Too Hot to Blog

Our daughter really wanted to see Sea World. That was at the top of her list, so we did that on Saturday. Traffic was terrible, and I think they were all going to Sea World too. It was supposed to be the hottest day so far this summer in San Diego, so Sea World would be a relatively cool place to be. We were over an hour late to meet our friends by the time we finally got our tickets and got in. Fortunately, they'd grabbed the wrist bands necessary to see the new dolphin show, so we didn't miss out. We saw dolphins, seals, sea lions, sea otters, bat rays, moray eels, an assortment of fish, sea turtles, sharks, beluga whales, and a sleeping polar bear. We ate overpriced, mediocre food. We enjoyed the company of good friends.

The new dolphin show was pretty good, pretty much a cross between the traditional show and a little Cirque du Soleil with divers, dancers, and acrobats. There were also some trained birds, but really all they did was fly over, so that was a bit underwhelming. The Sea Lion show was just as silly as it's ever been, but my daughter thought it was funny. For me, the highlight was the Shamu Rocks show. They only do this in the evening. It was just music, dancing, and the four orcas--no hokey narration.

San Diego was pretty much full, so we spent the night "on the way out" in Escondido. The Econo Lodge was pretty much your standard budget motel. Unfortunately the people in the room next door decided to throw a party at 3 AM. At 3:30 I called the office and complained, clearly waking the guy up. He didn't seem to take me seriously until I mentioned the music with the bass which was literally shaking things in our room. He must have gone to talk to them, because it got quite for a few minutes, but not for long. At 4:30 my husband threatened to call the cops, and that seemed to be a bit more effective.

We got a later start than I'd anticipated, but we made good time getting to Las Vegas. We got gas in Barstow where it was 112 F (44 C). We had lunch in Baker where it was 116 F (47 C). We got to Las Vegas and parked in the shade in a parking structure while we checked in to the Hilton. When we returned to the car about an hour later, it was 120 F (49 C). I think this was a new record for me. It felt like walking into a convection oven. My husband wanted to walk to Circus Circus, about a mile away, but I didn't think that was safe. We didn't have enough time to do the car show at the Imperial Palace, and the pool was just too hot and crowded, so Circus Circus was the only other kid-friendly thing we could think of. It was incredibly crowded, noisy, and rather hot, but our daughter enjoyed it, and it passed the time. After dinner there, we drove a lap on the strip, then it was off to bed.