March 26:
We made a quick stop in Klamath, CA to visit Paul Bunyan and his big blue bull "Babe." It was so pretty driving through Northern California where the Redwoods grow.
Monkeys getting some wiggles out after a long drive in the car. We stayed in a nice little house near the Redwoods so we could explore a bit the next day before heading out for San Francisco.
March 27:
It was raining a bit the next morning but we decided it was worth it to stop for a quick hike in the Redwood forest. We went to Humboldt State Park to explore among the giants. I love how the sunlight is trying to break through the canopy.
My happy boy Julian
Oma, Julian and I at the base of a very big tree!
We got to San Francisco just as the sun was going down. We drove up into the foothills a bit to get a nice view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Driving across Golden Gate Bridge
March 28:
Chinatown! The boys love all the little shops along this street full of inexpensive trinkets for souvenirs.
We stopped at the free cable car museum. It was amazing to watch the giant cables as they hurried along pulling cars through the city.
Then a big hike up a giant hill to Coit Tower. I can't believe the kids all made it up this hill!
Oma in the observatory at the top of Coit Tower
We took the 600 or so step Filbert Stairway back down to the water front. I'm glad we were going down but still, those steps are crazy steep!
A nice way to keep tired boys happy...take a ride on a cable car:)
March 29:
Happy Birthday to me!!! Hyrum went out early and got some delicious breakfast fixings for my birthday, it was a great way to start the day!
We went to Golden Gate Park and rented a 6 person paddle boat for a fun ride around the lake.
We walked around the sculpture park at the De Young art museum...
...then took the elevator to the top of the museum for a fantastic panoramic view of the city
At this point we split up. Hyrum took the twins and rented some bikes and they enjoyed biking around the city and across the Golden Gate bridge. They even got to ride a ferry back over to the city when they were done biking.
While the boys were off biking Oma, Julian and I spent a few hours at Alcatraz. We were here last year but it's such a fun display I didn't mind coming again so that Oma could see it.
Julian looking tough behind bars:)
After we got off the ferry coming back from Alcatraz we hopped on this cute little bike taxi that took us to meet up with Hyrum and the boys
We spent a long time (and a lot of money) at the Musee Mecanique. This place is a treasure trove of antique arcade games. Shooting games, creepy laughing dolls, "XXX" pictures of ladies in their long underwear...it was really fun and the boys had a blast.
We finished our day in San Francisco with a stop at Ghirardelli Square. Delicious ice cream and chocolate!
Back at our little apartment the boys surprised me with a yummy chocolate cake for my birthday. It was a very fun and memorable 40th birthday!
March 30:
Hyrum, Oma and I left the boys in the apartment so we could go for a quick hike around Golden Gate Park. This place has miles of trails to walk on and it would have been fun to just stroll around all day.
We picked the boys up and headed out to the Golden Gate Bridge welcome center. There is a very nice trail that runs along the water with a fantastic view of the bridge
Julian sitting on a cross section of one of the cables that holds up the bridge. There are 30,000 steel cables that wound back and forth to make up this one large suspension cable...crazy
Oma and I on the Golden Gate bridge
After our adventures at the bridge we drove back into the city to spend an afternoon at Pier 39. These are the famous sea lions that hang out at the pier. We were pretty lucky because there was a lot of action going on with the sea lions this day...must have been mating season. There were a bunch of guys fighting and pushing each other off the pier to claim space. Pretty fun to watch.
We stayed and watched a performance on the main stage. We ate clam chowder in sough dough bread bowls. We bought cotton candy...a nice day at the pier.
After our adventures on the pier we headed back to Golden Gate Park so the boys could play one last time at their favorite play ground.
While Hyrum was watching the boys at the playground I checked an item off my bucket list...I walked down to the corner of Haight and Ashbury:)
Some crazy shops in this part of town:)
It was a total coincidence that my brother, Del, was in San Francisco for work. We got together and had dinner and had a fun time chatting. What a great bonus for my trip in San Francisco!
March 31:
This whole day was spent at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. I hate amusement park rids but my kids really love them so we took them to this theme park for the day. I made Julian go on all the rides with his stuffed bear because I didn't want to go...I'm a bad mom
Townsend and Julian on the swings. Not just any swings. These spin you around as well as raise you up in the air 200 feet...no thank you! After a long and hot day at the park we drove quite a way up to Crater Lake National Park. We didn't get to our hotel until almost midnight! It was a long drive after a full day but we made it!
April 1:
We drove up to Crater Lake National Park. It was crazy how much snow was still up in this area!
Hyrum dug his way down until he found the mens room:)
I'm glad we took the time to stop here and enjoy this beautiful lake, but it's so much nicer in the summer when you can hike around a bit. After wandering around Crater Lake we got back in the car and drove all the way home to Hillsboro! What a fun Spring Break!!
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