Long before the rooster crowed, we pulled out from Gresham, OR with the hope of reaching San Francisco by late afternoon on Monday. The kids were sleepily excited and giddy as we tucked ourselves into the motorhome and Ben prayed for our safe travels.
We drove through the verdant Willamette Valley and up & down through the Siskiyou Mountains. Oregon is so beautiful! Mt. Shasta in northern CA is also stunning and near the lake we pulled off for Mike to catch a nap. The kids and I stretched our legs and did a short but steep hike down to one of the lake’s fingers to stick our toes in the cool water. Definitely driving towards the heat!
We made great time and pulled into Mike’s brother’s around 4:30. They live in Mill Valley in Marin County and we could see right away why people pay big bucks to live in that area. The seminary is on top of a hill and the views of the bay are amazing, as we discovered taking a walk around campus later that evening. Mom & Dad Mathews had left the day before and arrived just before us -- it’s so fun to be all together! Josh and Stacy had been saving up some very special news til we arrived – Hallel will be a big sister come next March!
On Tuesday we did a hike to Tennessee Beach and stuck our toes into the Pacific. Looking forward to doing the same in the Atlantic in a couple weeks! We ate yummy burritos from Grilli’s outside in the Mill Valley square. The weather is perfect here.
We made great time and pulled into Mike’s brother’s around 4:30. They live in Mill Valley in Marin County and we could see right away why people pay big bucks to live in that area. The seminary is on top of a hill and the views of the bay are amazing, as we discovered taking a walk around campus later that evening. Mom & Dad Mathews had left the day before and arrived just before us -- it’s so fun to be all together! Josh and Stacy had been saving up some very special news til we arrived – Hallel will be a big sister come next March!
On Tuesday we did a hike to Tennessee Beach and stuck our toes into the Pacific. Looking forward to doing the same in the Atlantic in a couple weeks! We ate yummy burritos from Grilli’s outside in the Mill Valley square. The weather is perfect here.
Later we drove to the Golden Gate Bridge and got out for the picture and to enjoy the views of the city across the bay and also Alcatraz. A thick marine fog hid half the bridge and gave it a surreal effect. We didn’t have time to take in Fisherman’s Wharf, but we did drive through the city (hair-raising adventure in the motorhome). We ended up in Hayward and had a wonderful dinner with Uncle Bob & Aunt Joanie & kids and grandkids. It was good to see them again and catch up.
Crashed for a few brief hours sleep, and then Dad & Mike were up, hooking up the trailer (and trying to fix some bum taillights) and we were off heading towards the Grand Canyon. Along the way, we drove through some very productive CA farmland.
Very hot going through the Mojave desert and this stretch seems to be taking forever. We chose to extend the day a bit by taking a slight detour through the tip of Nevada to be able to add it to our "states visited" list. Hopped onto historic Route 66 a couple times. Finally pulled into Grand Canyon around 9:30pm. Tired and thankful for the safe drive.
We had such a good time with you guys!!!! Thank you again for making us part of the adventure. Thank you also Anne for the yummy jam. Hallel has so much fun with her cousins I just love the instant bond that they have. Glad you arrived at the Canyon safe and sound. Wish we could have snuck in the trailer and tagged along:)Love you all!!!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you are safe and having a great time. Thanks for the update. It is fun to keep up with were you are. Love you guys
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