San Francisco Treat

What better way to celebrate New Years Eve than at In-N-Out in San Francisco, right?

I know I didn't even try to stay up until midnight, maybe night-owl Eric did but no one else.  We were up and going bright and early New Years Day to start our San Francisco adventures.  We went to the few things open on the holiday starting with Muir Woods, a national monument with redwood trees.  Now this wasn't THE Redwood forest which is about a four hour drive north but it was still pretty impressive and minus all the people and our own noisy children, very peaceful and majestic.

 We crossed back over the Golden Gate Bridge and ate some lunch before heading over to Golden Gate Park and the California Science Museum.

 The rooftop garden on top of the musuem

 Everything started closing in the park by 4 so we headed home for some relaxation after another busy day.  Our second day in San Francisco started with a tutorial in SF public transportation.  Road work turned a train stop into a bus stop that was late and then a transfer to a train.  I don't know how people got around before smart phones, especially with maps in new places.  The lines for cable cars were long and nothing was really happening at Union station so we got back on the train, transferred to the historic street car and got to Pier 39 in time for some clam chowder for lunch.    I felt the love as the girls said they liked my clam chowder better.

Crazy pose from the girls at Pier 39 overlook with the Golden Gate bridge in the background.

 We continued walking down Embarcadero with the hoardes of other tourists to Fisherman's wharf and Ghirardelli Square.

 Now we know how to say Ghirardelli: Gear-ar-deli and got some ice cream in the process.

Umm, chocolate!

 The guy in the background was so happy to photobomb this picture and I just laughed at him.

 Where there is frigid water, our children are too.  There were actually a few swimmers in the water without wetsuits too those crazies!

 We tried a different line for the cable cars but that one was closed so pictures count as experiencing a ride, don't they?

 The day was still young so we tried out our public transportation knowledge  (via Google Maps) some more and found China town and the Financial District.
 

I fell asleep super early, tired from all the walking.  Our 3rd and last sightseeing day in San Francisco I think we saved the best for last-Alcatraz Island!  I visited San Francisco a few times as a teenager and remembered Pier 39, Fisherman's Square, Golden Gate Park, and downtown but I've never gone out to Alcatraz.  This was the main reason why I bought the City Pass which had tickets to Monterey Aquarium, Muni transportation, Alcatraz, California Science Museum, and the Exploratorium.  The day was overcast and chilly but thankfully only a few sprinkles.

 Alcatraz is run by the National Park Service with one authorized ferry boat out and you have to book your tour in advance or you won't get to go.  A video showed the history of the island and I didn't realize after it was shut down as a prison, some Native American Indians occupied the island to make political statements before being escorted off about a year later by federal marshals.  The self-guided audio tour was great as we walked through the cell blocks and learned about Al Capone, the Birdman, and a few escape attempts including one where three guys used spoons to claw through the wall, scaled a drain pipe and escaped out the roof.  Sadly, once the guys got on a boat and out in the bay they were never heard from again so technically no one is known to successfully escape from Alcatraz.

 View of San Francisco from the island

 And the bridge.  Evelyn showing off our stylish headphones.

All the girls with the Golden Gate bridge in the background 

 Couples Picture

 We found another spot before leaving for even better shots of the bridge

 Last adventure from our City Pass was the Exploratorium, a great hands-on experience with hundreds of stations where you could learn science, social behavior, and much more.  I seriously got overwhelmed by all the exhibits as they were all cool but we eventually had to call it quits and head back home using public transportation again (two days of it and we were pros!).

Could you drink from a toilet bowl water fountain even if it was never used as a toilet?

 Chairs showing how things are scaled up and down.

Our last night for dinner we went to a legit Honduran/El Salvadorian restaurant.  I say legit because we were the only white people inside, Latino music was playing, soccer on a Spanish TV station was up on multiple screens, the food was authentic with the menu mostly in Spanish, and the waitress only spoke Spanish.  Now I need to try making pupusas and beans with rice and coconut milk--Delicious!

Our vacation was at an end and the next morning we packed our bags, headed across the bay to Oakland and flew home. Goodbye our home away from home for a few nights and thank you California for holding off on your El Nino rain until after we left!

I don't think I'll be able to pull something off like this again for Christmas but we have a great memory to add to the books!

PCH Road Trip

After our time with family we packed our bags again, rented a car, and started driving up the coast.  First stop was Solvang to get a taste of the Carlsen Danish ancestry.  Aebleskivers and pastries are my kind of heritage, with a little Hans Christian Andersen thrown in for good measure.

Further up the coast we stopped at Morro Bay for lunch and collected some seashells including five sand dollars, one for everyone.  The girls just can't stay out of the cold Pacific Ocean.

After playing in the sand and water and of course chasing the birds in Morro Bay, we continued up Highway 1 Pacific Coast Highway and had to stop and take a picture of the zebras.  Why are there zebras along the coast?  I'll tell you! This was on Hearst Castle land and when William Randolph Hearst was alive and building his over-the-top mansion, he also bought exotic animals for his own private zoo.  We weren't able to stop for a tour at the castle since tickets were sold out.

So this spot of the coast we'll call the barf spot.  Evelyn does not handle windy roads well and between San Simeon and Big Sur there are some big time windy roads.  Thankfully she gave us some warning and Rachel had a bag handy and we were able to stop here, let her empty out stomach contents, and take a breather before heading on.  Pretty though, right?

 The night before we left I did some research on places to stop along the coast for a great sunset view and was set on getting to Pfeiffer Beach where there's purple sand and a cool rock formation.  Alas it was not meant to be as a sign right before the beach said it was closed so we continued driving through Big Sur and up the coast.  We settled here for a few minutes to watch the sun dip below the horizon and I really wish I were a better photographer.

 Isn't my man handsome and so deep in thought solving the world's problems while looking over the ocean?

After a long and eventful day of driving, we made it to Monterey to rest for the night and prepare for another day of fun.  First thing in the morning we went on a whale watching tour out of Monterey Bay.  Here are some sea lions just relaxing on the water break.

 See that puff of water and a little gray?  That's a gray whale on its migration south to Baja California to mate.  We saw a few whales and sea lions but sadly no dolphins.

This cute otter greeted us in the bay 

It was a little nippy on the boat but we kept warm

 Pelicans are neat to watch catching their meal

The marina

 After our look at animals in the wild, we headed off to the awesome Monterey Bay Aquarium to see exhibits of animals.  These were some of our favorite exhibits.  This one you walk into a room, look up, and there are hundreds of fish just swimming around in the circle.

 Ah, jelly fish (remember to only bounce on the top :)

Back in the car we went after the aquarium to deal with New Years Eve traffic up to San Francisco.