Washington D.C.

My mommy and daddy took me to our nation's capital. My daddy is really big on history, so just being there was very exciting for us. You can feel the history of the city just standing in the middle of the National Mall. I was very excited to visit the Capitol Building, the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean and Vietnam War Memorials, and as many Smithsonian Museum buildings as we could. The Natural History and Air and Space Museums were my favorites! We visited the Supreme Court and the National Archives, where I got to see the real Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Star-Spangled Banner. There was so much to see. All the buildings were so tall and had stone carvings all around it with big white statues. It looked like we were in ancient Rome! And the Korean War memorial had statues so real, at night they all look like they were going to shoot at us. It was scary! We were even in such a big history mood that we visited Philadelphia for a day to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.



Back in Washington, we had our first taste of Ethiopian food in the Adams Morgan area, known for its fun atmosphere and nightlife. We enjoyed a great little French Bistro in DuPont Circle, with authentic french street food. Street food is the best! And we had a nice, gourmet meal in Old town Alexandria at Vermillion. Tasting the local's best foods and restaurants is one of our favorite ways to really experience our travels. There's a grown up feel about Washington D.C. that my mommy says is sophisticated. I felt smart just being there. :) I love the simple beach life most, but if we ever did move to a big city, Washington D.C. is the only place to live that seemed like home. It's fast paced and fun, but the history and culture of the area is very appealing. We were only able to stay one week, so we definitely have to come visit our nation's capitol again.

Mammoth Lakes

My daddy has family that lives up in the mountains in Mammoth. We visit them during Christmas but its so very cold and crowded. There are lots of people on vacation, skiing and snowboarding. My family and I love going up there during the summer. There's no one there except for the locals. Plus, we love to hike. Hiking trails cover most of the mountains and valleys, and Its the only way to reach all the hidden lakes. Last time we went, we hiked up to Duck Lake. It's a long 11-mile hike there and back, with steep hills and big rocks to step over, but the view is worth it when you get there. We stay to fish for a few hours and just relax in the clear water and crisp air. Nothing like a peaceful mountain lake with no one around but your family. I love Mammoth!

Kauai

They call Kauai the Garden Isle of the Hawaiian Islands. It's so beautiful with no large towns or cities. It's a paradise with grand canyons, majestic waterfalls, and clear blue beaches as far as the eye can see. Ocean on one side, canyons on the other. Nothing but rest and relaxation, and a few adventures along the way. There's lots of local culture and history that makes you feel so calm at the simple, untouched beauty of island life.



My mommy and daddy and I hiked to the top of Waimea Canyon, with steep rocks high up in the clouds and a view of the entire Napali Coast. We visited the old Hanalei town, mountain views, taro fields, and old churches untouched by development. We took a catamaran along the Napali Coast and snorkeled with the the tropical fish. We swam with giant turtles at the best known beach on the island, Poipu. We took in the sights of the old Kilauea Lighthouse, and the ruins of the sugar mills. And we even got to enjoy the traditional Hawaiian feast of kahlua pig and poi as we watched hula dancers dining at the Smith Family Luau.



The one week my family and I spent in Kauai filled our hearts with peace, and a dream of living there in the future. I almost cried when I boarded the return plane home...I will remember Kauai fondly and bug my parents to return often :)

Beach House

This is where we live. We have a nice home a block away from the beach, in a small beach community where everyone knows everyone. There's a little main street with shops and restaurants to stroll through that leads right to the pier for fishing. But mostly, my mommy and I love to lay on the sand and watch my daddy surf. We get to sit in a surf hut so I don't get dirty and my mommy doesn't get sunburned. It's very relaxing and my family is so lucky to live here. I love the beach!

Sporting Events

My family takes me to lots of fun games. My daddy went to Cal Berkeley, so we get to travel up north and visit and root for the Bears. I'm a bear! It's only fitting :) But we live near Los Angeles, so we also root for the Dodgers and the Lakers. I love games. It's a great little adventure close to home where we can shout and eat hot dogs and just have fun like little kids. I can't wait for the next game!

Grand Canyon/Sedona

Now that we've ventured out into your own backyard, sometimes its fun to see what the neighbors have to offer. Quick, relaxing, and inexpensive, that's how my family likes to travel. We took the Route 66 route to Arizona. We stopped first at Flagstaff. We found a little local-owned restaurant there that had the best Mexican food I have ever eaten! We decided next to camp the Grand Canyon for a few days. In a word...majestic. You stand and are in awe of Mother Nature. It was much too cold to camp, but luckily there are quite a few lodges along the rim of the canyon that have great views of its south rim. We couldn't to take the donkey ride down, becuse its very expensive, but we of course found our way to the stables and a relaxing horse-back ride. We also found a quaint little town just outside of the canyon called Williams. The Route 66 old western town has seemed hardly changed over the years. Small general stores and local BBQ joints were very much enjoyed as we took a stroll down old main street.



After a few days of relaxation, we headed down to Sedona for some local fun. Jeep rides over rocky red rock cliffs, more horse-back riding, cowboy cookouts, and the serenity of a small peaceful community amids the glow of the red rocks and suddenly we dreamt of our own ranch. The simple life really is the most fulfilling, we feel. We had a pleasant surprise in a dinner at Elote Cafe, a small 12 table Cuban restaurant with tapas so mouth-watering I could've eaten there every night of the trip. Their signature dish, elote, was so perfectly cooked and seasoned I fell in love with corn! We finally were able to camp a bit in Oak Creek Canyon, right next to a creek that flowed through the camp site. Though we were surprised to awaken to snow fall around our tent. Luckily, it only snowed our last night, and we reluctantly headed back home, taking with us the beautiful promise of another visit.

Catalina Island

We've been to Catalina Island before, but this time we got to go during winter, with pretty sunsets and no tourists to crowd us. It was like our own private island. Almost alone on the streets of Avalon, we can really see how the locals live, in this small community where everyone knew everyone and everyone could tell who was just visiting. We were told to enjoy our vacation at every restaurant though we never really told anyone we were visiting. You can walk the streets and dark alleys at night without ever feeling scared. And the cold, calm atmosphere made the sunsets that much more spectacular. We realized this was the kind of lifestyle we want to live. A small community where everyone knew your name, where all you needed to do was open your door and sip a cup of coffee on your porch as the sun set over the dock, where you can catch a fish in the day and fry it up for dinner that night. Simple, relaxed, and miles away from crime. Yes, we did visit the Botanical Gardens, rent a golf cart and joyrode around the island, and hike up to The Cross to take a picture of the casino. We watched a movie in the old Casino theater, so beautiful with its hand-painted murals and original pipe organ still in use. We hung out at Gallagher's every night, local coffee shop that was the only thing left open after 5 p.m. And dined at Villa Portofino, a great french restaurant with the best steak in town. But for the most part, we enjoyed the quiet, we enjoyed the sunset, we enjoyed Avalon and made believe we walked the empty streets of our future home.

The California Coast

You never know what wonders you have in your own backyard. My family and I live in southern California, Seal Beach. So we took the opportunity to take a small vacation and drove up the coast.

Stop One: We drove up past L.A. through Santa Barbara stopping to walk through State Street and headed into Gavaiota Beach campgrounds for the night. We love to camp! We wanted to stay at Jalama, campsites right on the sand with a pretty view of Point Conception 15 miles west of PCH, furthermost point of California, the very place the Indians believed where life began. We've stayed at Jalama before but if you don't arrive before noon, campsites fill up far too fast. That's my mommy on the beach.




Stop Two: We left Gaviota early to drive up the coast to Big Sur. On the way there we stopped at Pismo Beach to do a little shopping. We had all the time in the world and the freedom to stop and go as we saw fit. Next we took a turn into Morro Bay. The sight of the old fishing community and ships along the dock amid the rolling fog was so serene we couldn't pass it up. We found the best fish and chips I've ever tasted on the pier. They were so fresh and mouthwatering I could've eaten a hundred of them! And, of course, a little more shopping. :) My mommy buys me shirts for every place we visit!



Big Sur was a little further than we thought, especially since we decided to drive up coast highway, curving along the high cliffs and stopping every so often to take some pictures. I have never been up the coast and the cliffs overlooking the Pacific was scary but real cool looking, the kind of stuff I've only seen in calendars, so blue and calming, so high up we were surrounded by the clouds. It made me shed a few me feel so happy. Finally, by late evening, we arrived at our campground in Big Sur.


Stop Three: We decided to stay in Big Sur for a couple of days; there was so much fun to enjoy. Our campsite was wonderfully secluded in the middle of all the tall redwood trees where blue jays sang, hopping around the campground. We took a small hike through Julia Pfeiffer State Park and saw the waterfall and old ruins of Waterfall House, the home of Lathrop and Helen Hooper Brown.




The fires a month earlier had charred much of the trails in Big Sur, and we were disappointed to see that many trails were closed off. But, being the adventurers my family and I are, we found a gated, abandoned trail that lead all the way down the cliffs and into the water-crashing rocks below and hopped over the warning signs to be the only people playing in the surf.

We found a local restaurant, The Nepenth, built on the tip of Big Sur's highest cliff with a balcony view that allowed you to eat your dinner underneath the full moon that lit up the ocean crashing into 50-foot boulders. Reluctantly, we had to pack up after a couple of days and move on.

Stop Four: Driving farther up the coast, we were forced to pull over to take more photos every so often. We also took a little detour through Carmel and were pleasantly surprised to make it into town in time for their local car show, classics and new luxury cars I thought I would never be able to touch in my life. We also found an old Catholic Mission that was still offering mass on Sundays, picturesque and romantic.

No time to waste, we headed into Monterey Bay to visit the animals at the Aquarium. The sight of the sea otters and penguins and fishes really brought a smile to my face. I was overwhelmed with joy. The penguins were my favorite! At the end of the night, we lay our heads down in the Bay Area.



Stop Five: We stayed at my daddy's friend's apartment for a few days. Berkeley is where he went to college so we stayed in the Bay for a while in order to visit old friends and take a proper tour around Berkeley and San Francisco. We roamed around Haight/Ashbury and played around like hippies. The next day we visited Berkeley and shopped the street vendors and local shops and pubs. There was an underground Reggae club that we visited where we could just sit and listen to music. We visited San Fransisco's golden gate bride, rode a trolley car, and watched them bake bread into fun shapes at Boudin Bakery. It was hard to say goodbye to the Bay Area.






Stop Six: We were trying to make it to The American River by nightfall but it was much further than we had anticipated. Luckily, we found a campground in Sacramento with the coziest log cabins and crashed for the night.



Very early the next morning, we had our first rafting experience. It was the funnest time. Water fights, falling off the raft, swimming along the current; an all day experience. I loved it! Even though I got really wet.

Stop Seven: We decided to end our trip with a few days in Yosemite. We toured on our own at first, visiting Sutter's Mill and Mono Lake and into the Valley. Then we took a twilight tour to take in the wonders of deer and Half Dome and El Capitan.



We did a lot of relaxing and short trails to wind down from the whirlwind that was our vacation. And on the way home we had to stop by Mammoth for a little two-hour horseback ride and to visit daddy's uncle. I love horsies!

We finally arrived home, after 11 long days. We had so much fun exploring California's coast, and I even got some souvenir teddy shirts along the way!

My Mommy Loves Me

My name is Teddy. I love to travel and spend time with my family. I have seen so much of the world, and I'm not finished. I'm a traveling bear, and I collect shirts to model for you, so you can see all of my adventures. Follow me around the world as I explore everything this Earth has to offer; for a little bear just discovering a new world, a new life, a new family.