summer vacation in cali - week one

Over a month ago, we left for our summer vacation in California.  We packed up the kiddos, the tent trailer, and even threw in the dog for good measure. 

We left Tuesday late afternoon and made it to Grants Pass, OR where we spent the night in the oh so glamorous Wal-Mart parking lot with the tent trailer (hey, can't beat free!!)  The next morning we travelled through northern Cali to our destination of Half Moon Bay State Beach.  We set up camp, and were soon joined by Dave's brother Andy, his wife and four kiddos.  We were also met with fog, and some pretty cool temps. 

The next morning we ventured out on the beach for some fun, but the cooler water and air temperatures made it quite short.  We then cleaned up and made a day trip into San Francisco. We had lunch on the wharf, explored the piers, and I took the whole family on a wild goose chase to find the Lucas Arts yoda fountain (I'm sure they were thanking me when we finally found it).  Back to camp for some dinner and s'mores over the campfire.

Friday we ventured south to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk.  We walked around, played in the arcade, and got some yummy mexican food for lunch.  On our way back up Highway 1 we stopped at a roadside place to pick strawberries.  A big favorite with little miss, since these are her favorite.  After our tummies were full with sweet berries, we stopped a little further up at Bean Hollow Beach where we jumped on rocks, explored the tide pools, and then played on the beach for awhile longer before heading back to camp.

Saturday found us with much nicer weather.  Before heading to the beach we decide to head into town and visit a few local spots, including the farmers market. We visited Lemos Farm where the kiddos fed baby goats, posed for pictures, and climbed on all the fun stuff.  We then headed to Spanish Town to check out the gigantic steel dinosaurs.  We finished of at the local farmers market where I stocked up on (more) strawberries, blueberries, peaches, nectarines, and fresh corn for dinner that night.  I love me some fresh produce.

After another full day of exploring and playing on the beach, and it was time to pack up, and make our way to our next destination a few hours away in Lake Tahoe, CA..