San Diego – Ullan Adventures

Sea World San Diego

Kirsten / July 5, 2016

We never went to Sea World while we were living in San Diego despite being a few miles away and hearing their fireworks show every night during the summer. I wanted to take the kids but with all the controversy about killer whales in captivity, I decided to stay away.

However, I had always wanted to take the kids since I remember going as a kid and remember what a big impression it made on me and how it gave me a love of the ocean as a young kid.

The kids and I watched “Black Fish” together and talked about whether it was right or wrong to keep animals in captivity and decided not to go. So we were delighted to hear that Sea World was going to phase out keeping their orcas in captivity and decided that now we felt right about visiting the park.

We started off by visiting the orca and dolphin show that was happening right after we entered the park. The orcas are such magnificent creatures and I was taken by their power and size.

Then we went to watch the orcas swim. This was a really cool experience as some of them came right up to the glass over and over. The kids seemed to love seeing them up close.

From there, we went to a Sea Lion and Otter show. We LOVE otters in our house so there was no way we were going to miss seeing one. He was adorable and the sea lions were great too.

Then we wandered around the park and rode some rides. We also found a spot where the kids could feed and pet sting rays which they loved.

Then we wandered over to the penguins because Mara loves penguins!

From there, we wandered to the arctic exhibit to see the polar bears and beluga whales. Mara fell in love with the beluga whales! We spent a long time at tank level watching them swim.

We also met a walrus that kept swimming up to the glass and flipping right in front of the kids.

All in all it was a great day at the park and I was glad that the kids could fall in love with the ocean animals.

Save

California North America San Diego USA

Legoland California

Kirsten / June 11, 2015

We were lucky enough to go to Legoland 3 different times while we lived in San Diego.

The first time we went for Beckett’s birthday. The kids had a blast driving the cars, riding “The Dragon”, trying the Apple fries, riding the “Technic”, wandering around Miniland, and more. We even got to meet Wyldstyle from the Lego Movie!

The next time we went to Legoland was for the kids to do the Kids Marathon Mile race. It’s a 1 mile race through the theme park with tickets to the park after the race. The kids loved participating and we had yet another great day enjoying the park.

The 3rd time we went, only Beckett and I went as it was part of his 3rd grade class field trip. The class did an engineering with legos class and then had the rest of the day to run around the park. Beckett had a blast running around with friends and riding rides with me. At the end of the day he met up with some classmates at the water park where they got soaked. What a fun day and great way to wrap up his 3rd grade experience!

20150611_153405 — Attempting to dry off in a massive blow dryer!

Save

California San Diego USA

Go Kart Racing!

Kirsten / May 20, 2015

For Mother’s Day, Chuck surprised me with tickets for all of us to go Go-Kart racing. Definitely an out of the box Mother’s Day adventure!

Strangely, the place was pretty darn empty on Mother’s Day. Shocking, I know! Within 15 minutes of arriving, Chuck and I were up. After a pretty quick overview on the rules and how to drive the cars, we got all strapped in and shortly it was our turn. Our race was only the 2 of us. Let’s just say that Chuck got comfortable driving the karts faster than I did but at the end of our 12 laps, his best lap time only beat mine by well under 1 second.

Right after we were done, the kids were up. Their race had about 6 kids in it and it looked like some of the kids had done this before. There were a couple of kids that were a bit aggressive and thought it was a bit like bumper cars (it’s not!). Beckett was a little reckless out there too taking the corners too fast and having a few issues.

Right after their race, it was my turn again. Chuck had asked for us to be separate (I think he was scared to race me again, ha!) so he could take pictures. Due to someone not showing, I got to race myself. Yep, only me on the track. The guys running the place seemed to think I was really lucky as it’s rare to get the track to yourself. At first I was bummed to not have anyone to race against, but once I got going, I was glad to not have to dodge anyone. They have a screen that shows your best lap so I’d check it after every lap and set some goals for myself so every lap I got faster and faster.

She's going the distance... she's going for speed — She’s going the distance… she’s going for speed

Chuck was up next in a race against about 7 or 8 people that kind of looked like mayhem, but he did pretty well. Then the kids did a final race and we were all done.

We were there over 2 hours but that was partly due to a scheduling snafu with the kids. But we all had a blast. It does take a bit of getting used to but all of us got faster and faster with every lap. We also all left wanting more and Beckett keeps asking to go back.

Definitely another great family adventure!

Oh, and Chuck did do more for Mother’s Day than just this. He got up early to take Beckett to hockey so I could sleep and came home with flowers. And he also took us to a fantastic Moroccan restaurant for dinner where we indulged in chicken tagine, beef kabobs, cous cous and mint tea! Brought back great memories of our trip to Marrakesh last year.

California North America San Diego USA

Blue Angels and More at the Miramar Air Show

Kirsten / October 3, 2014

When we moved to San Diego, we rented a house for a couple of weeks in Mira Mesa. The backyard opened onto a canyon that turned out to be one of the main flight paths of the Marine’s F/A-18 Hornets so we’d hear them and see them flying every day, and every time we’d go up to Mira Mesa after we moved.

I was thrilled to find out that they do an air show every year at the base. Not only is this the base where they filmed “Top Gun” (how cool!) but it’s also the largest military show in the country. The fact that it was about 20 minutes from home made it a no-brainer to go see.

The show opened with an Osprey and some helicopters.

Then we saw the Marine’s hornets, US Army Golden Knights parachute team, and much more.

Then we got to see Sean D. Tucker perform in a biplane. He was extraordinary! I couldn’t believe the tricks he was able to do and he left us all mesmerized.

Next up was seeing a Harrier! We got to see it make a vertical lift off, hover in place, and fly around as well. What an incredible machine! After that , there were other aircraft that performed.

Finally, the Blue Angels were up and they did not disappoint. They flew right in front of the crowd with their wings almost touching and performed so many aerial tricks. Definitely a privilege to see them fly right before our eyes.

In addition to the performers, they had military planes and trucks that we could explore. The kids had a great time seeing the jets up close, going inside an carrier, and checking out the cockpits.

Once the sun set, there was a performance by the Shockwave Jet Truck which runs over 300mph and races the airplanes.

The show finished with a wall of fire which we ended up mostly missing as we left a few minutes early. It was brutally hot that day and we were all wilting after the long day standing in the sun. Unfortunately, we saw part of the wall of fire once we were outside and it looked INCREDIBLE so we were all bummed we missed it.

Save

California San Diego USA

Kirsten and Chuck Ride the Jetovator and Jetpack

Chuck Ullan / September 6, 2014

Kirsten saw a blog post this summer where someone had done a jetpack experience in the ocean, so she said “get me some of that!”

Unfortunately she didn’t get quite that, as I booked her onto something called the Jetovator, which is ridden kind of like a jet ski, but still turned out to be quite fun. She took the plunge at Glorietta Bay in Coronado.

The Jetovator is attached via a hose to a jet ski trailing her in the water. The guide controls the thrust power, while Kirsten managed all the controls.

She found it to be fun, but tiring and her legs were pretty shot after about a half hour of doing this.

For my birthday, Kirsten booked me into a jetpack experience at Mission Bay. The setup was similar in that I got some on-land training, then headed into the water, with my pack being powered by a water hose attached to a jet ski.

I had a great time doing the jetpack. One thing not shown in the pictures was when I got to “submarine”. I just tilted the jetpack forward and dove under the water like a dolphin, leaning back up 2-3 seconds later.

Between the two, it seems as though the jetpack was easier and it’s what we’d recommend if you’re looking for a water adventure!

California North America San Diego USA

Sand Sculpting Competition

Kirsten / August 31, 2014

Sand sculpting has always fascinated me and I’ve always wanted to see cool sculptures in person. So I was super excited when I found out the US Sand Sculpting Challenge and 3D Art Expo was being held in San Diego on the cruise ship pier.

We took the trolley from near our house to downtown and then walked a few blocks to the pier.

The sculptures were amazing! The level of detail was incredible and I have no idea how they defy gravity like that. It was a real treat to watch them work and see the art.

Save

California San Diego Sporting Events USA

Beckett and Chuck’s Trapeze Lesson

Chuck Ullan / August 16, 2014

For Beckett’s 8th birthday, he wanted a little adventure. Kirsten found a Trapeze deal on Groupon that cost about $70 for 2 people to have an introductory lesson. Mara doesn’t dig heights, so Beckett and I gave it a shot.

They start with a 10 minute safety and commands briefing, then do a brief on-ground lesson on how to leave the platform, then off we go to the real thing!

Beckett’s Lesson

He was quite fearless in climbing the little ladder that took him up to the platform (about 20 feet high), and didn’t show any reservations when it was time to take off, either.

First off, we just learned to swing properly and dismount. Beckett did great!

The next time around, he hooked his legs up over the bar and swung upside down.

Chuck’s Lesson

My experience started the same as Beckett, with the on-ground lesson, basic swinging, and learning to swing by my legs.

After mastering that, I got the chance to swing and be caught by someone on the other trapeze. I’d have never guessed when we showed up that I could do that within the hour, but it worked the first time!

This was really a thrill to do. It looked really difficult and I was proud to be able to do something like this quickly. All the other adults did it, as well, so I had no special talent. But it looks hard, and I was really stoked to complete the catch. I felt sore in odd spots for a couple days, but otherwise had no ill effects. So if you get the chance, give it a shot!

California North America San Diego USA

California Roadtrip

Kirsten / December 25, 2011

After a whirlwind week of deciding where we were going to live, packing, and moving, we decided to leave Hawaii for Christmas and threw in last minute trip planning to boot.

So after finishing packing up our stuff, we turned in our house keys, headed straight to the airport and flew to San Jose, CA. We spent the first night and next day in San Francisco riding the cable cars, visiting the Ghiradelli marketplace and sharing a delicious ice cream sundae for lunch. We ate a real lunch at the pier (clam chowder in a bread bowl – yummers!) and enjoyed watching the sea lions bask off the pier as well.

Ghiradelli Ice Cream Sundae with the best Hot Fudge on the planet

After our day, we drove to Carmel for the night. The next day we went to the Monterrey Aquarium. I’ve been wanting to go there for YEARS – ever since I heard about it and their work with sea otters, one of my favorite animals. We finished up that day with some Swiss cheese fondue and spatzle. Yumm!!

The next day we drove the Pacific Coast Highway from Carmel down to LA. As expected the views did not disappoint. And for the most part, the kids took the long, long trip really well.

We spent the next few nights in LA with Chuck’s friend, Julie, from business school. Her son, Jack, is 6 and the kids had the BEST time playing with him! Our LA days included seeing some of Chuck’s friends, showing the kids the UCLA campus, watching a LA Kings hockey game, and general hanging out.

On Christmas Eve, we left Julie’s and headed to Orange County for lunch with Chuck’s aunt and cousin. Then we drove to San Diego to my brother’s house.

We spent Christmas and the next week at their house and had a great, great time.

Highlights of our San Diego time included a full day at Disneyland. I think Beckett had the best day of his entire life and walked around so happy and excited and kept thanking us for taking him. We all rode Space Mountain, The Matterhorn, Big Thunder Railroad and more. We visited Small World, the princesses, and I think we got to every area of the park.

Watching the parade in front of Small World

Cinderella's castle — Cinderella’s castle

Another highlight was our visit to the San Diego Zoo Wild Safari Park. It’s a zoo unlike any others where the wild animals roam around a big savannah and you can drive right thru it like a real safari.

Best friends - at least for a few minutes — Best friends – at least for a few minutes

All in all, it was a fabulous 2 week trip. We did so many things as a family. And we tried to make this trip mostly about the kids but we also enjoyed doing everything as well. I’m so thankful that everything fell into place so we could have this adventure – it’s one I don’t think any of us will ever forget.