A Vacation in California...For the Parents!

David, Leslie, and baby next to a redwood trunk.

Last week both the parents and the kids got a special treat.  Cooper and Penny got to spend a solid four days with Ma-Mas while Mom and Dad took a vacation...by THEMSELVES!  As it  had been a very long time since we had taken a vacation AND it is the year of our 10th wedding anniversary AND with a new baby coming vacations will be even more rare, we decided it was as good a time as any to tour Northern California.  We started the trip with a day and night in San Francisco.  This we followed with a day drive up Highway 1 to Eureka, CA where we spent a night.  The trip ended with a day and night down in the wine country.  We had a great time, but by the third night, we could not wait to get home!  We missed the kids terribly!

Day One:  We walked ALL OVER  San Francisco, visiting China town, Fisherman's Wharf, and the surrounding areas.  For us, Chinatown was fun and entertaining while Fisherman's Wharf and the bay front were shamelessly touristy.

A view from the top of "the crookedest street."

Day Two:  We drove over the Golden Gate Bridge and headed north.

The drive up the Pacific Highway was by far our favorite day.  I can not adequately describe my awe when we emerged from the Redwood trees (which were beautiful too) to see the Pacific Ocean spanning before us.

It took us all day to reach Eureka, CA because we just had to keep stopping!  We waded ankle deep in the freezing ocean and made lots of references to "The Goonies."

The Carson Mansion in Eureka.  We had a view of this grandeur from our room at the inn.

We enjoyed our favorite hotel stay and dinner in Eureka.  We both could describe the meal at the little bistro that didn't seem like it should be there as one of the best meals we had EVER eaten.

A Pacific sunset.

Day Three:  We traveled down to the wine country.  The vineyards and hills along the highway are beautiful, though honestly this was not our favorite spot visited.  It might have had something to do with the fact that Mama couldn't taste the wines and it was unbearably HOT!  (We had really enjoyed the 60 degree weather along the coast.)

Nonetheless, we were glad to see the Napa Valley and what it was all about.

Day Four:  A quick walk down a LONG pier in Berkeley to snap a few more shots of San Francisco before boarding a plane to go home.  Cooper and Penny, here we come!