I've uploaded and posted all of the photographs and videos that Danielle and I took during our trip.
The "Collection" is organized by date, so you can follow our adventure in the order in which it took place. You can access the Collection by clicking here.
Or, if you'd like a more random sampling or a slideshow of all the photos and videos together, click on the Flickr mosaic to the right.
Thanks to everyone who kept up with our journey. We hope you enjoy the photos and videos.
-Mark
Monday, April 21, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Our Round Trip
We are wrapping up our tour of California at the same place we started: the Petaluma KOA campsite. The people here are friendly and courteous and couldn't make for a better stay. Of course, if the petting zoo didn't reak of manure, that might be nice... Otherwise, it's got four stars in my rating system.
I thought folks might enjoy seeing just where our trip has taken us, so I've provided a "terrain view" map:
View Larger Map
I thought folks might enjoy seeing just where our trip has taken us, so I've provided a "terrain view" map:
View Larger Map
Friday, April 18, 2008
Pics from Yosemite
Here's a sampling of the massive volume of photographs we snapped while in Yosemite today. More later when I have the time and bandwidth to upload them all.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Made it to Yosemite
We've made it to our campsite near Yosemite. We are at about 2800 feet elevation. Tomorrow we're taking a shuttle into Yosemite Park for a look around. I should have plenty more pictures to share at that time.
Unfortunately there is absolutely NO cell phone service here. So I will be unable to post pics "real time" from my cell as I've been doing. All of our adoring fans will have to wait...
Maybe that will drive up our ratings.
-Mark
Unfortunately there is absolutely NO cell phone service here. So I will be unable to post pics "real time" from my cell as I've been doing. All of our adoring fans will have to wait...
Maybe that will drive up our ratings.
-Mark
Another travel day
Today we are leaving behind Disneyland, the Happiest Place On Earth. I suspect they are so happy because they can charge five bucks for a lollipop...
We had a great time at Disney. We accomplished the Primary Objective--the boys met Mickey Mouse. We accomplished the Secondary Objective--the boys rode all of the best rides. And we accomplished the Tertiary Objective--I found myself an authentic Indiana Jones fedora.
Today we slept in late--7:00 am--and got ready at a leisurely pace. Poppi and I have down to an unexact science the deployment of this forty-foot vessel, up until the point that something goes wrong, usually something new that we have never had to deal with before. We were ready to disembark today in only a couple of hours. The boys did not seem too sad to leave Disneyland behind, but the adults agree that Jack and Owen will have to return sometime later in their youth when they'll have clearer memories of the experience. Jack slept through the Nemo submarine ride after all...
We are driving out of Los Angeles, currently, finding the traffic (and environmental pollutants) less abundant. We did not get to see much of L.A. proper, but from what I could tell they have many freeways.
We are now on our way to our penultimate destination,
We had a great time at Disney. We accomplished the Primary Objective--the boys met Mickey Mouse. We accomplished the Secondary Objective--the boys rode all of the best rides. And we accomplished the Tertiary Objective--I found myself an authentic Indiana Jones fedora.
Today we slept in late--7:00 am--and got ready at a leisurely pace. Poppi and I have down to an unexact science the deployment of this forty-foot vessel, up until the point that something goes wrong, usually something new that we have never had to deal with before. We were ready to disembark today in only a couple of hours. The boys did not seem too sad to leave Disneyland behind, but the adults agree that Jack and Owen will have to return sometime later in their youth when they'll have clearer memories of the experience. Jack slept through the Nemo submarine ride after all...
We are driving out of Los Angeles, currently, finding the traffic (and environmental pollutants) less abundant. We did not get to see much of L.A. proper, but from what I could tell they have many freeways.
We are now on our way to our penultimate destination,
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Darth Vader. He's gonna getcha.
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Four letters: J-E-D-I
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Pyramid Lake
This was an area north of Santa Clarita called Pyramid Lake. You can see why. There's a pyramid-shaped outcropping on the other side of the water. It is, of course, much more impressive in person. But this picture turned out pretty well.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
Owen's campfire story
I took this video at the old campsite in Petaluma (before we came here to Santa Cruz). Owen is an avid storyteller, and here he is regaling everyone with an entertaining--if not entirely cohesive--campfire story...
Sunday, April 13, 2008
You CAN leave comments, you know
I want to note for some of our less Internet savvy readers that you can, in fact, leave messages and comments regarding any of these posts, pictures, and videos.
For whichever post/pic/video you wish to comment on, just click on that posts "0 Comments" link--found at the bottom of the post--and enter your message. I would love to hear your feedback.
Goodnight. Again. For real. Seriously. Go away. I'm going to bed now.
-Mark
For whichever post/pic/video you wish to comment on, just click on that posts "0 Comments" link--found at the bottom of the post--and enter your message. I would love to hear your feedback.
Goodnight. Again. For real. Seriously. Go away. I'm going to bed now.
-Mark
Where the hell are we?
Yesterday saw 70+ visitors to this blog, which is astounding, considering I myself only know 23 people total. This caused in me a realization that many of you dear readers may not be familiar with our journey. So let me allow you a recap of where we were, where we have been, and where we are.
We left Houston on Friday, April 11 and flew into San Francisco International Airport. If you've never flown into SFIA, the experience can best be summed up in the words of my three year-old son Jack: "Daddy, are we going to land in the water?" There is no evidence of a runway until you feel the tires actually touch hard ground. Until then, it's just bay.
From the airport we were directed, as you'll recall from an earlier post, to Muir Woods, and from there to Stinson Beach. You can see the route we took here:
View Larger Map
I used the "terrain view" on purpose here. Notice north of the Golden Gate bridge the severely angular terrain. Notice, too, that we're in a vehicle that is forty feet long and weights 24,000 pounds. (Don't believe me? Check out the vehicle's specs here, noting that we are in the forty-foot model.)
Following our harrowing journey through the hellish cliffs, we were directed in Stinson Beach to Samuel P. Taylor State Park, only 9.8 miles as the Google Map flies. At Samuel P. Taylor Park we found warm and friendly park rangers, beautiful scenery, and encouraging amenities. We also found that no vehilce over 35 feet could be admitted to the park.
It was then that we were directed to the lovely town of Petaluma, California and, more importantly, to the welcoming oasis that is the Petaluma, KOA campgrounds. I can't say enough nice things about the people or the facilities at this campground. We were welcomed, encouraged, consoled... One of the staff--Melissa, I believe, was her name--even went so far to map out the rest of our journey for us. It was a phenomenal experience given the earlier experiences of the day.
We spent Friday and Saturday nights in Petaluma. We made some friends. The boys came to calling many people our neighbors, which everyone enjoyed.
This morning we left Petaluma and travelled south to Santa Cruz, where we are currently situated:
View Larger Map
Tomorrow we're planning to take in some more beaches and perhaps make it to Monterrey to visit the aquarium. For now, however, it's my bedtime. Happy to catch everyone up on our journey. Look forward to more pics and videos to come!
-Mark
We left Houston on Friday, April 11 and flew into San Francisco International Airport. If you've never flown into SFIA, the experience can best be summed up in the words of my three year-old son Jack: "Daddy, are we going to land in the water?" There is no evidence of a runway until you feel the tires actually touch hard ground. Until then, it's just bay.
From the airport we were directed, as you'll recall from an earlier post, to Muir Woods, and from there to Stinson Beach. You can see the route we took here:
View Larger Map
I used the "terrain view" on purpose here. Notice north of the Golden Gate bridge the severely angular terrain. Notice, too, that we're in a vehicle that is forty feet long and weights 24,000 pounds. (Don't believe me? Check out the vehicle's specs here, noting that we are in the forty-foot model.)
Following our harrowing journey through the hellish cliffs, we were directed in Stinson Beach to Samuel P. Taylor State Park, only 9.8 miles as the Google Map flies. At Samuel P. Taylor Park we found warm and friendly park rangers, beautiful scenery, and encouraging amenities. We also found that no vehilce over 35 feet could be admitted to the park.
It was then that we were directed to the lovely town of Petaluma, California and, more importantly, to the welcoming oasis that is the Petaluma, KOA campgrounds. I can't say enough nice things about the people or the facilities at this campground. We were welcomed, encouraged, consoled... One of the staff--Melissa, I believe, was her name--even went so far to map out the rest of our journey for us. It was a phenomenal experience given the earlier experiences of the day.
We spent Friday and Saturday nights in Petaluma. We made some friends. The boys came to calling many people our neighbors, which everyone enjoyed.
This morning we left Petaluma and travelled south to Santa Cruz, where we are currently situated:
View Larger Map
Tomorrow we're planning to take in some more beaches and perhaps make it to Monterrey to visit the aquarium. For now, however, it's my bedtime. Happy to catch everyone up on our journey. Look forward to more pics and videos to come!
-Mark
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Travelling across the Golden Gate
No, we did not see any protestors. But we did see a gigantic bird poop on the windshield, which you may notice...
Jack's thoughts on the plane ride
While on the airplane yesterday I interviewed Jack about how he was coping with flying...
Jack and Owen at Stinson Beach
The previously referenced RV Drive of Death was not without its rewards. At the end we found Stinson Beach, a nice, private little beach bordered on all sides by very tall hills. This was the boys FIRST EVER experience with a real beach and with the ocean. Enjoy the clip.
The RV drive of death
We managed to leave Houston quite smoothly. The flight was great, the landing was great, and the boys both loved the takeoff/landing experience. They both took naps on the plane. (I took a scotch on the rocks.)
We were picked up at the airport by a representative of the RV rental company. He showed us the ins and outs of RV operation. And when he asked where we'd like to go, we gave him a vague idea.
"You want the Muir Woods," he said. "A straight shot across the Golden Gate bridge that way."
Sounded great! And we'd get to see the historic Golden Gate bridge.
What the guy failed to tell us was that after the historic bridge crossing...we'd be taking a TEN-MILE JOURNEY OF DEATH!
Sheer cliffs dropping off into ravines, narrow roadways, speeding traffic and cyclists...and sheer cliffs dropping off into ravines. There were insane inclines and climbs. Danielle admitted that she thought we were all going to die. My opinion was not so uncertain. I KNEW we were all going to die.
My warmest and most respectable regards go to my father-in-law, Chris, for navigating the treacherous terrain. It was his first time driving an RV, and he was doing so in some of the most intimidating countryside in the country.
Needless to say, we won't be doing that again.
-Mark
We were picked up at the airport by a representative of the RV rental company. He showed us the ins and outs of RV operation. And when he asked where we'd like to go, we gave him a vague idea.
"You want the Muir Woods," he said. "A straight shot across the Golden Gate bridge that way."
Sounded great! And we'd get to see the historic Golden Gate bridge.
What the guy failed to tell us was that after the historic bridge crossing...we'd be taking a TEN-MILE JOURNEY OF DEATH!
Sheer cliffs dropping off into ravines, narrow roadways, speeding traffic and cyclists...and sheer cliffs dropping off into ravines. There were insane inclines and climbs. Danielle admitted that she thought we were all going to die. My opinion was not so uncertain. I KNEW we were all going to die.
My warmest and most respectable regards go to my father-in-law, Chris, for navigating the treacherous terrain. It was his first time driving an RV, and he was doing so in some of the most intimidating countryside in the country.
Needless to say, we won't be doing that again.
-Mark
Apparently Jack can speak donkey...
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Owen on the roller slide
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Jack enkoying the KOA playground.
This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!
To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.
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