spent the day at Hearst’s Castle. The Castle is up on a hill, so the view down to the ocean is just beautiful! The guided tour is well worth it as you get to see the grounds and some of the rooms, and you get some back story as well. You even get to see the pools (yep plural, there are two: 1 outside and 1 inside).
Dad takes a pretty cool, artistic sunglasses shots don't you think! Do you think they’d let me take a little dip? There is very intricate details throughout, especially in the gigantic dinning room. They even have there own movie theater, not to mention they’re own runway. Overall a pretty cool place. While this is a coastal tour, we did go inland just a bit to check out the cute dutch style town of Solvang. Lots of cute decorated building. There are lots of little shops, but more importantly lots of little resturants with very yummie food.

Back on the coast we hit up Santa Barbara. And of course we hit up the pier.

You just got to stop by when there’s a pier. They have good food, cool animals, and lots of things to look at. Here we even took the water taxi across the bay. Of course we couldn’t pass up on some ice cream. It’s even a great place to watch the sunset!
Well that’s my quick tour of the central California coastline. There’s so much more to see, we’ll just have to check it our again. What’s your favorite thing to see here?