Day 4...CA

Even though I was on the opposite coast, I still had to make it to my computer class. Lucky for me it was all online right?! That meant I had to be back at the house by 2:00. Laura very graciously agreed to drive mom and I up to Muir Woods for the morning. The great part was that we had to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge to get there! I did not get any pictures of the bridge with my digital camera; instead I got two pretty good pictures with my camera phone. However, I have no idea how to get them from my camera to my computer...that's the next step right?! So, just imagine what it looks like close up!

Anyways, we set out for a quick trip to Muir Woods. None of these pictures will do any justice to the beauty of these trees. However, I have to at least include some of them. Looking up at those trees reminded me of the first time I ever stepped out of Grand Central Station in New York. I just looked up and stared in amazement at the massive buildings standing before me. The same was true for this adventure. I wanted to just stare up for days at the massive trees; however, Laura was pushing us to move on. We had a very limited time to be in the forest; and we all wanted to make the most of it. There was a "hole" in one tree (much like the one in the picture to the left) that I swear you could pitch a tent in! AMAZING!

After leaving Muir Wood, we swung by Stanford to pick up Grant (and his bike) and raced back to the house. Grant was quickly getting ready for a flight and I was quickly getting class started. Grant waved goodbye just as class was starting. It wasn't until he and Laura took off for the airport that I realized I wouldn't be seeing him until August. So, Grant...here's a long distance hug to make up for the one you missed! Laura fixed us dinner at the house again. We were joined by Maggie and Matt. Maggie explained all about her lab and what it is she really does. Surprisingly, I think I understood what she was telling me! For those of you that don't know, she's going to Stanford to get her masters/PhD in Physics! Way to go Maggie!

Laura, Mom, and I vegged out for our last night in CA.

Next stop...Stanford and Greensboro airport

April 11th: Day 3..San Fransico!

Wednesday morning Laura dropped mom and I off at the station to catch the CalTrain into San Fran. We were now on our own! It was my job to get us to San Fran and back before the last train left us! The morning was a bit dreary, but we had high hopes of some sun; which luckily we found upon arrival in the city! Not knowing exactly how far the train station was from our destination, we jumped into a taxi that delivered us to Union Square. We eventually found the ticket booth (we were searching for a much bigger stand), and waited in line for the cable car.

Our next stop was Chinatown. Lucky for us, if you miss one street, chances are the next one will take you to the same place! We walked down to the streets of Chinatown. We ventured into several stores, each of us making a few small purchases. Our stomachs were telling us it was time go, so we made our steep walk back up to catch the cable car.

It was on to Hyde Park and Fisherman's Wharf. We walked around Fisherman's Wharf until we found a restaurant that overlooked the bay. We enjoyed a nice lunch of salad and crab cakes, then headed back down to the streets. Once again we ventured into a few stores and each found a magnet and christmas ornament to remind of us our trip. You'll notice in the picture mom standing beside a sign. There were lots of people trying to get you to take their water taxi out to the bridge and Alcatrez. Mom just happened to look down and see the name of the boat: Lovely Martha. We decided the picture would be enough! I really wanted to get a closer look at the bridge, so we walked out on the Hyde Park Pier. The wind was so strong we had to push through the force to walk out farther, and I could hardly see through my hair! The view was worth the wind though! In these pictures you can see Alcatrez, the bridge, and the wind. As we walked back to the street, we also saw Ghirardelli Square..makes you want chocolate huh?!

Another site we both wanted to see was Lombard Street: the crookedest street in the world. After looking at the map, I convinced mom that it was only five blocks from Hyde Park. We were so close to not go see it. However, I had not remembered such a steep downhill ride on the cable car on our way in. So, we set off on the steepest climb I have ever been on! I have climbed many steep trails with Travis, but NEVER have I climbed something so steep. We both got a little worried when there were grooves in the sidewalks...so we couldn't fall backwards!!! We rejoiced each block we reached and celebrated even more when the light for walking was red! The quick rest was great! The walk was worth the site though! I'm glad I was just walking on that road, not driving! We made it back to the cable car, in a cab, and onto the right train to head back to Los Altos for dinner. There are still areas in the city I want to see, so I'll just have to plan another trip!

Next stop...Muir Woods and Stanfod

April 10th...CA day two!

This picture is just a preview of what we saw on this day! It's hard to choose pictures, there were such great ones!

Laura had some work to catch up on, so mom and I enjoyed a nice leisure breakfast, and a refreshing morning walk around the neighborhood. Afterwards, we all showered and got ready for our trip to Big Sur! We headed out south, driving down Highway 1 along the coast of CA. Absolutely beautiful! I was amazed at the big cliffs and vegetation that overlooked the ocean. Laura was great about stopping along the way so we could snap some pictures. I would jump right out of the car and head out as far as I could for a closer look; while mom stayed closer to the car knees shaking! She even sounded like MeMe a few times! She did real well though, and we even got her in some of the pictures!!! We stopped at a great place for lunch where we could sit outside and enjoy the views. The restaurant set above a store, so afterwards we did some great looking! We got back in the car and headed back up Highway 1 towards Carmel. We parked and walked down to the beach. If you looked to the left, you could see Pebble Beach Golf Course, which of course excited dad when he heard! The beach was beautiful, but a bit chilly. I don't know how people where out in bathing suits in the water! Laura had visitor passes, so our next stop was Monterey Bay Aquarium. I thought it was neat that the water in all the tanks are fed directly from the ocean. After a quick tour through the place, we headed to the Ghiradelli shop for an ice cream sundae for three! Laura took us home the long way so we could see more of the coast. We drove though Santa Cruz and eventually made our way home.

I have included a few more pictures from the day. In one you can see what we considered the "True Happy Cows from California". What cow wouldn't be happy living with that view?! You can also see Bixby Bridge in one picture which Grant says is the area used in many car commercials. Enjoy the views of the pictures.

Next stop....San Fransico!

April 9th...We arrived!

Dad took Mom and I to the airport for a 7 a.m. flight out of Greensboro. We arrived in Memphis to find that first our flight had been delayed, then second to find it had been cancelled! They were able to get us onto another flight going through Chicago to San Fransico. So, we were in 4 different states in one day; not to mention all the states we flew over! By the time we arrived in San Fran, we had been traveling for 12 hours (our body time)! Laura picked us up outside the baggage claim. As we were waiting for our bags, mom spotted a celebrity! David Bromstad, host of Color Splash on HGTV, was standing near us waiting for his bags. After mom told me who he was, we pretended to be big fans! We never spoke to him of course, but he certainly saw us looking!


Laura toook us by the house (AMAZING!), then we were off to Stanford to pick up Maggie. The four of us went walking to the "dish". A pretty steep climb, but worth the views at the top! You could see all around you...including the bay area. (Not the San Fran bay though...that will come later!) It wasn't until we reached the bottom that Laura showed us the "be aware of Mountian Lions" sign! Needless to say, we made it out okay! We headed back to the house just in time to meet up with Grant and Matt. Mom and I lit a candle from the visitor's candle idea that David had sent; and enjoyed a cocktail while catching up with the family. Grant, the chef, was preparing food on the grill while Laura was hard at work in the kitchen. There was some unexpected delays in the preparation of dinner which only gave us more time for visiting! Who could complain about that right?! Plus, I think it helped us to stay up that first night there without any naps. After finishing up a late dinner, mom and I decided to head to bed around 10, which is really 1 a.m. our body time. We were pooped and ready for a pillow! Of course, we were both anticipating our first wake up in California!