Chelsie's Uncle Sam and Aunt Nancy have a very nice home in Carefree, Arizona. We stayed with them for a night. Jesse and Uncle Sam spent a good amount of time discussing, sketching, and brainstorming over many of Sam's inventions. It was truly a good time.
In search for some of the old mining camps we drove down these scenic dirt roads
We stopped at a cactus garden which is tended by the park.
One of the most unique things about the Joshua Tree area was the small town on the furthest east entrance of the park called 29 Palms. This small town's trade mark was "An Oasis of Murals" This is just what it was. We acquired town guide pamphlet which led us gave us a tour of the masterpieces. Each mural, painted on the side of a business or public building, describes a portion of the small town's history. Each was uniquely designed and painted by artists from across the US.
You can see more of the murals on the town's website: http://www.oasisofmurals.com/
Yes we were able to visit Timon and Pumbaa (from the Lion King). Timon is a meerkat.
San Diego Zoo has a very nice, popular, Panda exhibit which is famous. They were alot of fun to watch.
I can't imagine bamboo being delectable, but he seems to enjoy it enough. 
We really enjoyed the small bird aviary. (click on the photo to enlarge)
There were a slew of photographers. Some were very serious about what they were doing.
A few good days at the zoo and wildlife park.
As we drove we saw hundreds of citrus groves in the California valley west of the Sierra Nevadas. Jesse had been dying to pick some citrus. George had an orange and a tangerine tree that he tended in the back yard. MMM so tasty.
One morning we squeezed fresh orange juice for breakfast. It was as the best and the freshest OJ one can get.
Funny Faces!
Carnival cruise ships docked in the harbor waiting to be restocked and leave. We kicked around the idea of taking a 4 day trip to Mexico ($158 ea.). The prices of a last minute package are very tempting a honestly unbeatable. We were a day late on this option. Check it out if you ever have a chance to go on a whim.
There are still pirates.
A tall ship which you can board. This is one of many which are included in the maritime museum.
We got a chance to run into Paul and Robin. Some of Chelsie's cousins. Paul is a kite board instructor and a magazine editor for kite boarding magazine. Robin works at a college library in the area. We ate at an excellent bakery with them.
The harbor is a very fun and scenic place to hike in the evening.
(Click on the pictures to enlarge them) 
We hiked a number of scenic trails in the area.
After a seaside lunch and a eclectic local bistro, we hiked along the coastline and studied interesting sea creatures in tidal pools.
The mussels were numerous and very hard to pull off the rocks.
Thanks David for all you have done for us. We thoroughly enjoyed the stay.
