Swimingly in Texas

 "Thaaank Yoouuuu Siiiiiiiirrrr!"  -Marlin

"Wow, I wish I could speak whale." -Dory

-Finding Nemo

photo from http://www.animalport.com

As long as we're going to live in Texas, we should take advantage of a few things we could never do in Idaho, so as soon as we arrived home, John scheduled a family trip for us to San Antonio to visit Sea World.  We had promised Zoey we would take her there since before we left for Texas. She bounced and squealed in excitement when we told her, as we packed the car, as we drove there, and as we walked through the gates.  That alone made the trip worth it.

John decided to include our other "daughter", my sister Karlie, in the family trip, so early Saturday morning we set out for San Antonio.  Finding our way to Sea World was no problem, thanks to GPS and we arrived early enough to make it a full day of fun.  We started by passing the kiddie rides and I went on the obligatory Shamu kiddie-coaster, definitely much smoother than the one I rode at the Twin Falls County Fair.  Then we zipped over to the dolphin and Beluga show.  The show had some beautiful animals and talented performers doing all sorts of acrobatic water stunts.  Although great, there was much more people than animal time, which was a bit of a disappointment. 

This was the second time down!!

Soon we found the Journey to Atlantis ride.  Seeing the tall splash-ride plunge into the water, I wasn't sure if our little girl, although just meeting the height requirements, would be up for it.  Without hesitation she joined us on the ride and rode the entire thing with her hands in the air, much to the astonishment of the trembling teenagers behind her.  After plummeting into the pool of water she was ready to be on the receiving end of the splash from the viewing deck.  Mom ran but Zoey took the whole brunt of the wall of water with joy.   She was even willing to ride a second time at the end of the day (pictured to the left), although she was getting tired.

After a brief lunch, we made our way to the main attraction, the killer whale show.  The animals are as beautiful and majestic as ever (I want one).

Unfortunately for us we made it into the arena late, leaving only the splash zone to sit in.  As it turns out,  they instruct the whales to barrage the audience with their tails; and big fish make big splashes.  The assault of water was less than pleasant.  It seems that splashing the audience is a feature of the shows, and we found out (with research afterwards), that the trainers are under court order not to enter the tanks with the whales due to a death at another Sea World.  Although a great show, a little something is lost when you don't get to see that interaction.

After a few more exhibits and roller coasters, we made our way to the water park.  One of our favorite rides included the four-person raft ride that ended with an underwater view of the Stingray aquarium.Since it was already October, the weather was not ideal, but we made the best of it until the water park closed -too early for our liking. Good thing we have year passes (they are a deal) so we will get to explore that area further at a warmer time.



Zoey was tired and chilled, so we made our way to the hotel we had reserved on the Riverwalk.  After a quick change into dry clothes, we wandered the Riverwalk looking for dinner.  Unfortunately for us, on the weekends the wait for restaurants is extensive and we were very hungry.  So rather than wait for an hour and a half for a place we loved, we settled and found a quick bite as Zoey took a nap on the table.  Karlie and I got our Dos Equis-agaritas, so we were okay despite the fact the food was a bit lacking.

The next day was a chilly Sunday and we wanted to do one excursion before heading home.  We drove by the Alamo, which was closed at the time, and found our way to the Tower of the Americas.  After rounding the tower a few times to get full views of San Antonio, we left for breakfast and then back home again.  The trip was short and sweet, but not to worry; San Antonio and Sea World, we will see you again.