California Trip

Right after the reunion, we left our kids in Chillicothe and flew to California for a week to celebrate our 15 year anniversary.  Steve planned the whole trip.  We started out in San Francisco.  Neither of us had been there before, so it was fun to explore a new city.  All the houses have such a unique look.  We both fell in love with Golden Gate Park.  It reminded us of Central Park that we visited for the first time on our 10th anniversary.

First stop: famous Full House view.

Next stop: Chinatown.

We also came across a Frank Lloyd Wright building that is now a men's clothing store.

Evening walk

We hiked up Strawberry Hill in Golden Gate Park the next day.  It had great views from the top.

And it just so happened that the San Francisco Botanical Garden inside of Golden Gate Park was free that day!  Score!

I don't think I've ever seen turquoise flowers before.  We found out these were Turquoise Puya, a kind of bromeliad from Chile.

It seemed like normal summer weather to us, but we found out later we arrived in San Francisco in the middle of a heat wave.  It was super sunny which made for great pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge. 

It is one mile across, and I could only talk Steve into walking halfway and then walking back.  Although it was me that almost had a panic attack looking out from the side.  That tall fence on the right of the picture disappears and then here is just short railing about waist high.

The view from the bridge.

We saw Alcatraz Island from the bridge.

Steve planned the vacation so he could drive the 101 in California.  We drove up the coast to stay in Guerneville on the Russian River.  We stayed in a guest house Air B&B right next to giant Redwoods.

We hiked in Armstrong Redwood Park the next day.

June 12, 2019: 15th anniversary dinner in Gueneville, CA

Very foggy morning hike, was pretty amazing.

We went to Korbel Winery for a tour and tasting.  We think this was the champagne we served at our wedding, but we can't exactly remember.

Our last Air B&B in Santa Rosa.

We did a few wine tastings around Sonoma and Napa Valley: Rutherford Hill, Gundlach Bundschu, and Kunde.

Of course I love history and had to see historic Sonoma.

Back to San Francisco.  This is what the bridge typically looks like.

Last stop: Carmel-by-the-Sea.  I never knew about this town before, and now I'm in love.  It looks like a fairy tale village with the cutest little shops.  The houses are all architecturally stunning.  And there are no house numbers, they all have names.

Morning coffee at the Tuck Box.

We did the 17-Mile Drive and it just so happened were there the weekend of the US Open at Pebble Beach. We got to see golfers walking around town.  The winner, Gary Woodland, went to KU!

Ghost tree