This time last year, I did a virtual Spring Break with my kiddos because we were smack dab in the middle of a pandemic lock down where nothing was open and everyone was staying put in their homes. This year, things are not 100% back to normal but they’re going in the right direction towards normalcy. Cases are going down around our area and things are opening back up as long as you wear masks or make reservation ahead of time.
There were a few things I wanted to do with the kids that were both dog friendly and some that were not dog friendly. I will list our week’s activities here in hopes of spurring the adventurous spirit in you and let you know some things you can do safely around SoCal with your kids, your pets or just on your own if you wish.
Our first stop was just right here around the inland empire. The weather has been amazing and there are so many bike paths around the inland empire so we packed up our bikes and headed to a park with a train that connected to it. Packing the bikes on my own plus 4 kids and enough water and snacks on my own was enough of an adventure but the bike ride was nice too and thankfully my 13 year old boy is taller than me and could help me lift and pack our bikes onto my car bike rack. We also have one of those bike trailer/cart things for the baby. We used to have one before when our older kids were little. I have to say, the updated version has it’s up sides but also it’s down sides. We got the Schwinn brand one from Target for a pretty decent price considering the brand name. My husband, myself and my oldest son recently had to get some new bikes. We opted for cruisers this time because they are more comfortable to ride. These we just found second hand from Facebook Marketplace sellers. This was a great deal and made it easier to find because since the pandemic started, apparently everyone has wanted to buy bikes. SoCal has so many bike trails. If you live in SoCal, you most likely live near a bike path. Take a look online and see what you find.
Our next stop was The Cave Store in La Jolla. I have been wanting to go there for some time now. They were closed for awhile and then only did reservations which are booked until May as of right now. However, if you go there on Tuesdays or Thursdays, you can do a walk-in trip to see the sea cave under the store. It’s also cheaper to do this. For me and the kids, it was $22 to take a tour of the sea cave. Make sure to get there early because there will be a line. Also, make sure you wear your mask. They have hand sanitizer there too for your use which is great because you need to hold on to the rails while descending into the sea cave in case there is water on the steps. I had the baby strapped to me so I definitely held on to those rails while going down. The steps are not super steep though so although there are over a 100 steps, it is not as challenging to go down or up them. With the added weight of the baby, it still gave me a good work out.
Our next outing took us to Escondido. This was more of a business trip for me than a pleasure trip. Escondido does have biking and hiking trails, they also have Queen Kalifa’s Magical Circle which I have brought my children to before but unfortunately it is closed due to Covid. This trip found me in the middle of downtown Escondido. Through the networkings of a Facebook group I became a part of (Shop my Porch), I came across the owner of the shop called Daydream. She owns a new concept shop that carries not only her own creations but other maker’s creations! You can find a great number of items there such as jewelry, clothing, pet items, plants, resin art (made by yours truly) and more! I had been working on some charcuterie boards and key chains to add to her store and had finally finished them so I could bring them to her shop. It was so fun to see the shop in person, meet it’s truly amazing owner and shop for my girls and support other local artists/makers. If you have a chance to make it there, take a peek at not only my work but so many other’s work. I did also treat my kiddos to a trip to the Westfield North County mall. It has always been one of my favorite indoor malls in San Diego because it is so big and has so many stores. It was also not as crowded as the mall near me so I didn’t have to wait in line to get into Bath and Body works which is one of my fav stores. I needed some pocket hand sanitizers for my kid’s Easter eggs….lol
Thursday found us up at Big Bear. I have taken my kids up to the mountains for snow play during Spring Break before so we decided to go again this year to see if there was any snow left up there. It is always easier to go in the spring since there are a lot less people heading up to the mountains during this time and there is no need for chains. We have never been all the way to Big Bear despite living in SoCal for a total of 8 years! We’ve only ever made it as far as Snow Valley. I have to say that this year’s trip up the mountain was quite pleasant. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day and there was no traffic on the mountains. However, being that it was so warm, and there hadn’t been any recent precipitation in the mountains, there was very little snow left to play in. It was only a day trip so I took the kids and the dog hiking at the Aspen Glen picnic area at Big Bear Lake. There are signs there telling you to have an Adventure Pass hanging in your window in order to park in the parking lot. You can get them at several places around big bear and they are not very pricey ($5/for the day or $30/year). We had a great time exploring this trail. There are a lot of different directions you can take on this trail which was great because there wound up being quite a few people show up to check this trail out. We arrived early in the morning (around 10:30 AM) so found parking easily. We were able to have the picnic area to ourselves too so we stopped to eat some lunch that I packed for us. There were very small patches of snow left on the ground. I know this place is often a popular place to go sledding and there were some people who showed up with sleds to see if they could get some sledding in but there was definitely not enough snow on the ground at all for this. Next year, I may try to get to this spot earlier in the season so the kids can actually go sledding. They did enjoy making small snow balls with the patches of snow they found though. Also, the dog enjoyed the scenery and the squirrels. There were a few port-o-potties there to use. We definitely needed this with such a long drive there and back. They were actually fairly clean and not smelly. I always carry hand sanitizer for situations such as these. We also brought our masks while hiking as more people started to show up and made sure to put them on if we thought we would be in close proximity to any one but there was enough space on this trail to spread out for the most part. As with all trails/parks/beaches, make sure to pick up after your furry friend while out with them.
Our last day of the week found us at the beach. You can’t have Spring Break without some beach time. There are quite a few beaches that allow dogs here so we picked another one to try. We wound up at Cardiff Beach near Torrey Pines Beach. At this beach, dogs have to remain on leash. There is a big parking lot for this beach but you have to pay to park there for the day. It wound up being waaaaay more expensive than I anticipated it being but after driving all that way and with an infant, 3 older kids and dog in tow, I figured…..”what the heck”. The person at the gate said it normally is $15 to park there (now I know why so many people were trying to find street parking instead……it is free!!!) however, since it was Good Friday, the state upped the price to $20! Thanks California! The upside to this was that there was a ton of parking, there were bathrooms right of the parking lot and we didn’t have to walk far to find a spot on the beach. The dog and the kids enjoyed swimming and my littlest one was so excited to crawl all over the sand and right into the water! She is such a Moana baby….haha. Here is a video of the cuteness……..I just can’t resist!
It was quite an adventurous Spring Break in SoCal! One of the best things about living here. There is always something new to explore and experience.
ImPerfect Ari 