A Drive around California

Dan and I recently decided that we sorely needed a vacation, and it seemed about the right time to really introduce Kendall to the joys of traveling.  We've been on a handful of trips with her before, but we've always had family there to assist with the chaos that comes along with traveling with a child.

We went back and forth for about a month on what kind of trip we wanted to take.  We finally decided that a car trip around the Golden State would be the perfect mix of fun, adventure, and relaxation.  It was all that and more!!

We started with a night at Harris Ranch.  Located in the middle of the central valley, we only had to drive about 5 hours before we could get out of the car.  Plus, we had heard stories about the great pool and wonderful food.

We then headed up to the East Bay to stay with my good friend, Rachel, and her two kids, Peyton and Riley.  We met up with some other Davis friends, and made some new friends, at a great bbq that my friend Sara and her husband Tim hosted, and we played with Peyton and Riley in downtown Livermore.

After we left Livermore, we headed to Tiburon for a couple of nights.  We took a ferry across the bay, and spent a day exploring Fisherman's Wharf.  We even met up with my friends, Carla and Tyler, for some ice cream at Ghiradelli Square and some beach time.

On our way south, we decided to break up the driving again with a quick trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and night in San Luis Obispo at the Madonna Inn.  Although we had to change rooms because of some cigarette smoke issues and weren't able to enjoy the rock shower, the nice people at the Madonna Inn upgraded us to a suite that was even better!

It was a great trip!  The longest vacation that any of us had taken in two years was a complete success!  Kendall saw some neat things and came home with stories and a stuffed shark that she named "Whale".  We know that our little (almost big) girl is a great traveller and I have no hesitations about traveling more with her over the next couple of months.  Yes, we have more trips planned for later this summer!