Mexican Riviera Cruise (November 11-21, 2024)

We decided to take a 10-day Mexican Riviera Cruise on the Majestic Princess. We left from San Pedro, CA. Here is the itinerary (With Mazatlan at the end and no stop atLa Paz).

After dropping off our luggage, we decided to visit the USS Iowa.

After boarding, we had lunch, unpacked, and relaxed. 

Catalina Island at sunset 

Sacramento

 I had to go to Eureka CA for a work trip. Leaving Phoenix, my flight was delayed, which caused me to miss my connection to Eureka. I was scheduled to present at a training at 9 am the following morning, so I was having some major anxiety. I was put on standby for the only other flight of the day, arriving around 11 pm. Luckily, I got the last seat on the plane. 

Because I had thought I would be arriving late afternoon, I planned to take a taxi or uber from the airport to the hotel. Once my flight was delayed, I wasn't sure if I would even make it, so I figured it would make ground transportation arrangements if/when I arrived.

That standby flight was then delayed and we arrived in Eureka around midnight - and I was told there are no cabs or ubers this late. Once I got my luggage (needed to be loaded into the the plane because there wasn't room for my carryon) I went outside. There was a pre-paid van that was full and about to leave that had pity on me and said they could take me to my hotel, but I would have to be the last stop. I didn't have any other choice.

I arrived at my hotel at 2:30 am (luckily they didn't cancel my reservation) and sent a quick text to my colleagues that I was meeting in the morning, letting them know I arrived and would meet them at 7 am as planned to drive to the training site. So, I only got a few hours of sleep before having to get ready in the morning.

The training went well, and during a morning break, I logged in to my airline account to check in for my return flight that afternoon. I got a notice that my flight home was cancelled! I called the airline, to learn that they had no record of my arriving as a standby passenger and since I was "still in Sacramento", they cancelled my flights home. 

Great! More anxiety! I semi-convinced them that I was in fact in Eureka and they "sort of" reinstated my first flight, but I would be required to check in in-person at the Eureka airport. Luckily, the flight wasn't full and I made it on the flight to Sacramento and they checked me into my connecting flight too. Unfortunately my seat assignments were gone and I got middle seats for both flights. 

Here's a picture of me looking frazzled in the Sacramento airport with what I called "spider bunny" but is apparently named Leap.

Southern California (Sept 20-24, 2017)

We took a short trip to southern California during fall break for the twins. Our first stop was at Joshua Tree National Park.

After entering the park, we pulled over in a picnic area for lunch, and played a bit on the boulders.

After lunch, we got out and took a short walk along one of the paths near Arch Rock.

We were going to head west when the road forked but noticed that the gas in the car was really low so we headed out of the park through the North entrance station, instead of  leaving through the West entrance station as planned. Once we filled the tank, we decided to just continue to Big Bear Lake, instead of backtracking and going back into the park.

We arrived in Big Bear Lake around 7:30 pm, so we checked into the cabin we rented, headed into town for dinner, 

and then went back to the cabin to unpack and settle in for the night.

Southern California - Day 2 - Big Bear Lake

Day 2 (Sept 21)

We spent this morning looking at fall leaves

and taking a nice sunny hike and 

At the end of the hike, we stopped to use a bathroom. 

I thought it was fitting and really funny that the bathroom had a scat identification chart!

We headed towards the lake, but by then an afternoon fog rolled in and cold drizzling rain started, so we headed back to the cabin to relax. 

Later, we headed back into town for dinner (and a really good Himalayan restaurant) and then did a bit of browsing/shopping. I found a t-shirt that captured exactly how I was feeling!

Southern California - Day 3 - Hollywood

Day 3 (Sept 22) - Hollywood

Today we decided to drive to Los Angeles/Hollywood, since we were close and the girls really wanted to go.

Once we were there, we visited the Hollywood Walk of Fame while we waited for the double decker sightseeing bus tour to start.

We took the tour and saw various attractions and areas of interest in Hollywood.

After the tour, we visited the Hollywood Wax Museum and posed with various "celebrities".

We then headed back to Big Bear Lake to spend the night.

Southern California - Day 4 - Big Bear Lake

Day 4 (Sept 23) - Big Bear Lake

Today we explored other areas of Big Bear Lake, including talking to the observatory.

We also went on a few other short hikes

Drove around the lake

Drove further into the mountains 

 (and even saw a bobcat near the skyline trail)

and then went to explore the Stanfield March Wildlife/Waterfowl Preserve

Southern California - Day 5 - Salton Sea

Day 5 (Sept 24) - Salton Sea

To break up the drive home today, we decided to make a detour and visit the Salton Sea.

While the view of the water was nice

The beaches were disgusting, with the sand filled with dead fish and beached boats.

From there, we took a detour to the International Banana Museum to get a snack

and observe the huge collection of banana-related stuff.

Los Angeles Zoo

I went to Los Angeles for a work conference. Tonight we had a social event at the zoo. I couldn't resist playing on the giant snake