California has been inundated with rain lately, which has been good for the drought and crops, but not so great for people who like to play outdoors. With (until the last two days) rain every day I can remember for several weeks, we've been stuck inside a lot of the time. This past weekend, we decided to take a ~24-hour getaway north to Crescent City, the capital of Del Norte County, a small (population ~7600) coastal town about 70 miles north of us, to mix things up.
Crescent City was hit by a big tsunami in 2011 and, while we were no drier up there than where we live, we got to visit Ocean World, a small private aquarium, and play in the Oceanfront Lodge's heated indoor pools which was a needed change from Iver destroying our living room on a daily basis.
(this is a fake wave)
He really enjoyed the seal/sea lion show-- there are several rescue animals (after shark attacks and the loss of an eye).
We watched them jump and frolic in the water...
Enthralled
Marina is a 37-year-old harbor seal who has lived much longer than anyone expected.
Skully and Marina "kissing"
More tricks
The sea lions were a big hit!
Cora excelled at Ring Toss!
We enjoyed the tide pool, where we petted sea stars, sea anemone, and saw shark eggs!
Iver enjoyed observing the the sea lions and seals underwater, as well!
The sharks and shark displays were also a big hit!
He didn't want to be anywhere near these pirates.
The gift shop had octopus hats!
(and a tee pee)
I apologize for the very foggy photos, but here are some from the hotel pool.
Iver loved the "hot pool" (jacuzzi) as well as the "cold pool" (still warm, as it was heated!).
Someone is glad I brought my rainboots for this trip!
We checked out the nearby Battery Point Lighthouse near sundown. We had to view it from a distance, due to high tide preventing us from crossing the bridgeway, but it was definitely still scenic (and, speaking of lighthouses, I really recommend the book Light Between Oceans, by M.L. Stedman).
We braved the restaurant scene with a toddler, taking Iver to the SeaQuake Brewery in town. The food was good, and he was extremely well-behaved-- now that he's interested in food, he'll actually sit and eat, and there was a kids' play area with magnets, coloring supplies, and blocks.
I stayed up watching the Australian Open (great matches!), and with a dark room and a worn-out toddler, we slept in until about 6:30 (albeit with about three night wakings), before we enjoyed a nice breakfast, more pool time, and shopping before driving home. Our spirited man did really well on the trip, napping well in the car with little screaming, and enjoyed the adventure!
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