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| Salt Flats |
Last week, 30 minutes after work on Friday, my daughter and I set off on a legendary vacation in the Northern California, San Francisco area. It really was Wicked, Crazy, and Awesome!
Wicked
My daughter recently turned 15. In Utah, this means she can get a driving permit and, as long as a parent and no one else is in the car, she can drive pretty much anywhere. What a great opportunity to let her become comfortable with the basics than a long road trip!
So we set off Friday evening and traveled a few hours to Elko.
We stayed at the Thunderbird Motel, mainly because I thought their sign looked cool... (friendly service, super clean, quiet despite the fact that there were a bunch of groups nearby!)
From there, we hit the road. The scenery increased in beauty with each hour.
Then there was that moment. A moment of peace for Gerald. You see, we thought we saw a leaf blow in from the left shoulder of the highway. At 55 miles an hour, all I could do is make sure I didn't hit Gerald as the leaf suddenly stopped right in front of me and
looked at me with big sad eyes! Baby squirrel Gerald. RIP.
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| Not the actual squirrel... |
Instead of taking the cliche, safe route to Manchester Beach KOA (a divine spot, btw)
we opted for "scenic route". We learned that this is translates in California to "Here is a bike path with a steep drop off on one side. Share the road with oncoming traffic. Good luck! JOKE'S ON YOU! HA HA HA!"
But it was still gorgeous and often felt like we were driving through fairyland...
Oh so curvy, occasional drop offs, and scary moments. We made it to KOA before dark, threw up our tent, and hit the beach just in time to watch the sunset!
No complaints there!
The next day, we took the advice of staff at Manchester Beach KOA and hit Schooner Gulch. Water was cold, but Oh My! It was gorgeous and fun and quiet and peaceful and did I mention GORGEOUS?!
Crazy
That night, we told ghost stories (References: 'Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark', summaries of horror movies the other hadn't see, and Sesame Street!) We also decided to play mad libs, but we had none with us so each of us made up little stories and had the other fill it in. This made for many goofy laughs!
Meanwhile, my kid had purchased dinner at the KOA store: Chimichanga, dill pickles, and Chili Cheese Fritos.
The smell in the tent lasted into the next morning!
I suspect the next time we camp, we will open the tent and laugh at the stinky memories!
In the morning, we packed up and headed on the road toward Novato where we would be spending the rest of the vacation with my sister and her 5 kids. (The entire trip came about because her husband was driving out with her, but he had to fly back for work. We were going to caravan back home together at the end of the week...)
Our first stop was Fort Ross (but we saw a cool resort on the way)
We saw
Thesealions and walked a long, steep path down. Well, when we first got separated, it was no big thing, but the path was narrow and there was only one way down so when I got to the bottom and couldn't find Jane, it got serious. 'Mom voice' popped into my head and 10 minutes later I had myself convinced that she had fallen onto the rocks, was bleeding out and drowning at the same time while a Sea Lion ate her.
Then she popped up behind me. My God, the relief! Apparently she climbed the rocks behind me and didn't know I was looking for her. Even at 15, they'll scare the life out of you!
But she got great pictures!
Our next stop was Bodega Bay. I had the chance to Hitchcock Geek OUT! The Birds was filmed there! We stopped at Tides Wharf Restaurant and inside I found something which is now in my prized possessions: a bottle of Zinfandel signed by Tippi Hedren!
We then stopped to take pictures and grab a bite to eat at The Dog House, a great little hot dog and burger joint next to the Post Office.
Then on to The Birds locations!!
Finally we rolled into Novato and saw the room where we would get to stay. The view, OH, the View!
The next morning, we went to Stintson Beach with the kiddos to have some serious fun...
Awesome
Wednesday was our San Francisco Day. We tried to see EVERYTHING there is to see in SF in one day... except we skipped a couple because we had seen them on our last trip - The one that springs to mind is Mission Delores, co-star in Vertigo.
First sight to see after the bridge was The Palace of Fine Arts early in the morning. We drove around to catch some classic SF sights:
When we hit Lombard St, a piece of which is considered the "crookest street" in America. I thought I might like a nice picture of it, but we were there and it was quiet and... well... I drove it! Too bad I can't add videos to this blog.
Next we went to Fisherman's Wharf. I bought tickets online for a couple venues because it saved a little money, but it also made entry quick. We started at Ripley's Museum of Oddities. As a fan of PT Barnum, I enjoyed the parts of Ripley's that carry on that tradition blurring the lines of myth and reality.
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| Fiji Mermaid |
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| I left Jane on the right so you can see dimension |
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| WOW! |
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| Human Bone items |
Next we hit Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. I had to go, just because! The pictures do NOT capture the reality. You can stand so close they look like they are looking back, but the images do look waxy. Still... fun in the museum!
I might have an obsession problem:
Yeah, we're besties now.
After that, we spent a little time and some quarters at the coin operated museum: Musee Mechanique! and then followed up with lunch at The Franciscan
Next we went to Grace Cathedral (Family Plot)
And enjoyed the art and architecture of San Francisco...
Eventually arriving at Clarion Alley; a street in the Mission District which now features street art. This continually changing canvas will be enjoyable for decades to come and has some very breathtaking and emotional points of interest.
After which we drove up to Twin Peaks in the Haight-Ashbury area in order to catch some breathtaking views of the city:
From there, we went to Golden Gate park. We drove around, mainly enjoying with our eyes, but caught a few glimpses of beauty on "film".
And finally we took in the ruins of the Sutro Baths as the fog set in for the evening:
Of course, we hadn't had enough shopping so we stopped in Sausolito on the way back. Cute little shops off the main street near the water and some nice souvenirs to be had. By the time we got home, we were pretty exhausted.
So the next morning, we went to the pool and then came home to rest a bit before heading out to Sonoma Valley. We took in the Sonoma Mission, General Vallejo's Barracks, and tons of vineyards!
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. While I could have stayed another week, we headed back the following weekend.
The fun isn't quite over...
So, the hotel where we had reservations was off exit 231. As we neared, we saw a sign that said 231 is closed, use another exit. So we did. It was dark and very late. No one was around, but we had lost sight of my sister's red van. Well, we found the hotel, but missed the turn. Then we saw the back of a red van, same make and model as my sister's with the same state plates, but what? Did her magnetic bumper sticker fall off? Sad! We pull up behind and wait for her to turn around, but she doesn't. Instead she goes around this corner and parks weird. So we pull up behind. Now Jane is laughing hysterically. I'm sure you guessed, it's not her? But what are the odds of another van, same color, make, model, and out of state plates going to the same place!?
So we turn around and pull into the hotel registration spot. The red van passes us, looking intently in our windows. I give a smile and wave because, well, you might as well OWN it, right? HAHA
I got out to register and the gentleman got out so I just laughed and said "Sorry if I scared you! I'm meeting my sister here and she drives the same van and we're even from the same state!"
He explains that the had tried losing us, but we kept pulling up behind him and it was "creepy" so he was glad there was a reason! Then my sister pulled in behind me to prove I'm not crazy.
Which, I suppose, is still under scrutiny.
We checked out the next day and stopped at the California Trail Interpretive Center to waste a bit of time before heading for Elko to eat Denny's for lunch.
This is so bad and I don't think my sister will like it, but it cracked me up so hard I had to cover my mouth so as not to encourage the child. We were waiting for food and her older daughter said something about it impatiently. My interpretation was that her younger daughter was just observing the fact, but after a long vacation and a million questions, my sister sternly said "The food is coming when it comes so everyone just needs to chill out!"
To which the younger one replied "I am chill" with an attitude that killed me. You know, the attitude you wouldn't want to live with or wish upon your sister, but is right entertaining from the other side of the table.
Thank you, dear sister, for making the trip possible and for the ladies at work who took vacation time this summer so I could afford some nice treats on this trip like the museums and fancy lunch (not to mention all that gas!)
