San Francisco

*Tuesday, March 16*

Our day in San Francisco was terrific! We started early, the weather was gorgeous - clear skies and very warm for March - perfect for sightseeing. Keeping with our customs of traveling in Chicago, we attempted to use every form of the cities mass transit system to get around. It is inexpensive, convenient and the boys think that it is "so cool" to ride the trains and buses! So, we boarded the nearest BART (train) for a ride into downtown San Fran. about 10 miles from our RV park.

We walked up out of the subway terminal into the center of the city and headed straight for Union Square to buy our MUNI (all day transit passes.) There were tap dancers, singers, musicians all performing in the square and that is also where the trolley cars turn to head back down the steep hill toward the Pier and Ghriradelli Square.

We hopped a bus to Chinatown, browsed the open markets and ate lunch at a wonderful little BBQ and Noodle Shop. We were the only foreigners there. Everyone else was speaking Chinese or Vietnamese. The owners and patrons were so kind to us. Nicholas is getting good at using chopsticks. Trevor is working on it though, it looks a lot like poking. Zachary isn't interested - why bother when you have a perfectly good fork at your disposal?? The food was spectacluar, just as we had hoped.

After lunch, we walked down to the Torii Gate and then back to a city park for a break while I bought the kids $1.88 San Fran T-shirts that are so cool. I should have bought a dozen for that price! Old Navy has nothing on Chinatown! :) Then, we walked UP HILL to the trolley stop. (With Trevor on my back, I earned my dessert for the day. Paul too, with the backpack on his back all day. Poor guy - I'll take Trevor anyday!)


We rode the San Fran Trolley all the way across and down, down, down the hill to the Pier. There is a National Park on the Pier with tons of exhibits to view and do. We walked all the way down the pier and saw Alcatraz, The Golden Gate Bridge, the Ghirardelli sign/square, all of the ships docked in the Bay, and the HUGE hill we just descended in the trolley.

We each enjoyed an (almost) equally HUGE ice cream cone at the Ghirardelli chocolate factory’s ice cream store. (Frequent ice cream has to be one of my favorite parts about vacation! :) T, are you with me or what??) We walked the square, watched how chocolate is made and hopped a trolley up the hill to our train, and back out to our "home."

Perfect day – we were tired and satisfied. We rested our weary bodies in the pool and quickly fell asleep to the sound of crashing waves.

This experience has been such a blessing for our little family. What a special time to spend together making memories. I am taking lots of pictures to remember this adventure but, I am also taking mental snapshots of precious moments - the boys sharing and being kind to one another, a spontaneous hug from a grateful child, my dear husband giving himself generously to the family he loves; I count these “4 guys” my blessings and feel overwhelmingly grateful to my Father in Heaven for them. They are the hot fudge on my ice cream! :)