California Dreamin'

We had the joy to spend a week in California this summer. We stayed a few days before and after Meg and Becca's wedding in Half Moon Bay, California. With Micah taking some time off after residency and Rebekah off teaching for the summer, it was a wonderful opportunity to take a family vacation. Soren got started right away on the beaches. Luckily, Meg had warned us to bring our winter coats. We needed them right away!

Day one, looking like a Californian already!

We spent hours throwing rocks. Soren would throw it in the water and then run back squealing as the next wave began to crash.

 A few family selfie attempts...

Soren really didn't have time for family pictures. There were too many green slimy things to explore!

Day two: Monterey Bay. We drove down beautiful Hwy 1 from Half Moon Bay to Monterey. The coastal highway is stunning. All you see are farms and cliffs, not a house in sight! We saw many groups of migrant workers picking avocados, strawberries, and artichokes. Once we arrived in Monterey, we went straight to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. This was well worth the drive! Nestled into the bay, the aquarium had ready access to sea life out it's back door. Here we are, about to enter the aquarium.

 A stunning kelp forest for which the water was pumped in and out daily:

We had purchased the movie, "Finding Nemo," in anticipation of our trip to the aquarium. He spent a lot of the day asking, "where's Nemo?" Well, we finally found him! Here, at the coral reef display, Soren found many of his favorite characters.

Wanting a true california experience, we rented a VW camper van for the week. It was amazing! We were able to camp in some amazing campgrounds and see much more nature than if we had stayed in hotels. Here we are at Butano State Park. Little did we know that there was a sort of VW camper van convention going on! We met a few very passionate people... 

Soren liked to call the camper van the "silly red camper" which was quite endearing. It was equipped with a propane stove, a water tank, a fridge, and a 4 speed transmission! We had lots of time to take in scenery while going uphill as we couldn't go much faster than 45 mph!

One of the greatest things about having the van was that he could take his naps whenever he wanted and wherever we were. Soren also loved sitting in the back of the camper pretending he was a doggy. He actually ate a quite a few meals back there biting his food like a little puppy.

Parked alongside the highway. Dad went tide-pooling while Soren napped!

 Avocados, 10 for $1. They were small, but delicious!

 At Butano State Park, we went for a hike along the fire tower trail. It was quite foggy at the beginning and began to rain during the hike, but the canopy of redwoods kept us fairly dry!

 Hide and seek in the trees. Soren loved singing songs and playing in the forest.

 We spent most of the time looking up toward the beautiful redwoods. After about 15 minutes of hiking, Soren said (from daddy's shoulders), "what's that yellow thing?" He had seen a banana slug! After realizing what we were looking for, we saw them all over the forest floor. It was amazing that we hadn't stepped on one earlier!

 Warming up to the banana slugs, Soren commented, "it feels like slime!"

As we were looking at the banana slugs, another interesting creature walked by, a newt. They were a little quicker and blended into the forest floor a bit better so we didn't see quite as many. Soren also had fun trying to touch these creatures.

 Hiking back down the mountain.

The evening before Meg and Becca's wedding, their neighbors, Nance and Glenn hosted a dinner. It was great to catch up with friends - Lee Swanson and Meg and Tracy Tabaka with their baby Alex. They served fresh salmon that Becca had recently caught. Yum!

 The day of the wedding we spent with Nana and Papa at the beach. It was a rare hot day and Soren really wanted to swim. He rode on daddy's back and squealed every time a wave touched him.

Meg and Becca had a beautiful ceremony. The weather cooperated and everyone enjoyed the square-dancing and pie served after. We returned to our "silly camper" which was parked in Nance and Glenn's yard only 1/4 mile away.

We spent the rest of our time north of San Francisco, at a state park near Bodega Bay. It is a fishing village that is also a beach destination for many people who live in the bay area and Sacramento. We had beautiful weather and spent most of our time, hiking, playing on the beach, and eating delicious food.

Our first day, after a hike we thought would never end, we were met with this view!

Here is Soren playing trucks in his "school." We returned to this beach every morning for classes conducted by Soren.

Real-life sound-effects accompanied the driving lessons.

Exploring more beaches around Bodega Bay.

We discovered an amazing restaurant, Fishetarian. The owner was a fisherman and his wife was a vegetarian. The fish tacos were delicious!.. and messy!

Soren trying not to look at the camera. He loved the fish (both eating and coloring).