I Didn't See Any West Coast Girls (California Trip)

In early June, we left Kentucky on an airplane to go to California for Anderson's second vacation.  We went to visit family, namely Tim, Sue, and Drew.  We had such a good time and were very thankful for their hospitality.  Below is an itinerary of our trip.

June 6: Arrive in San Jose, California at around 11:00 pm Kentucky time.  After a 4 hour plane ride from Louisville to Las Vegas followed by a 1 hour plane ride from Vegas to San Jose, Anderson was still in a good mood and ready to start vacationing.

I feel that I should add, as a side note, that Anderson peed on me, but it was no ordinary pee.  In the end, I had a warm wet spot on my knee and Anderson had a completely dry pair of shorts and a completely dry diaper.  Watch out David Copperfield...Anderson Parrott is coming on the scene.

We stayed the night in San Jose and all three of us stayed in the same room.  Richard got dinner that night and ate his burrito before Anderson went to sleep.  He was too afraid to eat his chips and salsa after Anderson went to sleep for fear of waking him with the chomping...haha!

June 7: Drive from San Jose to Fresno, California (home of Tim, Sue, and Drew).  Funny enough, when I called Sue to get directions, she informed me that the last place to use the restroom before a long stretch would be a little town called Los Banos - LOVE IT!!

When we arrived in Fresno, we took some time just to settle into Tim and Sue's house (where we stayed).  We stretched a bit.

We explored the inside and out.

We moved some furniture so it was to our liking.

We finally took some time just to relax.

June 8 - June 17: Stayed in Fresno and spent time with Tim, Sue, and Drew.  We very much enjoyed our time in Fresno.  A couple days into our stay, they took us on a hike on a trail near a small town called Oakhurst.  It was a nice hike and Anderson really pushed himself to the limit.

The trail was rocky and hilly, but it was along a creek that had running water and short little falls.  It was so serene and pretty!

During the hike, Uncle Drew found a "walking stick" and gave it to Anderson in his stroller...obviously.  Anderson loved it and held onto it for nearly half of the hike.

He also worked to "feel" how the trees were doing.

After the hike, Richard figured that we were about halfway between Fresno and Yosemite National Park, so we decided to go on up there and let Anderson take in the sites.  He LOVED the waterfall!  We pulled into the Bridalveil (that is the name of the waterfall) parking lot and Anderson noticed it right away.

On the way up, we played in the ice melt creek that was created by the waterfall.

Then, we walked up to the actual waterfall!  Anderson loved it and we got wet from standing near it!

We stayed for quite a while to watch the waterfall!

After that, we went back to Fresno.  While we were in Fresno, Anderson found out that he really enjoys corn on the cob.  Tim bought some sweet corn from Fresno State University (they apparently have quite a talent with gardening) and we cooked it up.  Anderson was grateful, to say the least.

We also found a little splash park a couple miles from Tim and Sue's house.  Anderson really enjoyed the splash park and his favorite part was the small spout that he could sit in front of and manipulate.  It was so fun to watch him play.

We went there several times.

On Father's Day, Anderson and Richard ran a Father's Day race in downtown Fresno.  Anderson did most of the work, but he felt that was what Father's Day was all about so he didn't say anything.

June 18: Drive from Fresno, California to Monterey Bay, California.
When we arrived at Monterey Bay, we went to the pier and walked around a bit.  We also ate lunch at a little spot that had yummy fish tacos.  According to Anderson, however, their grilled cheese sandwiches could use some work.

Anderson, Sue, and I went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium while Richard, Tim, and Drew went to do some scuba diving and beach walking.
We had a great time at the aquarium!  We saw lots of fun fish and underwater wildlife.  Every animal seemed to be out and active.

Well, everyone needs a break from being active.  Anderson took a short nap as we indulged in a snack from the aquarium cafe.

After we explored Monterey, we said goodbye to Tim, Sue, and Drew, and headed back to San Jose.

June 19: Drove from San Jose, California to San Francisco, California.
We drove across the Golden Gate Bridge and did a self-guided tour through Sausalito.

We also spent some time exploring Fisherman's Wharf.  We saw Alcatraz from the wharf, but seeing as how we had someone with us who was "too cute", we thought we better keep our distance.

After a long and fun day of exploring San Francisco, we stopped at the Ghirardelli Factory and had a sundae.  It was worth every hill we had to walk.  Okay, to be completely honest, we didn't climb any hills, but it would have been worth it if we did because of the yummy cookie bottom sundae we shared.

After our day in San Francisco, we drove back to San Jose to stay our last night in California.

June 20: Flew 1.5 hours from San Jose, California to Phoenix, Arizona and then 3.5 hours from Phoenix, Arizona to Louisville, Kentucky.  We were very happy to get home, but we also had a great time on our trip!  We will have lots of special memories from our time in California.