day 5

today started with a local breakfast spot that grandpa recommended.  it was way too much food for us to finish, but at least big sister was able to order the waffles she had been craving. (fyi – denny’s does not serve waffles…)

 then we were off to great-grandma’s again to start loading up the van with the items we were going to take with us back to texas.  we spent a few hours in the garage sorting and organizing things.  thankfully things has cooled off a bit overnight but it was still not the refreshing california weather we had been looking forward to.  with the van packed up, we set out with grandpa to do some shopping and have lunch.

 after lunch, we went back to the hotel for a swim and to relax a bit.  we met grandpa again for dinner at one of great-grandma’s favorite spots: jeffrey’s hamburgers.  the milkshakes were a must for the girls, and grandpa too.

day 4

four days in, and we are starting to get used to west coast time.  first stop today was breakfast at denny’s in redwood city.  it was already starting to get warm, and we knew we were in for another hot day.

we checked in with grandpa & learned that he was trying to get great-grandma in to see the doctor about a cough, so we decided to head out and do some exploring.  our first destination was the beach in half-moon bay, a short drive west from san mateo.  it was a windy drive down a two-lane road.

the first beach we were led to was a state beach, but there was a parking fee & it looked crowded, so we moved on.  we found another spot with free parking – but the only hitch was that we had to “hike” down to the beach level.  luckily there was an eroded “path” and we scooted down it without any incident.  the beach was pebbly (neither sandy nor rocky) and very serene.

 not many people were there, so we took some time to explore the tide pools and look for signs of life.

 we stopped at a supermarket for more snacks & to use the restroom/wash hands.  we then proceeded north along highway 1.

we eventually made our way around san francisco to the bay bridge.

we were headed to emeryville to drive by the pixar headquarters.  even though we could only drive by & take a photo at the guard gate, big sister was beyond thrilled to see this location.  who knows – if she has works super hard and makes the right connections, maybe she will work here someday!

ready for lunch, we headed back towards san francisco across the bay bridge, to cross the golden gate bridge.  it’s been years since we took the girls across this iconic bridge, so they were pretty excited.  we stopped at lookout point along with many other tourists to see the bridge and city from the north.

 we continued our short drive down to sausalito.  after parking and walking a bit, we made it to the sausalito taco shop.  the unusually hot weather (high of 97°) really warmed us up on our walk, and being seated out on the patio at the restaurant did not help, but we still tried to make the most of it. 

 as we headed back south through san francisco, the girls decided that they wanted us to drive by the (full) fuller house house at 1709 broderick street.  we were not the only people there taking pics, and the street was awkwardly under construction.  so between jumping out of the van on a nearby side street (where daddy stayed to wait) to get our turn at a photo, and the sun’s angle, and the bulldozer actively dropping and spreading asphalt along the nearest curb, i was able to take a few rushed photos.  (sorry, girls, maybe you can photoshop one to look better…)

we headed back to san mateo (later than originally anticipated thanks to our quirky GPS sending us everywhere except to the nearest freeway entrance…) to met up with grandpa & great-grandma for dinner.  grandpa treated us to kaz teriyaki grill – japanese bento boxes and the like.  we took it all back to great-grandma’s house to share with her.  unfortunately, with the mini heat wave occurring, and the fact that great-grandma’s house does not have central cooling, we all were fairly miserable in the heat & humidity.  another trip out for ice cream seemed to make all things better, though…

day 3

we woke up before 7:00am to 46° & quickly cleared the cabin so we could begin today’s journey: we were southbound to california, headed to the bay area.

we had failed to stop at the entrance sign to crater lake, so we stopped on the way out.  did i mention it was cold outside??

we were not on a major interstate, so we saw many farms, fields, and a few glimpses of mountaintops.  by 8:00am, we had reached the california border.

 then we saw the beauty that is mount shasta emerge in the distance, and i was excited!  i had made a similar drive, by myself, from eugene to san francisco in the summer of ’99 – to meet up with my sister and brother-in-law for the long drive home to texas, and i clearly remember mount shasta being my companion for much of the trip.  this was also a familiar sight during my drive to grad school with my dad in the fall of ’98 – we drove i-10 to i-5 (san antonio to eugene) in 4 days.  based on memory, i knew that many miles of elevation changes, 6% downhill grades, and twists & turns would be required to get around this mountain.

mount shasta is a potentially active volcano at the southern end of the cascade range in siskiyou county, california. at an elevation of 14,179 feet, it is the second-highest peak in the cascades and the fifth-highest in the state. mount shasta has an estimated volume of 85 cubic miles, which makes it the most voluminous stratovolcano in the cascade volcanic arc. the mountain and surrounding area are part of the shasta–trinity national forest.

our first stop was at a mcdonald’s in weed, ca.  it was here that we met up with i-5 and the twists/turns/ups/down of driving beside mount shasta.  (lucky me for being the driver at this point!)  we made it to vacaville and looked for a lunch spot.  we chose buffalo wild wings, but after being immediately seated and not approached by waitstaff for 2o+ minutes, we picked up and left – ending up at in & out burger.  we were in california after all, right??

we decided to avoid going thru san francisco and instead drove along the foothills to the east and around the bay to palo alto.  we arrived at our hotel around 3:00pm and were impressed by its luxurious amenities.  (our bathroom had a tub AND separate glass shower! with rain head!)

the weather was a dramatic change from oregon – a balmy 96° but if felt hotter - so the girls went for a swim.  finally, an outdoor pool!

we scouted nearby places for dinner and ended up at buca di beppo.  apparently, we have this chain back home but we’ve never been.  it was nice to sit, relax, and eat a meal that wasn’t from a paper bag.  we ordered too much food, family-style, but we are on vacation, right??

 we returned to our hotel, parked the van in the underground garage for the night, and proceeded to rest up for another day.