California Dreamin'-A 14 Day Odyssey to San Fran,Yosemite & DL! 8/2013 COMPLETE!1/9!!

[scottny]

Love the bread. LOL
In N Out are some good burgers.
Coming up next sounds interesting. LOL

 

[podsnel]

Is Tyler a junior? Tell him to slow down. Sarah is right behind him and I am NOT ready to start researching universities. Does he have preferences? Sarah is saying Stanford but I think she should go to Gonzaga. My ex can pay for it since I paid for him to go there. Sounds fair to me.

Yes- we just went to Drexel and St Joseph's in Philadelphia and Rutger's this week (kids had off Thurs and Fri for teachers convention- our first Jersey week missed in WDW in YEARS!). He really did not have much of an opinion on where to go or what he wanted- until we went this week on the visits. VERY motivating to see places he would like to go to- it made it all much more real to him, and he truly loved Drexel. So did Timmy, we are bringing him on all the visits and he is answering all their questions on the tours, it's kind of funny- they all think he's so much older than he is, even with his still baby face. Lol! Stanford! Wow, that's amazing! She must be very smart like her Mommy! What's Gonzaga? Where is it? What does she want to do? Tyler is saying psychology or business- but he won't come up with a plan for how to use that Psychology degree, so if that's what he wants, it's either his 2nd major or a minor.

And your financial plan sounds very sound lol!

 

[podsnel]

I have to get back to California just for the In-N-Out!!! I miss those!

Jill in CO

Maybe you should open one in CO- they are soooo yummy!

 

[podsnel]

So what does animal style mean. It does look good.

It's on their not so secret secret menu- there were pickles, lettuce, tomatoes and a ton of some kind of special sauce- it was a mess, but it was yummy!

 

[podsnel]

Love the bread. LOL
In N Out are some good burgers.
Coming up next sounds interesting. LOL

Oh, it'll be interesting alright.......

 

[jedijill]

Maybe you should open one in CO- they are soooo yummy!

If I could, I would. They are a privately owned company and don't franchise. Closest one we have is Vegas...still don't understand how Dallas got one before we did in Denver!

Jill in CO

 

[MAGICFOR2]

It's on their not so secret secret menu- there were pickles, lettuce, tomatoes and a ton of some kind of special sauce- it was a mess, but it was yummy!

Oh, and don't forget the grilled onions all melted into the cheese! My mouth is watering - They used to be only in Cali, but they have started heading East - Nevada, Utah, Arizona and now Texas, but sadly, (or maybe happily??) they don't have one here yet. So glad you liked: it!

Sounds like your upcoming story is like ours on the bus at DTD - opcorn:

 

[dizneeat]

Again, great photos and they bring back some very happy memories, sans the bike thing. NO WAY would I use a bike in that city.
We have yet to tackle the In 'n' Out burgers, but yours look so yummy, so I made another note for 2016 (my list is getting pretty long, I guess we need to add another week )

Can't wait to hear about your biking adventure!

 

[kid-at-heart]

Yes- we just went to Drexel and St Joseph's in Philadelphia and Rutger's this week (kids had off Thurs and Fri for teachers convention- our first Jersey week missed in WDW in YEARS!). He really did not have much of an opinion on where to go or what he wanted- until we went this week on the visits. VERY motivating to see places he would like to go to- it made it all much more real to him, and he truly loved Drexel. So did Timmy, we are bringing him on all the visits and he is answering all their questions on the tours, it's kind of funny- they all think he's so much older than he is, even with his still baby face. Lol! Stanford! Wow, that's amazing! She must be very smart like her Mommy! What's Gonzaga? Where is it? What does she want to do? Tyler is saying psychology or business- but he won't come up with a plan for how to use that Psychology degree, so if that's what he wants, it's either his 2nd major or a minor.

And your financial plan sounds very sound lol!

Mom, average intelligence, very dyslexic, motivated through the higher ed system by anger and basically putting one foot in front of another – year after year.

Gonzaga is a private Jesuit University in Spokane WA. John, ex-husband, attended there eight years, undergrad and law school while I worked as a typist at an insurance company. I was supposed to go to college after he finished. He took a walk and I ended up putting myself through ten years of school without his help. Mr. Pretty Boy (John) is now overweight and an alcoholic. I am the lucky one. I have a job I love and an awesome family to come to every day.

Sarah is smart but she does not think she is smart. More important, she has a plan for her school career and it is not to marry some poor guy and have him put her through college. We have told her she can go anywhere she wants to go and is accepted providing she can obtain scholarships. Otherwise she will probably have to go to an in-state public university. So her plan is to take as many AP courses as she can and apply for as many scholarships as she can. Soooooo, she wants to go to Stanford but she might have to go to MSU or UM. All are good schools. At the moment she wants to be an archeologist. That will probably change as she experiences life. All we care is that she be self-sufficient.

Regarding Tyler and psychology, as a psychologist I can say, it is a fun field to study. He might want to look into “Industrial and Organizational Psychology”. It combines business and psychology and a bunch of other stuff. http://www.siop.org/
If one is majoring in psychology they need to plan to go all the way to a MA or a PhD. There is not much you can do with a BA in psych. Of course, that is starting to be true about most of the majors. How sad.

It is good you brought Timmy with youse. He will be touring before you know it and maybe with these pre-visits you can skip a few of the places you are going this year. He does seem mature beyond his chronological years.

 

[rentayenta]

Isn't In n Out the best? I get my fries animal style and burgers regular, sometimes without cheese even.

 

[podsnel]

If I could, I would. They are a privately owned company and don't franchise. Closest one we have is Vegas...still don't understand how Dallas got one before we did in Denver!

Jill in CO

I did not realize, but thought it had to be something like that- maybe they have a cousin in Dallas that had a craving, lol!

Oh, and don't forget the grilled onions all melted into the cheese! My mouth is watering - They used to be only in Cali, but they have started heading East - Nevada, Utah, Arizona and now Texas, but sadly, (or maybe happily??) they don't have one here yet. So glad you liked: it!

Sounds like your upcoming story is like ours on the bus at DTD - opcorn:

Well, I will have to get grilled onions next time- this time my instructions were just get ANIMAL style from the DIS community...

Again, great photos and they bring back some very happy memories, sans the bike thing. NO WAY would I use a bike in that city.

It is actually a GREAT city to bike in- TONS of bike paths all over the place- People are riding everywhere, most especially because having a car in SF is a huge PITA- not alot of parking, and what is there is VERY expensive.
We have yet to tackle the In 'n' Out burgers, but yours look so yummy, so I made another note for 2016 (my list is getting pretty long, I guess we need to add another week )

Well you ARE traveling awfully far to get there.....

Can't wait to hear about your biking adventure!

Oh, it's an adventure alright....

Mom, average intelligence, very dyslexic, motivated through the higher ed system by anger and basically putting one foot in front of another – year after year.

Gonzaga is a private Jesuit University in Spokane WA. John, ex-husband, attended there eight years, undergrad and law school while I worked as a typist at an insurance company. I was supposed to go to college after he finished. He took a walk and I ended up putting myself through ten years of school without his help. Mr. Pretty Boy (John) is now overweight and an alcoholic. I am the lucky one. I have a job I love and an awesome family to come to every day.

WHAT A JERK!! But very glad it sounds like karma is biting him in the butt- and I am so glad you have such a great attitude- love that your life has turned out the total opposite of his!

Sarah is smart but she does not think she is smart. More important, she has a plan for her school career and it is not to marry some poor guy and have him put her through college. We have told her she can go anywhere she wants to go and is accepted providing she can obtain scholarships. Otherwise she will probably have to go to an in-state public university. So her plan is to take as many AP courses as she can and apply for as many scholarships as she can. Soooooo, she wants to go to Stanford but she might have to go to MSU or UM. All are good schools. At the moment she wants to be an archeologist. That will probably change as she experiences life. All we care is that she be self-sufficient.

Yes, that is ultimately the concern- that they are independent and happy in life. It's kind of scary for us parents, isn't it?

Regarding Tyler and psychology, as a psychologist I can say, it is a fun field to study. He might want to look into “Industrial and Organizational Psychology”. It combines business and psychology and a bunch of other stuff. http://www.siop.org/
If one is majoring in psychology they need to plan to go all the way to a MA or a PhD. There is not much you can do with a BA in psych. Of course, that is starting to be true about most of the majors. How sad.

That's what our concern is with Tyler- I don't know that he is up for an MA or PhD- and with Psych that is most definitely required. Thank you for the wonderful advice on Industrial and organizational psychology- I will pass it on to him.

I think it is FASCINATING subject matter, and so does he. The question is of whether he is willing to rise to the occasion- he is very smart, but tends to also be somewhat lazy. He gets Bs with no studying- he refuses to study, saying he can do it without it. Well, he is FINALLY realizing that B students don't get into these schools we are looking at- he needs to step it up and actually spend some time with his nose in a book once in a while. Imagine.

It is good you brought Timmy with youse. He will be touring before you know it and maybe with these pre-visits you can skip a few of the places you are going this year. He does seem mature beyond his chronological years.

Exactly our thought- I think it also it is motivating to Timmy, not just Tyler. And he preferred the smaller school (St Joe's- also a Jesuit school) to Rutgers (the giant megalopolis University). So crazy that we are already here with them. They were just babies 10 minutes ago, ya know?

Isn't In n Out the best? I get my fries animal style and burgers regular, sometimes without cheese even.

WITHOUT CHEESE????? What kind of half done crazy concoction is THAT?????

 

[podsnel]

So...here we go. The ride of a lifetime.

We had seen the route of where we would be riding NOT ONCE, but TWICE. We had helmets, bikes and bottled water. We had actual MAPS. AND-

we had ME. Since the first MOMENT everyone agreed a trip to SF was in our future, I was ON IT. I knew that no matter what else we did, we would be biking over the Golden Gate Bridge. Why? Because when Disney had done one of their ABD's here, or tried to, a ride over the bridge was a part of it. And I just thought, WOW- we have GOT to do that! Coolest thing EVER!



So, in typical Ellen-over-the-top-uber-planner fashion, I researched the crap out of it- read every review of every bike company, every Blog from every SF traveler, every forum entry over there on Trip Advisor. And review on Yelp.

Yea, I know. I'm a little obsessed. Anyone need an over-the-top-uber-planner travel agent? I am TOTALLY your gal.

And what did I learn over the course of nearly 2 years of research?

The bike path goes next to the BEACH. Other than one big hill (that was ONE- as in singular. UNO. Less than 10 and various assorted other numbers. ONE.), and a hill up to the bridge itself, AND of course, the ride DOWN after the bridge into sausalito, the ride was basically FLAT. As in casual. Even though it is close to 10 miles. FLAT. Above all else, I read, AND WAS TOLD TWICE THAT DAY BY TWO DIFFERENT BIKE COMPANIES, make sure that you ride along the waterfront. It will take you along the beach, is gorgeous, and quiet, and before you go up to the bridge it will take you to an awesome spot for a family photo.



We began. I am sure you have caught on by now that a ride along the beach is NOT what we had. But, well, it started out ok. We had to walk the bikes down to the path, and then hop on to ride after we got to the trolley turnaround. We rode out on a pier, and I took some pictures.











Now, I should mention that Pods wanted to ride along the road when we got down to where we would hop on the bikes and begin our ride- but I explained that NO, the path was DOWN THERE, go THIS WAY.

And that was the very LAST time he or anyone else listened to me.

So, we biked away from the pier- and immediately you hit that BIG hill I knew about in Fort Mason. Which would be VERY VERY VERY good to build up some momentum for.

OR, you can do what we did, which is come to a full freakin STOP at the bottom and start with NOTHING.

For the record, i did not stop. The others in front of me did, so I had no choice.

For obvious reasons, I do NOT recommend or endorse this method of hill biking.

Except for you Cynthia. You would probably totally rock it.

So once we were finally up the hill, there was



and

I think it was somewhere around here that Pods decided to go some other way. Tyler too. Timmy was kind of hanging back with me. As I screamed NOT THAT WAY TURN RIGHT!!! no one listened. Of course. What do I know anyway, I had only been dreaming of and planning this for 2 years! Pods and tyler had been vaguely aware we were even doing this for all of 5 minutes before their butts hit their bike seats.

Clearly, they knew MUCH more than ME.



So, instead of riding along the water, we rode (albeit on bike paths or sidewalks) right next to the very busy, noisy, pollution filled road! AWESOME. NOT. We did our little tour on Mason Street. HIGHLY DO NOT RECOMMEND. Not that it was dangerous or anything like that, just that it was very URBAN and not in the slightest paying any resemblance to a ride at the beach in any way, shape or form. We did pass by the Palace of Fine Arts, an absolutely GORGEOUS building I would like to explore further one day...



At some point, I managed to corral them down to the warming Hut where we were able to use the bathrooms-

Click to play


Nice fog horns, huh?

Upon departing there we somehow managed to go the wrong way AGAIN and uphill in both directions miss that nice family pic I wanted to take for the past 2 years of us at the base of the bridge. INSTEAD, what was ESPECIALLY nice, was that while Pods and Tyler were busy enjoying the ultimate hill challenge, Timmy and I were NOT having fun with it AT ALL.

But don't worry.

It can always get worse.

Back soon-

Oh- and PS- here's a vid from that morning at Alcatraz- in it I mention how bad it smells- I guess the seagulls and their nastiness with a twist of seals maybe? I dunno- it was very noisy, and when the wind blew just wrong, it smelled to high heaven-

click to play-

 

[jedijill]

Oh no!



Jill in CO

 

[franandaj]

Oh, and don't forget the grilled onions all melted into the cheese! My mouth is watering - They used to be only in Cali, but they have started heading East - Nevada, Utah, Arizona and now Texas, but sadly, (or maybe happily??) they don't have one here yet. So glad you liked: it!

Sounds like your upcoming story is like ours on the bus at DTD - opcorn:

You beat me to this, but later posts from Ellen suggest that her onions were not grilled! I thought that was the main point of animal style. I've actually never had one animal style. I think I know what I want for lunch today! After what I ate this weekend what's another extra pound! LOL!

I'm interested to hear where they told you it was OK to ride the bikes or more provocative where NOT to ride them!

 

[podsnel]

Ok, now where was I ....oh yes. Our family bike debacle of epic proportions.



So I did keep trying to get us down by the water, but then the SECOND I was done clicking my camera, Tyler and Pods would take off in the wrong direction all uphill both ways, leaving me and Tim in the dust.





So, as we were swinging it on up there to the bridge, the OTHER path...the one that came up from Fort point, i believe? Where all the OTHER families had just taken a pic of themselves in front of the fogged in GGB? Yea- THAT was where I pointed to Pods- see? You guys have NO RESPECT. I planned this for 2 years. And you wouldn't listen. We were supposed to be down THERE. But we weren't. Thanks a LOT.

HMMPHHH.

Anyway, at some point, he realized his error, and he got together with the boys for a pic.



And we continued biking over the bridge. Which was VERY crowded with both pedestrians and bikers. Because for some reason I can't fathom, the other side is closed to pedestrians and bikers mid day, so everyone going both ways is on one side.

At this point I should mention the importance of using hand brakes. Because that's what these bikes have, is hand brakes. Now, I know, you are thinking, sure- my kid knows how to use hand brakes! He has had them on his bike ALONG WITH FOOT BRAKES for years.

Well, think again.

Because if there are foot brakes on his bike, and his name is Timmy, chances are he has never even considered trying out those hand brakes that have also been on his bike for years.

Do you feel a sense of Deja Vu from another TR of mine, or is it just me?

Well, not yet, but it's coming.

Anyway, Pods was asking like every 5 seconds if i wanted to take a pic (Oh yea- he knew he messed up, and he was sucking up BIG) and once in a while I would take a pic, like here, which was about mid way-



Still so froggy, tho-



Now, none of these pics show how crowded it was. Because I was too busy navigating between walkers and bikers in both directions along with the frequent Kamikaze racer who was speeding along at a much faster speed than he should have been, so well, I did not take any pics when the path was super packed and nutty, which it often was. It was busy on that bridge.

Tim, who was up near Tyler, had gotten to a group of 4 ahead before we could stop him.

A family of four, walking, hands linked, in the path- from one side of the path to the other, across from left to right.

REALLY? Yes, really.

And young Tim, well, he forgot all about those hand brakes. He also forgot his voice to say EXCUSE ME. He did not forget, however, how it feels to run into someone. Because that is exactly what he did.

And they were soooooo mad.

Yelling all kinds of things at him- and me, when I got there.

Not to worry, I had several choice words for them and their four person human chain across the bike path, too. I AM from NJ, after all.

But I did apologize to them, too. He should have spoken up. Both about not knowing how to brake AND about how they needed to move over for the cluster of bikers and walkers they were backing up in both directions.

But I digress.

Finally, thankfully, we were to the other side.



Oh what a difference a bridge makes, huh?



Somehow, we managed to look like we were having fun for a pic-







After the bridge, we pulled off to have a look at Vista Point.









Isn't it beautiful?



Next, all that was left to do was coast down the big hills into the lovely town of Sausalito below us.

Easy, right?

No siree Bob, that would be easy NOT.

Because , while Pods and Tyler took off (now where have I typed that before?????) I was again with Timmy.

Who had decided it was exactly the right time to make full use of his hand brakes.

FULL use.

How we did not fall over on our bikes, I will never know. It was a physics miracle and should be published somewhere for goodness sake.

I was begging Timmy to just ease up a tiny bit on the brakes and coast just a little down the hill....and that was enough for him.

Not once, but twice. He threw down the bike and kicked it. And said he would never ride a bike again. Because bikes are STUPID and he HATES this bike (he actually had much more graphic things to say about that particular bike, but we'll just leave that to your imagination- times 10).

ETA- Just came back to add, that YES it really WAS that bad- he DID walk that bike down a lot of the hill- after I had convinced him to PLEASE go back and walk the bike down, don't just leave it here!

Good times.

It was nice I got to enjoy this very special mommy and me time with Timmy, wasn't it? Because Pods was about a mile and a half ahead of us at the bottom of the hill, coasting like crazy and WHOOPING it up with Tyler?

Yea. That was great.

So after I convinced him to get back up on the bike we rode down EVER SO (OMG, how is it possible I can balance on a stationery bike on this incline???) SLOWLY into Sausalito.

Eventually we re-grouped, and Pods and I followed the boys into town.



Such a great idea riding bikes across the bridge, wasn't it?



Up next- make mine a (very well deserved) double- and I am NOT talking about booze!

 

[ProudMommyof2]

Oh no! Best laid plans, huh! We love biking on vacation. We rented them in Washington DC and Hilton Head. You still have to get back across that bridge!

My family knows better than to mess with my research and trip planning, at least so far!

 

[jedijill]

Omg, I am literally laughing at loud here at work. You are a saint....I can't believe you didn't push someone over the bridge when you had the chance! I'm not sure I could ride a bike over the bridge...my insane fear of falling off wouldn't let me try it!


Jill in CO

 

[podsnel]

Oh no!



Jill in CO

Oh yes.....

You beat me to this, but later posts from Ellen suggest that her onions were not grilled! I thought that was the main point of animal style. I've actually never had one animal style. I think I know what I want for lunch today! After what I ate this weekend what's another extra pound! LOL!

Were there onions? Ya know, maybe we did have grilled onions on that first one- but I don't think so on the second- I don't know- I should really take notes!

And YOU ARE SOOOOOO LUCKY!! Have one for us!!

I'm interested to hear where they told you it was OK to ride the bikes or more provocative where NOT to ride them!

DON'T ride along the street- DO ride along the dunes and the beach- BIG BIG difference!

 

[podsnel]

Oh no! Best laid plans, huh! We love biking on vacation. We rented them in Washington DC and Hilton Head. You still have to get back across that bridge!

Nah- you take the ferry back. NO WAY was I going back across that bridge with my family of crazies! Although I can tell you that Pods & Tyler, who OBVIOUSLY enjoyed a completely different bike ride than timmy and I did, were seriously disappointed we were not biking both ways.

Only if you are bringing Timmy with you, my friends....

My family knows better than to mess with my research and trip planning, at least so far!

Remind them frequently. Learn from my mistakes!

Omg, I am literally laughing at loud here at work. You are a saint....I can't believe you didn't push someone over the bridge when you had the chance! I'm not sure I could ride a bike over the bridge...my insane fear of falling off wouldn't let me try it!

Jill in CO

Glad you are laughing- I read it over and over while I was writing it, and it is making me laugh out loud, too.

I PROMISE I was NOT laughing when it happened, though.

I think I posted on Facebook that I was throwing my family over as I was on the bike ride- good thing I didn't, too many witnesses, lol!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Well, I will have to get grilled onions next time- this time my instructions were just get ANIMAL style from the DIS community...



WITHOUT CHEESE????? What kind of half done crazy concoction is THAT?????

Animal Style DOES have the grilled onions, so you're good! They just weren't on your list of ingredients.

I KNOW when is a cheeseburger not a cheeseburger??? Actually sometimes I have my burger naked too - I mean the burger is..

Jim' uncle orders his burgers Protein Style, which is without the bun, but extra lettuce on top and bottom - a cheeseburger lettuce wrap!