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Talk about insane! A Donate Life event took us to the Reno area at the end of our Nevada week, so basically we were now driving down and back up the state of California in about a week’s timeframe.
Have you looked at the state of CA on a map recently? It’s a really long state!
Suffice it to say that we had to make some tough decisions about what to see and what not to see in California. Of course, we had our priorities: the beach, Monterey Bay Aquarium, LegoLand, Yosemite National Park, Jelly Belly factory tour, San Francisco, Pacific Highway One, the redwoods, 2 presidential libraries & museums…whew, this is going to be difficult! There were so many things we had to cut. On the positive side, with so much driving, we were able to see the different regions of California, from big trees to beaches, agricultural to commercial.
Here are some highs and lows from California:
Here are some highs and lows from California:
Worst Meal: Grabbing a sandwich from a fast food chain in a not-so-good section of LA. We got it to go, but it wasn’t fast enough in our opinion, especially when 2 guys pulled up and “pretended” to be having car trouble right next to our van!
Favorite Meal: Coffee Mia in Marina. It’s a family-owned, Italian coffee shop that also serves paninis and pastries, in addition to coffee. The owner’s father and daughter were both helping out when we were there. I had the panini with proscuito, humboldt fog cheese, and fig jam - what a wonderful blend of flavors! We topped off the tasty lunch by all sharing a cannelloni. Mmh!
Biggest Disappointment: LegoLand. It was all based upon our expectations. We expected it to be Disney, with Legos, but it was no where near that. Don’t get me wrong - it was fun, just not as Lego-themed as we thought it would be, nor was it quite up to the Disney quality. (Walt has the market on that!)
Biggest Surprise: This was a toss-up between how cold the ocean was and how much of CA is farmland. The kids had a great time playing in the waves, regardless of the temperature. They both are still saying the beach is their favorite part of the trip so far, and getting them to agree about anything is about as difficult as plugging an oil leak in the bottom of the gulf!
Talk about preconceived notions, though. Somehow I had pictured all of CA, other than Napa Valley, as completely developed, one suburbia running into another the entire state. I was shocked by how much open space there was, much of it being used for farmland in the interior and some right on the coast. Who would have thought you’d need to worry about finding a gas station on Pacific Highway One?
Most Un-American Moment: Not going to Hollywood. We discovered the kids weren’t old enough to even sit in a studio audience. Plus, they weren’t interested in going to look at some prints on the sidewalk, most of whom they wouldn’t know who they were anyway, so why drag them when there’s so much else to see in CA? Still, I feel ashamed for not showing them iconic Hollywood, not even so much as the infamous letters on the hillside! What kind of parents are we???
Most American Moment: Riding the cable car in San Francisco while standing and hanging out the side. I felt like I should be in a Rice-a-Roni commercial! Side note: How sad is it that both the Most Un-American and American moments have to do with tv/movies?!?
Worst Closure: Yosemite. It wasn’t technically closed. Well, the road going through was closed because of snow, but the whole park wasn’t. It’s just that both times we tried going, the weather was bad – rainy or snowy. I was truly bummed about missing Yosemite. The pictures of it are so beautiful, and I’m sure they don’t do it justice, as most of our pictures don’t do justice to what we’re photographing.
Best Tour: Alcatraz. We took part in the Ranger program called “Escapes.” The Ranger was entertaining and informative, telling us about the famous escapes (or attempts as he kept stressing) from Alcatraz. The kids were enthralled during both the Ranger program and the regular audio tour. What’s even more amazing is the next day we caught the MythBusters episode on tv about the escape from Alcatraz! That’s not a coincidence in my eyes but rather a little treat from God…thanks!
My CA Hike: Oh no, I’ve started something in Nevada - using a long, city walk as my “hike!” Since we weren’t able to hike at Yosemite, my hike in CA ended up being “hiking” all around San Francisco. I guess we did “hike” up the Crooked Street, but this was not what I had in mind for my state hikes, people! :)
California, we’ll have to return. There’s no way to see you in a week!
Favorite Meal: Coffee Mia in Marina. It’s a family-owned, Italian coffee shop that also serves paninis and pastries, in addition to coffee. The owner’s father and daughter were both helping out when we were there. I had the panini with proscuito, humboldt fog cheese, and fig jam - what a wonderful blend of flavors! We topped off the tasty lunch by all sharing a cannelloni. Mmh!
Biggest Disappointment: LegoLand. It was all based upon our expectations. We expected it to be Disney, with Legos, but it was no where near that. Don’t get me wrong - it was fun, just not as Lego-themed as we thought it would be, nor was it quite up to the Disney quality. (Walt has the market on that!)
Biggest Surprise: This was a toss-up between how cold the ocean was and how much of CA is farmland. The kids had a great time playing in the waves, regardless of the temperature. They both are still saying the beach is their favorite part of the trip so far, and getting them to agree about anything is about as difficult as plugging an oil leak in the bottom of the gulf!
Talk about preconceived notions, though. Somehow I had pictured all of CA, other than Napa Valley, as completely developed, one suburbia running into another the entire state. I was shocked by how much open space there was, much of it being used for farmland in the interior and some right on the coast. Who would have thought you’d need to worry about finding a gas station on Pacific Highway One?
Most Un-American Moment: Not going to Hollywood. We discovered the kids weren’t old enough to even sit in a studio audience. Plus, they weren’t interested in going to look at some prints on the sidewalk, most of whom they wouldn’t know who they were anyway, so why drag them when there’s so much else to see in CA? Still, I feel ashamed for not showing them iconic Hollywood, not even so much as the infamous letters on the hillside! What kind of parents are we???
Most American Moment: Riding the cable car in San Francisco while standing and hanging out the side. I felt like I should be in a Rice-a-Roni commercial! Side note: How sad is it that both the Most Un-American and American moments have to do with tv/movies?!?
Worst Closure: Yosemite. It wasn’t technically closed. Well, the road going through was closed because of snow, but the whole park wasn’t. It’s just that both times we tried going, the weather was bad – rainy or snowy. I was truly bummed about missing Yosemite. The pictures of it are so beautiful, and I’m sure they don’t do it justice, as most of our pictures don’t do justice to what we’re photographing.
Best Tour: Alcatraz. We took part in the Ranger program called “Escapes.” The Ranger was entertaining and informative, telling us about the famous escapes (or attempts as he kept stressing) from Alcatraz. The kids were enthralled during both the Ranger program and the regular audio tour. What’s even more amazing is the next day we caught the MythBusters episode on tv about the escape from Alcatraz! That’s not a coincidence in my eyes but rather a little treat from God…thanks!
My CA Hike: Oh no, I’ve started something in Nevada - using a long, city walk as my “hike!” Since we weren’t able to hike at Yosemite, my hike in CA ended up being “hiking” all around San Francisco. I guess we did “hike” up the Crooked Street, but this was not what I had in mind for my state hikes, people! :)
California, we’ll have to return. There’s no way to see you in a week!
-Sheri
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