California

We've been having a great time here in CA. Tuesday we made it to Monterey and went straight to the beach where Eliza saw her first ocean. We didn't have much time there but we had a good time in the sand and splashing in the cold water. Afterwards we ate dinner at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company which was Scotty's choice and great fun. The place is full of Forrest Gump trivia and despite it being a touristy chain the food was delicious.

Wednesday we spent the morning and early afternoon at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is my all time favorite aquarium. The exhibits were beautiful and the kids really enjoyed it as well. Eliza's favorite part was Nemo and his Dad (some little clownfish) and Scotty's was the section of the old cannery where the aquarium is now housed. They have preserved several of the old boilers and machinery from the cannery and have them on display. But he liked the fish too, he says. After that we had a pretty easy drive to San Francisco where we are now staying with my old friend Dave on a ridiculously steep hill right across from the Anchor brewery. We can see the Bay Bridge and some of the bay from his front balcony. Today Dave was brave enough to escort us by car and then on the BART downtown for a cable car ride to Fisherman's Wharf and a stop at the Cable Car Powerhouse where there are some giant wheels moving the cables throughout the city. Very cool. As an unexpected bonus the BART and the cable cars were free today because it was a clean air day in the city so we saved over 40 bucks! Tomorrow we hit the beach for the day. The weather has been unusually warm and sunny which has the locals complaining a bit but it's great for tourists.