"Dorothy Mantooth Is A Saint"

Anne quickly learned that our lifestyle had changed since we saw her in Orlando!  Instead of staying at a campground with full amenities, we ended up "dry camping" on the city streets of San Diego.  We had every intention of reserving a spot at an RV Park when Anne arrived, but once we found out that San Diego is one of the friendliest cities to park an RV on the street in, we couldn't pull the trigger & Anne couldn't have been more adventurous or open to us only talking in Anchorman quotes while there!

The Hob Nob Hill Restaurant Sign...another Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives recommendation
Since we hit the hay early, we decided to get up for omelettes at this newly renovated spot

The current Cabrillo National Monument Lighthouse
After breakfast & getting lost a few times, we checked out the tidepools, took a
wobbly walk down the natural sandstone steps & saw the Old Point Loma Lighthouse

   

View of San Diego from The Plaza At Cabrillo Statue
The Monument is named after Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, the explorer who discovered California

The O'Babbitt's nearing the water at Cabrillo National Monument
After we arrived, we found out that it's best to visit in the winter months for lower tides & whale watching

The National Cabrillo Monument
Even though it was June, there was still a ton to do & lots of beauty to take in

Babbitt on a lone rock at Cabrillo National Monument

The O'Babbitt's at the La Jolla Shores
We tried to visit the La Jolla Coves, but found out the hard way that parking there isn't designed for RVs,
so we settled for dinner at Piatti Ristorante & a sunset stroll before driving to a casino to spend the night

You Stay Classy San Diego

Our tour of San Diego did not stop at their world class zoo...during the next few days we met up with Andrea, who's been a friend since high school, jogged through Balboa Park, spent way too much time at an outdoor mall, picked up an extra passenger at the airport, took in a full day at the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier, strolled through the cutest Little Italy around, dipped our toes in the Pacific Ocean at the famous Hotel del Coronado & had some of the most authentic Windy City cuisine around at Lefty's Chicago Pizzeria!

Babbitt with Andrea outside of the Fashion Valley Mall
Andrea was nice enough to make the traffic filled drive from Vista, CA to meet us for lunch at True Food Kitchen 

The O'Babbitt's listening to the extensive Audio Tour at the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier
Anne finally made it to the West Coast for her 2nd visit since we've been gone...
this visit was much needed since Katie had been having Mom withdrawal since March

View of the San Diego Harbor from a porthole on the USS Midway
After our airport pickup we drove directly to lunch at a seaside bistro before touring the Naval Vessel
We listened to the 60+ stop Audio Tour (we stopped around 30) and saw the Captain's Bridge Tour

Anne & Babbitt toasting the start of another wonderful visit at the Babcok & Story Bar inside
the Hotel del Coronado...the drinks could have been a bit stronger, but the spicy mixed nuts made up for it

The O'Babbitt's near the Pacific Ocean
After cocktail hour, we strolled along the water, had an early dinner & got Anne to bed by 8:30 PST

San Diego Zoo

Before we ever left Indianapolis, we knew that the San Diego Zoo was a must do attraction for the O'Babbitt's!  So, we spent the whole day here and although the zoo was a bit overwhelming in size and lacked penguins, it did not disappoint.

The O'Babbitt's at the entrance of the San Diego Zoo
Our favorite animals of the day included koalas, polar bears, pandas & tortoises

The O'Babbitt's with a faux seal in Polar Bear Plunge Exhibit

The Baby Panda, Xiao Liwu...it doesn't get much cuter than this
After seeing his little face, all we could think about was the rare panda,
Ling Wong from the San Diego Zoo in Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy  

Babbitt taking in the rhino while riding his first double-decker bus
Our park ticket included the Express Bus (seen above), the Skyfari Aerial Tram (seen below)
& a Guided Bus Tour complete with animals facts & corny jokes 

View of San Diego from the Skyfari Aerial Tram
We also saw a teenage gorilla opening his birthday gift (a decorated bag filled with special treats),
a cheetah on a lease walking through the zoo with a dog & the rare condor's full wingspan

The O'Babbitt's posing for a photo with the Hippo

You Can't Get A Ride If You Can't Hold On

We were reluctant to travel to Tucson, AZ after experiencing the high temperatures in Phoenix, but Babbitt found a hotel online with its very own Lazy River & we couldn't resist!  So, we spent two lovely days living the good life, exploring some of what Tucson had to offer & even went horseback riding at the Dude Ranch once home to one of our very favorite childhood television shows!

Starr Pass Resort
The Lazy River/Water Slide Pool was one of three beautiful pools here
The only problem with this hotel was that one of our room keys melted in the hot sun

The O'Babbitt's at the Starr Pass Resort
The staff & the accommodations could not have been better...we received a room upgrade, wine, cheese
board, assorted snacks & a much needed car sun visor, because we were celebrating Katie's birthday

Babbitt with his first ever room service order...he was so excited for room service, but we are
unhappy to report that the pizza we received was not nearly as good as the accommodations

El Charro Cafe
We tore ourselves away from the resort for Cadillac Margaritas & some of the best chips & salsa ever at
El Charro Cafe, lunch at Lindy's On 4th & we even tried tamales at the Tucson Tamale Company
O'Babbitt Tip:  Don't miss Lindy's On 4th if you are in the Tucson area

Tanque Verde Ranch
Katie found this Dude Ranch while searching for the Nickelodeon Television Series,  Hey Dude
& we knew immediately that this is where Babbitt needed to go horseback riding for the first time

Jon, the Head Wrangler at Tanque Verde Ranch leading the way
Since we looked adventurous, Jon took us on a higher elevation trail

Jon with The O'Babbitt's and our horses, Sinatra & Jed
We went on the Sunset Ride & were lucky enough to have a private ride with the head wrangler

The O'Babbitt's at the original Hey Dude set
After our ride, we were took on a special golf cart tour to see the abandoned set &
were told that no one ever asks to see it, but we couldn't have been happier

HOT, HOT, HOT

Scottsdale & Phoenix taught us a very important life lesson...NEVER visit Arizona in June (especially while living in an RV!)  The 110+ degree temperatures felt really, really steamy.  The evenings weren't much cooler & the supposed dry heat was also not helpful.  On the upside, we did get to try out our air conditioning unit, dipped in some pools, gambled at a few casinos to beat the heat & even had dinner with a dear friend.

The Release Pool Party at the Talking Stick Resort & Casino - Voted Best Valley Pool Party 2013
We thought we should check out this pool party, since we were already visiting the casino, but
as soon as we entered the gates, we realized we were far too old & far too sober to stay

Babbitt with one of his favorite plants, the giant cactus in downtown Scottsdale

Babbitt with a huge cowboy welcoming us to Old Town

LOVE Statue in the Civic Center Mall

The O'Babbitt's with Joey at The Vig in Phoenix
We spent the day at the Encanto Public Pool, before meeting Joey for a wonderful dinner at The Vig
After some much needed catching up we realized that Katie hadn't seen her
long time family friend since she was about 9 or 10 

Sedona

We thought about staying at The Grand Canyon for sunset, but Babbitt was feeling ill & we had a date with a FREE Chili's Flatbread Pizza in Flagstaff, AZ, so we started heading south.  Unfortunately, Babbitt didn't make it through dinner...he had to put himself to bed while Katie paid the bill.  Luckily he was well enough the next morning to drive us to the picturesque, Sedona, AZ!

The O'Babbitt's at Slide Rock State Park
Katie noticed these natural rock slides on our way to Sedona, so we decided to stop

Katie sliding down the natural 70 foot rock slide
We had no idea the rocks would sting our buns so bad,
but even with the burns & freezing cold water...the plunge was worth it

Babbitt in the giant wheel at Slide Rock State Park
There were hiking trails, orchards & lots of spots like this one for photo opts

Chapel Of The Holy Cross Church
We visited this serene church built into the side of an enormous rock
By this time, Babbitt's appetite had finally come back, so we dined at The Cowboy Club
before exploring quaint Sedona, searching for vortexes & watching the sunset

Sunset at the Airport Mesa

The O'Babbitt's enjoying the Sedona Sunset

Grand Canyon National Park

Since Babbitt thought he was feeling better when we left Las Vegas (this could have had something to do with our last minute winnings at the Roulette Table) our plan was to drive straight to the Grand Canyon.  That plan quickly changed in Kingsman, NV, where Babbitt had to take a food poisoning related sick day at a Truck Stop.  BUT, after some rest in the HOT Rig he made the drive as close to the Grand Canyon as possible...we actually ended up spending the night in parking lot of the 2nd Most Expensive McDonald's in the country and got up bright & early to see the beautiful hole in the ground!

The O'Babbitt's at The Grand Canyon
This was our first view of the canyon after riding the shuttle into the park
While taking this photo a man, who seemed intoxicated was loudly informing anyone
who would listen that this was his first time seeing The Grand Canyon in person

View from the Rim Trail
Since Babbitt wasn't feeling 100% we decided to walk around the rim rather than hike inside...this should
 have been a 12 mile round trip, but Babbitt convinced Katie that we were finished after only 5 miles

Katie with Grand Canyon wildlife
While walking along the rim, we saw this elk like creature right on the trail

The O'Babbitt's with Park Ranger, Ron Brown on the Walking History Tour
Ron Brown let us know that before modern day accommodations people thought that The Grand Canyon
was awful, terrible & nothing to see...the crowds in 2013 proved that times have changed

The Bright Angel Trail
Later in the day, Katie insisted that we at least go down into the canyon a bit...we were hoping to go on
 mule back, but when that didn't happen we hiked a short way along the Bright Angel Trail

View of the Colorado River
After our shortened trip around the Rim Trail, we decided to just
take the shuttle to the end of the park

Viva Las Vegas

Babbitt was sick while we were in Las Vegas for all of the wrong reasons! He was feeling fine when we drove across the Nevada border, stopped at a couple of casinos on the outskirts of Sin City & realized desert temperatures were quite different than mountain temperatures in the evening (sleeping in The Rig at Wal*Mart was quite toasty.)  The next day we ran some errands before checking into our hotel & that is when his food poising set in!  He was a real trooper though, made the best of a bad situation, as you can see below & most importantly we left winners!

The Excalibur Hotel & Casino
We decided not to splurge while in Las Vegas & opted to stay here...
it could have been worse & it could have been better

The O'Babbitt's at The Excalibur Pool
On our first day Babbitt rallied for poolside libations, but by the time we had
dinner at Rice & Company he was in bad shape, so we called it an early night 

View from our Excalibur Hotel Room
The next day we decided to take advantage of some freebies & attended a timeshare program
Our salesman, Jon Henry was great & we actually ended up having a decent time...needless to say we did not buy

Babbitt Totes Vomming at More The Buffet At The Luxor
Even with food poisoning, Babbitt still mustarded the strength to eat two buffets while in Vegas,
in his defense this buffet was comped by the Grandview Timeshare along with $100 in table play

Babbitt read quite a few reviews before deciding to eat at the Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace,
Once he saw that USA Today voted it the #1 Buffet in Vegas, he was sold

Katie biting into a tasty cake pop at the Bacchanal Buffet
Our only celebrity sighting while in Vegas was also at Caesar's, where we saw tiny
Kevin Hart in the lobby, yelling out Gabriel Union's name in an attempt to distract onlookers

The dancing fountains at the Bellagio

The O'Babbitt's ready to see the Hitsville The Show at the V Theater in Planet Hollywood
This Motown Revue was everything we expected,  just one former Motowner was missing... Michael

Babbitt with James Caan at the Mob Attraction
We were on the fence about going here, but decided we had to see it for Bob
In the end, we loved it...the attraction includes live actors, holograms, a museum & a KILLER finale