After taking in the beauty of Yosemite, we drove north to Garden Valley to visit my Uncle Todd and family and "chillax" by the pool.
Little Adam became best buds with L & G.
We visited gold country -- the places that sparked the California gold rush.
And had fun with this quirky bunch. That's Uncle Todd's stripper pole next to the pool.
And here's an odd trait from my side of the family -- some of us itch our noses when we get excited or have to burp.
Besties.
We said goodbye to our Cali fam, and headed south through...
Napa and Sonoma.
Because our kids were with us and not very entertained by vineyards, we left Sonoma and Napa Valleys without testing a smidge of wine. Which seems criminal.
This vineyard burned in a fire not long after we left. Such a tragedy.
We stopped to see the petrified forest.
We saw a volcano.
And wound our way down to the place I grew up as a little kid--my San Francisco!
I have all kinds of nostalgia about this Golden Gate bridge my dad and I loved so much.
I think he was winking from heaven.
I have fun memories of being in the back of a van with family driving down Lombard Street, sitting on a couch that slid side to side with every wild turn.
By the bottom we were all dizzied up.
We stopped by the Japanese botanic gardens.
And took in the setting of Full House at the "Painted Ladies."
We hopped on a ferry to Alcatraz.
And somehow our family roped in a guide for a free private tour into the dungeons.
Solitary confinement with my crew.
She was a spectacular guide and we felt so lucky.
Next was Fisherman's Wharf.
We got roped into some really strange massages with machines that blasted water and shock waves.
And spotted some sea lions.
Then Mark and L hung out while G and I visited the San Francisco Dungeon, and all met up for the trolley ride back to our hotel, hanging onto the side.
The next morning we visited the modern art museum.
And I took my kids by the apartment complex in San Jose where I *think* I grew up and rode my hotwheel up and down these paths. But I'm not 100% sure it was the same apartment.
We stopped by Silicon Valley and toured Stanford.
And danced in the fountain.
Stopped by Google HQ, but there wasn't much to see.
And began our drive down the coast. Our next stop was in charming Carmel with flowers spilling everywhere from adorable cottage shops.
This was the Cottage of Sweets. Adorbs.
Took in more beach in Carmel.
We headed on down to Monterey Bay and its famous aquarium, where L & G earned their Oceanography Merit Badges.
Big Sur.
McWay Falls -- see that little waterfall spilling onto the beach?
We stopped in Solvang, a cute Danish village.
And ended our trip in Venice Beach where we stayed steps from here in a cute Air BnB.
Gryffin took a little spill here on his brand new skateboard and needed a hemorrhoid pillow. He might have broken his tailbone.
I think the Cali vibes were wearing off on them.
We rode bikes down the path from Venice Beach to Santa Monica pier.
This was right after we purchased the skateboard and Vans. Gryffin was on cloud 9.
L got in on the action, too.
We visited my cousin Sam on our last day, and sailed his boat around Marina Del Rey.
He had some fancy pants neighbors.
One last boogie at Venice Beach, and that was the end of our California adventure. Shaka!
