San Diego Trip Day 4

Look at that amazing weather in January!

On Day 4 of our trip to San Diego we went to SeaWorld. It was a lot different than when Mom and Dad were kids. There was much less emphasis on the dolphin and orca shows and much more focus on rides and exhibits.

As we entered the park, we went to the touch pools. Crabs, tiny fishes, and rays were among the things you could touch. We spent quite a bit of time there.

The boys loved the touch tanks.
In this one, the tiny fish came to suck your finger.

Mark and Dax loved the sharks.

This was a trip that the boys will never forget.

We spotted a black-crowned night heron in the tree.

We also checked out the penguin exhibits, the otters, and the arctic adventure. Dad and the boys were tall enough to go on the faux helicopter ride, but Mom and Seth had to go in the backdoor. As it turned out, they were the lucky ones, because they got to see the disgusting walrus and the beluga whales bobbing. But everyone enjoyed the beluga whales and the polar bear.

The pure white beluga whales are among the most stunning animals at SeaWorld.

The boys loved feeding the sea lions almost as much as the sea lions did!

We were also surprised by the number of rides at SeaWorld. There was an entire section of toddler rides with a Sesame Street theme. There was a very fast roller coaster that Mark loved (surprisingly!) The boys loved all of these rides, and we spent the entire day at the park.

Mark and Dad were big enough to go on this ride.

Everyone loved the teacups. The kids were a bit crazy with the spinning.

Seth had to be dragged away from the toddler rides.

A lot of adults were tired, so Mom and Dad ended up with many cousins.

Much to Mom's chagrin, Dad decided to sit in the splash zones at both the whale and dolphin show. He arrived early and saved seats, so she just had to live with it. As it turned out, though, the seats were perfectly and we ended up lightly splashed and nowhere near soaked. The shows were interesting in that the trainers didn't spend any time in the water with the orcas, and the dolphins and the humans only interacted a little. Still, we had a great time.

The boys weren't sure what to expect at the dolphin show.

Sitting several rows back to the side was just right.

The Orcas are really splashy!

There was a new baby orca swimming with it's mother.
He's right there under her belly.

After a full day at SeaWorld, we drove to a nice sea food restaurant. The fish was amazing! Dax insisted that he wanted trout, even though we tried to talk him into halibut. He threw a minor fit when the restaurant didn't have trout on the kids' menu. Finally, Dad asked the waitress to bring some of that flaky white "trout" that was caught in the ocean. Shhh! Don't tell Dax-- he still thinks it was trout. It was such a nice night, and a great way to end the trip!

One more family picture at the Sea Food restaurant.