when i was younger, my family took a lot of road trips. vancouver, yosemite, san francisco, and vegas were some of the long road trips i remember. it's definitely cheaper than flying. but now that i'm the driver, i might pick the alternative next time.
the drive
we made it to san francisco after a 9.5 hour drive. that was good because i estimated a 10 hour drive. we headed out just before 6am, the kids were awake but they were zombies for the 1st hour (i liked that). for the 2nd hour, it was 'find the garbage truck' game. after that, micah was upset there were no more garbage trucks passing by, so it was time for other activities to keep the two busy. into the 8th hour, i was a bit cranky. (first of all, i'm the driver since i get motion sickness. i could sit in the front seat, but then i would make a bad 'back seat driver.') after driving 200 miles through the boonies with nothing to look at but fields and smelling cows, i just wanted to get there already. plus after we ate and used the potty and just got back on the freeway, i hear from both of them, "i need to use the potty." this was in 88 degree weather and we had to stand and wait because it was a one person bathroom. but finally, after 500+ miles, we made it there safely and the kids were in awe. we had to wake up lia so she could enjoy the bay bridge."we're here"
our roomwe stayed at the wyndham canterbury in a one bedroom presidential suite. the place was really nice, wood floors, flat screen tvs, dimming lights. my favorite thing is always the washer and dryer in the room so we don't end up bringing a lot of dirty laundry home. there was plenty of room for the kids to run around. the only downside was the parking, no choice but valet. but that's not surprising due to the location. it's walking distance to union square, china town, and the cable cars.
first night (thursday)
since we arrived late in the afternoon, the fog had already rolled in. we walked up and down the streets to union square and found some good thai food to eat on the way back. then we just watched tv in the room and had popcorn.
friday
the kids were anxious to see the golden gate bridge, so the first thing we did was drive across it. toll cost was $6. it was too cold to get down and walk it at the time so we went to japantown.
we especially liked the mini grocery store there and stocked up on snacks for the drive home. after that, we headed to pier 39. roel's cousins, the radoc family, met us there. m&m got to meet their cousins, brandon and regina. we looked at the seals, played in the arcade, ate mini donuts and dinner there.
saturday
it was off to ride the cable car. we waited in line for about 45 minutes, the kids did pretty well. they saw some street performers and the cable car turnaround. we took the cable car to the cable car museum. it was neat to see the big wheels that turn the cables underground.
it was a 6 block walk back to the wyndham with steep hills. the kids didn't mind it at all and enjoyed the walk.
then we met up with the cousins again. they treated us to a yummy seafood buffet.
sunday
it was time to head back home. we left at 7am, both kids were up but not really ready to be in the car for the long drive again. neither was i. but surprisingly, it wasn't that bad. we didn't even hit traffic anywhere. but we did drive through a storm. it was interesting to see it as we drove toward it. and there was a cool lightning show. micah also had his first nature potty experience since he said he needed to go just after we passed a sign that said next exit 25 miles. another 9.5 hour drive, thank god we had such a safe trip.
now i know why my dad always wanted me to tell him a story on the long drives, they are really tiring. even though flying might be a bit easier, i have a lot of memories i cherish from those family road trips. and i want my kids to have those also. so they might just have to suffer a few more road trips.
