Summer Road Trip: The Long Ride Home

We woke up to sausage, orange rolls, and coffee. The perfect way to say good-bye to our amazing hosts! We finished packing up the car, and just as we were saying our good-byes, D started to bawl. She did NOT want to leave. She cried non-stop until we hit the Bay Bridge, then it was strangely quiet. She slept until we got to Sacramento, asked if we were still in California, when I told her yes, she started to cry again. Poor kid, I sort of felt the same way. I drove the whole way through Cali again until we got to Reno, then Adam took over and drove across Nevada.

Happier girl once we got into Nevada.

We had decided to try a different camp site in Nevada for the way home. We agreed to try Angel Creek, but once we got there it was totally full. There was another site but was up in the mountains. So up we went, and found our camp site. It was truly a beautiful site, but I wasn't too keen on it. It was also packed, so tons of people blaring loud music and yelling at each other. Plus there were giant swarms of nasty little bugs. (think the size of a mosquito without the bite, but as annoying as gnats or fruit flies).

The really neat things was that just a slight hike around the corner, was this amazing lake, hidden at the top of the mountain, and was filled with melted snow from the top.

The next day we were off for Vedauwoo Wyoming again.

First off a stop in Park City Utah for a potty break and lunch. We had lunch at Del Taco, but had a silly time in this at the visitor center.

Almost back to our destination for the night, we made a quick stop at Little America Wyoming for a gas/potty/change driver/ice cream break. Added bonus: a small playground for the kids to run a bit.

Back at Vedauwoo for the night. Just before we got there, there was a little sprinkle and a rainbow. Wonderful! Set up camp, made dinner, and had our last s'mores for the trip. Adam took this series of shots while trying to get a "good" shot. Personally I love these more.

Every night of our journey, the kids and I would write in our journals. We would write about anything that had happened that day, that way we could remember all the fun times we had.

We woke up the next morning. I had not heard from my friend (L) keeping an eye on Milo for us for a few days, so I sent a quick text asking how he was doing. She said he had been fine, just not eating much. He would do that on days he would get mad at us. We figured that was the case. But she had then gone down to check on him for that day, and we got a text that he wasn't doing well. He was hiding under the bed, yowling, and refusing to come out. So I got a hold of my other friend (A), she headed over to check on him and possibly take him to the vet to get checked out. A could tell just looking at him that it was not good. She rushed him into her vet, and that was when we got the bad news. Because he had stopped eating, and drinking his kidneys were shutting down. He was so far gone, that all the vet could do was give him a little IV, antibiotics, and a bit of a pain reliever. The vet said that if it was his cat, he would bring him home to pass away. This was horrible news, especially since Adam and I made Milo promise he wouldn't go while we were away. We had decided from that very first bad news text to drive straight home to be with him. It would take 18 hours of pretty much straight driving.

A would text me through the day giving us updates, but never good news. Eventually she called to tell me that he had begun having seizures, and would I like to say good-bye over the phone. So she put the phone to his ear, and I said my good-byes. It would be the hardest thing I have ever had to do.... As soon as Adam heard what I was saying, he pulled the car to the side of the road, we all got out and had a giant family hug and crying session. It was extremely hard on all of us. L said he wanted to go to heaven with Milo, D said she didn't know daddy would cry like that. We thought it would be best if we moved all the stuff from the backseat so that I could ride back there with them. We explained that everyone will grieve differently, and that is ok. If they wanted to talk about him, we would, or if they didn't want to talk that would be fine too. So we kept our mind off things while watching T.V. shows and DVD's.

Eventually I got the text that Milo had taken his last breath, my friend A was just as heartbroken as we were, but she stayed with him the whole time. For this, I am forever grateful! We continued on the way home, stopping just outside of Joliet Illinois to switch drivers again, and I took the rest of the way home. We arrived home at 2:30am with both kids sleeping. Adam went in first to take care of Milo before we brought the kids in. We felt it wouldn't be good for them to see him, he no longer looked like him. We got the kids in bed, and brought in all the stuff from the car. We kept a small tuft of his fur from his belly and keep it in a small fancy pill box in case we needed help remembering.

Adam and I didn't go to sleep until 5am! When we all awoke at 11:30am the kids decided to build a little shrine to Milo after being inspired by the one at Haight and Ashbury. My kids were troopers, and made it the whole 18 hours with no complaints or bad behavior. They knew what was happening and have dealt with things like the big mature kids they are. I am incredibly happy to know that I have amazing friends that help me when I need them, and I have an amazing little family. It was a little bittersweet to come home like that, but it still was the most fantastic trip we could ever have taken. The kids are already asking what road trip we are taking next year.

Summer Road Trip: California Day 2

For our second morning we ate yummy things we had picked up at the Boudin bakery from the day prior. Each kid picked a turtle sourdough roll, and I picked out chocolate raisin bread for the adults. After breakfast we headed out for the day!

We headed to Twin Peaks and got a wonderful panoramic view of the entire city. There were tons of tourists but it still felt nice and peaceful. The kids had fun pointing out buildings we spotted the day before.

One of the few entire group photos from the trip, thanks to the college kids standing next to us.

Our next stop was the Haight and Ashbury area. This was a stop mostly for me. When we came the last time, I was a little disappointed, not sure why, just was. This time however was a much better experience. Because we got there around 10 and before most places opened, we got two on street parking spots.

We headed in the shop and I was in heaven! There were all the things I had hoped to see, including a wonderful shrine built in a small room. The kids, Monica, and I all took off our shoes, and enjoyed centering ourselves inside. I picked up a beautiful green silk wrap skirt, and the lady gave me a discount since I said we were there for our anniversary. The guy working there encouraged the kids to touch and feel the things in the shop and to not be afraid to explore.

I had decided before we left home, that I was going to leave a few yarn bombs along the way on our trip. I picked this granny square as the perfect thing to leave on the light post right on the corner of Haight and Ashbury.

And then I made the group hike a few blocks uphill to find the Grateful Dead house. Whoever owns it now has a gate at the bottom of the stairs making it impossible to sit and get a picture on them. (They also have a camera watching the stoop) So I made due with having my picture at the gate instead.

There was also this fun graffiti on the sidewalk right in front of the house.

The kids were getting hungry and frustrated at this point so we headed into a Ben & Jerry's scoop shop to have a sweet 1 scoop treat.

After that, we decided to head for lunch. Our great hosts took us to their favorite dumpling place, Kingdom of Dumpling. This place was a tiny tiny little place, but man was that food delicious!!!! D was still being a bit of a grump, and didn't want to try any new foods. Adam took her for a little walk and when they got back she was in a much happier mood. We feasted on steamed and fried dumplings, tea, chicken chow mein, garlic green beans, beef pancakes, and hot soup dumplings. Everything was so good, I am still dreaming of them!

After that we decided to go drive over the Golden Gate Bridge. D fell asleep the first time over the bridge. We turned around, headed up to an amazing look out to see the entire bridge from a distance.

We then headed back across to the other side of the bridge and to go check out the Presidio.  L really had fun checking out where the old giant guns were once perched along the coast. D had fun just being able to climb and run around a bit.

On the way back to the house for the night we made a pit stop at a store I only wish we had back at home!!! Daiso Japan is a Japanese dollar store with everything from clothing, kitchen ware, food, and drinks. We stocked up on some really fun things to use at the house and to try to eat on the way. My favorite purchase: Green Tea Pocky!!! We got back to the house, had a light dinner of cheese, sausage, and crackers, watched a few Mythbuster episodes, and played a fun game!

Summer Road Trip: California Arrival and Day 1

I did all the driving through the state of California, Adam hated it the last time we headed out. I took over in Reno Nevada, and I knew I was getting close to the border when I started to see trees on the mountains in the distance. I got really excited because we were finally in the state we were going to end it.

 Traffic was a breeze until we hit rush hour in San Fransisco! We were stuck in dead stop traffic for an hour and a half. And because we were actually heading for San Matteo, we still had a bit left to go. But when we did arrive, our hosts (Andy and Monica) were waiting for us outside. Everyone was so happy and in shock that we were really there! They made a wonderful pork taco dinner and then wanted to take us somewhere special!

 They took us to Facebook!!!!! Oh yes, that is it! At the main corner off the busy street, is this thumbs up billboard. As we pulled in, there were already a group of people standing outside taking pics in front of it. We weren't sure where to park, but found spots in their parking lot. There was a worn path in the grass leading to the sign. Our friends took our family picture in front of it, and while we were standing there, 3 other groups showed up. We helped take their pictures for them as well.

I got to check in while I was here on Facebook. The funny thing is that on Facebook it said,"Kelly is at Facebook", and yes it threw off a few of my friends. We decided to walk to the building just to take a look. A worker was walking out the door with his bike, L ran ahead of us, and held the door, and started to head in. We yelled for him to stop. But once we got up to the door, noticed we needed to be buzzed in, just about to turn around, and got buzzed in. We actually got inside of Facebook! The security guard there was extremely nice and explained of course that it was a closed campus. We thanked him and headed back to the house for a nice night of sleep.

 Facebook's street name actually Hacker Way!

 Our hosts woke us with a fantastic breakfast of coffee, bacon, and cinnamon bread before heading out. These two had a wonderful plan for the day, the girls all rode in one car while the boys rode in a separate car. We lucked out and found parking in a lot just blocks from Fisherman's Warf and Pier 39.

 This is the Boudin Bakery and they have a really neat demonstration area where you can stand and watch them making breads and rolls. When we walked up, this nice lady was making turtle shaped sourdough rolls. L of course spied the giant alligator made of bread!

 Alcatraz!We didn't head out there this time, nor the time before. The boat trips out sell out very quickly each day. Plus we thought that the kids might be a little too young to appreciate it yet. Maybe when they are a little older and want to hear the history.

 We walked most of Pier 39, and the kids had fun finding things to take pictures with. They LOVED these guys.

 Normally all these platforms are covered in sea lions, but the day we were there we saw just 1 lazy sleepy sea lion. The kids still thought it was neat.

 We found a neat little candy shop. The kids both picked out Harry Potter candy. D picked out gummy slugs, and L picked out a chocolate frog with wizard trading card included.

 L found a really cool magic shop and picked out a magic wand with book as his souvenir, and D wandered into a shell shop and picked out a small jar that she filled with tiny shells to bring home. There is an aquarium on the pier as well. We had thought about heading in, but decided that there were so many other neat things to see that we would pass. While we walked past, a worker from the aquarium was outside and had a few free games set up. This was a giant sea creature Jenga game that got the whole family involved.

 There are tons of really neat boats that are available for tours, and also museums to go and explore. These signs were set out by them, and D got really excited. She knew exactly who Rosie the Riveter was because I went as her for Halloween a few years ago.

 Andy showed us an amazing video game arcade! The games here range from over 100 years ago all the way to the 80's and 90's. This scary looking lady was called Laffin' Sal and she came from the original penny arcade that used to be just off the coast near what is Golden Gate Park. She has frightened children for decades!

 Adam had to try this strength games. You had to push and pull the handles to lift the hammer, then you push the button to release the hammer and hopefully hit the bell. He had a crowd around to watch and he did indeed hit the bell. The kids even had fun finding all sorts of games to play for themselves. I think all 4 adults and 2 kids could have stayed there for hours.

 We decided to have lunch at In-N-Out Burger for lunch. Sadly everyone else thought the same thing. So we ordered our food, Monica and I took the kids for a walk to a close park while the boys waited for our food. On our walk, we went right past a Ben & Jerry's scoop shop and they had this cardboard cut-out. The kids thought it would be fun to take a picture in it.

 This is where we stopped to eat our lunch. Just under the Ghirardelli Square on these concrete benches. It was the perfect place. The boys only took a little bit to arrive with food, and in the meantime we were interviewed for a college research team.

 While the guys walked our trays back to In-N-Out Burger, Monica and I walked the kids to see the cable cars. This is one of the places where they turn around before heading back up all the hills. I have read the kids a bunch of books about the trolleys. One of my favorites is Maybelle the Cable Car by Virgina Lee Burton.

 We met the guys at the Buena Vista Cafe! The story goes that they are the ones that brought Irish Coffee to America. So while the kids had fresh squeezed lemonade and practiced magic tricks, the adults tasted the Irish Coffee, and the Nutty Irishman coffee. AMAZING!!!!

 Across the street was a fun little Bay Area museum put on by the National Parks program. They had tons of interesting artifacts and information about the history of the area.

 We then headed up to Sutro Park to see the ruins of the Sutro Baths, Sutro House, and see the Seal Rocks. This place has some amazing history that I have never heard about. I found it so fascinating and loved that our hosts has researched it previously and were able to tell us about it. The kids favorite part: Do you know why the Seal Rocks are white? From all the bird poop!

The temperatures had dropped by the time we headed to this area. We all needed jeans, and sweatshirts, but since we were so close to the beach and the ocean, we just had to head down!  This is North Shore Beach, there is tons of parking right off the beach, a bunch of fire pits free to use, and best yet, no one was there. The kids were so excited to dip their toes in the ocean on the other side of the country then they did last year. We have now been officially coast to coast in the States!

We dried off, and hopped back in the car to head for their house. On the way though, Monica thought we should stop off to see the sunset at the amazing lookout point up in the hills. It was a wonderful way to end our first full day in San Fran.