Sea Lions by the bay!

Wow.  Today has been one big ball of fun!!  We woke up in a house...a real house.  Had some breakfast, showered, drank some smoothies...already off to a great start!  After the "getting ready" part of the morning, Leigh went off to work, while Dustin, Adam, and I shipped off, heading towards Santa Cruz.

The drive to the boardwalk was relaxing.  No stalling van, nothing.  Dustin drove us, acting as a tour guide and explaining all of the sights we were seeing.  We arrived at the bay a few hours later and found ourselves amazed.  The colors were so different...the palm trees, the people....the boardwalk was gorgeous.  Similar to OOB, but better...way better.  The day was beautiful.  Sunshine, zero humidity, and a light ocean breeze to complete it.  We walked down to the water, stuck our toes in, and enjoyed the famous taffy they make here.  After soaking in the sun for a while, we headed down the beach to the pier.

At the pier, there were your typical shops and restaurants, but again, it was just nicer.  The thing that was SO different, and awesome, was the sea lions!  They are like mermaids combined with a puppy!!!!  SO cute!  We enjoyed laughing at their amusing noises and cute little faces, and then decided that we have to bring one home.  No, really...we need a sea lion. After watching the sea lions for a while, Dustin brought us back down the pier a little ways to one of his favorite seafood restaurants and treated us to a very yummy lunch! : )  After our fine-dining experience on the top floor, on the pier, we made our way down the Pacific Highway, Route 1.

We took the highway all the way into San Francisco, the city by the bay.  It was beautiful.  I was actually convinced that Danny Tanner was going to pop out from behind a building or something... : )  We drove down by the famous Fisherman's Wharf, but we were glad not to stop as it was packed, but still cool to see.  The ups and downs of the roads amazed us, and we just laughed as we went up, up, up until we reached the famous, Lombard Street.  It was so cool!  We curved all the way down, while enjoying a gorgeous view of the city.  From here, we drove through little Italy, China Town, and then into the huge part of the city with all the sky scrapers.  We parked under Union Square, and enjoyed a cup of coffee at the massive cafe above us.

From San Francisco we took the famous Golden Gate Bridge and headed into Napa Valley, where Dustin works.  It was beautiful wine country.  Dustin drove us through some of his companies vineyards, and then actually took us to where the company is located.  It was amazing...vines and bright flowers, rolling hills of vineyards....so pretty.  We then drove into the town of Napa, where we met Leigh for dinner at a burger joint that is known for serving fine wines with their burgers, called Gotts...or something, but it's been on the food network, which was super cool.  Then we headed home, and I'm not sure what the boys did, but Leigh and I drove through the downtown of Suisun City and then home.  Once we were home, we took the dogs for a walk, cleaned up the van, and enjoyed delicious gourmet cupcakes.  Then, we all just enjoyed a little relaxation in front of the TV while discussing what we might do tomorrow...Leigh got the day off, which is awesome!

The day was just one big treat for us, and we feel beyond thankful for the generosity.  It is so nice to be able to go someplace and feel at home, and that is how we feel.  Thanks Dustin and Leigh!!!  Tomorrow we will be off again, enjoying whatever we do, and then we will stay another night, waking up early Wednesday to take off.  Til tomorrow, goodnight!

-Sierra