Rachel's Visit to the Bay

On Wednesday, July 30, my sister arrived into San Jose for a five-day visit. I think I may need a vacation from my vacation: we were certainly on the go all five days so she could see as much of the Bay Area as possible.

Wednesday: we were both wiped out - Rach from the flight and time difference, me from work. We grabbed a light dinner in Willow Glen followed by frozen yogurt.

Thursday: we took the classic trip to Monterey and Carmel on a classically beautiful Bay Area day. We went to Cannery Row, visited the Aquarium (loved the jellies, otters, and seeing the penguins get fed), then headed down the coast. Rachel put her toes in the Pacific Ocean for the first time, and was surprised to find it colder than the Maine ocean this time of year! We saw Lover's Point then continued onto 17 Mile Drive. The highlight of this for me was the Lone Cypress - absolutely stunning and symbolic:

After 17 Mile Drive, we continued on Scenic Drive through Carmel, stopping at Carmel River State Park, which none of the tourists seem to know about. It is stunning and uncrowded.

We continued our ride through Carmel, seeing the Mission, then headed back up toward home, with a quick stop at the Gilroy Outlets. Rachel had her first experience with the Gilroy garlic odor!

Friday: San Francisco. You name it, we did it. Walk the Golden Gate Bridge? Check. See the Presidio? Check. Wander around Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39? Check. Eat sourdough bread at Boudin? Check. Ride a cable car? Check. Shop at Union Square? Check. Experience Chinatown? Check. Walk through North Beach, Telegraph Hill, and see the Coit tower? Check. Eat a fabulous dinner? Check.

We finished our day in the city at Perbacco for an Italian dinner with Victor. Our legs were aching from all the walking, but when we finally got home at midnight, Rachel could definitely say that she had experienced San Francisco!

Saturday: Our journey throughout the Bay continued on to Santa Cruz county. Bad traffic on Route 17 thwarted our progress at first. I took 85 to Route 9 in an attempt to circumvent the congestion. While this route led to my first venture through Saratoga and the vineyards of this area, we again encountered massive traffic problems on Route 9. So we circled back to a different part of Route 17 and were finally on our way. The first stop was Henry Cowell State Park to see the Redwoods. Amazing and astonishing. There is no way for pictures to capture the majesty of these massive trees. Look how short Rach and I look compared to one of them!

After our hike through the Redwoods, we continued on to Capitola and Santa Cruz. We had a super-late lunch at the Crow's Nest by the lighthouse in Santa Cruz. Rachel then saw all the requisite Santa Cruz sights: beach volleyball, the amusement park at the Boardwalk, and the surfers. We did a bit of shopping in the downtown area (my favorite part of this city, doesn't seem quite as seedy), then we began the trek back up to Campbell. We had a low-key evening, topped off with gelato from my favorite place in downtown Campbell.

Sunday: Rachel and I actually didn't spend much of this day together. I had a church retreat that I had to attend based on me now chairing a committee at church. This lasted the entire afternoon. While I was gone, Rach went to the farmers' market in Campbell, then took the light rail into San Jose for some museum time. In the evening, once I was back from San Mateo, we went to see "Mamma Mia."

Monday: our last day. We opted to stay local, starting with a walk on the Los Gatos Creek trail, followed by brunch at Stacks. I then introduced Rachel to the local shopping wonders: Santana Row and Valley Fair. She restrained herself more than I did, her lone purchase being from See's Candies. I had an eye appointment in the afternoon, which gave her a chance to see downtown Los Gatos. And then we ran out of time.

Rachel and I are already talking about her coming back for another visit next summer. There's always more to do in this area, plus we didn't even make it to wine country! It was a great semi-vacation for me, even though I didn't fully disconnect from work like I should have, nor was I as lazy as I probably needed to be. Nevertheless, I fully enjoyed our days together and look forward to seeing my family again soon.