All about Ashlyn: San Francisco Treat!!

We had an amazing trip to California!! It was a much needed trip for us. We hadn't ever left Ashlyn for more than over night so four whole days was quite a lot. We missed her like crazy of course but we had such a good time with just the two of us. We ate sushi, we walked all over the place, we stayed up late, we drank wine, we went to a bar, we skipped breakfast, we ate whenever we felt like it. Just like the old days, except there was a lot of, "oh Ashlyn would love that!" and "next time we come we'll bring Ashlyn and we'll take her there!"

It was quite a lot of driving but we did split it up a little. We made it to Medford the fist night and spent the night. Which was a good thing because we had forgotten our chains and needed to stop by Schwab's to pick some up. We didn't end up needing them, there was just a little snow and ice on the way down. It was about a six hour trip from Medford to SF. We made it almost to SF when we pulled off to have a double double at In-n-Out, but got sidetracked by Rubio's Fish Tacos. So yummy and still plenty of time to have In-n-Out. After we got checked into our hotel, we wandered Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirradelli Square for a few hours before heading back. Jered wanted to study for a few hours before dinner and I wanted to rest my feet. SF is definitely a walking city!

Friday night we had dinner at one of the best sushi places I've ever eaten. It was delicious! Sushi on
Northbeach is what its called. I found it by googling for sushi places close to our hotel and this one had the best reviews on Yelp. Gotta love the internet! We didn't get too crazy Fri night because Jered had to leave the next morning by 6. It was 24 miles to where his test was. It started at 8, he had to be there by 7 and it was four hours timed. He was back at the hotel by 1:30. He feels pretty good about the test, at least he feels like he probably passed. We won't hear anything for about 15 weeks. It was all hand-written, essay style, so it has to be graded by an actual person. Imagine that! Something that is not yet computerized! Probably why they only offer it once a year.

I spent all of Saturday morning by myself and it was amazing! I kind of forget how it is to be by yourself, not answering a hundred questions a minute! I had coffee at a little shop near our hotel and read my book. Ahhhh, so nice! Then I figured I better get some exercise while I was down there so I decided to walk up Lombard to the crooked street. When I say up, I mean UP! My legs were burning by the time I got to the top. The street was so steep they make the cars park at 90 degrees to the curb, it seriously looked they were all about to roll down the hill. None did though! After making it to the top and taking a few pictures I just wandered around the neighborhood. There are some pretty amazing houses in those hills, probably with some pretty amazing price tags too! Then I wandered down to the Wharf and found this dock that you can walk way out into the bay. I was able to get a couple of good pics of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. I bought a few souvenirs, then decided it was time to rest my feet and wait for Jered. I'd walked for about 3 and half hours so I think I deserved a rest.

Saturday night we had tickets to go out to Alcatraz! We were both really looking forward to that but since Jered got back in the early afternoon we decided to do more walking. We got some clam chowder and a whole crab to share, found a table and people watched. The people watching in SF is great! So many tourists and different cultures.

Alcatraz was amazing! So worth it! They boat you over there, then you walk up the hill and inside the prison. They give you these head phones for the audio tour. Its self guided, so you can go as slow or as fast as you want. Its very well done. The audio tour is narrated by former prison guards and former prison inmates. We did the night tour as it just added to the creepiness. My favorite part was probably the infirmary. They had a very archaic looking operating room and one x-ray machine. Jered really liked the solitary confinement. I could not imagine being locked in a cell for 24 hours a day with no light for weeks at a time.

By the time we finished Alcatraz it was after 9pm and we were hungry. It had been a while since we'd had the chowder and crab. The sushi was so good the first night, we went back two nights in a row! It was really that good. Melt in your mouth fresh!

Sunday it was time to leave SF and head to Sonoma for some wine tasting. We (I) had done a little research and picked out 5 places we wanted to stop at. We stopped at wineries that had served wine to former presidents, to the King and Queen of Spain....hoity toity! Probably our favorite winery happened by accident. We were driving towards another winery and saw a sign that said wine cave. We thought, why not? I want to see what a wine cave looks like. So we flipped the car around to go see a wine cave. We were in for a surprise because it was amazing! We walked through two huge doors into a long dark tunnel lined on both sides with wine barrels. It was so super cool and our favorite winery that day.

Monday it was the long drive home!! We took a couple of good breaks along the way. We had to stop at the Olive Pit in Corning for Grandma G, we had lunch in Ashland and then headed up to Monroe to get Ashlyn. She was so excited to see us she started crying. She hugged us both real tight and then that was it, she was fine. She had a lot of fun at Grammy and Grandpa's! Macy and Bailey spent the night on Friday with her. She got to go out to dinner with some of her Aunts and Uncles on Sat and on Monday she got to ride the school bus with Aunt Jean!! She loves the school bus. Every time she sees on the road she screams out, "I see a school bus!!" Aunt Jean let her honk the horn and she got to go to the schools to pick up kids, it was a big hit! My mom took pictures so hopefully I'll get some of those soon that I can post.