WINDMILLS ~ September 29, 2007

Don Quixote: Dost not see? A monstrous giant of infamous repute whom I intend to encounter.
Sancho Panza: It's a windmill.
Don Quixote: A giant. Canst thou not see the great arms whirling at his back?
Sancho Panza: A giant?
Don Quixote: Exactly.

An army of windmills!

This wind farm can be seen on I-10 near Indio, CA (in Altamont Pass just east of Hadley's Fruit Orchard). The area contains more than 5,000 wind turbines that look like giant pinwheels spinning in the breeze. It takes 10 minutes to drive through them all!

SAN ONOFRE ~ September 28-29, 2007

San Onofre State Beach.

At low tide you can go way, way out.

Sandstone Bluffs overlooking the beach.

Trail from the bluff-top campground down to the beach.

A train track runs right alongside the campground.

High tide, the next morning.

SAN PEDRO, CA ~ September 27, 2007

Korean Friendship Bell

An old building on the waterfront with rows of gargoyle-like sculptures.

Close-up of creature with a pipe sticking out of its mouth...
What could it be? Anyone have a clue?

San Pedro shipyard and a cargo ship, with
giant cranes to load and unload containers.

Stacks and stacks of China Shipping containers.

A film crew was there doing a movie or something which was pretty cool - we saw a bunch of cameras at various angles, a guy who looked like a director, catering trucks, tents, etc. with security personnel keeping curious onlookers like us away. Note the big black camera on the left, and the camera extended up on the boom at the right behind those three guys.

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA ~ September 26, 2007

Point Vicente Lighthouse

Walking between Point Vicente and Long Point

This part of the road is kind of like a roller coaster due to shifting terrain!
It's all uneven and crooked, despite being regularly repaved and realigned.

Wayfarer's Chapel exterior.

Wayfarer's Chapel interior.

This is a beautiful glass chapel surrounded by trees, built in 1951.
It was designed by the son of famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
The sanctuary and gardens are open daily for prayer and meditation.

WAY OF THE MASTER ~ September 26, 2007

If you are a fan of The Way of the Master television program hosted by Ray Comfort and actor Kirk Cameron, you should visit their Christian evangelism ministry headquarters in Bellflower, CA (L.A. area). We called ahead to see if we could visit them while we were over there. Most of the crew was in Europe filming the fourth season (13 episodes in 13 different countries in 13 days!), but we got a nice tour of the ministry. They really made us feel welcome and even had a sign in the lobby saying “Welcome Rich Olsen & family from Arizona.” We got to peek inside Ray Comfort’s office and the soundproof studio, among other things.

Bellflower, California headquarters for

Living Waters Publications/Way of the Master Productions

Soundproof Studio where they air The Way of the Master radio show.

Display area in their bookstore.
Ray Comfort has written more than 50 books including The Evidence Bible.
And if you want gospel tracts, boy, do they have a huge selection –
at least 70 different eye-catching tracts and other conversation starters!

CREATION MUSEUM ~ September 25, 2007

The day after we went to Legoland, we visited The Museum of Creation and Earth History in Santee, CA just northeast of San Diego. While there’s been a lot of interest in the AiG Creation Museum in Kentucky since it opened this summer, it’s nice to know that there is a Creation Museum on the west coast for those of us who aren’t able to travel back east. The Museum of Creation and Earth History is operated by the Institute for Creation Research Center founded by Dr. Henry Morris. (This is where Ken Ham used to work before he founded Answers in Genesis.) Exhibits are laid out like a walk through time, explaining the history of the earth and universe according to the Bible beginning with Creation. (This part reminded me of the Adventure walk-through at Legoland!) Other exhibits explain ongoing ICR research in genetics, plate tectonics, radioisotope dating, and weather modeling. Plan to spend 1½-2 hours at this museum with your children, although high school students and adults could stay even longer. Admission is FREE! However, you will probably want to purchase some educational resources in their bookstore to bring home for further study. Visit their website: http://www.icr.org/museum

LEGOLAND, CA ~ September 24, 2007

Our family has gone to Legoland just about every year since 1999 when they first opened. My three boys have always been Legomaniacs so they love it. Even my oldest who is now 17 still hasn't grown tired of it. Unfortunately, toddlers will find little to do except ride around in their stroller and look at things. Which is okay since they’ll see something new and colorful around every corner.

The intricate lifelike detail of the Lego models, especially in Miniland, is awesome, even though they’re starting to get a little weather-worn from sitting out in the Southern California sunshine.


While the park is geared toward younger children, most rides have some height requirement, barring the smallest kids from riding. My youngest started being able to go on more of the rides at age 3. Thrill-seeking teenagers will find most of the rides a little ho-hum, but they’ve added a few rides for them, too, like the Technicoaster. Legoland is unique in that they have a lot of interactive stuff that requires actual participation from visitors.


Make sure you’re at the door when they open at 10 am so you will have enough time to see everything, since they close early (5 pm) at this time of year. It’s not as large as other theme parks but it’s just right so you can make it around the whole park without getting too tired out. The little kids rides start on the left when you go in, and the more exciting rides for the older kids are on the right. Just beware of the Hideaway playground near the Knight’s Kingdom because once the kids get in there you won’t be able to get them back out!

The boat ride will take you on a tour past several famous landmarks including Mount Rushmore. Yes, the faces are really made of Lego bricks! And don’t miss the Adventurer’s Club which is hidden away in a corner of Fun Town (adjacent to a gift shop). It’s a really cool (and a little bit scary) walk through a rainforest (with authentic rainstorm sounds and lighting), ancient Egypt (with an earthquake) and the Arctic (watch out for that polar bear!). Adjacent to Miniland they even have a collection of famous artwork made from Legos.

Starry Night

M.C. Escher

The Scream - "Oh no! We have to go now!?"

Did you know that Legoland in Carlsbad, CA offers not just one, but many Homeschool Days throughout the 2007-2008 school year? You're really lucky if you live in the area because then you can go more than once! Legoland’s Homeschool Days include all of the following Mondays: Oct. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, Nov. 5, 12, 19, 26, Dec. 3, 10, Jan. 7, Feb. 4, Mar. 10, Apr. 14, May 12 and May 19. Homeschool Day is only $17 per person for up to 6 people as compared to the usual $44 child/$53 adult! This is a tremendous savings if you have one or more Lego maniacs in your family. My kids are in the Lego Club and even the coupons they get with their membership couldn’t beat the homeschool price.

The only catch is that to get the discount, you must sign up for their e-mail list at least two weeks in advance of when you want to go. They will send you an e-mail coupon specially coded for your family, so it is non-transferable. Print it out to redeem at the ticket window (you will have to show your valid photo ID). For complete details and to register, go to: www.legoland.com/groups/education/homeschool.htm?csref=_eduinfo. You can also download a Home School Days Resource guide at www.LEGOLAND.com/eduinfo.

Legoland is never crowded when you go on a weekday, even on Homeschool Day. The kids were able to go on a ride and then get right back on again. Just so you know, Legoland parking is $10. And if you need any additional tickets for some reason, the Costco just around the corner on Palomar Airport Road sells Legoland tickets for a few dollars off the regular retail price.

SEE ALSO: www.lego.com/legoland/california for complete info, frequently asked questions, a map, and lots more.

CARLSBAD, CA ~ September 23, 2007

Carlsbad State Beach. Pretty!

Carlsbad State Beach on the weekend.

Carlsbad State Beach on a weekday.

SALTON SEA ~ September 22, 2007

After leaving the dunes, we continued west on Hwy. 78 to Brawley,

quite a nice looking town actually. From there we went north on 111
along the eastern shore of the Salton Sea.

We always see the Salton Sea on the map and finally took the time to drive by it.

We were thinking of camping there but most of the beaches were "closed for the season."
The whole place seemed rather abandoned and it smelled funny besides.
I thought it would be a lot better than that, but I guess it can't compare to the ocean.

So we headed north to Indio and then west over the San Jacinto Mountains. The sun was setting as we went up the switchbacks and hairpin turns on Hwy. 74. (At least they have guardrails!) We were surprised at all the traffic. We thought we'd find a place to camp up on the mountain, but primitive camping spots weren't to be found like they are in Arizona. We ended up paying $10 to stay in the Oak Grove Campground in the Cleveland National Forest. I had thought we'd go through Julian, but driving around the mountains in the dark we ended up somewhere completely different.

Interestingly, the bubonic plague still exists in Arizona, Colorado, and California. So if you don't want to get the "black death," it's best to avoid contact with wild animals like rodents and squirrels, and stay away from prairie dog burrows. No human cases of the disease have been reported since 1996 (2 of the 5 were fatal), but people and their pets can become infected if they are bitten by infected fleas from wild animals and pets that are allowed to roam outdoors.

ALGODONES DUNES ~ September 22, 2007

The sand dunes along I-8 near Yuma are overrun with dune buggies,
but along Hwy. 78 they are beautifully shaped in their natural state.

The above picture of my two youngest boys reminds me of the scene
in Star Wars where C3P0 and R2D2 first landed on Tatooine.
The Star Wars movie was actually filmed near here.

Climbing the dunes at 1:30 in the afternoon -
it was hot with the sun reflecting off the sand!

It wasn't easy climbing up the sand dune mountain but we all made it to the top.
By the time we got back to the car, our shoes were completely full of sand.
The kids couldn't resist rolling around in it, so they ended up with sand in their pockets,
hair, and everywhere. That sand was thick! I wonder how long our tracks stayed there.

ARIZONA TO CALIFORNIA ~ September 22, 2007

A double rainbow is always an amazing sight, and
this one looked even more impressive with the
juxtaposition of a train and Hwy. 60 near Salome.

The same train a little farther down the road just before it
starts curving away from the highway through a little canyon.

We took the back roads south from Blythe on Hwy. 78 through the Palo Verde Valley
and then past the Chocolate Mountains where we saw these Desert Tortoise signs.
This stretch is also known as the Ben Hulse Highway, an important route at one time.
It originally followed an old Indian trail.

The Mesquite Gold Mine, the first open pit gold mine I've seen.
You can take a walking trail up a hill overlooking the pit.
This mine had just resumed operations the week before,
and the VIPs were all there to check out the operations.