Once we cleared the harbor, the captain had to navigate around a forest of sea kelp, which meant he had to go parallel to the ocean swells, which meant if you were at all sensitive to motion sickness, this was not the trip for you. Andrew and I did fine, though we pretty much just tried to stay seated. Once we cleared the kelp forest and started sailing into the waves, it didn't improve all that much. Instead of side to side rolling, we were up and down front to back, as you can see in the video above. He could hardly keep the camera steady. The wind was especially strong that morning, and the swells were fairly large. For about 2 hours we drove out into the ocean, until the captain decided it would be more pleasant for everybody if 
we drove back in with the swells and closer to the shore. That did improve things a great deal, and we were able to enjoy the calmer breeze on the outside decks, too. It was a beautiful sunny day, just a bit chilly with the wind. We didn't see any whales, but we got free vouchers for another trip. On the way back they took us by a little pier in the harbor where some sea lions were sunning themselves, so at least we got to see some marine wildlife. It was still a great experience: Andrew and I loved being on the ocean.Once we got our land legs back we walked down the shore to a restaurant called Anthony's Fish Grotto, supposedly the oldest seafood place on the harbor. I had a great fish taco with black beans and fresh salsa, and Andrew got trout and steamed veggies, and we shared a New England clam chowder. Everything was delicious, and after 3 1/2 hours at sea, a welcome relief to hungry and tired stomachs. Then we walked back down the harbor shore to where the U.S.S. Midway is parked, permanently open for audio tours. We spent 2 1/2 hours wandering the aircraft carrier with our headsets, learning all about what life was like on an aircraft carrier. It's a tough, utilitarian life, filled with danger. Veterans were scattered about to give a real-human touch to the tours. They were my favorite part. So many people passed them by, content to listen to their pre-recorded audio, but Andrew and I thought what they had to share was the most meaningful of all. Especially one guy on the flight deck, who was a pilot on an aircraft carrier and explained all about the relationship of intimate trust a pilot had with the LSO, the Landing Signals Officer, who had the final word on whether a plane should land or pull up and try again. If one of them gets it wrong, the plane either crashes into the ship, or plummets into the ocean. Scary business.
On our way back, we're riding our bikes slowly up the harbor, and I'm just in the middle of saying, "Andrew, don't forget to look back and check on me every once in a while," when someone reaches out toward my left arm and says, "Sarah!" After a second or two I registered that Linda, a friend from our church in Georgia was standing right next to me. Her husband Barry was there too. I said "Oh my gosh!" and called out for Andrew to stop. We hugged and laughed and shared our reasons for being in SanDiego. Weird, I still can't get over how weird that was. Neither of us knew the other would be there at the same time.
After making it back to our hotel just before dark, we relaxed with leftover Chinese and an old Robert Redford movie, Jeremiah Johnson. Great movie by Syndey Pollack, but after such a full day, Andrew couldn't keep awake through all the long gaps in dialogue and slow-moving scenic shots. I liked it, anyway, and I didn't fall asleep. We finished the day by watching The Office and 30 Rock. We managed to watch LOST Wednesday night, too. It's great we can keep up with our shows even on vacation! :) This has been a great city, and we're glad we came. On to Santa Barbara today!
By the way, I would like to wish a belated Happy Birthday to my college roommate, Alicia, whose birthday was on the 11th of February. You were a great friend and a perfect roommate for me. I also want to wish my nieces Faith and Nicole a Happy Birthday (it was on the 12th).
I love you guys, and I hope you have a great year. I'm so proud to be your aunt. :) (You're still 4 months older than me).
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