This year we drove down to San Francisco for Spring Break. We are so lucky that the twins Spring Break lines up with our school district break so we can spend this week with our whole family. It's about a 10 hour drive to San Francisco but now that our kids are older it's really not a big deal to drive. We saw so many fun things and packed a lot of sites into one week!
Our boys all took turns driving. Hyrum and I hardly drove at all...definite benefits to having adult kids on vacation!
Gorgeous view of Mt. Shasta as seen from our car
We made it to our Air bnb in Hurcules, CA and walked out to get our first glimpse of the Bay. It was a long drive but this view was worth it!
Welcome to California
Day 1: Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. The kids split into 2 groups of 2 people and then after lunch they switched around who they were hanging out with. It worked out pretty well.
The one and only ride Hyrum and I went on all day. We mostly watched animal shows and walked around enjoying all the animal exhibits. Neither of us likes scary rides!
Emerson and Julian on a ride
Meanwhile, Hyrum and I were in the butterfly house 😜
Day 2: Ferry ride into San Francisco
It was so great to be out on the water. A beautiful way to see the city and the ferry went right past Alcatraz and the Golden Gate bridge!
We rode the trolley from the waterfront to the end of the line
Our first stop was Japan Town. We enjoyed a yummy Japanese lunch and got to explore some shops with lots of things from Japan. Saki said it reminder her of home.
Our next stop was China Town.
Saki made some friends in China Town
The fortune cookie factory is a favorite stop:)
Noisy sea lions on Pier 39
Playing on the waterfront
Another favorite for my boys...so many fun antique games
Dinner at a California original, In-N-Out burger. We all agreed that Oregon's Burgerville is so much better!
We rode the street car back to the ferry terminal
Super cool sculpture on the waterfront
Skyline of San Francisco from the ferry heading home
We had a busy but fun day!
Day 3: Driving into San Francisco over the Golden Gate bridge
We rented e-bikes for a day of exploring the city
First stop was the Wave Organ. It was low tide so there was no "organ" to hear but it was still an awesome spot to stop and wade around in the water
Emerson even went for a quick swim
Such a beautiful little spot
We made a quick stop to see Fort Point National Historic Site. This fort was built during the Civil War and was slated to be demolished when they built the Golden Gate Bridge but the main architect of the bridge wanted to save it...so we still get to enjoy this historic building today
Riding our bikes on the Golden Gate Bridge
We rode to about halfway across the bridge. We stopped for a minute to watch some dolphins and sea lions playing in the water under the bridge!
Iconic San Francisco shot!
Next stop, Golden Gate park where we stopped to say hi to the Bison they keep in a field.
Cool statues all around Golden Gate Park
Family photo with the cool dragon eel...
...it's a bit of a tradition for us to take a photo here:)
Off to visit the Palace of Fine Arts
This place was really cool to walk around. It was built for the 1915 Pacific International Exposition and is the only structure still standing from that exposition.
So cool this place is free!
After returning our bikes we drove to Coit Tower to watch the sunset
Another fun day comes to an end!
Day 4: Drove to Redwood Forest. Our first stop was The Founders Grove in Humboldt State Park
Massive roots for massive trees
Emerson and Hyrum being silly
We wanted to see the lighthouse in Trinidad. Unfortunately the lighthouse was closed so you couldn't even hike up to it but we did enjoy a wonderful hike all around this great little park.
A beautiful day for a hike
Enjoying a nice place to sit
Couldn't stop taking photos of the scenery...
Emerson enjoying a well deserved soak in the hot tub at our Air bnb.
Day 5: More fun in the Redwoods. We stopped at Trees of Mystery for some fun activities.
We all agreed this place was a bit of a tourist trap BUT we also agreed it was worth a visit.
There was a fun tree-to-tree rope bridge walk. I don't like heights so this was not my favorite but I think the kids all enjoyed it.
I'm a tree hugger at heart
This was so high, you just can't tell from the photos!
It's so hard to capture the height and majesty of these trees
Waiting to ride the gondola up to a view point
Instead of taking the gondola back down we decided to hike the 1 mile "trail". This was a terrible decision. This trail was not well maintained and it was STEEP...basically one mile straight down the mountain!
Gemini means "twins" in Latin so we got a photo of our boys with the Gemini trees:)
A fun lighthouse on Battery Point island
Hyrum down on the rocks...
...Townsend up on the rocks 😃
Hyrum's dream job is to be a lighthouse keeper:)
Another hike in the redwoods, this dime in Jedediah Smith State Park
So glad we got to spend time among these beautiful trees
Dinner at a super sketchy Thai restaurant/dive bar. My face says...pretty sure I'm getting hepatitis eating at this place:)
We drove home the next day. It was such a great trip. Everyone got along for the most part and it was wonderful being with all the kids. Saki enjoyed seeing another American iconic city. What a fantastic Spring Break!
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