California Dreamin' part 3

Read about the first and second parts of our trip...

On our second day in San Francisco, Mark and I wanted nothing more than to sleep in late. But I was too productive for that; I'd pre-purchased tickets to the first Alcatraz tour of the day, so I dragged poor Mark kicking and screaming from bed to get there on time. (I may have even yelled the words "Suck it up!" which I'm pretty sure goes against the whole idea of vacationing.)

Fisherman's Wharf was full of tourists the day before, but early morning was a whole different story. The only ones on the streets now were homeless people and delivery people re-stocking the restaurants. 

It was another gorgeous sunny day--I couldn't believe our luck. It was pretty dang cold (40s), but the weather report before we left called for rain every other day of our trip, and the only rain we'd seen was on our way out of Los Angeles. So we were stoked at the sunshine.

The boat ride to Alcatraz took about 15 minutes. A National Park ranger waited on the dock for us, giving a brief history of the island. Then he dismissed the mob of tourists, who slowly walked uphill to look at the prison. 

But we had other plans. Another park ranger was giving a live tour, so we joined her group instead. She took us around the entire island, showing off the amazing views of the city and Golden Gate Bridge. She told us the history of the island, how the prison came to be, and how it switched hands from a military prison to a federal prison for the most dangerous criminals. She told us  how they fed the prisoners a fatty diet and only allowed them two hours of exercise a week, and how they only let them shower in hot water, never cold. All these measures kept the prisoners out of shape and unable to acclimate to cold waters, making escape attempts nearly impossible.

We also learned about the Native American Indians who took over Alcatraz for a couple years, forming their own sovereign nation. The government eventually froze them out, forcing them back to the mainland by refusing to deliver supplies. But many changes came about because of this rebellious act, and you had to respect the Indians for that.

  

The tour was awesome--we learned a lot, and saw a lot. The ranger released us in the exercise yard, and from there, we entered the prison. Everyone else was wearing headphones, but we'd just taken an hour and a half tour, and Mark was all listened out. 

"I just want to explore," he told me. "I don't want to learn anything else." Fair enough!

Come on, Mark, make a break for it!

Our return boat landed us back in the city at lunch time. We dined at the Franciscan Crab, which had ceiling to floor windows and a spectacular view of Alcatraz. (We just couldn't get enough of the prison that day!) Mark went crazy, ordering crab fondue and a giant clam chowder bread bowl. I had a crab sandwich, which was tasty.

"Isn't San Francisco fun?" I asked Mark.

"Yes," he answered, face planted nearly inside his bread bowl. "And delicious, too!"

I asked Mark what he wanted to do after lunch, and he answered, "Nap." I explained this was our last day in the city, and didn't he want to see the sights?

"No," he said. "I'm tired. I want to sleep."

I compromised by buying bus tour tickets. I figured once on the bus, he'd see interesting places and get off to see them. But Mark wasn't kidding around about the nap--ten minutes in to the bus ride, he fell asleep. And stayed asleep for 2 1/2 hours, the entire tour. He finally woke up when the bus hit the last stop, and asked me, "What'd I miss?"

"Um, everything," I said. "The entire city." 

I realized maybe I've turned into the one thing I always accuse Tim of being--a vacation Nazi. I'd literally run my kid into the ground with exhaustion.
  
The next day dawned bright and sunny again, but still cold. After a quick breakfast and a slow drive down Lombard Street, the crookedest street in the world, we headed south to Monterey, to see our dear friend Vicki.

Vic had to work that day, but Tim, Kim and the kids were still on vacation. So they met up with us in Monterey for another day of fun. (I really loved all the good times we spent with them this vacation, and this year!)

Nic and Mark hit the beach in search of...whatever 12-year-old boys search for. 

Hannah and I scanned the ocean for sea life--Hannah's got sharp eyes and immediately spotted seals and otters. It was awesome--we saw otters every day on our vacation.

We drove over to Fisherman's Wharf for ice cream, which sounded yummy at the time. But the sun was already setting, the temperature was dropping fast, and suddenly, eating ice cream in 40 degree weather didn't seem like such a good idea after all. (The kids didn't mind!)

Dusk was gorgeous. We couldn't actually see the sun setting, but the colors all around were amazing.

We bid our family farewell, which made us sad. But on the other end of that sadness was a whole lotta happiness, because we got to see Vic! 

Vic is Monterey's newest citizen. She moved up there a month ago after landing a job with the aquarium. It was so great to see her fabulous new apartment, and have her show us around town.

Vic was also working Friday, so Mark and I went to the aquarium. I was super bummed that the otter exhibit was closed, but Mark still managed to get up close to one.

The sea horse exhibit was cool, and I loved the jellyfish.

I also dug the little room with the splashing wave simulator. You sat in the little glass room admiring the view, when suddenly the waves came crashing over you. It was cool, and a little unnerving all at the same time.

Saturday was our best day in Monterey, because we got to hang out with Vic. She took us to a monarch butterfly habitat, where we fared batter than in Santa Cruz. We actually saw a large group of butterflies clinging to the branches--they looked like dead leaves. 

We also found a cool butterfly bench. Of course I had to sit in it.

Our last stop was Castroville. Its claim to fame is that it grows 80% of the country's artichokes, and Mark loooooooooves artichokes. I'm not a fan, but I do love big things, and Castroville was also home to a giant 15-foot artichoke.

The artichoke was at a produce stand and restaurant aptly named the Giant Artichoke. The veggie stand cracked me up, because each display was a replica of the fruit it displayed. It looked like a giant plastic fruit salad in there!

 

We'd promised Mark lunch there, but the restaurant was not quite what we expected--it was less diner and more truck stop. There was also a sketchy little craft fair going on in the restaurant, featuring items such as plastic flowers in beer bottle "vases" (seriously--they didn't even take the labels off the bottles!). I'm no food snob, but it was...sketchy. I couldn't even look at Vic because I knew she was thinking the same thing. Eye contact would have sent us into uncontrollable fits of laughter, and there was no way we would recover in any polite sort of way. 

Then it was back on the road for us. We had one final stop, in Buellton, gateway to Ostrichland and Solvang, our last stops. I was stoked to find the Firestone Brewery and restaurant just around the corner from our hotel that night. Dinner was AWESOME!

Our plans changed the next morning when we awoke to rain. Mark was grumpy and tired, we were both a little homesick and ready to leave. I stopped briefly in Solvang for some Danishes, and I was only moderately bummed to see that Ostrichland was closed due to rain. Between Christmas and this vacation, we'd only spent two of the last 16 days at home. We missed our cats and our beds, and Mark didn't argue when I suggested we head home early.

So all in all, we had a fantastic Christmas and winter vacation. We put 1,200 miles on the car, and we saw a whole lotta California. I'm grateful to live in such a beautiful place, and I feel so lucky Mark and I had so much time and fun together. I was thankful to Tim, Kim, Hannah and Nic for joining us so much along the way, and to the late, great Huell Howser for inspiring us in the first place.

Viva California!

California Dreamin' part 2

Read about the first part of our trip...

New Year's Eve started off with an auld acquaintance--breakfast with my college roommate Andrea, who was also visiting family in San Jose. It was fun to catch up, although we made a quick escape when the waiters started celebrating everyone's birthdays with a bass drum and tequila shots.

Afterwards, Tim, Kim and I loaded the kids into the minivan and drove to Santa Cruz. I've been to the nearby mountains, but never to the town. We started at Natural Bridges state park, so named for the giant bridge-shaped rock formation on the beach (there were originally three bridges, but two of them have eroded).

 

We ambled down a tree-lined boardwalk to look at a monarch butterfly habitat, but it was too cold--there were no butterflies. Instead, we headed to the beach, which was teeming with people.

The beach held all sorts of fun activities--climbing rocks, tide pools, and pristine sand for writing on with a big stick. Hannah took over that job, first drawing 2013 in the sand, then enveloping it in a heart, and finally, drawing 2013 and "Dinsdales" next to it. I was about to photograph her artwork when a twenty-something girl interrupted us. She'd been cuddling with her boyfriend about five feet away when she spontaneously shouted, "Cartwheel time!" and rushed right next to us, nearly ruining Hannah's sand drawing. 

"I hate the general public," Hannah observed, and I kinda had to agree with her.

The boys had set up a soccer game. They put up goal posts, shredded up the sand to distinguish the playing field, and went to town. I was surprised how many people walked right through their game, and then glared at them when they almost got hit by the soccer ball. One family even set up a photo shoot right next to them, and I kept waiting for the ball to smack someone. Then, a little kid walked by, grabbed one of the stick goal posts, and dragged it down the beach. It was all very amusing to watch, especially when Mark scored a goal, tore off his shirt Beckham style, and danced, eventually morphing into Gangnam Style.

We left long enough to grab some snacks, but were drawn back to the beach for the sunset. It was the last one of the year, and I can't say I was sad to see 2012 go. It was a rough year for me personally (spent most of the year with limited mobility and a jacked up knee, plus I lost my beloved cat) and for Tim's family, who also lost their wonderful dog Sunshine. As the sun set (literally and figuratively, Hannah!), we all breathed one huge sigh of relief, and hoped 2013 might shine a little brighter for us all.

The whole gang was excited to ring in the New Year. We brought it Parisian-style, with dinner at a French restaurant. Brave Nicholas ordered escargot, knowing full well it was snails. Hannah refused to try them, but Mark ate half a snail. He declared it "OK, not great." (I've had them before--didn't have anything to prove tonight!)

We were back home before double digits. The kids hunkered down, ready to watch the ball drop. They actually lasted longer than the adults--Kim went to bed around 10:30 and I lasted until 11. Tim stayed up with the kids, and I could hear them celebrating wildly at midnight. Mark then woke me up to tell me he had his first low blood sugar of the year. Party on!

The best thing about not getting wild on New Year's Eve was how great we all felt the next morning. The kids were sleep-deprived, and for once, I was the first person awake. But I was really excited to spend New Year's Day--also known as National Take a Hike Day--at John Muir Woods.

The park was already crowded by the time we got there at 11. Tim was driving very slowly through the parking lot when a deer suddenly jumped in front of his car. He stopped and we all watched it prance away. That had to be a good sign!

We ended up parking about a mile away from the park entrance, so our hike started off right away. It was sure pretty, even along the side of the road.

But the real beauty was inside the gates. We walked under a thick canopy of giant redwoods, whose height and thickness left us speechless. These were some seriously old trees. 

The farther into the woods we hiked, the quieter and darker it got. Hannah loved the little pieces of sunshine she found along the way.

The boys loved everything about the woods--they climbed every tree they could. They scrambled off ahead of us, Sasquatch calls echoing loudly behind them. I'm sure they freaked out more than a couple of hikers. 

We hiked for a good while, eventually covering 6 miles in about 2 1/2 hours. It was so serene and peaceful out there. I really loved it, and thought it was a perfect way to start off the new year right.

After our hike, we headed into our next destination, San Francisco. Mark and I checked into our hotel then met up with Tim, Kim and the kids for a late lunch on the wharf. Everybody was exhausted, and we ate our lunch in an unusual silence.

"I'm ready to go home and take a nap," Kim said, and her kids nodded in agreement.

"But honey, we still have a lot to do," Tim said. He rattled off all the things they usually do when they come in to the city. "We have to go to the arcade, walk down Fisherman's wharf, get Irish coffees at the Buena Vista, and ice cream sundaes at Ghiradelli."

Kim looked like she was gonna cry. "Really?" she asked and he just laughed.

"I'm joking," he said. But honestly, we ended up doing ALL of those things, and they didn't leave until four hours later!

So, we got to explore the best of NorCal all in a day--the beautiful mountains, the impressive city. Mark and I returned to the hotel, ready for bed, but happy, and ready for the next day's adventure.

In memory of Huell Howser...

Mark's a pretty well-seasoned traveler, but he hasn't seen much of California. (Completely my fault--I live all my California adventures when he's at summer camp!)

So over winter break, I decided to fix that. I asked myself WWHHD (what would Huell Howser do?) and then I planned our trip accordingly. (Sidenote: I was soooooo sad to learn that just days after returning from our Huell-inspired trip, the man himself passed away. Tear drop.)

We packed up the car and headed north. Our first stop was Morro Bay, and Mark was completely unimpressed. 

"What is there to see in this town?" he asked, dubiously.

"A giant rock!" I said. "Ta da!"

"Seriously?" he asked. He looked around. There really wasn't much else to see. 

"Seriously," I said. "Let's go check it out."

We stopped on the way over for a photo op, where Mark learned his first lesson about Central and Northern California--it's much colder than Southern California! It was freezing--he refused to even get out of the car. (OK, it wasn't literally freezing--it was actually about 50 degrees, but that's damn cold for us thin-blooded SoCal people. And Mark was wearing shorts--he didn't believe me when I said it would be cold.)

I parked the car just below the Rock, and then insisted he get out. We trailed the edge of the cliff, about 20 feet above the water, where I pointed out a couple otters bobbing in the surf. 

Mark saw a dog darting out of the waves and asked if he could go down to the beach. I told him to go for it, and suddenly, Morro Rock became a lot more fun.

Mark dumped his big jacket on a rock and took off. I walked behind him, enjoying the gorgeous day, when I spied something in the sand. It was a sand dollar!

I couldn't believe it! It was unbroken, perfect, and lolling in the waves. I've never seen an actual sand dollar on the beach before, and I called Mark over to look. 

We kept on walking. Suddenly, three feet over, I saw another sand dollar. Then another, and another, and even more. The tide was washing them on to the beach with each tiny wave. We collected about 50 of them and placed them in the sand to take a picture. As we watched the waves reclaim them, I couldn't stop smiling. It was so cool!

Mark was all over the place. He found a little river that was just big enough to jump over, so he spent a good 15 minutes working off the energy he'd pent up during the 4-hour drive.

We watched the sun set over the rock, and felt the temperature dip 10 degrees when it left. That was our signal to go home!

After a big dinner, we turned in. We had a big day ahead of us.

It was even colder when we got up--in the 30s--but the sun was shining. It was another clear, California day as we snaked through the hills and up the coast. 

Our first stop was Hearst Castle. I remember coming up here numerous times as a kid, and gasping over how big the castle was. I remember the ketchup bottles on the fancy dining table, the enormous swimming pools, and the herd of zebras grazing freely on the property.

It was all still there--the ketchup, the pools and even the zebras, which we spotted at the end of the tour, on our way back to the car!

Mark was really impressed with the castle. I was equally impressed with the view. Because it was so clear and sunny, you could literally see for miles in either direction, all the way up and down the vast ocean and the coastline. 

"I'd be a horrible bus driver," I told Mark during the 15-minute ride up the steep, winding road. "I'd totally be distracted by these amazing views and crash the bus." He agreed.

We took the grand rooms tour, then spent an hour meandering around the property on our own. Then we jumped back on the bus to the visitor center to watch a movie about William Randolph Hearst's life. I could've another couple hours there, easily, but we had places to be. We'll be back again, I'm sure.

We made a right turn onto the famous Highway 1, heading North. Three miles later, we pulled off the road to join the throngs of other tourists parking at the beach. But these families weren't there for swimming or relaxing--they were there to see the other creatures sunning themselves on the beach. The humongous elephant seals.

Most of them were females who'd arrived to give birth. There were new pups all over he beach. You could tell the older pups by their golden fur, and the newborn pups, by their skinny little black bodies. And I am talking literally newborn--one little guy still had his umbilical cord attached! 

We could've turned back on the 1 and taken it to the 101 freeway to our next destination, San Jose. But it was such a nice day, we opted to continue on the 1, up the coast through Big Sur.

It was an awesome decision for about an hour. We saw whale spouts, and sheer cliffs. We saw amazing bridges and islands far out in the sea. We saw the ocean change from blue to green, and we saw the sun shimmering on the waves like a thousand sparkly lights. We wound through the mountains, through pine trees and then redwoods, and we inhaled at all the beauty surrounding us.

And then we were bummed to realize there was no cut off point where we could turn inland and speed things up. But I realized maybe that was really the whole point--to enjoy the amazing scenery, to understand there was nowhere we had to be, and to just take it all in. So I did (although I faltered for a moment when I realized Mark had only packed two snacks and we were in the middle of nowhere. Next lesson: Roadtrip food, and the importance of good choices). 

I pointed out all the gorgeous things to Mark, who made a great effort of sounding interested, even though the windy roads were lulling him to sleep. 

It took about 3 hours to drive the 84 miles of coastline. I congratulated Mark at the end, telling him he is a real Californian now that he's taken the 1 up the coast to Northern California. 

It was dark by the time we reached San Jose, but our family was there, which made it all better. They had a hot dinner waiting, a fire in the fireplace, and a two-hour marathon of Finding Bigfoot. Life was good, and it was only the first weekend of our adventure.