Two weeks ago, for Memorial day, Jess, Logan and I drove out to California to visit Steph, Jeff and their family. It is a long drive that we did over two days, and we were really testing the waters with Logan, since we hadn't ever done a road trip that long with him before. He turned out to be a pretty good traveler. It was usually either Jess or me that ended up getting fussy during the long lonely stretches of I-80 through Nevada.
On our way out, we decided to take a detour through Lake Tahoe. Neither Jess nor I had been there before, and it really isn't too far out of the way. Plus, we needed a place to break in our new baby carrier.
It was still chilly up at Tahoe, but the Lake is beautiful and surrounded by snow covered peaks. We did a little research online before visiting, and decided that the hikes on the south end of the lake would be a welcomed break to driving in the car.
We chose to hike to Cascade Falls. It wasn't a hard choice given our two options. It seems like after driving through Nevada and western Utah, we had enough of desolation.
The hike was beautiful. There is still a lot of snow but all the melt made the falls all the better. You can see the falls in the middle of the picture below below the large tree's branches.
Logan liked his view and dad got a good workout.
Jess and Logan overlooking Cascade Falls.
The hike to Cascade Falls was the only hike we were able to do. We had actually planned on one other hike, but we couldn't find the trail head after driving through a very narrow and windy road that made Jess car sick. It also started to rain on us, and so we figured the second hike wasn't meant to be.
After the hike (and before looking for the second trail head), we did stop at a really crowded beach. The area was a state park, so we had to pay to get in, but the lady at the gate said if we were only going to be there for 15 minutes, she'd give us our money back. It was tough to navigate the crowds to get back in time, but we just made it.
Logan loves playing in the sand. We knew this because of a previous sand box experience that if you would like more details, you'll have to talk to Jess.
Logan loves sand so much that he had a hard time leaving as evidenced below, but we were on a tight agenda. He decided not to pose as nice as Jess in this picture.
We made it to California just in time for dinner. Jeff and Steph were so nice and accommodating. From the minute we got there, Brooke was inseparable from "baby Logan." It was so cute to watch their interaction.
The next day, we went with everyone to San Francisco. We tried to stop at the Golden Gate bridge for a photo op, but due to construction, we missed the overlook. No worries as I'm sure there will be other chances to prove we really were at the Golden Gate bridge. Instead, we went straight to the San Francisco zoo.
Logan thought he would really stand out if he didn't smile like everyone else.
This gorilla really knew how to pose for the camera.
Logan seemed very concerned about something.
Each time we visit a zoo in different places, we always have our favorites. We figure if we can combine all our favorite displays from each zoo, we'd have the perfect zoo. From San Francisco, we'd take the gorillas, grizzly bears, and snow leopard.
After the zoo, we went down to Fisherman's Wharf. We had lunch at Joe's crab shack. I don't think anyone ordered sea food. I guess we are a bunch of landlubbers. The burger I had was really good though. Jess and I ventured off on our own after Jeff and Steph went home. We saw a submarine, a merchant marine ship, and an arcade museum.
Jess with the Golden Gate bridge in the distance.
We also stopped at Ghirardelli square for some delicious chocolate.
On our walk back to our car, we saw the scene below down a back alley. It was funny to see all of these people practicing their segway skills. Jess had to snap a photo. It started to downpour shortly after this, and on our drive back through San Francisco, we did see the segway tour. No one looked like they were having much fun.
The segway tour group was definitely not having as much fun as Jess and Logan overlooking the San Francisco skyline.
Our day in San Francisco was our most touristy day. The rest of the time we spent with family. We all had fun playing. Logan loved seeing his cousins. One evening, we went to the park near Steph and Jeff's house to play kickball. Seth was really cute. He kept his helmet on the entire time, on and off his bike. Safety first.
Everyone was helping Seth know where to run next.
Brooke helped Logan go down the slide multiple times.
A trip to Steph and Jeff's wouldn't be complete without playing Legos with Jon and Josh.
I built a dream house for me and Jess, complete with command center, weapons stockpile, turrets, a missile launcher and a dinner table. My chair swivels so I can go from eating to launching rockets without having to get up.
Our last day in California, we went to another park for a fun picnic.
Brooke was showing how far she can jump.
More Logan time for Brooke.
Seth climbing on the park toys.
Brooke climbing over the tube, rather than through it.
Jess is pregnant by the way, in case anyone missed our previous blog posts.
Brooke loves her cousin, and I'm sure Logan feels the same. They were so cute holding hands down the slide. We hope neither have suffered too much separation anxiety since leaving.
Josh escaping from the rock.
Logan spending a little time on his own.
It was mom's turn to take Logan down the slide.
Jon and Josh posing.
Logan turned out to be a great traveler. He slept a lot in his car seat. We were relieved, because it really could have gone either way.
We loved our trip and wished we could have stayed longer. Thanks to Steph and Jeff for letting us come visit.
