Happy Birthday in Oregon!

After 1.5 months in California and driving almost end to end we left the state.  We drove through Sacramento and had a wonderful breakfast and played at a park with an amazing playground then we headed to Ashland, OR.  

Too much time together?

We celebrated Claire’s 4th BD a day early as Laura had work meetings most of the 2nd.  Luckily Claire is still too young to know :-/ Paul and Nolan snuck out and got some BD decoration the evening before and we decorated the room (the room with air-conditioning, bedding and mattresses!) with crepe paper and banners to surprise her.  We went to breakfast at the hotel with Claire taking her flowers that Paul got for her with her all day long.

Her new BD dress and flowers!

We are staying at this amazing retro hotel that has a wonderful breakfast and is on beautiful grounds.  We went to down and walked through Lithia Park.  

Paul and Nolan biked around town and that evening we went out to eat at the hotel restaurant so that Claire had cake and ice cream.  She was SO excited!  

Happy 2nd Birthday at Yosemite

We stayed outside of Yosemite--the closest we could get to the park.  We left at 5am to drive to the park with our bikes for a day of exploring the park via bike.

Neil posed for a birthday picture under "El Capitan" the Claire and Nolan joined him for a "family cheese" as Neil likes to say.  We had a picnic breakfast in the meadow looking up at El Capitan and then biked through the valley.  The granite cliffs towered 3,600 ft overhead.

For lunch we went to the historic Majestic Yosemite Hotel and celebrated with cake and ice cream.
We completed our loop at went back to the campground to cool off at the pool--it is 109.  Sleeping with out air conditioning is a challenge in the little cabin.

We had breakfast for dinner--bacon on the grill and pancakes and eggs before Neil opened his gifts.  His favorite gift was the toy sabre tooth tiger.

The following day we left at 6am with our bikes and a new plan.  Swimming at the park!  Seeing this park by bike is amazing and the way to see the park.  We had lunch on the granite sand beach and watched as people floated down the icy cold river--unfortunately you have to be 50lbs to rent a raft so Claire and Neil are out but we went swimming in the cold, cold water. So amazing floating in the water, surrounded by sequoia's and towering cliffs.  In all a perfect day.

Camping near Santa Cruz

Happy Campers after a "no driving" day!

Change of plans.  The fires in the Big Sur halted our plans for camping and hiking there.  We were tired of driving each day so set up camp at a KOA near Santa Cruz.  S'mores, popcorn and a relief from the hot temps are welcome.  

Camping at KOA

After a no driving day filled with biking, swimming and jumping the kids went to bed early.  There is a little train that goes around the campground in the morning--as soon as Neil hears it he starts running as fast as possible his little legs flying to catch it.  



Today we drove through some seaside coastal towns and then to a 1880's steam train that goes through a native redwood forest.  

The mist falls into this entire region each afternoon.  At night it is foggy that everything is obscured.  You get damp walking to the restroom from our cabin.

Misty Nights

San Simeon Elephant Seal Rookery

Male elephant seals filled the rocky beach. They slept, taking breaks from resting to throw sand upon themselves and to fight for a spot amongst all of the other seals.  They sounded as they were burping and belching as they fought for dominances.  Claire liked their long noses.  This for sure was a highlight of the trip.  It was amazing to watch these seals.  The smoke from the fires in the area is getting worse--we changed our plans.  No camping in the Big Sur or hikes due to the fires.  We had a wonderful lunch and a beautiful drive even with the smoke.

Avila Beach

We visited a wonderful farmers market and watched the animals, bought items for dinner and then ate ice cream while watching the the alpacas fighting.

We drove to Avila beach one of the nicest little beach towns and had dinner on the beach.  The kids played on the playground and then moved to the sand and then started to play in the water.  The water was cold but that did not stop them from getting soaked and playing in the sand.  We watched storks snatching fish out of the water as the sunset.  The kids were shaking because they were so cold when we left for the hotel.  It was a beautiful evening.

Hearst Castle

We went to San Luis Osip for a good coffee, shakes and to tour the bubble gum alley.  Nolan thought it was extremely gross, but Claire stuck her gum to the wall then took it back off the wall and put it in her mouth—yikes.  She says it was not gross.  This is a town that would be exceptionally fun to explore as a couple.

As we continued up Hwy 1 we stopped to see the zebra then turned to drive up to tour Hearst Castle.

Thousands of people worked over 20 years to build the castle.  The entire estate is like an art museum, filled with Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Spanish artifacts.  The pools are incredible absolute works of art.  The entire estate is so large and so over the top that it is difficult to process—seems more like a city than a home. 

The movie about the reason behind the castle and how Hearst was inspired by a 1.5 year European trip that he took with his mother when he was 8 made us think of this trip.  While I don’t think we will be building any castles in the future, the things that we have seen and experienced will change our lives as our perspectives have changed. 

Solvang

This morning it was aebleskivers for breakfast in Solvang, CA.

Pasadena

Last night in LA in the RV.  Ready to be done with the traffic—takes 1.5 hours to go anywhere.  We went to Pasadena—suddenly luscious and full of trees and filled with beautiful homes to tour the Greene & Greene’s Gamble house. 

Favorites:

Laura-the sleeping porches

Nolan-the lego model of the house and the attic

Paul- where they used the grain of the cedar wood as a form of abstract art.  He wants to go to Japan to study art/carving.

 

It was so, so, hot and we went to the children’s museum. We sat in the courtyard and played on the outdoor items while enjoying lunch there.

There was an amazing coffee shop here! The shop specialized in cold brew and you could add coffee gelatin to the coffee—very odd.  If you are in Pasadena though and like coffee—this place is a must stop.  

That evening we drove out of the city and set up camp at a campground and met a 5,8 and 9 year old.  The kids all loved playing soccer together.