Nov 21-Nov 28: San Diego

With a long day of driving ahead of us, we packed up, secured everything inside the RV, and said goodbye to Scottsdale. If all went well, the 377 mile trip would take us about 6 and 1/2 hours. That was a lot of miles for us to do in one day, but we wanted to test it out and see how we did.

The drive was easy enough and provided lots for us to look at. We drove through a sand storm in the middle of nowhere and as we looked closely there were people riding dirt bikes up the dunes. Very cool.

The landscape continued to catch our attention. As we went from windmill fields for as far as the eye could see, to hills made of crushed rocks, to what looked to be a strategically placed display of white rocks.

All of this fun stuff to look at was not enough to keep the crew awake.

We were excited to arrive in the daylight hours and get setup at Sun Outdoors San Diego at Chula Vista, CA. Everyone together for Thanksgiving was a dream come true. We had not seen Makenzie since May and Ella since August.

Makenzie was coming from Charleston, SC and Ella from Portland, OR, arriving midday Wednesday and staying until Sunday morning. Maho and Saba were not sure they were going to let Makenzie come without them.

We waited patiently and passed the time by beginning the cooking for the big eating event, and a special request of pizzelle cookies.

We are thrilled to spend some time in warm, sunny southern California.

The RV park had some great amenities that we were elated to get to enjoy with the girls. The heated pool, cafe, and poolside bar made for a fantastic first day.

Pickelball became a fast family favorite, making us laugh and smile. All three girls are really good.

It is a good thing our family does not mind close quarts and sharing space. So grateful for the foldout couch, but not really sure where Addie is sleeping.

Maybe in with Mak…

On Thanksgiving day we enjoyed some amazing food cooked by Shannon on the RV. Unfortunately, no one got any pictures, we were all too busy stuffing our faces. Everyone enjoyed leftovers, such as giant Thanksgiving sandwiches, all week too!

Everybody got to pitch in ideas for what to see and do. We all agreed on visiting the San Diego Zoo. First established in 1916, now covering over 100 acres and showcasing over 3500 rare animals, it was clear why it is one of the top things to do in the area.

Next on the list was a walk on the seashore. This experience came with an extra WOW as we found a large group of sea lions sunbathing on the beach in the protection of the jetty.

Seems like when the girls are around we are always trying new and different foods. This day was no different. We found ICEskimo, where they make Taiwanese shaved snow. We tried pumpkin snow with sweetened condensed milk. It was pretty tasty. We would definitely get it again.

The slot canyons in AZ had been so amazing that we were delighted to find some close by in San Diego that we could explore with the girls. It was a short hike to get to the canyons and once we did we found loads of people wanting to do the same thing. We all moved at a crawl as we wound through the tight but super unique spaces.

There were so many amazing things to see in this seaside town.

That afternoon, at the request of the group, we found our way back to the coast to check out another beach. It was a beautifully sunny, but cold and breezy, day.

We continue to see new things. Our last night together was extra fun as we got serenaded by a mobile one man band circling the RV park in the back of his pickup truck.

It was a wonderful few days with the girls celebrating the holiday and exploring San Diego. Unfortunately, it was a fast visit as they had to get back to work and we had to start making our way from the west coast to the east coast.

After the girls left, we spent our last two days at a site with a water view. We mostly just chilled, cleaned, and prepared the RV for the cross country trip.

It was an awesome week in CA. So much fun exploring a new place with all of us together. Our next time as a group will be Christmas in Charleston assuming we get there safely. A long trip ahead for us!