This year my family and I took a vacation out of state.
That’s not the norm for the Worthington’s, as it’s just too difficult with 4 children and multiple food alergies to be too far away from home. However, this year, my oldest son was playing in a Baseball Tournament in Reno over the 4th of July weekend, so as a family we went down into California to visit my folks and spend a few days on the Northern California Coastline. Here are a couple of notes from our trip.
*On the hillside above the Golden Gate Bridge, the U.S. government began building a defense system (BIG GUN EMPLACEMENTS) following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1942. The guns were the largest ever made at the time and could lob shells 30 miles out to sea. The project was cancelled in 1943, following the advancement of Radar technology. However, the gun emplacements are now something you can tour. I thought it was pretty cool to see. Wish the fog had not rolled in so we could actually look out over the ocean from atop the hill.
*We toured the Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve. Talk about impressive. The ancient coast redwood is the tallest living thing on our planet! These remarkable trees live to be 500-1,000 years old, grow to a diameter of 12-16 feet, and stand from 200-250 feet tall. (according to the park’s website at: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=450 )
*In n Out Burger is really good. No, seriously. We ate there a lot.
*I did not get in the water. The Pacific Ocean is amazingly cold. It’s not for swimming in Northern California unless you are wearing a wetsuit. People also see big sharks there. My brother likes to surf, but there is not a chance you could get me in there.
*My boys actually made me drive to a San Francisco Ferarri dealership, (in our minivan) so they could take a selfie next to a $750,000 sports car. It might have been the highlight of the trip for them!
*While California is lovely, I won’t miss the traffic. You don’t know how good you have it here in Idaho until you visit a place like that.
