South Ponto Beach - Carlsbad, California

No trip to Southern California is complete (especially for a landlocked Arizonan) without a trip to the beach. I packed up some sand toys, sunscreen, snacks, waters and beach towels (I forgot the baby powder that makes getting sand off of skin a breeze) and I headed to South Ponto Beach with my kids.

Parking is a nightmare.  The lot right there at South Ponto wanted $15 for "peak" parking.  Free spaces that lined the road were full.  I ended up driving past the beach and up a big hill, where we were able to park for free.

This is a fabulous beach.  Bathrooms and showers were right next to the parking lot.  From there, the sand and the ocean were just a short walk.

Two of my kids went straight for the water....

One, who had declared that she hated the beach, stayed up with me and her sand toys until her curiosity got the better of her.

It was a slow process from beach-hater to beach lover.  It began with some anxiety-laden jaunts to water's edge.  Incoming waves sent her fleeing further back on the sand.  Some TLC from her sister broke that fear.

And turned fear into pure joy....

From there, she became an active participant in the rest of the beach play with her siblings.  They buried each other...

They turned into architects and worked steadily on a massive undertaking...

This certainly was one of the nicest beaches we've been to in California, and deserves a return trip the next time we're in the San Diego area.