Our final day pulled us back to two favorites: coastal cliffs and wine country charm. Napa offered up some unexpected insight, while the rugged shoreline kept stealing the show. And yes—getting to the airport felt like its own plot twist.
-
-
Our day in San Francisco started with a jolt of classic charm and ended with a splash of unexpected adventure. From cable cars to winding streets, impromptu food tastings to techy detours, the city served up a full plate of surprises. What looked like a mellow day turned into something much more memorable… even if we were left a little soggy and very hungry by the end.
-
Day 7 brought a shift in scenery and energy as we left San Francisco behind and crossed the bridge into Oakland and Berkeley. What started as a plan to catch an evening baseball game soon turned into a full-blown city-hopping adventure—one filled with scenic detours, surprise gems, and a few moments that had us laughing, squinting, and maybe even tearing up a bit. California just keeps unfolding in the best ways.
-
Our final morning in Palo Alto unfolded with a gentle mix of insight, discovery, and coastal charm. What started with a guided stroll through Stanford’s campus bloomed into an unexpected trail of sculptures, stairways, and shoreline beauty—with just the right touch of whimsy and surprise tucked in along the way. The transition from academia to ocean air was seamless… and delicious.
-
Day 5 marked a bit of a transition—one filled with peaceful campus wanderings, playful wildlife encounters, and thoughtful goodbyes. With the morning unfolding in familiar company and the afternoon spent exploring Stanford’s storied corners, this stretch of the trip offered a slower, more reflective kind of magic. And the evening? Let’s just say it ended on a high note… quite literally.
-
Sometimes the slower-paced days sneak up and charm you the most. With a bit of extra sleep, familiar company, and breezy moments between conference prep and rooftop catch-ups, days 3 and 4 brought a welcome ease to our California rhythm. Not every day needs to be jam-packed with sights to leave an impression—some unfold through the quiet joy of shared breakfasts, casual strolls, and conversations that linger.
-
Day 2 of our California adventure took us from misty morning farmland into the heart of towering redwoods, tech landmarks, and quiet college-town charm. It was a day of contrasts—ancient trees beside futuristic design, crispy waffle chips alongside creamy panna cotta—and one that reminded us just how layered a single afternoon can be. Spoiler: even the hotel fan had something to say.
-
With a couple days to spare before the conference, we hit the road and hugged the California coast—chasing foggy beaches, towering cliffs, and roadside surprises. From lighthouse silhouettes to sea lion lounging, moody skies to crumbly cliffs, this stretch served up all the drama and delight a wandering heart could hope for. Even the snacks played their part.
-
Road tripping on West Coast is some of the most beautiful countrysides to travel. So much to see and do. From the Redwoods of California to the Cascade of Oregon, there’s tons of landscaping eye candy. Here’s our 13 day itinerary where we started in San Fransisco, CA and ended in Portland, OR. Here’s a map of our trip with many of our stops and points of interest. Click on the stars or letters on map for details. Click on each picture below to go to the post to read all about that day. Click above picture to enlarge. Editable Excel…
-
Day 13 of our West Coast trip was the day we were headed home. Our flight didn’t leave till later in the afternoon, which gave us time to do something. When Rob lived out in Portland, his favorite place to shop was Fred Meyer. Fred Meyer is similar to a Walmart, but way better. It is truly a one stop shop. From furniture to groceries to name brand clothing it has it all. After having breakfast and checking out of the hotel, we headed over to Fred Meyer so the kids could see what an awesome store it was and…
-
As I mentioned before since our days were so long (in a good way) but since we covered so much ground and so many amazingly beautiful places my daily travel posts aren’t including as much detail and as many pictures as I’d like. I want to write individual posts on many of the spots on this trip in more detail with more pictures. One day when I’m caught up, I’ll go back and share more. Today’s post covers our last full day of our west coast trip. We slept later that day than any other day on trip, which was…
-
On July 4th we rose early to make our way to Windy Ridge Viewpoint at Mount St. Helens. I can’t tell you how hopeful I was that we’d be able to see this mysterious mountain that I’ve visited twice, but only seen for short spurts from a far and saw for literally 30 seconds last time we were at Johnston observatory. The other times we’ve been to Mount St. Helens we weren’t able to get to Windy Ridge because the road was always still closed. (Map) The day started off quite overcast in Portland as it usually always does, but…
-
Day 10 was all about the Oregon Coast. We started off with a lumberjack breakfast at Camp 18 Restaurant. This place is a must see. Every time Rob and I drive up the coast we stop and get pictures outside, our friends who usually follow behind on their motorcycles love to take videos of the landscape we pass by, but they do have to be careful because one of them almost fell of their motorcycle trying to get the perfect scenery shot, that day would have ended up either in a hospital or talking all night with their motorcycle accident…
-
Our drive up the coast of Oregon continued as we left Cottage Grove Oregon and headed to Newport, stopping a few times for some fun activities, like going to Sand Dunes, Sea Lion Caves, Thor’s Well, and more. First stop was Florence, OR for Dune Buggies ATVs. When we were researching we came to the realization that Dune Buggies for individuals really isn’t a thing you can do anymore. The thing now is driving ATV’s over the dunes. I really didn’t want to drive so Rob and I were in one and the kids each had their own ATV. Let…
-
If you missed my 1st couple of posts about our West Coast Trip, you should check those out first. – Day 1 – Day 2 – So on Day 3 of our West Coast Trip we woke up in our tent in Yosemite’s Half Dome Village. I woke up a little chili and actually quite sore from the hike the day before, but the brisk fresh air was welcoming. We got dressed and jumped in the car. We wanted to stop and check out Yosemite Falls on our way out of the park. We took a short hike to the…
-
If you missed my post from Day 1 of our West Coast Trip you can find it here. Here’s our jam packed day #2! I woke up totally discombobulated from very little sleep, but we still managed to be out of the hotel by 6:30 am. We were eager to get to Yosemite and begin our Yosemite Day before the crowds since we were there during the summer; peak season. The week before we were there President Obama and his family were at Yosemite. We had read that he had donuts from Donuts a Go Go down the street from…
-
The day we left for Cali we got up, did a few things around the house, and headed to Atlanta to pick up Rob’s brother who would then drive us to the airport. We made a stop for lunch at Fire Dragon. Once we got to the airport everything went smoothly. Curbside check in was closed, so we went inside to find a line, but it went fairly quickly. The line for security seemed crowded, but it also went pretty fast. The kids really enjoyed riding the moving sidewalks. Since we had lots of time to kill we went to…
