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sacramento

West Coast Road Trip Part III – Sacramento and Southern Oregon

West Coast Road Trip Part III – Sacramento and Southern Oregon

Jun 24 2013Jul 05 2013 by leese
PART III In a series of our West Coast road trip. Read Part I Read Part II Day 3 -...

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Posted in TravelTagged camping, oregon, road trip, sacramento, west coast

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We walked around Comic Con a little late. Not much We walked around Comic Con a little late. Not much was open at 5 but it was still nice to enjoy the city.

I need to get out more often and enjoy the city I live in. 

#sandiego #comiccon #gaslampquarter
Thank you for the birthday wishes! 45 today seems Thank you for the birthday wishes! 45 today seems different than when my parents were 45.

My body aches a little more, but it doesn't stop me from dancing in the kitchen while cooking or trying the latest KPop moves with my kids. My hand hurts when I play the piano but I'm always down to jam or try to play some song I heard on Spotify.

The gray hairs show my wisdom and I'm finally more comfortable in my own skin. That doesn't mean that I'll stop trying to get healthier... I just respect my current state and know that I don't need to be hard on myself.

I've got a loving family despite all the bickering between the kids (and the yelling). But hey, we're human and imperfect. And that's ok.

Thank you, Lord, for the life I've lived to get me to this point. I still have a lot to learn about life and I can't wait to see what God has in store for me.
It's always foggy whenever we cross the Golden Gat It's always foggy whenever we cross the Golden Gate bridge. We made our way down the coast down Hwy 1 through Santa Cruz and quickly stopped at the boardwalk. I love driving down Hwy 1! It's so picturesque.

We stayed at the Vinland hotel right on the main drag in Solvang. A lot of the shops closed early but at least we got our danishes in the morning before checking out of the hotel.

By this part of the trip, the kids pretty much got tired of each other and were ready to go home. It didn't help that our air conditioning went out on the way to San Diego.

We're glad to be home but I'm going to be real here...

We ended on a sour note and I'm still bitter about a lot of things that happened. As much as I enjoyed being in nature and with my family, l have to reconsider another road/camping trip with the family — or any vacation for that matter. It's no fun when there's constant complaining. Every. Single. Day.

I'd love for my kids to see the country (and the world) and be in places outside their comfort zone. But when they can't bend a little for us and for each other, (and make it known that they'd rather not be on a road trip) it makes everything less enjoyable and our efforts to create a good family experience feel wasted.

Soo... If any friends want to join me on a future camping trip, hit me up.

#roadtrip #goldengatebridge #santacruz #california #solvang
The first stop at our turnaround point was in San The first stop at our turnaround point was in San Rafael. We hoteled it from here since these were going to be quick stops. The highlight was visiting the Marin County Civic Center designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

In true Frank Lloyd Wright fashion, he designed the building to work with the existing topography and brought the outside indoors. The fixtures and furniture were all designed by him and not much has been changed structurally. There are so many details in this building that are rarely seen in modern architecture. This building was his last commission. It's free to enter and there are exhibit areas that highlight the history of the building.

#franklloydwright #architecture #marincountyca #sanrafaelcalifornia #marincountyciviccenter #roadtrip
Our last camp was at Lassen Volcanic National Park Our last camp was at Lassen Volcanic National Park. We stayed at Butte Lake where we had to take a 6 mile gravel road to get there. Thunderstorms were a threat every day and we even had to sleep through a rainstorm one night. 

Most of the park was closed due to 40 ft snow banks. So we couldn't see the hydrothermal  area of the park but we hiked up a cinder cone volcano near our camp site. It was rough since the rocks and ash roll under your feet as you climb. We ran into someone from San Diego when we exchanged photos of their group! We also went spelunking in a lava tube.

This national park is so underrated. There are such beautiful areas of the park and it's the only place in the world that has all 4 types of volcanoes.

#lassenvolcanicnationalpark #cindercone #camping #volcanoes
Our next stop was three nights in "gold country." Our next stop was three nights in "gold country." We had car trouble on this leg of the trip. A bearing went out on one of our wheels and we almost lost the wheel when three bolts sheared off then our radiator sprung a leak two days later.

We stayed at Gold Country Campground Resort where we camped, played in the splash park, played mini golf in the run-down course (making it extra-challenging) and explored the property, imagining what an awesome place it was in the past. They are currently restoring the property so hopefully it will return to it's former glory.

We visited the old mining town of Volcano, home of the oldest continuously running general store in California (since 1852). We tried to pan for gold in Jackson until we saw a sign for "no prospecting."

#goldcountry #pinegrovecalifornia #volcanocalifornia #jacksoncalifornia

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