So, to escape the cold front (read: wind storm) that rolled through the High Desert, and to escape post in general and get away to civilization, we took the weekend as an excuse to scamper down to San Diego. A perfect afternoon to hit up Sea World! So much fun. I hadn't been to a Sea World park since we lived in Orlando when I was a kid.
First stop - feeding time at the otter area. The California otters get treats which the keepers call otter pops. Shrimp and shellfish and fish bits, put into a plastic tube, filled with water and frozen. Otter pops! The otters have to bang the tubes to get the treats out, so it simulates the natural behavior of cracking open shells. But, the plastic tube is a lot gentler on the habitat than actual shells. We learned that at the Monterey aquarium - using real shells scratches up the tank badly enough that you can't even see in anymore! We were lucky because this one otter brought her snack over to the corner right against the window to bang on it. We could see her pounding away to get her treat out - so cute!
The Shamu show is required viewing at Sea World, isn't it? The parks have reduced in-water parts of the acts, since the trainer at the FL park died a few months ago, but these are still impressive animals to watch. I was excited too - got some nice pictures. The whales are so big that their jumps are not too fast for my camera's shutter speed (unlike the penguins!). Means I can actually catch pictures mid-jump, not the splash afterward :)
First stop - feeding time at the otter area. The California otters get treats which the keepers call otter pops. Shrimp and shellfish and fish bits, put into a plastic tube, filled with water and frozen. Otter pops! The otters have to bang the tubes to get the treats out, so it simulates the natural behavior of cracking open shells. But, the plastic tube is a lot gentler on the habitat than actual shells. We learned that at the Monterey aquarium - using real shells scratches up the tank badly enough that you can't even see in anymore! We were lucky because this one otter brought her snack over to the corner right against the window to bang on it. We could see her pounding away to get her treat out - so cute!
The dolphins had great viewing windows at their tank, and were very interested in the people watching them too. And one, I swear, had a sense of humor! There were signs all over the dolphin viewing areas saying not to reach over the wall (i.e. into the tank). One dumb teenage chose to ignore the signs and start to reach over. This dolphin below splashed him! And then had this smile on its face - I swear he was laughing!
The Shamu show is required viewing at Sea World, isn't it? The parks have reduced in-water parts of the acts, since the trainer at the FL park died a few months ago, but these are still impressive animals to watch. I was excited too - got some nice pictures. The whales are so big that their jumps are not too fast for my camera's shutter speed (unlike the penguins!). Means I can actually catch pictures mid-jump, not the splash afterward :)
And of course we had to visit the penguin exhibit! So, there I am with the Magellanic penguins outside (the ones that live in South AMerica, not Antarctica). And with a cute little toy too. Sea World has all the dolls for sale, of course - Barbie as a trainer, Barbie as an Arctic Explorer, etc. This one was a little friend of the 'main dolls' and we just got such a kick out of it. She had a long reddish-brown braid, freckles, and what was her animal friend? The penguin! Too funny :)
I remember feeding the stingrays when we were little in Orlando, but I hadn't ever fed the pinnipeds before (seals and sea lions for those of you less science-dork than I). Zach and I split the tray of fish between us to feed them. So much fun! Yes, I am a giant little kid at parks like this :)
We had truly gorgeous weather while we were there. Flowers in bloom, light breeze, comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt.... lovely. We don't really get "spring" as such in the desert, so we enjoyed it a lot in San Diego. The sunshine was beautiful, but the breeze was enough to keep us off the water rides. Would have been a LOT chillier if we'd have been damp! And the sunshine made for some lovely pictures - I particularly liked the belugas. Since their tank is outside (unlike at the GA Aquarium), the sunshine created some wonderful patterns on them as they swam.
All in all, a lovely quick weekend trip. The only downside to the whole weekend? Finding out our favorite little pizza place in San Diego closed!! They actually made real garlic knots, but it looks like their building changed management, because the whole building was empty. Very upsetting :( Still, being in a city again means tons of eating options again, so we still enjoyed our dinner out, just minus the garlic knots. I swear, we're gonna be at a city again when we leave this post and not know what to do with ourselves, so many regular dining options!
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