California Fun #1

So, I told Paul that what I really wanted for my birthday was a trip to the ocean. Shortly after, we found out that my Mom and youngest brother Shane were thinking about going to California. So we all worked together and planned a fun trip to San Fransisco. I can't even begin to tell you how absolutely wonderful, relaxing and peaceful this trip was for us. We aren't going to lie, we were a little nervous about how Porter would do in the car so long, sleeping in a hotel, etc. but he did PERFECT! He was the best traveler ever!! We couldn't have asked for a more amazing trip. The first day we traveled to a small town right outside San Fransisco were we stayed the night at a Best Western Hotel. Here is a car we saw on the freeway right before San Fran..haha! We thought it was pretty awesome. Porter and I went swimming that night while the boys went to bring us home dinner. It was a very relaxing night. Here is Grandma, Porter and Shane relaxing and watching TV at the hotel after a long day spent driving. We started the next day with a huge breakfast the hotel provided. We had waffles, eggs, bagels, toast & jelly, fruit, danishes, etc. Yummy! Then we spent the day in San Fransisco! IT WAS AMAZING!!!!! We walked around the pier/ fisherman's wharf for hours.
We loved it. And what trip to San Fran is complete without a silver guy? On Pier 39, there was a section where tons of Sea Lions were docked. It was so much fun to see them.

Porter LOVED it. We had delicious 'REAL' clam chowder..YUM! And Shane had some fish and chips which were even better than our chowder! Yay for coastal fish! We then took a boat cruise on the San Fransisco Bay. I can't even tell you how amazing this boat ride was. Here is Porter and Grandma boarding the boat. The boat ride was perfect! I could have spent the whole day on the boat.
We all got head phones where we could hear the tour guide giving interesting information about the area.
I thought it was especially fascinating to hear about the Alcatraz Prison. The views from the boat were absolutely beautiful!

And the best part of the boat ride is that WE SAW DOLPHINS JUMPING!!! Paul was the first one of us to see them, and we all almost died. It was the neatest thing in the world. I tried to capture some pictures of them, but they didn't turn out very well..but at least you can see the dolphins! I couldn't believe how many we saw!! Absolutely amazing!! After our bay cruise, we drove through China Town, and then we decided to head North to see if we could make it up to the Redwoods. You wouldn't believe how crazy it is to drive through San Fransisco. The streets were so crowded and the roads were so narrow and steep. My Mom did awesome at maneuvering her way through everything. We ended up getting stuck in traffic for hours, and when it came time to find a hotel, EVERYTHING was booked. We finally found this interesting hotel called The Vagabond Inn. We were kind of freaked out about it because there was no one there but us, and it seemed a little interesting..haha. But it ended up being a nice and clean place. What an absolutely fantastic day we had!! I can't wait until we are able to go back again. California Fun #2 to come soon! :-)