California - Third times the charm...or is it?

Joe really is the best husband a gal could ask for considering he let Kari and I go off to California for 9 days at the end of May - our third time there. Would the weather be fabulous like the last 2 times we had gone? NO!

I left MN on May 23rd and flew into Milwaukee where I met Kari and we flew to LA. We stayed in Calabasas (just a little North of Malibu) from Friday night until Tuesday morning. The weather was not California weather at all. It was actually nicer in MN for most of our trip.

While in LA Kari and I went to Beverly Hills and walked around and paid $3.25 for a cupcake but it was worth it and we were on vacation! We drove around Hollywood, went to the Getty Center, went to USC, downtown LA, Griffith Observatory (where you can see the Hollywood sign), saw Arlington West, drove up to Santa Barabara and finally on Tuesday, it was nice enough to lay out on Santa Monica Beach.

Arlington West

Me at the Griffith Observatory (Hollywood sign in the back)

Tuesday afternoon we left LA and headed north for Sequoia National Park. We stayed a hotel about 5 minutes from the park and the scenery was creepy but it was the nicest hotel. Wednesday morning we got up early and drove to the Giant Forest to see the Redwoods and General Sherman. To get there you drive up a mountain about 5000 feet. I owe Kari enormously for driving that!

General Sherman (the tallest tree in the world - not the oldest though)

The Redwoods were amazing and my dad would have loved them! They take your breath away. We drove through the rest of Sequoia and drove a bit further North to Yosemite. We figured we were right there so why not. Well it wasn't as great as we thought. Yosemite is more of a get out and hike 20 miles to see the sites and that is so not Kari or I and it was pouring! At least we can say that we have been there.

We continued on North to San Francisco and just chilled out at the hotel that night. Thursday (the best weather day) was a long day as we got up early to see Fisherman's Wharf, Golden Gate Bridge, the crooked street, Alamo Square and then headed back down to the Wharf for the night tour of Alcatraz. That was amazing as well (Dad and Joe would have loved it)! We toured the prison and walked around the grounds and it really is amazing to look down and realize there is no way to get off "the rock." One of the inmates was quoted as saying something to the effect of, "The most frusterating thing is hearing the sounds of the yacht club on New Year's Eve. Hearing this singing and laughing, seeing the fireworks and knowing that you are only 1 1/2 from land but there is no way to get there."

Alamo Square - Amy - look familiar? These are the houses on the opening of Full House

Alcatraz

One of many regulations told to the prisoners

Golden Gate Bridge

Friday we drove to Napa and were a little disappointed with the town. Pretty ho hum and not much going on. We continued on and ended up at the Sterling Vineyards and toured the winery which was really neat to see.

Entering Napa Valley

Saturday (rainy and deary)was China Town!! It was great to see and then we hit the rest of the neigborhoods. We drove to Haight and Ashbury and saw the hippies, hit the Castro neighborhoods and saw the "happy" (think of the other word for happy...)people, drove along the otherside of the bay and saw the mansions and then hit the wharf again and walked around.

China Town

Main entrance to China Town

Sunday we left and it was good to be headed home. On the way home, Kari said that she is done with California for a while. She has been there probably the last 8 years or so in a row. After this trip, I am done with LA for a while...it's just too...not me. I would go back to San Francisco is a heartbeat though...actually I think I left my heart in San Francisco.