The boys and I left DFW on a direct flight to San Francisco. We flew Virgin, and it was the best airlines I have ever flown. Seriously, they were completely in a league of their own. The boys could watch TV or listen to music from each headrest, without paying extra. They had a "track your trip" application on the screen, where you could see that your average speed was 480 MPH, and that we were close to 40,000 feet in the air, and only some many miles away from our destination. That application, definitely helped with the "are we there yet?" and "how much longer?" inquires. It was the most flawless, easy flight ever. Kudos to Virgin!
DVD players are a life saver.
Our first day, we went straight for downtown SF. There was a St. Paddy's day parade, that we avoided because we were starving. We finally ate at the Waterbar restaurant, and it was delicious. We walked up and down the boardwalk, seeing the farmer's market, homeless people, and California freaks. It was fun. That evening we went on the Alcatraz cruise, and that was Eric's favorite.
Finally getting some grub.
The FireBoat
Drinking Hot Cocoa before the boat ride.
Golden Gate at sunset.
The Rock
2nd day--We went to Fairfield, CA for the Jelly Belly factory. JB's are my favorite candy. We then ate at a local taqueria, yummy and cheap. After the boys were high on sugar and carbohydrate rich tortilla's, we drive to the Muir Woods. It was beyond beautiful. I had another one of those closest feeling to God in that forrest. Just amazing. We stayed at my brother's home, and his sweet wife made us a simple, yet delicious spaghetti dinner.
The Jelly Belly RV
Reagan put JB on the map.
Getting ready to go inside the factory.
This portrait, made all out of JB's.
Belly Flops are the bad JB's that aren't sold due to minor flaws or flavor discrepancies.
Muir Woods, a must see.
Eric looking short.
Extremely TALL
Inside the base of the tree.
Renee & Kurt
Steep slopes
Loves these roots.
Looking down
I can't tell you its age, too many rings to count.....
My Sweet Beau
Daddy & Beau
Love them!
Leaving the Woods.
Driving over the Golden Gate Bridge.
Up the hill we go.
Street Trolley
Skater boy, that Rhett just had to have a picture of.
3rd day--We met up with Eric's old boss from 10+ years ago, Jay, outside of Oakland for breakfast. We then headed South on Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) to Monterey, CA. There is no better way to go, beside South and being in the passenger's seat made it even better. We had amazing coastal views, and Northern California is stunningly beautiful. We had roadside stops, to see wildlife and waves. That afternoon, we made it to the Monterey Aquarium. This was the best aquarium I have ever been to. Do you notice a trend here?----best aquarium, best city, best national park, best candy......BEST TRIP ever! Let me continue with best, thanks to UrbanSpoon, we strolled upon Sea Harvest Fish Market & Restaurant--and you guessed it, best fish I have ever tasted. It was caught that morning, and melted in my mouth like butter. We ended the night at the hotel, eating our Jelly Belly candy (after we stopped for ice cream at a local creamery) and laughed watching Ninja Warrior. It was a fantastic day.
Eric & Jay
Breath Taking!
The Cliff
A huge sand dune, that kids were surfing down?!?!
Touchzone at Monterey Aquarium, Beau said "Ewww".
Sea and Mountains (in the background).
Scuba Steve feeding the sharks!
"The Sea Is As Near As We Come To Another World"
Continuing the Jelly tradition, but with Jellyfishes.
Yep, those are really sea horse's.
Clam Children Chowder
Such a cool town.
4th day--Early morning, we went to the pier in Monterey, and witnessed live seals, sea lions, and sea otters--the cutest things. We could hear them barking from the parking lot, and the boys loved it. Little did we know, we'd be seeing a lot more wild life that day. We did a National Geographic recommendation http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/road-trips/california-pacific-coast-road-trip/ down PCH, and stopped at Carmel-By-The-Sea which is a beautiful little town. We continued on to Point Lobos Reserve, and saw dashing waves on the rocks, with more seals. Pretty much from Big Sur - Ragged Point, I was holding on to the edge of the car door handle with my life (sweaty palms). I get just a tad bit "anxious", when looking over cliffs with hugh drop off's into the ocean--I'm only human, right? But beyond the edge of my seat, were the most breath taking views. We saw whales, well, their blow holes at least. We continued on to Elephant Seals Vista point, where elephant seals carelessly sun bathe and snoozed the day away. We then went onto Hearst castle=MAGNIFICENT!!! I cannot even begin to describe the decor, design, details, decadence, and down right beauty of the location and castle. We then continued on PCH through a sun set drive, and arrived in Pacific Palisades late that evening.
On the local pier in Monterey
Point Lobos with my boys.
Seals on the rock at Point Lobos.
Ragged Point
The sun was so bright, we couldn't even open our eyes.
Sleepy elephant seals at Vista Point (Momma & her cub)
At first, I thought they looked dead.
At first, I thought they looked dead.
Whales-blow hole
Hearst Castle
The Fireplace Mantle, surrounded by ancient tapestries and art.
Dining Table
My favorite pool in the whole wide world.
Surrounded by beautiful sculptures.
The Hearst views.......oh my.
More Pacific views
My favorite family picture.
Eric wanted a picture with his love and cupid. ;-)
Rhett's favorite was the boy "peeing".
The lower pool, pure luxury, plated in gold.
The diving board.
Zebra's from Hearst Ranch.
Sleepy Sugs
Sleepy Sugs
5th day--We woke up to an ocean view at the club. After breakfast, we headed to the Ronald Reagan National Library and Museum. We got a private tour of his and her (Mrs. Regan's) headquarters (not open the the public). That afternoon we went shopping, and then had one of the most profound dinners ever (zipped lips).
Our view from the Club.
Breakfast before the Reagan National Library.
AirForce One
Berlin Wall
A real piece of the Berlin Wall in the Simi Valley.
6th day--We let the boys play on the beach and burn some energy. Then we went to Santa Monica Pier. We had rollercoster and ferris wheel rides. That evening we, saw a Cirque Du Soleil show--Ovo, which is the kids themed "Bug or Insect" play. It kept both boys attention all night. Later that night, we had a low key dinner with my sister and family at Il Fornoa right off the beach.
Trapeze School on the Pier--not something you see everyday.
Surf Boards on the Police Truck
On the pier ferris wheel
Eric & Rhett riding the roller coaster.
Flava Flav--not really.....hahaha
Bubba Gump Shrimp
Ovo--highly recommended for kiddos.
7th day--We met up with my Mom, and headed to the California Natural history and Science Museum, and saw an Imax film. We then had fabulous dinner with my family, it was a great time.
The dome inside the museum.
Rhett learning about solar power--that's my boy!
Learning about leverage, lifting a truck off the ground (with Mom's help).
Family dinner-yummy!
8th day--We took the Metro up to Hollywood, and caught a glimpse of the stars (or wanna be's). We then relaxed at my Mom's with her homemade fixin's and prepared to come back home the following day.
Captain Jack
Darth Vader
Cookie Monster
Shrek
9th day--We arrived in Texas, and enjoyed our 1200+ pictures.
Take away points--I LOVE how progressive San Francisco is. I was overwhelmed with how many chances I had to eat organic food, there was little corporate America (I think I saw 1 McDonald's), and definitely proactive about the environment (recycling, climate change, etc...). Last point, Northern and Central Cali was astoundingly beautiful. Best TRIP ever.
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