Turnkey Camping

  Stu took the day off and we explored SF a bit.  We took a cable car to Fisherman’s Wharf - the kids enjoyed the seafood at the wharf.  After we met Stu’s sister and kiddos and went for ice cream at the Ferry Building then to a playground.  We spent a few hours at the Exploratorium and headed back to the camper when they closed.  It was a spaghetti kind of night and were trying to figure out what to do about the next leg of our trip.  The repair shop said the issue is engine related and we should know more of the scope tomorrow.    

We had a great family day yesterday!  We met Stu’s sister and her family in Ocean Beach at this awesome food truck called Dad’s Luncheonette.  It was started by a Michelin star chef who wanted to move to a surfing area.  We got our food to go and took a hike down to the beach with the kids and dogs.  Afterward, we got reorganized at the camper and went to their house for dinner.  It was a wonderful day!

The trip took a bit of a turn…  we were driving along - about two hours from our destination - and suddenly there was an explosive sound.  This was about 3 pm.  We pulled over to survey the damage and everything looked fine.  We tried to pull back on the highway and could only go about 20 mph.  The truck simply didn’t have any power.  We called roadside assistance from our insurance and they were able to tow the truck to the closest GMC dealer who had already closed for the day.  The campground called about our reservation and we explained our predicament.  She gave us the name of an Rv repair guy who could maybe tow the camper the two hours to our campsite.  The tow truck company was also able to get a taxi to come to the side of the highway with a minivan - so the kids and pets and I hopped in and tried to go to a rental car place at the Salinas airport.  He was cash only and the fare was $40.  I had $42 haha.  When we got th...

I just picked Jude up at the airport!  It is SO good to be together again!  He is such a champ!!  Let the adventures continue!  San Francisco bound!

  Our plans changed a bit last night when Jude’s flight out of Atlanta was cancelled!  We felt so helpless and awful for him because he was so ready to be back with our family!  He was safe and sound with the unaccompanied minor program with Delta, but it was still not ideal.  It will make for a good story later.  And he had a great attitude and made the best of it.  He’s on the plane to Salt Lake City now and we’ll pick him up in SB this afternoon - but in the meantime, we have to figure out a place to stash our 60’ rig because our campground is full!  We’re going to scout gas stations this morning.  What a twist!

We picked L&P up from Westmont this morning!  We all went to the bookshop and got some college sweatshirts - then we took them to our favorite burrito shop, El Sitio.  Next up was Target because we found out that Jude’s camp trunk was automatically being shipped home so he needed some basic clothes for the rest of the trip!  I bumped into a woman who was on my dorm floor freshman year (seen in the background of the middle photo).  Ironically, she is vacationing in Charleston in a few weeks — small world. Jude is on the plane from Asheville to Atlanta and then on to Santa Barbara.  It will be so great to all be together again soon!

Charlie and I had the BEST time at the SB Zoo!  It is a smaller zoo but we spent most of the day there and saw lots of amazing animals!  We had some really unique experiences too. Charlie was able to brush goats. We saw a large male gorilla fairly close. There was a small train named “Kate” and the conductor’s name was Charlie ironically.  It made a large loop around the zoo with just one stop.  Perfect! They had an outback experience where you could walk thru the kangaroo enclosure!  They were hopping all around us!! The animals were all pretty easy to see. My favorite thing (apart from the kangaroos) was feeding giraffes.  They loved romaine lettuce!  Charlie couldn’t quite reach high enough for the giraffe to grab the lettuce, but he tried really hard.  It was a great experience!  We even ended up joining because they are a part of a reciprocal program that includes zoos all around the nation.  That gives me the chance to make quick v...