San Francisco Day 4

Monterey is beautiful!

We slept in a little before leaving the Webb's house. Then we ran a few errands and headed south to Monterrey. We didn't arrive until after ten o'clock, but we miraculously found a free parking place not far from the aquarium. Along the path on the way to the aquarium we saw a few seals with pups. A volunteer told us the pups were just a few days old. They were still wrinkly because they hadn't put any blubber on yet. 

Look at these sweet little pups!

This one is just a day or two old. Still super wrinkly!

We loved watching this little pup following his mom out of the water!

There was a line at the aquarium, and even though it is Monday, there were thousands of people there. It seemed a little strange to be in such a crowd of strangers since it has been over two years since we've been in close quarters like that. 

We loved the aquarium! It is so large, and Mom felt right at home, even though she hadn't visited in about 30 years. The boys all declared the sea otters their favorite exhibit. The also liked the sea otter movie that we watched, and searching for sea otters out in the ocean off the deck of the aquarium. It is safe to say they loved the sea otters. Dad enjoyed the jellyfish because there were so many kinds. We spent the rest of the morning at the aquarium before trekking back to the car for lunch around one o'clock. After sandwiches, we went back to finish the upper floor. It was mostly a hands-on area with a lot of things to do for little kids. The boys enjoyed the touch tanks, but they are getting too big for a lot of the kid stuff. Still, they enjoyed the exhibits.

Seth was in heaven at the aquarium. He loves animals!

Mark loved this exhibit where the birds just walked around.

There was a fun wave display that we laughed at for a few minutes.

The octopus was super active which was so fun to watch!

Watching the sea otters up close was really fun.

Dad loved the jelly fish.

Seth was thrilled to see a hammerhead shark.

Dax flew like a bird pretty well!

Mom was excited to introduce the boys to the aquarium of her youth.

She really loved sharing it with Dad.

Mark loved all the chances to look outside.

We got up close to the penguins.

The eel was also active! Scary!

We spotted the sea otters off the observation deck!

This was our first time seeing sea otters in the wild.

There was a whole raft out there!

After the aquarium we walked down Cannery Row. There are a lot of shops and things going on, but it was much quieter than Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. At the center of town was a nice little beach, and we decided to play for a few minutes. Seth spent quite a while digging in the sand. Dax enjoyed chasing the waves in and out, proving that he was mostly faster than they were. Mark and Dad soaked their feet in the ice cold water for a while. Then they joined Mom laughing at the kids getting soaked by the incoming waves. 

Mark loved watching the kids get wet.

This beach was rocky, but pretty!

Dax rolled his pants up so he could get in!

Mom and Dad love spending time together.

Seth loves digging in the sand.

Dax kept outrunning the waves.

The best part was watching Dax and Seth giggle at the waves.

They were so cute!

Monterey is our new favorite spot.

Mom put her feet in!

Mark even got in the wave dash action.

It was the perfect beach day!

We weren't really prepared for the beach, so after soaking our clothes, we headed back to the car to change. Then we found our hotel. When checked in and grabbed a quick dinner before going to check out the tide pools. We'd enjoyed tide pooling so much on our Seattle trip, and we weren't disappointed in Monterrey. We found a few large crabs, as well as millions of hermit crabs. We spotted a few shells and crab parts, too. Dax even found a starfish hiding under a rock, and it was quite different than the ones we'd seen in Washington. We were at the tide pools until sunset. Then we headed back to the hotel for a well-deserved rest!

We love adventuring together.

Exploring the tide pools is a new favorite activity.

Seth loves the ocean.

Mark is all about finding sea creatures.

We even spotted a seal swimming near the tide pools.

Dad and Mark exploring together.

Seth found this fancy shell. 

Mom was the photographer at the tide pools.

Mark found a crab claw, and later, a few purple crabs!

The tide pools were in a beautiful spot.

Dax was cold enough that he wore Mom's sweatshirt.

Mark loved finding all the things in the tide pools.

We saw a beautiful sunset in Monterey.

It is super windy!

San Francisco Day 3

Our first stop was Muir Woods.

On Sunday morning we got up early to go into San Francisco with the Webbs. We left a little after 7 o'clock because we were actually driving back north to see the Muir Woods. At this national monument we took a short stroll through the cool, dark forest. We spotted a woodpecker and a few yellow banana slugs, which are a favorite of the children. After we turned in the Junior Ranger booklets, we got back in the car and drove to the Golden Gate Bridge.

It was a little chilly in the woods, but we enjoyed being with cousins.

The redwoods are amazing in this monument.

We get a lot of family pictures when we are with cousins.

Mark took a lot of turns as lead photographer.

There wasn't a lot of wildlife, but we spotted a woodpecker.

The banana slugs were more yellow, but still not yellow.

This photo has a Sacred Grove feel.

Dax likes to lead or fall behind so he gets a little time to himself.

Seth just likes to ham it up for everyone else on the trail.

There were four or five cool bridges on this trail.

Muir Woods is so beautiful.

Here's us, on another fabulous trip!

Dad slowed down for the cathedral.

We made sure our boys were reverent, too.

Melanie took a photo from across the trail.

We parked in a small lot and got out for pictures. The boys wanted to walk on the bridge, so we walked to the small outdoor museum on the north end and looked around at the displays. Then we started across the bridge. We didn't even make it to the first tower because of how long, loud, and high it is! The cars were zipping past, and it seemed like miles down to the water. At the end of this day, all three boys declared this their favorite adventure. We even spotted a seal in the harbor far below.

We parked on the north side just down from the bridge.

It was a perfectly clear day. 

The cars are so close as you walk along!

We took this to make home made postcards.

That first tower is a long ways from the end.

Mark is a good leader for all the cousins.

After the bridge, we ate lunch in the parking lot at Fort Point under the bridge. We planned to meet Ty and Bentley for Ty's birthday so we could spend a little time together. Walking through Fort Point was interesting. It was a large fort built right under the bridge after the Civil War (of course, there was no bridge then). It was designed to protect the harbor from invasion. The boys worked on the Junior Ranger booklets, but mostly they enjoyed chasing Bentley around. It was fun to have cousins from both sides of the family around!

Ty is in San Francisco finishing school.

Charlie and Seth looking mostly normal in a picture.

The inside of the fort had apartments for the soldiers.

It was so cool inside the fort. 

The wind nearly whipped us right off the gun turret.

The view under the bridge was a new perspective.

We liked seeing the pilings underneath.

Bentley was a bit of a mini-celebrity for all the kids.

We had lunch just outside Fort Point while waiting for Ty to come. 

Our next stop was at Ghiradelli to buy ice cream for Ty's birthday. The line was long, but the ice cream was the best we've ever had. Mark declared himself the ice cream vulture and carried his spoon around to finish anyone's portion that they couldn't handle. After we said goodbye to Tyler and Bentley, we decided to spend some time downtown. 

We plopped down at the sign to eat.

Bentley would fit in with our blonde boys pretty well.

Mom made sure the girls felt loved.

Our next stop was San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park. It was probably the smallest park we've ever been to, comprising about 50 square feet of land and a long pier that leads out to some ships. The boys completed their Junior Ranger booklets as we explored the ships. It was a quiet little stroll to learn a lot about the boats in the midst of the busy buzz of San Francisco.

Mark and Daniel enjoyed seeing the old vessels.

This ship is sometimes taken out on special days.

That's about the entire park in one picture.

I'm the king of the world!

The boys did the Junior Ranger program while aboard ship.

Dax really wished we had gone to Alcatraz. Next time!

We walked up on the fore and aft decks.

Seth is more of a Captain Hook than a Captain America.

This is where it all started for Mom and Dad!

We continued down to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39. The bustle of city was exciting. We passed several street shows, and the boys were amazed at the cars that roared, bounced, and cruised down the street. We didn't even know that was a part of San Francisco. 

At the end of the very crowded Pier 39, we saw the sea lions basking in the sun. They looked so lazy and oblivious to the crowd of people. After we watched for a while, we found a nice little restaurant right on the pier. We enjoyed some clam chowder and fish and the company of cousins.

We didn't have time for a cable car ride.

Fisherman's Wharf is where Mom and Dad made a movie.

It was really crowded on the pier.

The kids enjoyed playing the piano steps.

Dax loves clam chowder almost as much as Dad does.

Finally, we split. The Webbs headed for home, but we wanted to stop at one more adventure. The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps is a special mural of tiles that is really cool. The sun was in a rotten position, making a horrible glare on the tiles, and there were too many Instagrammers taking photos, but we got some nice pictures of the steps anyway. We were so tired from the long day! We all fell into bed a little early.

The steps were cool, but the lighting wasn't great.

Mom and Dad enjoyed the steps most.