Day 1: June11
We began our journey the Saturday morning of June 11th. Tyler and Tiff Piled in their new van with the 2 kids and Mom and Dad, Nick and I in Lanie (my car). We decided to drive to Tahoe and stop there for a break. We ate at The Black Bear Diner and we all ordered a variety of things, Cinnamon French Toast to very large and in charge hamburgers. It was pretty delicious. 
We got to the condo and it was beautiful. We were surrounded by VERY large, beautiful trees. It was so pretty and amazing. Aspen insisted on helping and rolled a suitcase, bigger then herself, all the way to the room. Mom and I could barely walk because we were laughing so hard. It was pretty dang cute. She thought it was pretty cool that she got to sleep with me on a bed that pulled out of the wall, aka, a Murphy Bed.
Day 2: June12
We got up the next morning & attended the closest LDS church so that we could have the sacrament. Then we continued down towards Oakland so that we could stop by the Temple. On the way we discovered a waterfall along the side of the mountain and decided to stop to let the kids stretch out their legs. Mom was freaking out just a bit as we crossed the busy street to the other side since they were coming around curved in both directions. But we were all safe and enjoyed the view. 
The Oakland Temple was beautiful with its gold detailing and surrounded by tall, slender palm trees. We walked its grounds an enjoyed the peaceful feeling it brought to our hearts.
Day 3: June13
Once we arrived we were all relieved to have the 13 hour drive behind us. We went hiking through a portion of the Redwoods and they are incredible! I never imagined a tree could be so large and beautiful. Yes, I have seen photos, but to actually see them in real life is a whole different experience.
We had a good time and Nick even carried Danny on his back the whole time. What a cute Uncle! We spotted a deer and her baby fawn and the boys tried scaring us by disappearing and creeping up behind us. Those silly boys.
Day 4: June14
Alcatraz: A rocky island of western California in San Francisco Bay. It was a military prison from 1859 to 1933 and a federal prison until 1963. It is now a tourist attraction. The island has long been known as "the Rock."
I really enjoyed Alcatraz and at times there was a slight spooky chill that radiated through my body. We did the Audio Tour and as you walked through, from point to point, they would tell stories and include sound effects. Such as the cell doors shutting, men screaming on attempt escapes and the rattling of keys. If I were to do it again though, I think I would do the night tour…haunting!
The island was covered with beautiful flowers and plenty of birds flying around. We even spotted baby seagulls! Aren’t they adorable?
Day 5: June15
Bubba Gumps was amazingly delicious! For the most part we had shrimp in all sorts of variety, cooked different ways. Nick got crab and it took him twice as long to finish his bc he had to sit there and break apart every piece to get to the good stuff. He was over stuffed by the time he got to the bottom of the pot and even finished off the mud pie…that was also amazing!
Mmm Yummy! Seriously the best shrimp I have ever had in my life! And dessert too:)
Tiffany discovered the Sea Lions while she was searching for the bathrooms. She came back and lead us to the group of them laying out on the docks, making their weird Sea Lion noises.
Aspen ate all of her popcorn shrimp so was able to ride on the second floor of the Carousel. She loved it, as it went round and round and round….
We took a tour of the city on a double decker bus. It was whole new experience and really got to see the city on the go. There was a Mason street, which is right where we boarded and got off the bus. It’s a good name.
Of course nick spotted Sponge Bob and insisted to have a picture with him. He’s so crazy:) JK
After we shopped a bit on Pier 39, we went on the windiest road in the world! No Joke! I was so sick by the time we got there and it never went away the rest of the trip. The beach was windy and the water FREEZING! Not really my idea of a day on the beach. It should be hot and the water should be at swimmable temperatures. But the kids had fun playing in the sand, mom and dad went for a walk in the sunset and I took pictures of this silly, not-so-shy pelican while Tyler tried to get it to flap its wings for me. He successfully did it and later got snapped at by his very large beak. 
Day 6: June16
We made an attempt at a different beach which was better, yet still chilly at times. I never got in the water, I’m not that crazy. Tyler pulled out his new trick kite and “the kids” had fun burying each other
Day 7: June17
My all time favorite part of the trip was this very day. We rented bikes, rode them across the San Francisco Bridge, hung out in Salsalito and then Tyler and I rode back while everyone else whimped out and took the fairy. We still beat them back:) I loved every second of it. Even though we had a very strong headwind both ways, but more so back, I wouldn’t have changed to doing something else.
I would definitely do it again, without question. I will admit some of the hills getting up to the bridge were super hard and on the way back, Tyler and I had to get off our bikes at one point to walk up the steep incline. But it was all worth it. I loved the sound of my little bell, letting people know we were coming through.
It was strange after we turned our bikes in. I wanted to be back on it, feeling the wind in my face and my legs burning with every pedal. But we had to turn them in and since we still had some time we went searching for Kara’s Cupcakes, recommended by someone. It sure was delicious! The most amazing cupcake I
have ever tasted. I am no normally a fan of lots of frosting, but this one was good and the cake part was extremely moist. Mmm Mmm Good:) Danny also loved it! In fact, he had an audience that was laughing at his every gesture and facial expression. He just couldn’t get enough!
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And….this was his temper tantrum when his daddy took the empty wrapper that he was chewing on, away. Yeah, he wasn’t so happy. He threw himself on the table and screamed. He has a thing for sweet goodness apparently.
After we got our car we went exploring a bit more. We drove down Lombard street which is famous for its steepness filled with 8 hairpin turns. The crazy thing was the fact that people actually live on it. That would bite since tourists are always driving down it for the experience. As we drove down, you couldn’t really see the road further down the hill bc of the tight turns and the shrubs and flowers that are planted in between each section. We also had to make a stop at Filbert Street, the steepest street recorded in the Western Hemisphere at a gradient of 31.5%! I felt like I was going down a rollercoaster bc when you first approach it looks like a straight drop off – you can’t even see the road! Ahh! We did it twice, Tyler was driving and said he had to turn around so it was unavoidable...or something like that?
We had to say goodbye to the San Francisco, since we were leaving for the day and wouldn’t be coming back to this particular town. It was fun while it lasted.
Day 8: June18
We kind of went seperate ways this day. Tyler, Tiffany, Nick, and the kids went to the beach so that the boys could surf and Mom, Dad, and I hung around in Windsor, where we were staying. We discovered a park nearby that was loaded with picnic tables, playgrounds, climbing wall, train, and even a manmade lake full of ducks and people kayaking. 
So, we rented a couple of kayaks to join the fun. I wasn’t exactly told how to get in, so I just plopped myself right in and water came rushing into my kayak before I could avoid it. That’s right. I was soaking wet from the waist down for the full hour we were out there. I tried to empty it with my water bottle, but that did me no good; it just made it so I didn’t have any drinking water since I dumped it out to make the situation better. But we had a good time and I got my arms a workout since the day before my legs got a good workout. We spotted a baby duck and he was so adorable and fuzzy.
And these were my soaking wet pants once I got out. Yeah, it was slightly uncomfortable, but a little nice since it was fairly hot. I forgot sunscreen and got fried on my shins. I have had dead skin flaking off for a week or so now…so annoying!
Then we went back, picked up lunch on the way from Jack in the Box and headed for the pool. Mom and I got some magazine reading down and I got in the hot tub for a while bc the wind was blowing making me cold.
We spent time in the pool throughout the week and I am always amazed how well aspen swims. It is funny to watch parents freak out when she jumps in with nobody there to catch her. She just jumps in and swims back to the side, climbing out all by herself. When she is swimming and if she gets tired, she rolls to her back and floats tell she catches her breath. Then she flips back around and continues swimming like a little fishy. She is such a smart little stinker and I can’t believe she is almost 3 years old!
The End Result:
We all had a great time playing in the sun and discovering new territory. Like I said, my favorite was biking and I think a lot would agree. Tiffany preferred the beach and I know Nick really enjoyed Alcatraz. Overall we had a great family vacation and though it has come and gone, we created many wonderful memories that will never be forgotten. What a wonderful 9 days it was. (I didn’t get any pics of the last day bc we were all so tired and worn out. Not much happened, just the 13 hour drive home which I slept most of the way since I took a Dramamine for my intense nausea.) Now I can’t wait to begin planning our next big family getaway!
-Peanut
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