Time for our summer road trip! We had fun and didn't kill each other. Of course, it wasn't without mishaps, but overall it was very successful.
Friday
We headed out of town in the late morning and had slow slog to Sacramento. I'm not sure why there was traffic on the road but it was hard to take when we were so excited to get to our destination. Our destination? The state fair! We've been to the county fair several times, but this was our first state fair experience. It was also 100 degrees out.
We are all about eating at the fair, even though the heat can make you lose your appetite. First up for Leo was an egg roll on a stick. Look how pink he is already.
Cool classic cars. Not so cool asphalt. You could have fried an egg on that cement.
Trying to cool off with an Italian ice.
Ahhh, an air conditioned building. We checked out the award winning jellies and jams.
Serafina was charmed by this winning unicorn cake.
I'm all for making my kids sticking their heads into holes so I can take their picture.
Next up for Leo, a bacon-wrapped hot dog. Earlier I had a deep fried artichoke sandwich and it was the best thing I ate the whole trip. I was hungry so I didn't pause for a picture.
Funnel cake is required.
Later in the evening, we hit up this stand.
One order of deep fried Oreos.
So very good.
Then Tom and the kids had to engage in the traditional wasting of the money by attempting to toss rings on bottles.
By 8pm we were so exhausted from lots of walking and sweating. As soon as the temperature dropped into the high 80s, the crowds showed up and we headed out. But not before some more photo ops.
Even though it was late by the time we got to the hotel, we needed some pool time.
Saturday
On Saturday, we bravely headed out into the heat again. We drove through Cool, California which was not cool in temperature. It may be cool in other ways, but we didn't find out because we were just passing through.
Our destination? River rafting! Here are my two brave adventurers before loading up on the boat. Before the trip, Tom made the wise choice to invest in a GoPro (a small waterproof "action camera" that can be mounted to helmets) so we could capture videos of our trip.
I'm also able to grab still pictures from the GoPro.
Here's a video of us going over a rapid. This was definitely a more intense trip than our experience rafting last summer in Oregon. Serafina was not too pleased with all the big waves, but she was a trooper, she kept paddling and she was very brave. Leo was having a blast and really liked that we could document everything with the GoPro.
I spent the entire time on land assuring my kids no one would fall off the boat. And when we started to realize that the trip wasn't quite as mellow as Oregon, I continued to assure them we would all stay in the boat. Leave it to Tom to turn me into a liar.
I only got one souvenir the whole trip and it is this picture. There were a lot of good ones to choose from but this pic pretty much sums it up.
After a long day on the river, we were ready for dinner. There was a short wait at the restaurant so we explored a bit of downtown Auburn. During ski season, we often change drivers in Auburn and park just down the block from this statue. We finally got a chance to check him out up close. This is Claude Chana. He successfully panned for gold in a ravine in an area that would become Auburn.
Sunday
We didn't have a firm plan for Sunday so we took our time and explored the Gold Rush Museum in Auburn.
The kids got to pan for gold.
The docent helped out a lot.
Leo found some gold flakes.
So did Serafina.
We went to the medical history museum next. Unfortunately it was closed but peeking in the window we could see the kind of late 1800's medical equipment that is the stuff of nightmares. We did get a picture in front of this old mining device. Even after reading the description, I couldn't really figure out what it was supposed to do.
Leo was up for another historical museum so we went to the Placer County Museum in this impressive building. It was built to be the county courthouse and the upper levels still serve as the court building. The ground floor houses the museum.
We saw an impressive raw sample of Placer County gold.
Photo op in front of the stagecoach.
Gotta have the Wanted poster picture.
The next stop was Knee Deep brewery. There was pretty impressive operation going on inside.
And the beers were delicious.
Happy dad.
Unfortunately, the kids weren't that happy at this stop so we moved on.
After stopping for lunch in Davis, we meandered westward off the big highway. That lead us to Lake Berryessa. What a wonderful find! The water was warm and it was a great way to spend some time cooling off and getting out of the car.
We moved on from the lake and headed to Petaluma. The drive took us right through wine country and this gorgeous spot.
Oh and it also took us right by one of Tom's favorite breweries where he scored himself a case of his favorite beer. Go figure.
Our dinner stop was supposed to be another brewery, but the kitchen had closed by the time we got there.
So then it was on to our hotel. Tom had found a Parisian-inspired little hotel in Petaluma and had reserved the suite with two beds for us. When we got there, the hotel had screwed up and given our room away. They had one room with a single queen bed and one Airstream. Leo was all for bunking with me in the Airstream; Serafina was completely opposed to this hotel. After some tears and a trip to In-and-Out for dinner with a milkshake, Serafina made the best of it.
We snuggled in the Airstream watching the iPad before bed.
Monday
Leo slept like a rock. Me...not so much. There were a lot of strange noises. Serafina survived in the hotel room with her dad and we all had breakfast together in the tiny cafe. Crepes, of course.
Then I had to take a ton of pictures in front of the Airstream because even though it was a mix-up and it wasn't the best night sleep I've ever had, it was still pretty darn cool.
Here's the funky hotel from the outside. The Metro Hotel, in case you're ever looking for unique lodging in Petaluma.
This was at the sandwich shop on our way out of town. I didn't buy it but I had to take a picture of it.
We arrived at our final destination around mid-day, Limantour beach. It was a little overcast when we got there.
It was a short walk to the beach.
Over the bridge.
And then onto the sand. The sun was working on coming out.
The sun managed to break through so the kids were ready to play.
Zombie sand hands.
He lost a leg.
Sand mermaid.
My kids don't get a long very well. They fight...a lot. But sometimes they don't so I have to document it.
Sometimes they even help each other out.
It was a wonderful, exhausting, sweaty family adventure.
