This trip was really about letting the kids have fun at Legoland.

However, Julie, Tahia, and I showed up a day earlier than my brother’s family. 

Therefore, we had an opportunity to fit in a waterfall hike before letting the kids have their fun.  This demonstrated to us that even on a trip where it didn’t seem like a waterfalling excursion would be likely, we made it happen!

Here are some highlights and a summary of our trip itinerary…

Jump down to:  Trip Highlights ♦ Travel Itinerary

Cedar Creek Falls – this excursion was a repeat for me for the first time in nearly 8 years. It was also a repeat for Julie, but it was actually the first time both her and Tahia saw this waterfall flowing! Tahia did quite well on this six-mile hike though I did my best to keep her mind on things like the B-52s and D.D. Dumbo among others…

Legoland – the primary purpose of this weekend visit was to spend time at this theme park that was meant for kids. We took advantage of passes that allowed us to return within a year, though with this small park, it didn’t take much to fully experience it.

Day 1: Drive from Los Angeles to Carlsbad

Overnight: Hyatt House Carlsbad (Carlsbad, California, USA)

This was basically a driving day, where we didn’t start the drive until I had gotten off work. Expecting a brutal rush hour drive south through Orange County, we were surprised at how relatively light traffic was.

Day 2: Murray Canyon and Palm Canyon

Overnight: Hyatt Palm Springs (Palm Springs, California, USA)

This was basically a day that started off with a hike to Cedar Creek Falls. It was our first time going to the falls from the Ramona side, and based on this experience, it was understandable why it was the more popular approach. Towards the later afternoon, we squeezed in a few rides before the park closed, including the Lego Technic ride, which would end up having lots of technical difficulties the next day.

Day 3: Drive Home

We began this day by enjoying the Legoland theme park with my brother’s family. Tahia, Joshua, and Sophia finally got to play together in the park and enjoy each others’ company. We’d eventually have our fill of the park, then do the drive home and get ready for the upcoming workweek.