Mormon Battalion Museum

This is one of my favorite museums. It has pictures of people that talk! 

It's funny to see. One soldier says "Pictures don't talk." Then another says "Or sneeze." And another says "Or shout!"


You go to different rooms to hear the story of the battalion. Captain Allen of the US Army came to ask 500 Mormon men to help fight in the war with Mexico. Brigham Young wasn't there when Captain Allen came and none of the Mormons wanted to join the battalion. Then Brigham Young told the men they should go because they would earn money to help their families move west. Almost 500 men and 33 women and 51 children went with the battalion. They marched from Iowa to Santa Fe. The war ended and they never had to fight. The men and some women marched from Santa Fe to San Diego building a wagon road for others to follow.

In one room you can dress up like the soldiers. You can carry a gun, a canteen for your water, a backpack and wear a hat. Most of the soldiers took their scriptures to read. 

At the museum you get your picture taken and then go outside to pan for gold, build bricks and do laundry.

Blue Horizons Show

Bottlenose dolphins, pilot whales and birds are in the Blue Horizon show at SeaWorld. 
Bottlenose dolphins can jump up 16 feet, they can dive down 1200 feet, and can swim up to 25 miles per hour. Bottlenose dolphins can weigh 300-500 pounds and are 6 to 9 feet long. All bottlenose dolphins whistle and that's how you can tell them apart. In the show the dolphins wave,

dance with a girl, 

jump, 

and pose. 

A man hangs on to the fin and gets pulled through the water. He also skis on 2 of them. It's pretty cool to watch.

One of the pilot whales is 49 years old. In the show they use their big tail to splash people,

carry a person on it's nose, 
they jump,

and pose.

There are also people in the show. They fly,

and dive,

and bungey jump.

Someday I want to be a diver in the show. Maybe I'll even be in the newspaper, magazines, and on the news! I will be a star!

My friend, Tim, who took me surfing helped to build the set of the Blue Horizon show.

Surfing!

My friend Vann's dad took me surfing at Pacific Beach.

 It was my first time to go. I practiced jumping up and putting my arms out. On the sand it was easy. 

It was too hard in the water so I just laid down on the board to ride the waves. 

Riding the waves is very cool. 




You have to keep your balance or you will fall off. A strap on the surf board goes around your ankle so you don't lose your board if you fall off. You carry your surf board into the ocean. 

Then you get on and  paddle with your arms. 

You wait for a big wave and it moves you so fast to the shore.

Then you do it again and again and again. 

I got to wear a wet suit to stay warm in the ocean water.

Kayaking in Mission Bay

A kayak is a small, narrow boat. There are 2 kinds: sit inside and sit on top. We went on sit on tops.

You use both ends of the paddle. 

Eskimos and Aleuts used kayaks for hunting. We use kayaks for fun. You have to be strong to paddle through the waves. Mom and I share a tandem. We also kayaked in New Zealand. Sometimes a big wind comes and you have to paddle hard to keep moving in the right direction. 

Kayaking is hard work but it's fun. 

Torrey Pines

I hike the trails and walk the beach at Torrey Pines a lot with my family.

It's a pretty cool place. There are 8 miles of trail to hike.




Most of the trails take you to the beach. You have to climb over rocks to get to the stairs that go down. 

You can see surfers in the water there. 

You have to be careful not to walk too close to the sandy cliffs. Two years ago a piece of cliff broke off and a girl got killed there. 

Torrey Pines have long needles and very long roots. They are rare pine trees that can grow in poor sand.