On the Go (and go, and go...)

Okay...I want everyone to put Harris Beach State Park on their, "must see" travel list! It is absolutely gorgeous! I am not sure how any place on Earth could be more perfect. The park sits right next to the ocean, nestled among huge, old trees, with a long beach to discover, big rocks and hills to climb (and an awesome playground and large capacity washing machines). I mean, come on??!! PERFECT! So, I ask myself, why did we leave?? :)

Oh right, to surprise the boys with a visit to Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park...hmmm...

So, we decided to head down the coast a couple of hours into California. We had mapped out two different routes and parks depending on the tolerance level of the passengers. Surprisingly, or not so, the kids were so worn out from playing on the beach, riding bikes around the park and playing on the playground that they collapsed once we got into the car. Seizing the opportunity we decided, on a 'wild hare,' to head further South to Jellystone Park and stay a couple of days. The internet boasted a stocked fishing pond, miniature golf, mining for rocks, paddle boats, etc...so we knew there would be lots of fun ahead...

I will not go into the details of our adventure to get there (heaven knows that we won't need to document the events in this blog for us to forever remember them). I'll just say that the switchbacks up the mountain (and down and back up again) at 'much-too-late' a hour and GPS directions that overshot the entrance by 700 ft, heading us down a dirt road toward the 'bridge to nowhere' (it exists, we saw it with our flashlights) is enough of a recap! When we finally turned ourselves around and, by the grace of God, set eyes upon our friend Yogi - we were very happy campers. The park manager, Larry the Cable Guy's cousin, kindly said that we could park anywhere and 'square up' in the morning. With no cell service and frazzled nerves, I insisted that Paul send our exact coordinates to our parents by email. Who knows if they would get it but, at least somewhere in cyberspace our location would be documented...just in case. :)

In the morning, we awoke to a frozen water hook up and everything in the park was closed - "nothing here really opens 'til Memorial Day - hope that you can come back then, we have a lot of fun around here in the summer." WHAT??!! You might want to add that morsel of info to your internet site and maybe the fact that there is no cell service from 200 miles North to here!

HOWEVER...the weather warmed quickly; we all got some sun on our face, the kids met a nice retired couple who dug out a bunch of rocks from the back of their truck and let them spray them with a water bottle to see the colors change, and the playground was fun. Anyhow, the only REAL reason to go to a Jellystone Park is to stick your head through a cut-out board so that you can laugh at it later and say, "wow, wasn't that fun?"...Right?? Right?? :) Check that one off the list!

The day turned out to be wonderful. A little adversity always draws me to think on the blessings that we have. We spent a lot of time praying to our Heavenly Father for His protection and provision. And, we got to see our kids befriend a little boy at Jellystone Park who lives with very little in terms of possesions or companionship. Our Nicholas said as we pulled out, "I wish that we could stay for a while longer so that Donald could have some friends to play with." A day spent in and with our Father is always a good day.

Headed further South, through Napa Valley. Took a detour (I know, brave huh?) to the Jelly Belly Factory North of San Francisco. The kids ate jellybeans to their hearts content. And we have landed at a wonderful park in Pacifica, CA just South of San Fran. We are sitting right above the ocean, the park has a heated pool and hot tub (the kids are super happy), and the bathrooms are open - big improvement. :) We are heading into the city tomorrow for a day of sightseeing. Just riding the BART into town will be a great adventure for the boys!