California Adventure Part 1 (June 20-22, 2013)

After a whirlwind of Boards, residency ending, and a quick trip to Roosevelt, we woke up early and made our way to California for our much anticipated summer vacation.

Our kids are great travelers. We watch movies, color, play "ispy", sing and yes...ask how much longer. They've done many 10+ hour drives, though, an we make minimal stops. So we really can't complain.

Our trip started off with a weekend at Ann and Randy's house near San Luis Obispo. It was our first time visiting them since they moved back to California and we were really excited to see their new place. We also had the chance to visit my cousin Ryan's ranch. Its beautiful.

Mason feeding Ryan's chickens.

Sage in the chicken coop.

 A little gardening.

They have a beautiful, old barn on their property. The kids had lots of fun exploring it.

My uncle Randy built this tree house in this old tree. Pretty cool.

Ann and Randy never disappoint in showing us around the great places they live. We took a quick trip to downtown SLO, Avalon Beach, and a great berry picking farm called Avila Barn.

Gum wall in SLO. Similar to the one at Pikes Market in Seattle. The kids made a contribution.

Avila Barn

Off on the hay ride to pick some berries, which of course was made into a cobbler later that weekend. Yum!

Sage was not into the berry picking. In fact, we sat in the shade and she cried the whole time. Oh well, can't win them all!

Olallieberries

Checking out the seals hanging out under the pier.

My favorite humans.

We stopped by a farmers market at Avalon Beach and the kids were able to dip their toes in the ocean.

Sleeping Beauty.

This was the scene most nights of our trip.

The next day we went on a short hike with Ann and Randy to some tide pools. The kids had fun exploring and seeing the ocean from high up on the cliffs.

 

 

 

 

 

Then after eating the world's best fish tacos with Ann and Randy, we headed off on our own up the coast. We drove up almost to Big Sur and admired the beautiful cliffs and the ocean.

On the way we stopped to see these elephant seals that have made this beach their home. They were sparing and making all kinds of noise. It was a highlight for Mason.

We also stopped so the kids could play in the ocean for a while. We searched for sea creatures (and found dead seal!) and chased the waves. The kids ended up soaked and covered in sand. This was one of my favorite moments of the trip. The sun was setting, we had the beach to ourselves, and the kids were just thrilled to be there. We all ran around and played and just had a great time.

Nic collected a lot of sand dollars.

And the kids got to ride home naked. So that was fun.