Sensing San Fransisco

Visiting new places every year is a goal of mine. So this year we strapped the kids in and took them for a LOOONG drive to northern California in the Bay Area. We were not disappointed. I love all the ways that a new place affects my senses. Especially my vision of beautiful and different surroundings. I love to feel the sand in my toes or the cooler weather of the northwest. The sound of the beach seagulls or waves crashing down is something I crave. Or the busy sounds of the city. I could do without the crying and tired kids but that's what happens when you run them down. I do love to hear there laughter and screeching as they hit the waves or discover something new. I always try to sample the local cuisine, no chain restaurants for me. One of our favorites was the homemade organic ice-cream and cones found in the hippie town of Fairfax. It was fun to sample the local cheeses because there were a lot of happy California cows up north. The smell of crab on the fisherman's wharf or the sweetness of a local candy shop. So many sensations to take in and so difficult to capture in pictures. But I can catalog them with my other travel memories. So here is travel log of our trip. We stayed in a tiny little town on Tamales Bay called Inverness. I was a little nervous because it was new and I found it on the Internet. It turned out to be a wonderfully low key place that was great for the kids.

Our first stop was to this 200 year old lighthouse that was shipped and then traveled by wagon all the way from France. This was very cool and the little ones were very interested.

We went to the beach everyday and Miles literally rolled around in the sand. They are all beach bums and they had plenty of sand down there.

Here we are visiting the GIANT redwoods of Muir woods. We love the NW redwood forests.

We went into the city to visit the aquarium on Pier 39 on the Fisherman's Wharf. These were cool tunnels full of sharks and other sea life. It was shark week and that is all we heard about all week. Especially after watching the discovery channel that night about sharks.

World War II ships the kiddos found fascinating. And Alcatraz in the background.

We ate at a cool rain forrest for the kiddos along the Wharf.

We enjoyed all the sights and smells in San Francisco. It is such a cool city.

The Golden Gate Bridge is so magnificent in person. We were all in awe.

Cute Miles checking out the view.

This was Stinson Beach just north of San Fransisco. It reminded us of Southern Cali and there was plenty of sunshine this day. That is the beauty of the NW. Swimsuits one minute and jackets the next. Perfect weather in my mind.

I loved this picture of them holding hands. They really are in their element. They had a great time playing fetch with the dogs on the beach.

This was McClures Beach in Point Reyes National Park. We hiked down in about a half mile and we basically had the whole beach to ourselves. The pelicans were diving 50 feet from the air and catching the fish. The seals were dancing about as well. Who needs the discovery channel? It was breathtaking to see the sun melt into the sea.

Miles chasing the birds. Bird watchers would be in heaven here.

The hike out.

This is a village representing those of the Native Americans that inhabited this beautiful place.

A hike to waterfalls along a green trail following a crystal blue lake.

Along the trail over one of the many bridges.

We ended our trip with a campfire for roasting chocolate chip cookie smores at the beach.

YUMMY!

This is just a very small sample of such a fun trip. And despite the usual kid flare ups they were so wonderful. When we asked what there favorite part of the trip was they all exclaimed "EVERYTHING"! And that sums up our trip to the San Francisco Bay area that had our senses buzzing!