2,000+miles+baby. Day 3. Market Lake, Idaho.

Not only do we get a different window to look out of, but we get to drink a latte while doing it.

She already LOVES her aunt!

Today we explored Market Lake, a 5,000 acre Wildlife Management Area.  We went in search of the elk that Raya and Josh saw yesterday.  She also told us to look for porcupine nests in the trees.  

It ended up being a bit of a wild goose chase, however.

We saw birds but no elk.

Is this a porcupine nest?  

Maybe porcupine nest identification is common practice in Idaho school systems, but I realized after diligently searching in every tree around that I have no clue what a porcupine nest looks like.

I do know a mule deer when I see one, so all is not lost.

Well, we didn't see what we came for, but we are not complaining.  

Idaho is beautiful.  

2,000+miles+baby. Day 2. UT-ID.

Our little baby is an ideal travel companion, not a peep out of her.

Awe, she makes her parents proud.

Welcome to Utah!

The snow levels are getting deeper, we must be getting close...

Welcome to Idaho!

2,000+miles+baby. Day 1. CA-UT.

Our Morro Bay trip was the practice run for our 2,000+ mile road trip to visit my sister, and snow.

Although I have been so grateful to be on maternity leave, it was time for a change of scenery, or time to "look out a different window", as I told my sister.  (Look at me, I am quotable.)

So, off we go, to test the limits of our little one.  So far so good!

Welcome to Nevada!

Day 4- Morro Bay

Before heading home we got up close and personal with the 581 foot tall Morro Rock.

The rock is a volcanic plug, when magma in a volcano hardens before becoming extinct.

She is fascinated by science, but her poker face is real.

This trip was a test to see what it was like traveling with a baby, and she passed with flying colors.  Our one and only spent over 700 miles in the car and cried close to none.  Lucky us!  

Nothing is stopping us from our next adventure.

Nothing but money and time.  

Day 3- Morro Bay and San Simeon

 

The morning began with a stroll along the Embarcadero, with a view of the iconic Morro Rock.

Ah, the Shell Shop.  This was always a go-to when visiting Morro Bay as a kid.

"Excels in shells."  

Clever since 1955.

I think they sell the exact same shells as when I was here 30 years ago, not just the same products, but the same dusty items.

These shell roses sure brought back memories!

Otters are otterly entertaining for hours (clever since 1980).

We took a 30 minute drive up north to see the elephant seals.  This was our first stop, not quite far enough north.

This is better.

The seals are located right passed the Hearst Castle turnoff.  

We missed the peak of the seals by a month, there are thousands of elephant seals in January.  

We got the point watching these guys.

New born pups can weigh 60 pounds at birth, quintupling their size by the time they wean. 

Those are some big babies.

The males can weigh up to 5,000 pounds, and are deafeningly loud.

Seal cuddle puddle.

Our last stop was the nano brewery Three Stacks and a Rock Brewing Company.

Nano breweries brew in batches of three barrels or smaller. 

Good beer and pretzels.  Adorable tasting glasses.  Smart name.

This brewery has it all.

Day 2- Solvang to Morro Bay

The Hamlet Inn has a deal with Olsen's Danish Village Bakery, a pastry of our choice as well as unlimited coffee is included in our stay.

I went with a slice of kringle.  If it was good enough for Huell Howser it is good enough for me.

It was a good choice.

We spent the morning wandering around.  

Wandering was a necessity since there are so many goodies to enjoy.

Who has ever heard of an aebleskiver anyhow? 

The Danes.

Aebleskivers are Danish donuts served with a warm jam.

We got an order to go and ate them in front of the restaurant like savages.

So much to do, so much to see.

The Solvang mission costs money to enter, so we protested by not entering.  

Obviously our one and only enjoyed every second!

This is not out of order.  We returned to Solvang Restaurant for more aebleskivers.  If our waitress was chewing gum she would have spit it out when I told her this is our second order today!

Next on the agenda is Morro Bay, less than two hours away.

I haven't been since I was in middle school.  This was a regular vacation spot for us over spring break, when spring break was known as the controversial "Easter vacation".  

Haha.

Somethings have not changed one bit.

Too bad liar's bench wasn't there when I was a child, I could have looked for my butt imprints! 

Looking back at this picture, the famous Morro Bay rock does look rather ostentatious.