It's time to hit the road again. We've had a wonderful time this week. After our trip to San Francisco on Wednesday, we spent the day relaxing Thursday. Friday Theresa and I flew to Seattle for our nephew Ryan's wedding.
We got to Seattle about 3, and headed to our bed and breakfast. It was a nice place. We had our own separate area in the house with our own entrance and even our own kitchen. We had a nice view of Puget Sound from the window. Since we hadn't gotten lunch, we went out for an early dinner to a seafood place just down the road. The food was outstanding!
We did some sightseeing around Seattle after supper. We walked through Pikes Place market, then saw the Seattle Center and the Space Needle. Since you have to spend $16 per person to go up the Space Needele, we stayed on the ground. Seems like a bit of a ripoff to me!
Saturday we went to the wedding. It was a lot of fun seeing everyone in the middle of our vacation, and both the ceremony and reception were neat. When we left we had a plenty of time to get back to the airport. The flight home was delayed by a little over an hour, and it ended up being after midnight when we finally got back to Jeff and Heidi's house.
Sunday morning after church we packed up a big picnic and went to the beach at Santa Cruz. The weather was just about perfect. It was sunny and clear but not too hot. We went swimming and explored the tide pools. We found starfish, crabs, snails, mussels, and anenomes.
We left the beach a little after five and went to a state park between Santa Cruz and San Jose. This park is in the redwood forest. We took a mile long hike through the redwood gtrove, seeing many of the huge trees. We also saw several deer. It was a great time, but we were pretty much exhausted by the time we got back.
This morninng we're packing up our stuff and getting ready to go. We'll be on the road for about 6-7 hours today, ending in Ashland, Oregon. Tuesday we're going to Crater Lake, then heading on to Portland. We won't have internet access until Wednesday, when we'll be camping in Idaho. I'll post an update then.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Friday, August 10, 2007
Thursday, August 9, 2007
California Pictures
Shari is a great gardener. Here is one of the flowers in her back yard.
Mark and Shari with their boys. Shari is holding Collin, Braeden is standing next to Mark.
Here we are on a foggy and cool day at the end of a pier in San Francisco. You can see Alcatraz behind us.
Sea Lions on the floating docks at the end of Pier 39. You can just see the Golden Gate bridge through the fog over the bay.
The Golden Gate Bridge shrouded in fog from the park where we ate lunch.
Driving over the Golden Gate bridge.
Fog covers the north tower of the bridge.
Jeff and Heidi and their family from the bridge overlook on the north side of the bridge.
Driving on one of the steep hills in San Francisco.
Driving down Lombard street in San Francisco.
Mark and Shari with their boys. Shari is holding Collin, Braeden is standing next to Mark.
Here we are on a foggy and cool day at the end of a pier in San Francisco. You can see Alcatraz behind us.
Sea Lions on the floating docks at the end of Pier 39. You can just see the Golden Gate bridge through the fog over the bay.
The Golden Gate Bridge shrouded in fog from the park where we ate lunch.
Driving over the Golden Gate bridge.
Fog covers the north tower of the bridge.
Jeff and Heidi and their family from the bridge overlook on the north side of the bridge.
Driving on one of the steep hills in San Francisco.
Driving down Lombard street in San Francisco.
Our Week (so far) In California
Saturday we drove through the Mojave to Fresno. Sunday we went to Mark and Shari’s church, had pizza for lunch, and relaxed through the afternoon. Theresa and Jeanette each took long naps. On Monday Theresa and I took Mark and Shari out for lunch. After getting back, we finished packing, said our goodbyes, and started out for San Jose.
We got to my sister Heidi’s house at 4:30. We’ll be here until next Monday. Heidi has a large addition on the back of her house, and having six extra people in the house isn't too much of a hassle (at least, that's what she tells me). There are doors that close off the back of the house, and we’ve got our own little area to stay in, complete with a bathroom.
Tuesday we spent the day relaxing, doing some laundry and shopping. While the girls were at the mall I took the boys to a park nearby and we had fun there. Wednesday we toured San Francisco.
We started at Pier 39, next to Fisherman's Wharf. This is a large pier jutting out into the bay that has been built up with every conceivable type of tourist store you can imagine. At the end of the pier are many floating docks that sea lions climb onto and either sun themselves or fight each other, trying to push each other into the water. Just over the breakwater you can see Alcatraz. It was too foggy when we started out to see across the bay to the Golden Gate bridge, but things gradually cleared.
We ate a picnic lunch in a park across the street from the Ghiradelli Chocolate company, and had a nice view of the bottom 2/3 of the bridge from there. After eating we drove over the bridge to Marin County where we had a nice view of the bridge from the overlook. After returning to San Francisco (over the bridge again, thankfully Theresa was driving because I don't like driving on bridges) we went up Lombard Street. You've seen movies where people drive on the hills in San Francisco. Lombard street is probably the steepest street in the country. The speed limit on the way down is 5 mph. The street winds back and forth in very short switchbacks. The brakes on the van were squealing by the time we got to the bottom. We knew they were getting soft, but this noise had us concerned.
We went to Chinatown next, but couldn't find anywhere to park, so we decided to scoot out of town before the traffic got too bad. We were back in San Jose by supper time, and made plans for where to take the van today to get the brakes looked at. The squealing sounds we're hearing and the softness of the pedal mean we'll have trouble with the Rockies on the way home next week.
Today our van has been in the shop. Theresa and I borrowed Jeff and Heidi's van to bring our van in, did some shopping, and then came back home without our van, since the parts needed weren't available today. Our plan is to fly to Seattle tomorrow morning for my nephew's wedding. We've got a ride arranged to the airport with Connie, a friend of mine (and Heidi's) from when we were kids. Connie lives here in San Jose and does a lot with Heidi and her kids. Thankfully she is free tomorrow morning to drop us off. Either Jeff or Heidi will pick us up Saturday. Our kids will be staying in San Jose, helping out by babysitting for Jeff and Heidi.
We got to my sister Heidi’s house at 4:30. We’ll be here until next Monday. Heidi has a large addition on the back of her house, and having six extra people in the house isn't too much of a hassle (at least, that's what she tells me). There are doors that close off the back of the house, and we’ve got our own little area to stay in, complete with a bathroom.
Tuesday we spent the day relaxing, doing some laundry and shopping. While the girls were at the mall I took the boys to a park nearby and we had fun there. Wednesday we toured San Francisco.
We started at Pier 39, next to Fisherman's Wharf. This is a large pier jutting out into the bay that has been built up with every conceivable type of tourist store you can imagine. At the end of the pier are many floating docks that sea lions climb onto and either sun themselves or fight each other, trying to push each other into the water. Just over the breakwater you can see Alcatraz. It was too foggy when we started out to see across the bay to the Golden Gate bridge, but things gradually cleared.
We ate a picnic lunch in a park across the street from the Ghiradelli Chocolate company, and had a nice view of the bottom 2/3 of the bridge from there. After eating we drove over the bridge to Marin County where we had a nice view of the bridge from the overlook. After returning to San Francisco (over the bridge again, thankfully Theresa was driving because I don't like driving on bridges) we went up Lombard Street. You've seen movies where people drive on the hills in San Francisco. Lombard street is probably the steepest street in the country. The speed limit on the way down is 5 mph. The street winds back and forth in very short switchbacks. The brakes on the van were squealing by the time we got to the bottom. We knew they were getting soft, but this noise had us concerned.
We went to Chinatown next, but couldn't find anywhere to park, so we decided to scoot out of town before the traffic got too bad. We were back in San Jose by supper time, and made plans for where to take the van today to get the brakes looked at. The squealing sounds we're hearing and the softness of the pedal mean we'll have trouble with the Rockies on the way home next week.
Today our van has been in the shop. Theresa and I borrowed Jeff and Heidi's van to bring our van in, did some shopping, and then came back home without our van, since the parts needed weren't available today. Our plan is to fly to Seattle tomorrow morning for my nephew's wedding. We've got a ride arranged to the airport with Connie, a friend of mine (and Heidi's) from when we were kids. Connie lives here in San Jose and does a lot with Heidi and her kids. Thankfully she is free tomorrow morning to drop us off. Either Jeff or Heidi will pick us up Saturday. Our kids will be staying in San Jose, helping out by babysitting for Jeff and Heidi.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Hotter than...
On Saturday we drove from Utah to Fresno. This ended up being a 13 hour drive. After a full week of back roads we found the interstate. After leaving Utah we drove through the northwest corner of Arizona, through Nevada, and into California. If you see this route on a map you'll realize it goes directly through the Mojave desert.
The desert is like a completely other world. It is incredibly beautiful. It is also hot. Very hot. We stopped for lunch in Baker, California, in the heart of the desert. We wanted to give the van a little bit of time to cool down, so we sat in a Burger King for a half hour. When we turned the van off it was 111 degrees. That is not a typo. Baker is the home of the world's tallest thermometer. It showed a temperature of 107 as we left. Shortly after we left Baker the thermometer in the van topped out at 116 degrees. Even though it's a dry heat, it's still HOT!
We reached Mark and Shari's home in Fresno at 6:30. It was 108 in Fresno when we got there. Still hot. We had a great time catching up, playing some games, and just enjoying the rest of the evening.
The desert is like a completely other world. It is incredibly beautiful. It is also hot. Very hot. We stopped for lunch in Baker, California, in the heart of the desert. We wanted to give the van a little bit of time to cool down, so we sat in a Burger King for a half hour. When we turned the van off it was 111 degrees. That is not a typo. Baker is the home of the world's tallest thermometer. It showed a temperature of 107 as we left. Shortly after we left Baker the thermometer in the van topped out at 116 degrees. Even though it's a dry heat, it's still HOT!
We reached Mark and Shari's home in Fresno at 6:30. It was 108 in Fresno when we got there. Still hot. We had a great time catching up, playing some games, and just enjoying the rest of the evening.
Pictures of Zion National Park
The first couple of these were taken from the van as we drove into the park.
This is a flower we saw on the path on one of our hikes.
This is water dripping out of the mountain side. There are plants growing upside down on the undercut "cave" in the side of the mountain.
Here are some of us walking in the river on our hike up to the Narrows. We didn't go into the narrows itself because of the flash flood danger.
Our family at the park entrance. Some tourists from Japan who spoke no English took this for us.
This is a flower we saw on the path on one of our hikes.
This is water dripping out of the mountain side. There are plants growing upside down on the undercut "cave" in the side of the mountain.
Here are some of us walking in the river on our hike up to the Narrows. We didn't go into the narrows itself because of the flash flood danger.
Our family at the park entrance. Some tourists from Japan who spoke no English took this for us.
Catching Up: Friday
It's now Tuesday morning and I'm writing this on the dining room table at my sister's house in San Jose. The past few days have been terribly busy, so busy that I haven't had time to post to let people know what has been happening. Today we're not doing much besides getting caught up on visiting, doing laundry, and doing a little shopping since there are eleven people in the house this week. Fortunately, there's plenty of room for everyone here.
Friday we went to Zion National Park. When we were putting this trip together we included Zion because it was so convenient. We knew we wanted to see Bryce Canyon, but we didn't know much about Zion or what was even there. We were completely overwhelmed with Zion. It's one of the most beautiful places on earth.
From the park entrance to the visitor center is about a 15 mile drive. During this drive you go through a stunningly beautiful series of mountains that have been carved into lines and shaped by water and wind erosion. There are arches in the sides of mouuntains where huge sheets of granite have fallen away due to freezing and thawing. There are two tunnels you drive through on the way in, and the scenery gets more stunning after each one. As Theresa drove the kids and I were oohing and ahing about the views. I shot over 100 pictures from the windows of the moving car as we entered the canyon.
The front of the park, which is the most accessible and the part we toured, is essentially a canyon. Unlike the Grand Canyon or Bryce Canyon, however, at Zion you are viewing the canyon from the bottom up, instead of from the canyon rim. To tour the canyon you get on a shuttle bus. The shuttle busses run every 7 minutes. If you got on a bus and simply rode to the end of the canyon and back it would be a 90 minute ride. There are many stops along the way, however, where you can get off the bus and take a short hike.
We stopped at a couple of these stops. The first was a steep uphill trail to a viewing area for some of the mountains. Another was to a spot where water drips out of the side of a mountain. This water has seeped into the sandstone of the mountain and slowly drains through the porous rock. The hike ends at an undecut bank, where there are plants growing upside down on the rock in the moisture. I can't fully describe it in words, but it's really neat.
At the end of the canyon is the river, and you can hike up the canyon into the "narrows" where the canyon walls come together and you end up hiking up the river itself because the rock walls come together, several hundred feet high. With all the rain we had been having we didn't feel safe hiking this area because of the flash flood danger. The National Park Service makes a big deal about warning you about the danger of floods, and we took them seriously. We spent most of Friday at Zion, and when we left decided this was definitely a place we need to see again.
Friday we went to Zion National Park. When we were putting this trip together we included Zion because it was so convenient. We knew we wanted to see Bryce Canyon, but we didn't know much about Zion or what was even there. We were completely overwhelmed with Zion. It's one of the most beautiful places on earth.
From the park entrance to the visitor center is about a 15 mile drive. During this drive you go through a stunningly beautiful series of mountains that have been carved into lines and shaped by water and wind erosion. There are arches in the sides of mouuntains where huge sheets of granite have fallen away due to freezing and thawing. There are two tunnels you drive through on the way in, and the scenery gets more stunning after each one. As Theresa drove the kids and I were oohing and ahing about the views. I shot over 100 pictures from the windows of the moving car as we entered the canyon.
The front of the park, which is the most accessible and the part we toured, is essentially a canyon. Unlike the Grand Canyon or Bryce Canyon, however, at Zion you are viewing the canyon from the bottom up, instead of from the canyon rim. To tour the canyon you get on a shuttle bus. The shuttle busses run every 7 minutes. If you got on a bus and simply rode to the end of the canyon and back it would be a 90 minute ride. There are many stops along the way, however, where you can get off the bus and take a short hike.
We stopped at a couple of these stops. The first was a steep uphill trail to a viewing area for some of the mountains. Another was to a spot where water drips out of the side of a mountain. This water has seeped into the sandstone of the mountain and slowly drains through the porous rock. The hike ends at an undecut bank, where there are plants growing upside down on the rock in the moisture. I can't fully describe it in words, but it's really neat.
At the end of the canyon is the river, and you can hike up the canyon into the "narrows" where the canyon walls come together and you end up hiking up the river itself because the rock walls come together, several hundred feet high. With all the rain we had been having we didn't feel safe hiking this area because of the flash flood danger. The National Park Service makes a big deal about warning you about the danger of floods, and we took them seriously. We spent most of Friday at Zion, and when we left decided this was definitely a place we need to see again.
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