Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Petaluma Camping Trip (part 5)

One day we spent just around the campground.  There were lots for the kids to do.  Our first campsite (we moved to another one the last day) was a spot over from the play ground so the kids loved to go over there every morning while Mark and I were getting ready.  It was nice because we could still see them and keep an eye on them but they could burn off some energy.

 

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The campground also had a big bouncy pillow and a petting zoo with a few animals.

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We went to San Francisco on our last day, and it was kind of a bust.  The weather said it was supposed to be cloudy, and I guess “cloudy” in SF is “foggy” anywhere else.  So here are the amazing shots I got of the Golden Gate Bridge……

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I knew SF was hilly, but I didn’t know it was THIS hilly.  Like it’s one giant hill.  Probably a good thing it doesn’t snow much here because I don’t know how you’d get around all those hills if the roads were bad.

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I loved the architecture of the city.  I think my favorite part was just driving around looking at the houses and the “high rent district”.  We drove by “The Painted Ladies” from Full House and I jumped out and took a picture of them, along with 50 other people that were there checking it out.  We also drove down the curvy road (Lombard St) and I tried to take pictures but my lens wasn’t wide angle enough.

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We went down to Fisherman’s Wharf and ate at a seafood restaurant and then walked around one of the piers with a bunch of shops and went and saw the sea lions, but by the end of that, I was over it.  It was cold and sprinkling and foggy so you couldn’t see any good views.  Luckily we only live about 6 hrs from SF so hopefully we’ll make it back up there before we move. 

Overall our first “big” camping trip was fun and a success.  We checked off a lot of our bucket list for CA and it made us excited to see more.  We’re not camping pros yet, but we’re getting the hang of it and the kids absolutely love it, which was the whole purpose of buying the trailer.

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Petaluma Camping Trip (part 4)

Armstrong Redwood Forrest

The Redwood Forrest was my favorite part of this trip.  I’d never been in a forrest like this and it was so pretty and quiet and serene.  Everything was SO green!  These pictures don’t do it justice.  We have a trip to the Sequoia’s planned for this summer and we are so excited to visit there too!

 

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The tallest tree in this forrest is 310 ft tall, which is longer than a football field!  The oldest tree (Colonel Armstrong) is thought to be over 1400 years old.  This forrest is 805 acres and gets around 55 inches of rain per year.

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We went for a 20 or so minute walk through the forrest and it was so pretty.  Everything feels damp and the rich colors are amazing.  The kids had a great time exploring.  It made us excited to get them out and about more.  Sometime about being in nature just puts everyone in a good mood.

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These trees were big.  A few had fallen over the path so it was neat to see inside of them.  And some of the stumps were so big you could walk around in them.  Truly amazing.  I’ve never seen anything like it.

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They also had a theater in the middle of the woods.  Not sure the benches would be very comfortable to sit on for any amount of time, but it’s a neat environment for sure.

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We drove to the other side of the forrest and did another short hike over there to a little waterfall.  It was so relaxing, or it would have been if we were chasing after the older two kids.  That bench that looked out on the waterfall had a plaque on it that read “For moms and dads”.

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This part of CA is gorgeous.  We can’t wait to explore more of it!!

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