California here I come...Part 6

 We left Santa Cruz and continued up the coast highway.

 This is not something you see in Utah

 We stopped at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve and found harbor seals on the beach.

 

 The boys loved the tide pools.  Elijah wanted to come back another day because he liked it so much.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 We finally made it to the San Francisco area.  We stopped by the Oakland Temple before going to find our hotel.

California here I come...Part 5

 We spent the night in Monterrey and got up early to take a look at Cannery Row. 

 

 On our drive northward we stopped at some fresh food markets and grabbed some snacks.

 Josh couldn't believe how big these oranges were.  Avacados and artichokes were 10 for $1.00...not back in Utah!

 We stopped for some fun at Santa Cruz Beach.  We hadn't been to many beaches with boardwalks and amusement parks.

 We opted for the "beach" part of the experience.

 

 

 

 

 It is interesting what you can find at the beach.

 

 

 

 

 

 We decided to try the local food- garlic fries...

 deep fried twinkies and deep fried oreos...

 

 potato on a stick...

they all turned out to be pretty yummy.

California here I come...Part 4

We left the beach in Carmel and started on "17 Mile Drive"

I'm not sure why you have to pay to drive along the coast and look at beautiful scenery...but you do.

Famous Lone Cypress Tree

California here I come...Part 3

 We stopped by the Madonna Inn in San Louis Obispo before heading up the coast highway.  Perhaps one day we will stay there and experience their over-the-top décor in a hotel room for the night.  Until then, we just have to get our kicks out of the cool restrooms.

 

 One of our stops was also a stop for elephant seals.

 Some of the coastline.

 A beautiful waterfall on the beach- a short and beautiful hike.

 

 A cool bridge that we passed over.

 The beach at Carmel.  You have to pose with  your name in the sand at least once.

 He has a longer name to write.

 Josh chose an interesting spot to write his name...look what happens.

 

 

 

A great time at Carmel.  We will start the next segment just after we leave the beach.

California here I come...part 2

 Father's Day- we attended church in Fresno.  Brad got a super yummy cookie at church.   We did some driving that day.

 The late afternoon found us on the coast and we spent some time at the beach.

 Avila beach.

 Lots of little crabs all over the place, but not really meant for eating.