{Please note that while this post is from Nation, it has been edited by his mother in order to fill in gaps where his tired little mind has left out fun or useful details.}

Day 8: Well, we stayed {Wednesday night} at a Camping World and Thursday we went to a Wal-Mart to try to see if we could stay there {closer to my upcoming conference} but then we figured out…  we couldn’t stay there!!! So we went back to Camping World. Then we (as a family) went to Los Gatos (the cats) and got mini bottles to put sand and salt in.  After that we dropped mom off at a conference {QEST, at the Presentation Center}, and went to Santa Cruz and saw the beach. And at 8 went to get mom.  Then we went to the camper.

   

Day 9:  Dropped mom off and went back to beach {at Santa Cruz}; when we got to the beach we met 2 kids, we played with them all day and I found a sand dollar. The kids had a boogie board so we did that a lot. Then we went on a boardwalk and got to see sea lions. It was really cool, but one pooped on a different one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! {They were also able to enjoy some sand art – an alligator on the beach.  Justice also got fried in the sun after applying sunscreen to her brother and deciding she didn’t want to look foolish with zinc-white skin.} We went to get mom.

 

Day 10: {After too many jam-packed days} we had a laaaaazzzyyyyyy day.  Mom was at the conference, and we went to a Laundromat and to Best Buy to have dad’s computer looked at.  {The hard drive had crashed, but they had the help of the most incredible Geek Squad-er ever!  Thanks to Brandon for getting us up and running!}

Day 11:  We went back to Best Buy to {get some more help with} dad’s computer, and I got a mini race car that’s about 1 inch long and goes one-hundred scale miles an hour, and so did Justice…then we left to Morro Bay.  {We got our first campsite on this trip in the Morro Bay State Park with few amenities aside from the ocean so close by.  Sites in CA are VERY expensive compared to SD and compared to the parking lots we’ve blessed to find along the way.}

Day 12:  Today we had a good time at the camp {gathering up bark from the Eucalyptus trees in the campground that are currently exfoliating}.   We went to shell shops and we fed seals and sea lions (yes there’s a difference) and that’s were I saw a eye off of a shark {in a glass jar}, and a sea urchin, both for the first time.  {This was at the Morro Bay Aquarium, which is currently being considered a site for a new hotel – we signed a petition against that one!  We then took a boardwalk hike through the Elfin Forest, home of 200+ year-old Pygmy Oaks, and the kids attempted to catch lizards.  We also watched a mama quail with her babies trailing her through the brush.}  We went to a beach {in Montana de Oro State Park} and I found a sea urchin {among other treasures.  We will have to ditch clothes just to make room for all the great things we are finding}!