Our afternoon on "The Rock"

Last week we took our final trip to San Fransisco with one thing in mind... touring Alcatraz.  We booked our tickets early this time, and good thing we did because they sold out fast.  Touring "The Rock" was a phenomenal experience and we're so happy we were able to work it into our schedule before we leave California.  If you ever get the chance, please do go and see it for yourself... you won't be disappointed.

I'm sorry, but our pictures don't do it justice.

the first building we went into played a short movie about the history of this historic place.  Scott and girls watched the movie while I stepped out and took some pictures.

There were beautiful gardens that were tended by many of the inmates as well as the workers that lived there.  Were you aware that children were raised here?  I wasn't.

This is what greeted us upon entering the cell block... the shower room.  The hygiene table and shoes were behind bars so I couldn't get a closer look.  I love how they staged almost every room to make it feel real.

We also did the audio tour while in the cell block.  Please, if you ever come here, DO the audio tour.  It is full of information, stories, and special effects and you'll be left in the dark if you don't.

Several of the cells were staged to document the lives of some of the most notorious inmates.

The man in the middle is "the birdman"

and then there's Al Capone

We spent nearly three hours on the island taking in the sites and touring the grounds.

I took a lot of pictures, but didn't share them all.  Perhaps you'll see more in the future.

A Family Affair

And just like that... the holidays are over.  The presents are unwrapped, the tree has been taken down, and we're already into the new year.  But lets take a moment to reflect on the fulfilling time we had while Scott's family was visiting during the last week of 2010.

Christmas morning went by in a flash... not a single picture was taken of the kids opening their gifts... but I'll have you know that Santa did not disappoint.  Maria received SIX princess Barbies!  Six!!  She was truly in princess heaven, still is for that matter.  Santa also delivered a much needed mini vacuum cleaner for mom and a flat screen t.v. and DVD player for the family.  We all must have been very good this year.

Scott picked up Gramma Sarah late Christmas morning so she could join us in the Christmas feast that the campground was holding that evening.  Once again, they held a satisfying meal with all the trimmings.

On Monday after his sister Jenny and her family arrived, we ventured to the coast.  San Fransisco once again.  We took advantage of the sunny afternoon and tried to get as much sightseeing in as possible.  First stop... the Golden Gate Bridge.

Other than Gramma, they had never been, so showing them around was exciting since we had already been there.  We ate at the wharf and walked to get our tickets for the next days trip to Alcatraz... unfortunately they were sold out until Friday.  I guess we'll be making yet another trip to the bay area, making a point to purchase tickets in advance.

The next day was overcast and rainy, however that didn't stop us. We cruised the city and took them to Twin Peaks where we were able to see the entire city.  Seeing it in the daylight reminded me of a pack of sardines... all crammed in.

We got on the F train and cruised to Chinatown where we ate and bought ourselves some umbrellas.  The rain was starting to get to some of us and getting back to the hotel where it was dry was beginning to sound like a great idea.  The kids went swimming while the grown ups enjoyed happy hour.

On Wednesday we headed further south to Monterey Bay where we spent the afternoon at the aquarium.

Beautiful exhibits and LOTS of people, but we all had a wonderful time.

The jelly fish exhibits were some of the best.  The bright blue backgrounds really made these remarkable creatures stand out. The 'head' on the this one was about the size of a basketball if not bigger.

The kids had a fun time exploring the tide pools and getting their clothes... er, hands wet. :)  The aquarium is also where we saw the double rainbow that I had posted here on new years day.  Seeing that made my day!

We stayed in another hotel that night and headed towards the beach the next morning with a few stops along the way.

We were all determined to find something special in those tide pools... and we succeeded.

Scott found us a star fish, several anemone, and several hundred hermit crabs.  There was washed up kelp, shells, jelly fish, and not to mention the gorgeous view.  

I could've sat and watched the waves roll in all day if it wasn't so cold and windy.

All in all, it was a pretty amazing trip with only a few bumps along the way.  By the end, coming home to our trailer was a wonderful feeling and I guess it goes to show just how cozy it is here in our silver bullet. 

Scott and I also celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary the night we came home.  We spent the evening in a movie theater munching on popcorn and watching "Black Swan".  Something we haven't done in about 2 years and it couldn't have been more perfect.

San Fransisco... the coolest city on earth!

Wow!  San Fransisco... what an awesome city!

Not only do they have the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge, but they also have several awesome and fun sites to see.  So many that it's impossible to see them all in one day... as we found out.

Coming over the bridge was incredible!  Scott and I both found ourselves gawking at the humongous structure.  Maria thought it was pretty cool too.

We paid the toll to enter the city and quickly realized that a large truck with a 34 ft. trailer attached is no way to tour this city.  We missed our exit right off the bridge and found ourselves in the middle of busy and extremely tight intersection.  We got out of there as quick as we could.

We headed to a southern suburb where we stayed at a campground right on the ocean.  It was quite nice and we chose to run to the local market and make some dinner rather than head into the big city.  That would be left for the next morning, where we got an early start and made the most out of our busy day.

Our first stop was of course, the Golden Gate Bridge.  We walked around, took some pictures, and then decided to drive into the city.

We just happened to be on the right route to drive down the crookedest street in the world... Lombard St.  This isn't a very good picture of it, but it quite crooked and steep!

We were also able to take in all the beautiful row houses and architecture.  Each of the houses had beautifully trimmed hedges and gorgeous flowering bushes.  Some homes were brightly painted, others had awesome gated entry ways, and most had iron balconies.  This city was definitely turning out to be MORE than I had expected.

After Lombard St., we parked the truck down by the pier and headed out on foot.  We came to Pier 39 which was lined with tourist shops and restaurants.  There were fishing boats, sail boats, and seals!

Right in the middle of the pier was a carousel, in which Maria got to ride.  She chose the dolphin. :)

There was also a candy shop with barrels and barrels of candy and saltwater taffy.  Quite appropriate for being by the sea.

Maria caught eye of the candy cigarettes.  Something which took me by surprise considering the negative views on smoking these days.  However, it sure did take me back to my childhood.  I used to go to the gas station down the street from my house and buy these.  I'm sure I felt pretty cool with one of these in my mouth. Maria walked away empty handed.

The seals were fun to see too! I didn't expect to see them around the corner just sitting there like sardines.

I think Maria could've stayed and watched them all day.

Further down the street was Fisherman's Wharf.  We actually didn't spend much time here because we had so much other stuff we wanted to get to that day.  It was bustling with tourists as well as...

street musicians!  

This steel drum quartet made me feel like I was in the Caribbean.

We decided to take the old cable car up to Chinatown.  Little Ginger was hanging onto the pole like a pro.

It was fun to do and we're glad we had it on our to do list.

Chinatown was amazingly beautiful.  The main street was decorated with lanterns and flags, and the shop windows were so bright and cheerful.

I wish we would've had more time to spend here to grab a bite to eat.  I'm sure the Chinese cuisine is pretty impressive.

We met up with a friend of Scott's who lives in the city at The Irish Bank.  It's a bar and restaurant close to Chinatown.  We grabbed a Starbucks and headed to catch the F train back to our vehicle.  We wanted to see the Mission district before dark.  Unfortunately, we didn't know exactly where we were going and it was getting late.  The Mission is supposedly filled with many large, beautiful  murals.  We'll have to check them out the next time we visit... which I'm sure won't be too far off.

I bought a pair of John Fluevog boots, which I'm really excited about and then we were off, back to the campground.  On our way though, we happened to be driving past Twin Peaks.  We took the windy road up the hill to discover this beautiful site.

We're so glad we were able to see San Fransisco at night.  It's wonderful how things just work out like that.


Overall it was a wonderful trip to the city by the bay.


Can't wait to go back!