Day 11
Our day started with a yummy breakfast and then we assembled our stuff and piled into the Williams RV for the ride into the park. We got a later start than we originally planned, so we knew that may pose a problem with parking, given that it was Saturday. The car line started about 1 mile from the park entrance. We had heard that during peak season, the car line could go as far as our RV park, 5 miles from the entrance. O couldn’t even imagine that. Once inside the park, we made our way back to the Half Dome village. As we neared the village, there were so many more cars than the day before. And once we reached our previous parking destination, it was clear that finding a spot was going to be next to impossible. We continued to drive around, but no RV spots were anywhere. We thought that perhaps we’d head north to the Tuolumne Meadows. As we headed back towards our park entrance, we stopped at a gas station. All over the gas station grounds were dozens and dozens of butterflies. I had never seen such a gathering. It was pretty cool. Sadly, we learned that the road up to the Meadows was closed and wouldn’t open for at least another couple weeks. We quickly changed our plans and headed to the nearby Tuolumne Groves. The Groves have a large collection of Sequoia trees and we wanted to get a look. When we got there, it was close to lunchtime so we got our packed lunches out and had a nice picnic lunch at the groves entrance. The hike to the Groves would be downhill....about 400 ft decline. So that meant coming back up would be as hard as our hike from the previous day. As we were contemplating that, we noticed a crowd gathering alongside the path not far from us. We went closer and noticed a black bear taking an afternoon nap. Lori was able to get a ton of great pics of it with her zoom lens. We decided to scrap the Groves hike since we would be going to Sequoia the following day. Our new plan was to go up to Glacier Point. It took about 45 mins to make our way up to the Point and once we got there we found an enormous line of cars waiting for parking. Rob and Scott let us out of the RV so that we could walk around and take pics. We weren’t sure if would get parking so this seemed like a good plan. After about 15 mins or so, the boys finally joined us. Luckily for us, we got the very last RV parking spot! So we all mulled around, taking a ton of pics. The view from the Point was magnificent, overlooking the entire Yosemite Valley below. We could see more hundreds and hundreds of miles away. It felt like we were on top of the world. It was magical. Once we were done, we all piled back into the RV to make our way back down to the Valley. It was now 3pm and we were hoping that we let enough time pass that’d we would be able to find some parking. But that would be the least of our worries. Shortly into our trek down the mountain we found ourselves dead stopped. It was odd since no cars were coming up the mountain. Come to find, there was a man with a gun a short ways down and the park rangers and police had stopped traffic from going any further down. Apparently they had a negotiator out talking with the guy and that’s all they would tell us. We waited and waited. We even got out and started playing in the woods. Eventually the police finally made their way up to us and told us we’d need to go back up the mountain for our own safety. The officer helped us turn our RV around, which was pretty precarious. The roads are narrow and steep and we weren’t certain we’d be able to turn around. But we did it and headed back up the mountain. About 1 mile back up we found a turnabout where there were many other cars parked. So we got in line with them. And then we waited some more. All in all we waited about 4 hrs. We finally got the go ahead from the police around 7pm that the gunman was in custody and we were safe to proceed back down. We knew our day was over. We hadn’t eaten and we had to get dinner made. So we didn’t get to see or do as much as we’d have liked, but we can honestly say that we would never forget our time in Yosemite. We headed back to our RV park and quickly made dinner and a roaring fire. We wanted to get an early start in the morning as we had a 3.5 hr drive to Sequoia. The kids were tired so we all took showers and got ready for bed. What a memorable day!
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Day 10
Our drive to Yosemite started really early. We knew it was going to be a long 4 1/2 hr drive. In total it took us much longer so it was good we left as early as we did. After packing up our site, we hit the road and let the kids stay sleeping. Right near our RV park was a coffee shop. So we stopped to grab some coffee and breakfast munchies for the drive. As we drove out of the mountains away from Lake Tahoe, we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful view. We were pretty high up in the mountains so you could see snow all around us. Yet it was such a beautiful, warm, sunny morning. Every turn brought another beautiful sight. It was spectacular. After another hour or so we had made our way down the mountain and the terrain around us changed and became small hills and the trees changed from the large pines to smaller, bushier types. Though I’m not quite sure what kinds they were. Although it was still beautiful, I already missed the magical pines. Lunch time arrive quickly and we were nearing our destination. We finally arrived at our campground and checked ourselves in. The RV spots at this particular park were first come first serve. We managed to find 2 spots near each other. We got settled in and started getting lunch together. We were so hungry! After a quick lunch, we piled into Scott and Lori’s RV, and drove the 5 miles to the park entrance. Lucky for us, there wasn’t many cars heading in. Once you get through the park entrance, it still takes about 45 mins to get to Yosemite Valley. But oh the views! We stopped at a scenic overlook to snap some pics of a couple waterfalls. We had been told that the parking lot at Yosemite Valley was full but to try parking at the Half Dome Village. On our way, we stopped at Bridalveil Fall. Come to find, that was the beautiful waterfall we had taken pics of just a short while ago. Bridalveil sits near the majestic El Capitan mountain/rock. Words simply cannot describe this ginormous rock. I couldn’t help but think of the gentlemen from the documentary, Free Solo, that climbed this beautiful rock with nothing other than his hands. Miraculous indeed. If you haven’t watched that documentary, you need to! I told myself I’d watch it again now that I had gotten to see this massive rock up close. The walk to Bridalveil was a short .5 mile trail so we all decided to do it. It was such a beautiful spot with huge trees and pines surrounding the fall and it’s glorious creek. We must’ve snapped a billion pics but none can truly capture the ultimate feeling of peace and grandeur of the falls and that area. Such a special place! We walked back to the RV and continued our drive until we got to Half Dome village. We immediately found parking and were very grateful for such a blessing! We hopped on the next shuttle and got off at the Nature Center. By now it was 4:30 and the nature center had closed. We looked on our map and saw that there was a 3/4 mile hike to another falls called Vernal Falls. We started up the hike and I could tell we’d have to work for every inch. The hike was a 400 ft incline over the 3/4 mile. And yes it’s as hard as it sounds. The kids gave up only about 1/2 mile in and I can’t say I was disappointed. The Willians continued on to the falls, well the bridge to the falls. The 3/4 mile was only a stopping point. The falls would be a longer trek. We headed back down the trail and then waited by the river for the Williams. Once the Williams cane back down, we did a time check and realized it was dinner time. Knowing we had a full day in store for us tomorrow, we decided to head back to the RV park. It was late as we got back to the RV park. We had watched the sunset as we left Yosemite and it was glorious! But now it was dark and we were excited to start a campfire. Rob worked on the fire and started some laundry for ya since we were all out of fresh clothes. I got started on a quick pot of chili and within 30 minutes we were all sitting by the campfire eating our dinners and chatting about our day. After dinner, Lori and the kids started playing Uno. We finished our laundry and I started making our lunches for the next day. We wanted to get into the park early so we could get a good spot at Half Dome again. We had such a fun day and were excited to see what tomorrow would bring. Day 9
Our day started a bit earlier than I’m sure any of us wanted. We got ourselves ready and said our goodbyes to Jacque and Pat. We all piled into the RV and headed back into town to our RV park to check out and pick up our other RV. We then headed into town to grab some breakfast at Sarafornia. As with all the food we’ve tried, we were very happy we stopped here. If you’re in Calistoga or Saint Helena, I highly recommend going to the restaurants we visited. And the wineries! After we finished our breakfast we got on the road to South Lake Tahoe. GPS had us arriving shortly before 4. Our plan was to get into Tahoe and do some kayaking on the Lake. Unfortunately as we got close to Tahoe, they were doing some road work. And we did not make it in time to rent the kayaks. We were all pretty bummed about that. Time for plan B! We checked into our RV Park and found that they did not book our sites close to one another. After being told they were sold out and it’d be difficult to move us, we took it upon ourselves to peruse the different loops to see if there were any spots available. And wouldn’t you know it, there were. So we walked back up to ask them to change our site to be closer to the Williams. After double checking, they gladly changed our site. That made us very happy campers. Literally. After settling into our site, we took our RV out and headed into town. South Lake Tahoe is pretty touristy. We headed to the marina area to see if we could get some dinner by the lake. I mean who wouldn’t want a lake view while eating their dinner? We found the perfect spot at a restaurant called Riva Grill. The food was ok, pretty overpriced in my opinion. But oh that view! They couldn’t seat our large group on their patio, despite having plenty of open tables. So strange. But we could still see the view and that’s all that mattered. After dinner, we walked out onto the beach that the grill sits on. We took a bunch of pics and to our amazement, found a ton of ladybugs. So many in fact, that I named the beach, Lady Bug Beach. It was pretty cool! Sunset was closing in on us and we were told of a perfect place to watch it, Lakeside Beach. Just a short drive up, we made it with time to spare. You had to pay $5/ea to get on the beach, so only Lori and Lizzie went on the beach. Rob and I grabbed a beer at the Beach House that sits right on the beer there. We were able to snap some pics of the sunset from there. The sunsets over the lake with the mountains in the distance is simply spectacular. after soaking in all that grandeur, the kids were jonsing for some sweet treats. Lizzie found a nearby ice cream shop that specializes in ice cream sandwiches. The Baked Bear makes ice cream sandwiches with cookies and brownies. Like who wouldn’t love that???!!!! So we hopped in the RV and made our way to get some. We parked nearby and Rob nearly took out a parking sign. Luckily no damage was done to the RV or the sign. It was pretty funny. The shop itself is pretty small. Luckily we were able to find seats. But we took the last ones. We all ate our sweet treats and, once in our sugar coma, left the shop and headed back to the RV and then to our RV park for some much needed rest. We planned an early morning departure for Yosemite. So it was going to be an early night for us. Although we didn’t get to do much in Tahoe, we absolutely loved it and will go back for a longer stay in the future. Day 8
Man, we sleep really well! We all woke up around 8:45am. Over the past week, we never slept past 7:30am. And even though I was feeling under the weather, I had slept so well too. Truth be told, if we weren’t on vacay, I’d have stayed in bed all day. So to wake up after 8:30am was shocking for us all. We slowly got ready, showering and getting dressed. Jacque and Pat were already out and about in their vineyard getting the vines watered. We walked over to their main house from our cottage to get some coffee and wake the kids. They too slept so well! Jaxon joked that he wanted Jacque and Pat to will him the sheets on his bed cause he loved them so much. He’s so funny! Once everyone was awake and ready, we headed out for a short hike down their property to a creek that runs on their property. On our walk, we encountered a baby rattlesnake. That woke us all up real quick. The walk to the creek was quick and the creek was so pretty. We then headed back up to the house and got ourselves ready to head into town to grab some food before we went to a winery. The drive into town is quick and downtown Calistoga is so quaint and adorable. Lunch would be at a fabulous Mexican restaurant called Pacifico. The food was so delicious and with full bellies we headed to the beautiful winery, Castello Di Amorosa. Jacque and Patrick know Georg, the President of the winery, so we were able to get a special, behind-the-scenes personal tour. We walked down 4 levels to see how the Castello makes their wine and even got a chance to meet Peter, the winemaker, himself. What an honor! After walking the many underground corridors of the winery, we found ourselves back at the tasting room. We then were able to sample so many of their amazing wines. It was truly a spectacular and unique experience and we all were so very grateful to Jacque and Pat for setting it up for us. After the Castello, Jacque and Pat left us to head back to their home to do some work, so we all stayed in town. Rob and I went to the brewery that was across the street from our Mexican restaurant from lunch. While the Williams and Jade took the opportunity to walk around town and look at all the shops. Before we knew it, time had flown by and it was time for dinner. Jacque and Pat had made reservations at the Calistoga Inn, which was attached to the brewery we were at. Everyone met back up for dinner. By then, the weather had cooled down and we sat on the patio to eat our dinner. Dinner was fabulous, though the service was a bit quirky. After our meal, we headed back up to Jacque and Pat’s home to get another great night’s rest. It was yet another amazing day to add to all our others on this trip. Day 7
We woke up and got packed up and ready to head out. We decided to eat breakfast in the nearby town of San Raphael at a place called Crepevine. Such a cute small town, it kinda reminded us all of our own hometown of Sanford. The food was all delicious and the portions were huge! Scott, Jaxon and Reece all ordered chocolate chip pancakes and all three could have split one order. We then got on the road. Our destination: Chateau St Jean winery in Sonoma. There were so many wineries to choose from, it was hard to decide which one to try. But Chateau St Jean was one we recognized and, from the pics we saw online, it looked gorgeous. The pics didn’t lie. We drove up the long driveway to the Chateau and it was simply beautiful. The grape wines lined the long driveway and surrounding landscape. At the top of the hill you could see the Chateau. We parked in their large parking lot and headed to their tasting room. The tasting room had indoor and outdoor seating. The outdoor seating looked like a garden paradise. But because it was still so hot out, we opted to sit inside. They offered us a complimentary glass of champagne while we decided on our order. The Williams ordered the Reserve tasting menu, which came with a small cheese tray. We opted for the Classic since we really weren’t sure what to order. Both menus included 4 glasses of wine: 2 red and 2 white. We really enjoyed all the wine we sampled. Once we were done, our waiter surprised us with an additional glass of their reserve anniversary wine. That too was delicious. We then left the vineyard and headed out to the nearby town of Santa Rosa to visit a brewery called Russian River. We actually lucked out and found parking for the RVs right in front. As you can imagine, finding parking anywhere for an RV is tough, but even tougher for two RV’s. I have to admit we’ve been rather lucky this trip in finding parking and getting around no matter where we’ve gone. Russian River was a great brewery with some delicious beers. And their food menu was also really tasty as the girls would attest. After leaving there, we headed into Calistoga to our next vineyard, Sterling Vineyards. Sterling Vineyards is a beautiful vineyard that sits atop a hillside. They typically transport all their guests on a tram to the top of the hill. But due to the intense heat, it was over 100 degrees, they had shut down their tram. Instead, they put us on a shuttle to transport us to the top. Once there, we exited the shuttle and were immediately presented with our first tasting area. It was so incredibly picturesque to see the vineyards below and all the mountains that surrounded us. Rob’s sister and brother-in-law have a home in Calistoga and were planning on meeting up with us once we were done our tour. It was easy to see why they picked this beautiful town to live in. We thanked the lady for our first taster, and she instructed us to continue walking up the path around the side of the building to get to our next stop. As we walked inside, you could see some of their tanks and rooms where the make their wine. We had just walked into their gift shop when the power suddenly went out. The ladies there instructed us to follow the corridor and that would lead us to an outdoor patio area. Yes folks you read that right. An outdoor area. And no power. Thankfully there was plenty of awnings to cover the area. It was still very hot. The employees had set up two pouring stations that we could enjoy as they tried to figure out the cause of the power outage. We got a couple glasses to taste before they announced that we needed to leave the premises. The power was not going to come back on. Quickly we got in another few glasses before we made our way back to the shuttle to be taken back down the hill. We were pretty bummed we couldn’t take the tour but were happy we got to sample some of their wines. When we got down the hill, we were happy to see Rob’s sister, Jacque, and his brother-in-law, Patrick, were there waiting for us. The kids piled into Jacque and Pat’s car, and the adults followed in our RV’s. We headed to our RV Park to quickly check in and drop off one of the RV’s. The Calistoga RV park is more like a parking lot. But that was of no consequence since Jacque and Pat graciously offered to host all of us in their home. Needless to say, we were happy to leave the RV at the lot. Feeling a bit hungry, we headed to a nearby restaurant in Saint Helena to get some drinks and appetizers. Brasswood Bar and Kitchen is a great restaurant offering upscale food and wine. We had some time to kill before we needed to meet up with some friends for dinner. So it was the perfect spot. Jacque had called ahead, since we were such a large group. They immediately sat us on the patio and before we knew it, we had our drinks and appetizers. And everything was delicious! After enjoying our wine and a quick bite, we headed down the road to Gotts Roadside to meet up with Trixia and Nho. Even though we aren’t related, Trix and Nho are more like family to me than friends. It was so nice to see them and catch up over burgers. We all enjoyed the food, but it truly was the company that made my heart full. We said our goodbyes and then got on the road to head back to Jacque and Pat’s home in Calistoga. They live high up on the side of a mountain. So getting up their driveway was quite the adventure. But Scott drove it like a pro and Lori only had a few minor heart attacks. Once we got up there and parked, we sat and chatted awhile and then Jacque and Pat walked the adults up to our cottage. The gravel path to the cottage was uneven and tight. I clearly didn’t think ahead as I had worn my sandals and they were definitely not the appropriate attire to manage the terrain well. But I did use a cactus to help me balance. Read that again. Yep I’m an idiot. Good thing I had already drinken my weight in alcohol. Lesson learned. We all got settled into our cottage and fell asleep rather quickly. It was such a fun day and packed with so much activity. To say we slept well would be an understatement! Day 6
We started our day pretty lazily. After getting ready and eating breakfast, we made the short walk across the bridge to the Larkspur Ferry Terminal. The ticket machines were located close to the entrance and were easy to use. I purchased our round trip tickets, which were good for use anytime on that day. The Ferry arrived just on time and we boarded shortly before our departure time of 10:10am. The Ferry was not very full, which was nice. We all took seats at the top of the Ferry so that we could see all the sights. The Ferry then promptly left on time. I found myself thinking of how I would take the Ferry daily if I had to live in this area. It’s just too simple not to. We initially passed San Quentin and all the inmates were outside. Many waved and yelled over to us in a friendly manner. And to my surprise, many people on the Ferry returned the gestures. Seemed odd to me to wave hi to a murderer or a robber, but I guess different strokes for different folks. I did, however, snap a pic of them. Before we knew it, the 30 minute ride was done and we were debarking. The San Francisco Ferry Terminal is really neat since they have dozens of vendors inside the terminal. We perused many of them, buying a few breakfast goodies for the kids from a couple vendors. We then made our way outside and started walking towards Pier 33, which is where you can find the Alcatraz tours. The walk to Pier 33 was fun but incredibly hot. Where was the beautiful breezy weather SF is known for? I think we must’ve brought the heat from FL. We tried to stay in the shade as much as possible to try to stay cool. It took about 15 mins but we eventually arrived at Pier 33. Sadly, all the tours were booked. So we changed our focus to getting some food. We decided to check out our food options on Pier 39. We eventually selected a place called Pier Market. After a nice lunch, we decided to take a 1 hr cruise around the Bay that goes by the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. We figured it’d be a great cruise and educational. We bought our tickets and got in line to board our 1pm cruise. The cruise was super fun and we all learned a few things we never knew. Like only 11 men died while building the bridge, a huge decrease considering the average death rate was closer to 28 per building structure. One sad note while on our cruise, we got to witness rescue efforts happening on shore not far from us, for a missing child. We later found out if was a 14 yr old teen that drowned. So tragic and sad. Ok back to happiness. Well kinda. We thought it’d be fun to ride the San Fran trolley. So we walked over to the nearest stop. But before we got there, we stopped a couple blocks away to get some bubble tea. It was so hot and we all needed something cool to quench our thirst. After we purchased our trolley tickets, we stood in line to wait our turn. And we waited. And waited. It took forever. In the hot sun. Waiting in line. Waiting. Ok I think I made my point. We eventually got on to a trolley and waited a little more for the operators to get on themselves. But the finally did and up the steep San Francisco hills we went. We took the trolley up to Chinatown and got off. Then we walked the streets, mesmerized by the shops and the bustle of all the people. All the signs were in Chinese and mist everything in all the shops as well. We came across a young white lady and asked her for a recommendation for a good restaurant to eat at. She told us of two, that were not too far from us. Off we went looking for a place to get some authentic Chinese food. A few blocks down we found just that at the restaurant that nice young lady recommended, Great Eastern. They seated us immediately and we ordered a ton of food, probably too much. Their dim sum menu, which was separate from their main menu, was the perfect appetizer to our dinners. It was the first time the Williams and the kids got to try it. I think it was a hit. Except for Jaxon. Chinese food just isn’t his fav. Rob and I ordered a half portion of their Peking duck. Oh was it delicious! After filling our bellies about as full as we could get them with all the delicious offerings there, we decided to head down to Ghiardelli for some sweet treats. The weather has cooled down substantially by the time our dinner was over and that was such a relief. We hailed an Uber and down the hills we went. Once at Ghiardelli Square, the kids were in heaven. They each ordered some sweet treats, while Rob and I investigated the brewery right next door. We didn’t stay too long there, but we found a ping pong table and had to get in a few games. Time was getting away from us and it was getting closer to the time where we needed to head back to the Ferry Terminal. Rob and I split up from the Williams and the kids so that we could run to CVS. I had gotten quite a cold and needed to buy some supplies. The rest of the crew headed back to the wharf to see the sea lions. Unfortunately by the time the reached the wharf time ran out. Rob and I grabbed an Uber and got back to the Ferry with plenty of time to spare. The Willians and the kids were stuck at the wharf waiting for their Uber. And the Uber driver wasn’t responding to their texts or calls. It was Uber frustrating! Get it! Lol! Finally they cancelled it and flagged down a good ‘ole cab. They piled into this small car and told the driver they had to make the Ferry. With no time to spare, their driver drove like a bat out of hell, swerving in and out of lanes and even running a red light to get them to the Ferry. They all joked that it was like an amusement park ride. But that driver got them to the Ferry just as they were closing the gates. The Ferry ride home was short and relaxing. We got in and made the quick walk back across the bridge to the RV park and settled in for the night. It was such a packed day and one we really enjoyed! Day 5
We awoke to the noise of children laughing. The kids in the KOA were having so much fun! And it was still pretty early. We stayed at the Santa Cruz KOA and this RV park was made for kids. Right next to our spot was a climbing wall that looked like a palm tree. There were so many kids already up and playing. We got ready, and checked for available tickets to the Mystery Spot. Sadly, they were all sold out. So we continued on to our second planned stop, the Winchester Mystery House. We were able to reserve tickets online but we had to leave ASAP since it would take us 50 mins to get there. So we quickly packed up, grabbed some free coffee, supplied so graciously by the KOA, and then hit the road to San Jose. We made to the Winchester Mystery House with only minutes to spare before our tour started. Now that was perfect timing. The tour itself gives you a 60 min tour of most of the rooms in the house as well as plenty of history on the Winchesters and the home. In total we walked 4 floors, saw 110 rooms and witnessed the insanity of Sarah Winchester’s mind. The home though is so grand, not the caliber of the Hearst castle, but evident from the enormity of how she continued to build her home over the course of 38 years. Truly a unique experience! We then left the home and headed towards our next destination, San Francisco! It was lunch time so our first stop was in Milipitas for some lunch at the Mall there. We had gone for their Filipino food, but instead opted for Mongolian BBQ. It’s was delicious! After filling our bellies we were walking through the mall and the power went out. Man were we glad we had already eaten. It was a mass exodus at that point with everyone leaving the Mall. We then drove up to Berkeley to a brewery called Fieldwork. What a cool place with some excellent beers! We continued onward and eventually made it to our RV park destination in Larkspur. We got settled into our spaces and surveyed our surroundings. The Marin RV Park is more like fitting sardines in a sardine can. Each RV is super close to one another. However the showers were nice and they were very much needed. The RV park has a lovely view of San Quentin and the bay. It’s also nestled by an old train track. So we snapped some cool pics and then looked for a place to get some dinner. As luck would have it, we were walking distance to another brewery, whose menu looked pretty good. So we all walked the short .5 mile across the overpass to the brewery. After a delicious dinner, we walked back to the RV and got ready for bed. Another great day in the books. Next up, San Francisco! Day 4 We got an early start to our day especially since we weren’t able to start our generator to make coffee in the RV. So we headed out of the RV park and went back to the parking lot of the San Simeon Bar and Grill. We parked, started our generator and made some much needed coffee. After caffeinating ourselves, we drove to the nearby estate, Hearst Castle. What an impressive estate! The tour was only an hr but in total we spent about 3 hrs there. We all loved learning about the Hearst family, the estate and the history of the estate. Fun fact, the zebras you’ll see in San Simeon today, that roam the hills, originated from the private zoo Hearst created to entertain his guests. After leaving the spectacular estate, we headed to the beautiful seaside town of Monterey. The drive up coastal highway is gorgeous and a bit precarious in an RV. But we did it and soon found ourselves on 17 mile drive in Pebble Beach. Preparations were already being made for the upcoming US Open and crowds already were present for the pre-tournament merchandise sale. We didn’t drive the entire 17 miles and were pretty limited on where we could stop to enjoy the views. But it’s no wonder why people travel from all over the country to drive it. It’s magnificent. We continued on to Monterey and enjoyed our evening down at the Wharf, sampling clam chowder, watching the sea lions and eating a delicious seafood dinner at Cafe Fina. What a perfect way to end a beautiful day! Day 3 started pretty early, it seems like all our bodies are wide awake by 7. We got up and started packing things up and making coffee. Unfortunately, the Williams weren’t feeling well. Lizzie got whatever bug Scott had from the previous day and Lori was starting to feel bad too. They have not had a good couple days for sure. We ate a leisure breakfast and then we got on the road around 9:30am. Our first stop, Venice beach, was only 6 miles down the road but it took 20 mins to get there. Seems like no matter where you go around LA, there is a ton of traffic. We finally got to Venice Beach and found a parking lot that would take a couple RV’s.
Venice Beach was not like I expected it. I guess watching it on movies makes it more glamorous than it is. The beach itself is beautiful. The rest is just meh. Where we parked was right near the skatepark. So we walked over to watch the few dudes that were there doing their thang. They were pretty good and a decent crowd started watching them. We then focused our attention on the boardwalk. The boardwalk consisted of all types of vendors on one side selling their wares from paintings to shirts to tattoos. The other side of the boardwalk showcased all the shops and food. We walked up and down the boardwalk just taking it all in. We happened upon a Native American shop that had some pretty cool stuff. So we bought a T-shirt and a music CD. We then ran into an “information” guy, who told us to go to the canal to see sea otters. So we ventured out to find the canal. It took us a little time, but we finally found it. Wow, that was impressive. So so beautiful. If there would be one thing I’d tell you to visit in Venice Beach, it’d be the canal. All the multi-million dollar homes that lined the canal were more like townhomes. They were so picturesque and quaint, each showcasing unique doorways and furnishings. There were a couple that I really wanted to go in and sit down to enjoy the beauty of the canal. No sea otters in the canal though. That dude’s information was WRONG. Pro tip, don’t believe any of the guys on the boardwalk and definitely do not buy their CDs. These guys walk up and down the boardwalk trying to get you to listen to their music CDs. It’s really weird. Oh and Muscle Beach was closed so we didn’t get to see any muscle dudes. :-( And prepare yourself to see a lot of homeless people everywhere in LA, including the beach. It’s a real problem there. We ate a quick sandwich in our RV, and then got on the road to head up the coast. We drove through Santa Monica and Malibu. Rob then made a detour and we got off the coast and went on the highway. I was pretty bummed to miss the Pacific Coastal view. But we did go through the town of Calabasas, which we all thought was such a great looking town. Very serene and the drive through the mountains was gorgeous. We got back on the highway and make a pit stop in Santa Barbara to stretch our legs and grab a bite and a beer. We all loved Santa Barbara. What a beautiful town. You can tell there’s a lot of money there. There is a pretty nice wharf and pier to walk down. But we opted to head to a local brewery called Figueroa Mountain. Great brewery and a perfect quick stop for us. We then headed back on the road. The road took us through hilly mountainsides and we loved every second. So much beauty and the landscape is just so different from the beach. We even saw a coyote strolling on the side of the road, probably looking for dinner. We eventually made it to San Simeon State Park, our destination for the evening, around sunset. It was glorious to watch. We tried to get some pics of it but they just didn’t do it justice. So incredibly amazing to watch. We checked into our RV spots and while we were talking outside, a brilliant owl flew by and perched itself on a nearby tree. Wow was that cool! The Williams, still feeling under the weather and fatigued, were not hungry and opted to stay in. But we were famished, so we got back in and headed a few miles north to one of the only open restaurants, the San Simeon Bar and Grill. We were happy to see they were still serving dinner, despite the late hour (it was 9.) We ordered our meals while being serenaded by the patrons in the attached bar as it was karaoke night. We ate fast. Very fast. It was the most expensive, and bland meal we’ve had and definitely not one I’d recommend again. We then headed back to the RV park and got everyone settled in for the night. We all fell asleep pretty fast. It was a long day of travel but a good day all the same! Day 1 We got up at the butt crack of dawn to catch our flight. All of us were pretty tired but excited nonetheless. After a fairly good flight, we landed in Vegas. We had a couple hrs to spare, which worked out perfectly. So we got some lunch and waited to board our next flight. Once we got on our flight, we all we’re ready to just be in Cali. And before we knew it, we were! We got off our plane and were surprised that they disembarked people from both the front and back. It made it go pretty quick. We got our luggage and met us with our traveling companions for the next couple weeks, the Williams. Next stop, Road Bear to get our RV. After doing all the usual formalities with signing in, getting a tour, etc, we headed to a nearby Walmart to stock up on food and supplies. Man was that a mistake. As one of the employees said, “Think of this Walmart as the dive bar of Walmarts.” We had never seen such a horribly stocked Walmart and to add salt to the wound, they charged you $.10 per grocery bag. Luckily we didn’t need any since we were unpacking everything on the RVs. By the time we finished shopping, it was already rush hour. We did not think this through properly. We should have gone shopping closer to our RV park. Lesson learned. Getting from the newly named Dive bar Walmart to our RV Park took almost 1 1/2 hrs. Los Angeles wins the Worst Traffic in America award hands down. Finally we arrived at the Dockweiler RV park. Our spots backed up to the beach, which I purposely picked. Nothing like being that close to nature! Once we got all settled in, we all packed into the Williams RV and we headed out to find some grub! We decided to try a nearby Mexican restaurant called El Turrasco. We enjoyed our food for the most part, probably because we were starving. And as luck would have it, there was a nearby brewery a couple doors down called El Segundo Brewing. Now if you know us, you know we love craft beer. So of course we had to try this place out! Unfortunately by the time we got there, they had already called last call. So no flights for us. They did, however, allow us to get some pints. So we ordered our beers, grabbed some stickers and tees, and left. We really enjoyed that brewery and if we had more time we’d go back. So that was our Day 1 in a nutshell. Busy day and we were soooo exhausted but 10pm that we all went to bed early. Day 2 The day started kinda early, given our bodies were still on East Coast time. Despite getting up early, we still managed to get a slow start to our day. We lazily ate breakfast and then tried to figure out our itinerary. Once we decided where we were going, we all got ready and headed out. Our first stop was Warner Bros Studios. The history of that studio is fascinating and seeing how they do everything was probably the kids favorite thing from the entire day. We got our tickets for the 2 hr studio tour and went inside. Again, Lady Luck was on our side and they bumped up our tour time by 1 hr! So we got to go right on a tour without waiting. Inside the tour entrance is a Starbucks. So everyone got a quick drink. Then it was time to start the tour. The 2 hrs went quickly and I would totally recommend doing this tour if you have the time. Once the tour is over, you can go into their hands on tour area to have even more fun. Lots of fun for sure. At the end of our fun, we realized just how hungry we were. Our tour guide had recommended a local restaurant called The Smokehouse, which was just outside the studio lot. So we walked the .3 mile around the lot to get to the restaurant. We ate fairly leisurely, enjoying the food and company. Our next stop was Griffith Observatory. Our intent was to go there to get a good view of the a Hollywood sign. Oddly, the sunny day turned into a foggy day yet again. We had recognized that by the ocean, the weather was foggy. But it cleared up the closer we hit inland. So we weren’t happy to see the fog return. It really made it difficult to see the sign. But again as luck was on our side. Our Uber driver decided to take us to a closer location to see the sign when we told him that’s why we were going to Griffith Observatory. As we climbed up into Hollywood Hills, he made a wrong turn and ended up getting totally lost. Finally he got back on track and we found ourselves amongst other tourists looking to take their pic of the Hollywood sign. Our driver was s but bummed he wasn’t able to get us to the exact spot that he wanted, but we were happy with it all the same. He then took us to the Observatory. Driving up is a pretty long drive and there were a ton of tourists there. We walked around the Observatory, checking out all the cool exhibits. The kids really loved all the interactive games. I think they may have learned some stuff too. Maybe. We then chose to head down to Hollywood Blvd to check out the Walk of Fame. When we got there, we walked up the sidewalk, looking at each star. We noticed that the street was blocked off to traffic. There was a bunch of drivers standing around too. So we asked around and found out that Denzel Washington, was receiving an award at the Dolby Theatre and we had just missed seeing him and all the other celebs as they arrived. It was getting chilly so we asked where we could get a cheap sweatshirt. We were told to go to this $5 store, right near Madame Toussan. We picked up some sweatshirts and then opted to get out of the crowd by heading to Rodeo drive. All the shops were closed when we arrived on Rodeo drive. But that’s ok since I’m pretty sure we could only afford to window shop there anyways. So that’s exactly what we did. The streets were lined with lights and it almost felt magical. We walked up a side street and came across a quaint outside eating area, almost lit up with lights. It was as if we were stars in a movie somewhere, and the entire place was made for us. After walking rodeo drive and admiring all the stores. We got our Uber and headed back to our RV. Once back at the RV, Rob, Lori, Lizzie and Jade went onto the beach to have a bonfire. Here in Cali, they have fire pits set up on the beach. All you need to do is bring your wood. Pretty cool huh? Well that was our day. The boys were exhausted and went right to bed. It was a great fun day! |
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