California with B

Posted August 30th, 2007 by Mom |

Wednesday evening a week ago, my mom picked up me and the boys to take me to the airport to fly to CA to spend time with B. B had been in California since the Sunday before and was anticipating being finished with his business stuff by Wednesday.

Halfway to the airport I realized that I didn’t pick up my new red Nautica jacket off of my bed that I had purchased the week before just for this trip. I was planning on wearing it around my waist just in case the airplane was chilly I could put it on and stay comfortable. I also knew that we were planning on driving to San Francisco and the weather might be cool.

I flew into Sacramento where B was to pick me up and we spent the night there. I got into Sac around 1 o’clock a.m. and was exhausted. I just had a small bowl of fruit for dinner since I was apprehensive about flying, so when I got to Sac I was starving. B found me some dinner and then I crashed sound asleep.

Thursday morning we woke up and drove - in a dark gray 2007 Mustang convertible - from Sacramento to San Francisco. Traffic was a beast. We got to SF by way of the Oakland Bay Bridge and checked into the Maxwell hotel in downtown SF. It took us awhile to get to the hotel. B was driving and I was attempting to give him accurate directions. This was the only time we got cross with each other. By nature I am directionally challenged (B knows this - I don’t know why he expected me to read the map correctly!). I don’t know north from south when driving. Also, I frequently get mixed up with left and right. I can point to the direction, but mix up the words. SF is a city with a lot of one-way streets. This also posed a major challenge for me in attempting to give B directions. We drove a large block around the hotel only about 4 times before finding our way to the front door… successful mainly because B pulled over and took the map away from me…

By sheer coincidence our room number was 1116. I asked B if he planned this since our wedding anniversary date is 11-16. He denied any part of getting us this particular room. The Maxwell was an extremely fancy hotel. B did really good. Our room was like stepping back in time to the 1940s. I loved it!

Thursday afternoon we had tickets to go to Alcatraz. We left the hotel and rode the F-line/Market trolley to the pier for the tour. It was fun to ride the boat to the island and back. On Alcatraz we watched a Discovery channel short film about Alcatraz and then opted for the audio tour of the cell blocks, etc. We stopped a lot during the audio tour for B to take pictures. At one time that B was taking pictures he picked up his camera bag only to discover that he had not zipped it - camera parts went flying. This was almost the end of B! I think I witnessed his heart stopping for a minute. Fortunately nothing was damaged. A little bit later we were continuing with the tour and were told that it was closing time and we needed to get to the boat. I’m sure the prisoners would have loved to hear those words!

On the boat and on Alcatraz it was really cold. I’m guessing that it was in the mid 60’s with the strong winds. It got to be a joke that I didn’t have my pretty red jacket. I would comment that I was cold and B would say, “Should have brought a jacket” or “You wouldn’t be cold if you had a jacket” or “Wouldn’t a jacket be nice about now.” We both made a joke out of me forgetting my jacket and had fun with that fact.

After Alcatraz we walked down to Fisherman’s Wharf because I wanted to see the sea lions. I couldn’t believe how many sea lions would fit on each floating pier. Also I was amazed at how noisy the sea lions were. Some were barking for no apparent reason (maybe they were cold like me?) and others were sound asleep. Strange creatures.

Friday morning we again went to Fisherman’s Wharf. I just loved all the shops there and wanted to look around some more.

Before leaving San Francisco for Yosemite National Park, B found a beach for me (Baker Beach). I had wanted to put my feet in the Pacific ocean, just to cover having been to both sides of our great country as the song goes, “From sea to shining sea.” Boy, was the water COLD! I was surprised by the lack of marine life sea shells on the beach. I think I saw only 2 shells. I did however pick up some gray rocks to bring home. I also didn’t expect the beach to be a medium to dark gray color with large rocks and pebbles. I guess I am use to the white sandy beaches of the Gulf of Mexico.

Baker Beach is very close to the Golden Gate Bridge in Golden Gate State Park. I sat down to watch and listen to the surf while B went to take some pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge. In order to obtain a better vantage point, B climbed over some large boulders to the continuation of the beach. B was surprised to find that on the other side of the boulders was a nude beach! Oh, my! I’m glad my eyes missed this. I was freezing cold (of course we were still joking about the red jacket) and I couldn’t imagine anyone being naked in this temperature, but to each their own.

After the beach we drove across and back on the Golden Gate Bridge, with the top down on the car, and then headed east to Yosemite National Park. I was blissfully happy.

Friday evening we reached Oakhurst, a small town outside of Yosemite Park in the Sierra mountains. We got checked into the hotel and while B downloaded some pictures, I went for a swim and enjoyed the hot tub. B finished up downloading the pictures as I got changed and then we got some dinner. At this point it was around 10 at night or so. After dinner we drove to Yosemite so B could take some night pictures. We went to Glacier Point and saw Half Dome. Looking down on the twinkling lights of the valley looked like a model toy town. It was beautiful! By the time we made it back to the hotel to go to bed it was around 2 a.m. Fortunately the pictures made the exhaustion worth while.

Saturday morning’s plan was to go back to Yosemite to see the giant sequoias in the redwood forest. I have seen pictures of the giant trees, but to see them in person - wow! I was amazed at God’s magnificent creations.

After seeing the sequoias, we drove through the mountains to get to the valley in the middle of Yosemite National Park that we had seen from Glacier Point. The Sierra mountains were beautiful! B stopped the car so we could look more and he said, “There’s Captain Kirk mountain (from one of the Star Trek movies).” The real name of the mountain is El Capitan. It is a huge granite rock that is amazing in person. Actually the entire park is beautiful. It combines the rocky look from the Rocky Mountains and the green lushness of the Smokey Mountains. Absolutely stunning. B asked me, “After seeing this, how can someone not believe in God?!”

Once in the valley, we got parked and walked to the visitor center. B purchased a filter for his camera to take better pictures and then we took a free hybrid bus to Sentinel bridge, a bridge that has a vantage point to see Half Dome from a lower altitude.

Since B was going to be occupied taking pictures for awhile (he wanted to stay a couple of hours, until sunset to take more colorful pictures), I chose to get back on the bus and ride the bus longer and go get the car and bring it back to the bridge to give us better mobility. On the bus, the lady was continuously commenting on the sites. She pointed out wildlife including squirrels, doe, a buck with a massive rack, and a mama bear with her 2 cubs. The tour was awesome!

I finally made it back to the car after the 45 minute tour. I didn’t think it would be a problem getting back to the Sentinel Bridge where I left B. I planned on just following the bus back there. Smart plan, huh? It didn’t turn out quite right. Should have known that considering my directionally challenged brain. I followed the bus for about 10 minutes until the bus went on a street for “authorized vehicles only.” I didn’t follow. I justed stopped and thought - now what?! I got my map of the valley out (like that would do ME a fat lotta good!), put the top down so I could view the area better and started off again. After about 20 minutes I was about to start crying. I saw a park ranger pulled off to the side of the road with his lights on. I pulled off too and got directions from him. I was only about 10 minutes away from B on the right road, going in the right directions (imagine that!) I found B and threw my arms around him. B asked me if I was lost or just sight seeing. I told him about the bus and getting lost and the park ranger. B told me that he wasn’t mad at the time it took me to get back to him with the car since it wasn’t intentional the delay.

As it turned out, about 15 minutes after I left B at the bridge and got on the bus for the tour, B dropped the filter lens. This was not a cheap lens and B was very upset with himself. As an aside, this is not like B to drop things. First the unzipped camera bag at Alcatraz and now this.

We headed back to the hotel and ordered pizza for dinner to be delivered to the room. It was a quiet, relaxed evening for me. For B it was anything but relaxed. He downloaded his pictures from that day and was disgusted to see what a huge difference the filter made in making the pictures more colorful and clearer. He was sick with himself.

Sunday morning we woke up and went to the lobby for breakfast.  The hotel had  waffle makers for the guests’ use.  Yummy!  What a great meal.  After breakfast we went back upstairs to get ready and go back to Yosemite for the last time this trip.

At the visitor center store, the clerk graciously exchanged the broken filter for a new one. This made B more calm. We went walking through Yosemite looking at the sites again and a few new ones. I loved holding B’s hand through the park. It was such a happy time.

We saw Bridalveil Fall. It is normally dry in the summer, but had a little water flowing down it. When the wind blew, it blew the water backward in an arc. It was so cool to watch! In watching the waterfall, we observed 2 mountain climbers. B thought the mountain climbers were totally insane.

As it was getting close to late afternoon, we left Yosemite and drove to Sacramento. I had to be at the airport a 4 the next morning in preparation for my flights home.

After a few hours rest, B took me to the airport on Monday morning. I got through security quickly with no problems and got situated in a chair to wait an hour and a half for the airplane. Fortunately I had brought some work with me that needed to be done in preparation for my next work day. I started on that and got out my iPod to listen to some tunes only to find that my iPod battery needed recharging. Ugh!

The flights home were uneventful. I slept most of the way home. It is always depressing to end vacation, but I was ready to come home to C and J. C and J gave me a poster that they had been working on since I left. It was a yellow poster with “Welcome Home Mommy” on one side and “Welcome Home Daddy” on the other side. They worked their little hearts out on it. It was almost completely covered with their drawings and marks. Thanks fellas!

Well, I think this sums up my excursion with B. Sum? More like a novel. I think it has taken me as long to write this as it took to see all the sights. I can’t wait to go back to Yosemite! As one person we met told us, “If you are ever fortunate enough to come to Yosemite. You will come back.”