San Francisco - Pier 39 - Fisherman's Warf and Baseball

Pier 39 with Alcatraz in the background. Fun stop to see lots of things at.

Friday was a travel day from Yosemite to a KOA a bit east if San Francisco. It's just one of those places we had to visit once, so we gave it a try. It did not disappoint either. We had a few things we wanted to do, so we took two days to get them done. The first day we went to Pier 39. It was a crazy place with lots of tourist, so we fit right in. :) We watched a magic show, took pictures of Alcatraz and saw a ton of seals. We then ventured down the street a bit to see the famous Fisherman's Warf. It was full of lots of crazy people too, but interesting to see. So many people had some talents to share to see if we would pay money to see them perform. Most of their talents should have remained hidden.

Our other goal for today was to go to the baseball game. We were at AT&T park home of the San Francisco Giants who hosted the Boston Red Sox. We got their way early and watched the Red Sox in their pre-game warm-ups. The players were hitting and several went foul. A guy was standing near Bryce when a ball came there way. He caught the ball, but tossed it to Bryce and told him he already had one so Bryce could have his. Brooke a bit later was able to get another ball autographed by Dustin Richardson who is a pitcher for Boston who did pitch that game. Then during the sixth inning Matt caught a ball the center fielder threw after warm-ups. It was a fun filled day.

We really didn't care who won, but we enjoyed the game. You could definitely tell we were not in Utah anymore. By the 7th inning stretch, drinking had taken its toll and things were a bit wild. We had 5th row seats just over centerfield. A few homeruns when out to our right and one to our left. It was a good experience for the family.

Matt thinking he's cool with the ball I told him to wake up and pay attention to so he could catch it. Seconds later it was thrown to him. Crazy how quick this kid listens to mom. :)
Now the return trip back to the car is another story in itself. I definitely don't like public transportation. Good thing we are a fit family. We have made our poor kids walk way more than should be legal. :(

Sequoia National Forest - Home of the Big Trees!

Today was an amazing day. I would have to list Sequoia National Park on one of my top 10 favorite parks. I have been to many too, but it was great. These pictures don't even do justice for the size of these trees. They are just massive!! This tree above is the General Sherman Sequoia. It is the biggest tree in the world. There are other trees that are taller, but this tree has the biggest volume ever. Meaning for you lack of math knowledge readers : ) this tree is bigger in the base and what is inside than any other tree. It was amazing to see these trees. We read lots on them and found that the Sequoias and the Redwoods are different. The Sequoias are more massive, but the Redwoods in Northern California are taller. I think I will stick with the Sequoias they are great. We did lots of hiking today too, but not as much and way less uphill walks. Today was an adventure though. There were lots of people in the park, but at one point we were the only people on a trail in the forest. It was a bit scary especially when we know animals wondered close to the people. We also hiked up Moro Rock which is a mountain of over 400 stairs to an amazing view. My little Bryce counted the stairs and he got 477, and I listened to him count, so I will go with what his final count was.


This gives just a small idea of the size of these trees with Darin in the picture. They were amazing. My little family gets so tired of me telling them to pose. : )


Darin and I on the top of Moro Rock. It was kind of like Angel's Landing. Amazing and beautiful from so high up. We did not stay long. Found out many of us do not like heights. ; )


Gross - What is that?


Yes, it belongs to this little fella. It was so crazy, we saw four bears. They could care less about the people though, they just kept eating. I wanted a little better picture, but the closeup lens was working the best it could and there is no way I was getting any closer. Today was great. Decided I am going to write a book. Want to title it "Taking them to all 50 - A family guide for vacations." Okay, maybe not really, but I have came across several things to share with people. Where to go, what to stay away from and many other tips I think would be helpful.

Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park was a pretty fun area. Our first stop was Bridal Veil Falls. Brooke and I needed jackets because of all the mist from the waterfall, it was cold. We then went to Lower Yosemite Falls. The shuttle service at Yosemite is not as good as Zion's so we got a bit frustrated at a few points. We were still able see lots of places and did lots of walking. One hike was to Vernal Falls. It was a 1 1/2 mile walk one way, but a bit strenuous. At the top there are lots of steps but they get real wet from the mist from the falls. When the steps got too wet and many people were starting to back up on the stairs we decided it was time to turn around. There were no rails and the edges were a bit too close for these parents. The kids were great and hardly complained at what we had put them through today. It was a fun day. Long and hard, but it was good. Yosemite is known for all the waterfalls and for Half Dome a huge mountain.

Robin Hood?!

At our first stop in Calico, California they had an archery range at the KOA. We tried our best to see how well we could do on the targets. Fun little activity we have never really done as a family. We are no Robin Hoods, but we weren't far off Legoles of Lord of the Rings. : )

Let the trip begin!!!!

After the success of two other years, we have started our third summer trip. This summer we have decided to head to the west coast. None of us except Darin have been to Oregon and Washington, so here we go!! Our trip goals are to go to Northern California and then follow the coast and make a big loop through Idaho and Utah to come home. Our first night we are in Calico. We can hear the ghosts of the town of old miners from the 1880's. Ok not really and we did not have a chance to go on a Ghost Town tour but we did go swimming and shoot some arrows. Just call us Robin Hood. ; ) We are excited for the many places we will visit. We will be by Fresno tomorrow where we will look at some giant sequoia trees. Enjoy our trip with us!!

Graduation!!!

We can't believe it has happened to us. We have joined the ranks of the old with a graduate. : ) Matthew graduated this spring. Can't believe our oldest has reached that milestone. I think the part that gets me most is knowing I have to drive by myself to work, won't be able to text him during school hours to come see me : ) and to know that he won't be in my math class anymore. Starts to bring tears to my eyes still. It was a great graduation though. He had so many people come to support him. It was great to see everyone that came, grandparents, aunts, uncles, lots of cousins and bunches of friends. Thanks to all of you that came and have helped him. I have finally been able to get him to write Thank You cards, now getting those delivered is our next goal and chore. Don't worry, yours is coming. His plans as of now are to go to Dixie State for a year and then next summer wait for his mission call. Hopefully we can all handle each other for one more year and not drive him crazy. You know how parents get after the young adult has graduated. : )