4 Wheels 4 Girls

May 15th, after the Adventure Playground, my dad’s friend, Perry (who was awesome, by the way), gave us a big surprise.

Well, anyway, here’s the story. So, as we were walking back from the Adventure Playground, us sisters chatted with Perry’s son, Owen. He’s in third grade (like Ellie), he was really cool, and he was really smart, too. He had shown us around his house, which is a boat, by the way, and he introduced me, Ellie, Ana, and Greta to his two cats, and what he called his “evil bunny”. The bunny didn’t seem very evil to me, but whatever. Owen knows much better than me.

So, we walked back to the RV, and chatted with Owen, and along the way, I picked a couple pieces of dill off the bushes and snacked on it. It was good; it tasted like licorice. Yum… So anyway, we made it back to the parking lot. I wasn’t sure what we would have done besides that, but Perry led us to a Coast Guard trailer. He opened it up and rolled out… Coastie!

Coastie's Uncle is a Cutter

Coastie was weird. I could only guess what it was, and I just guessed a little model for Perry’s work, but I was completely off. Coastie rolled around on wheels, and Perry used a remote control thing to make it go places. Greta had headphones with a mouth-piece and whenever she talked, the Coastie thing would say exactly what she was saying, but in a much higher voice. Owen also made Coastie talk, and Coastie told us about himself.

We had a lot of fun with Coastie that day. We’ll have more tomorrow!

On May 15, we went to Adventure Playground, a playground that was built and keeps being rebuilt by kids, in Berkeley. It was very fun. I built a fort with Owen. Greta helped us paint and I got paint all over my winter coat. It’s OK though because Perry said it will wash out. And then we climbed through a spider web thing and I got stuck. And then we left and went down to the beach and built sandcastles. After that we went and had pizza. We had cheese and sausage pizza. It was really good.

In the nets at Adventure Playground

We left the Santa Cruz Boardwalk pretty late on May 14. The girls all climbed into bed and fell fast asleep as I started the drive back up toward Berkeley. I was not expecting the relatively short drive back to the bay area to involve endless construction barriers along a curvy, perilous climb up and down a mountain range in the pitch black night, but that was pretty much the experience. Thankfully there was a stretch-limo taking it very slow, so I locked onto its taillights and focused on staying off the concrete walls. We made it safely to a quiet spot north of San Jose, where I could get some sleep.

With our favorite friends in Berkeley, CA

The next day we met up with friends in Berkeley. It was a delight to reconnect with my childhood friend, Perry, to meet his wonderful family, and to get a glimpse into his world. We were lucky to spend a full day with them, to explore the Berkeley Marina and enjoy its view across the bay, and to get a good taste of Berkeley. But, I will pass the telling of the day’s events along to the young storytellers…

On Saturday, May 14th, we visited the boardwalk in Santa Cruz. Remember the big white roller coaster I talked about? Well this was the place where I could ride it! I was super excited. There were a ton of other rides too. I was born a roller coaster girl, so this was totally my cup of tea. We got in line at the ticket booth and purchased all-day passes for the boardwalk. This means we could ride all the rides we wanted all day long. It was SO fabulous.

The Giant Dipper, sixth oldest coaster in the U.S.A.

First, Dad, Stella, and I rode the Giant Dipper, the big white roller coaster that was the biggest ride on the boardwalk. It was also the sixth-oldest roller coaster in the United States, built in 1924. So anyway Stella wanted to be in the middle so we shared a seat somewhat close to the front and Dad sat in front of us. The ride totally earned its name. It was full of sharp turns, big drops, huge hills, and it was totally unpredictable. The only thing it lacked was an upside-down loop. I loved it.

Next, we all rode the merry-go-round. I wanted to spend my time riding the big scary rides, but Dad said we had to be willing to ride all rides, big and small. To my surprise though, the merry-go-round was unique and fun, and it was 100 years old! If you got a seat on one of the outside horses, you could reach your hand out and grab a metal ring as the ride went around and around. You would throw the ring and try to land it in a big clown’s mouth. The first time we rode it only Dad got an outside seat, and he got one in the clown’s mouth! The other times we rode it, I made sure to get an outside seat. I got really close to making it in, but I never did actually get it. It was SO a right-handed game, and guess what I am? A lefty. I normally have pretty good aim. Lucky- right-handed Dad threw it in 3 times! That big stinker. :p

On the best Merry-Go Round ever!

After the carousel Dad and Ana went to ride the little helicopters while Stella, Ellie, and I went to ride the Haunted Castle, but unfortunately the ride was down for some repairs. They said we could come back in 30 minutes, so while we waited for them to finish their helicopter ride, we watched a man draw caricatures of a couple sitting in two chairs. Soon they were back and we were off to our next ride!

Then it was nearing lunchtime, so we did one more ride: the Seaswings. It was the classic swinging-chair ride, but it was great. We all rode them and they were fun. Then we headed back to our camper to have a quick meal of sandwiches. We ate them at lightning speed so we could go right back out to the boardwalk.

We rode the ferris wheel. I thought it was going to be another dinky little ride, but it was scary! Stella, Ellie, and I shared a car and we got stuck at the 3 freakiest places. Also, the car shook, and we screamed our heads off. I bet we sounded like total idiots and I’m sure lots of people looked at us like, “Who in the world are those losers up there?” but we didn’t care. We were all way too terrified that we were going to tip over backwards and fall out of our car. But of course it was fun!

Next, Ellie and Stella and I decided to do the Haunted Castle. While we were in line, I tried to assure Stella and Ellie that it wouldn’t be too scary, but of course… they were still scared. It was their first time on any kind of scary ride though, so I could sort of understand their fear. Sort of. Like I said, I just LOVE any kind of ride that gives you a thrill. By the time we were in our little fright car, they were terrified. The people running the ride wouldn’t let us all ride in one row, so since Stella and Ellie didn’t want to ride by themselves, they rode in the back together while I sat in the front by myself. The ride really wasn’t scary; there was just a bunch of shrieking, things that popped out at you, and evil cackling. Mwah ah ah ah ah! I can do a great evil laugh. There was one big monster thing that made Stella scream her butt off while I just laughed and laughed. I found the whole thing hysterical. At the end of the tour of the haunted castle, we went under a guillotine to be beheaded before the ride was over. We could see the big blade hanging over our heads, and then it dropped! Even I screamed at that one, mostly because I really didn’t expect it to fall. That ride was REALLY entertaining.

We met up with Dad and Ana and then did a little dragon roller coaster. It was Ana’s first one besides Disney World and she loved it! At least I think. She said she liked it but she tends to change her mind quite often.

Then Dad, Stella, Ellie, and I rode a fast blue coaster called the Hurricane. It went sideways and almost upside down! Stella and I loved it, but Ellie hated it. Oh well, she’s just not much of a roller coaster girl. Then the four of us rode the Giant Dipper, and Ellie hated that one too, even more than the Hurricane. Geez, I absolutely cannot relate to that girl when it comes to roller coasters.

Ellie and Ana riding the Seaswings together. Can you spot them?

Then Stella, Dad, and I rode the Giant Dipper 2 more times while Ellie and Ana rode the Seaswings 3 or 4 more times. Then Ellie, Stella, and I rode a really sweet ride called Wipeout. It had 3 disks that spun with 4 cars on each one. Those spun too. The coolest thing about the ride was that all the lights were completely turned off except some flashing colored strobe lights, so you could only see flashes of the room as you were spinning around and around. It was soooooooo cool. We only got to ride it twice since we discovered it too late in the day.

We went to the RV, ate a quick dinner of tortellinis, and went straight back to the boardwalk. Stella and I rode the Hurricane and the Haunted Castle again, then met up with Ellie and rode Wipeout. It was a terrible ride to do right after dinner, but I have an incredibly strong stomach so I didn’t feel sick at all. Then Stella and I rode the Giant Dipper with Dad one more time, and then while Ellie, Dad, and Ana rode the carousel, we rode the Dipper two more times. We got great seats both times, the very front and the very back. The front is fun because you… are in the front. It’s just fun to be able to go over all the hills and bumps first. The back is fun ’cause you get whipped over everything super fast. I of course put my hands up both times. It’s the very best way to ride a roller coaster.

We got lucky and got to ride the merry-go-round two times after the dipper before the boardwalk closed. Then we went back to the RV, got ready for bed, and went to sleep. It was a super duper duper duper duper duper fun day!!!

On May 13th we drove down highway 1 along the ocean. Most of the time we saw the ocean but sometimes we saw hills. At one point we saw that part of the ocean was very light blue. Greta said she thought some one had poured a lot of coolade in the ocean. Daddy told Ana that she worked really hard to get her pictures taken in that strong wind.

We drove until we came to a stop for construction where the road had crumbled away. We waited for a long time. Then we moved about a foot. We just sat there. I went back to Ana’s bed and read a book. I read for a minute and then we started moving. Then we stopped again. We waited for a while and then we finely got on our way.

Along Highway One, near Big Sur

We saw huge rocks in the water. We drove to Big Sur. When we got there we saw huge cliffs. Then we turned around and headed back. We got to Santa Cruz. We drove to our campground. When we got out, Daddy showed us how to hook up the RV. Then we went inside and made dinner. I made Ana’s bed for an early birthday gift. We had these pasta things and had ice cream after that. Then Daddy read some of To Kill a Mockingbird to us. After that we went to bed. At one point a bird woke me up. Then I went back asleep.

On May 13 we drove from the stables to the Monterey town were we hopped out and took a walk.

Our campground in Monterey was next to some horse stables. All the stable doors looked like this.

First we went to a barber shop to get Daddy a hair cut. We read some books and then Daddy’s hair cut finally ended so we could move on. When we got outside it was so cold. We walked to the Cannery Row. We were so hungry. I saw a sight that made me go crazy. Cinnamon buns! Warm, hot, steamy on a cold, freezing day. We could smell them.

On Cannery Row with John Steinbeck, who is wearing a very fancy hat.

We keep on walking and got our pictures taken and then went back to the RV and had lunch. We were having tuna salad and chicken salad. I do not like either. Daddy made me have both. I got real mad. Then he made me a hummus sandwich. After that we left. I had a great time but a cold time.

Thursday, May 12, we drove down Highway 1 from San Francisco to our campground 3 hours away in Monterey. We drove through many cool towns, but the big cool one was Santa Cruz. It had a really cool boardwalk with a bunch of rides, including a big white roller coaster. I really wanted to ride it but we had to keep moving to get to our campground. I loved seeing the Pacific Ocean, the palm trees, and all the people as we were cruising through the towns.

Cliffs, beaches, and Ana along Hwy 1

Beautiful flowers, amazing turquoise water, and a cold wind along Hwy 1

After a great ride through California, we arrived in Monterey. It was a pretty little town full of old buildings. It was right along the Pacific. Our campground was at a fairground, not being used at the time but it was still cool.

May 12th, I sat up front with Dad. Jean was gone again so I got to spend more alone time with Dad. Except Ana kept staring over my shoulder. I think she was trying to look at Dad’s phone, which is what I was holding. Dad had asked me to navigate him around the city of San Francisco, and the best navigation system was his phone. Well, Ana just kept staring over my shoulder and it got really annoying. I decided she was trying to stare at the phone because that’s what she does when there’s an electronic device around. She, for some reason, thinks electronics are extremely interesting, which is really strange, because she types on the computer almost every day to do posts, and it’s ESPECIALLY odd that she’d think Dad’s phone was interesting because all it is is a little blue dot that slowly moves down a long purple line… pretty boring. Well anyway, her eyes just stayed glued, and I decided I would have to deal with it. Oh well.

So we drove down the confusing little streets, and when earlier, Dad told us San Francisco was EXTREMELY hilly, I had just thought, ookay…? Every place has hills… But now that I was there, I knew EXACTLY what he meant. Man, that place was hilly… When Dad had said hilly, he’d meant it. We didn’t get any pictures of any of the hills, but… oh, man, I’ll just have to tell you.

We were driving down a not-too-steep hill, although when we had come up on it, I had barely been able to see the bottom, or at ALL where the road went because it was so steep, but still, it was one of the more level roads. That’s crazy, isn’t it? But that’s not the story I’m gonna tell. And for what I’m about to write, please understand that I mean exactly what I say, got it? Alright, here I go…

Okay, so we drove down the not-too-steep hill, and by now I was getting pretty freaked. We had gone up and down horrifying roads and– we got to the bottom of this hill. I sighed, and kind of relaxed. But when I realized what we were gonna have to do… oooh, should I tell you? Maybe I shouldn’t. Okay, The End. No, I’m joking. Alright, here’s the ACTUAL story with no pauses or fake The Ends. Here it is.

When I realized what we were gonna have to do, I tensed up again. ( Hey! Maybe that’s why my neck was hurting a few days after!) Hahaha! Just joking! Okay, so when we got down to the intersection, I was – was – horrified!!! To the left was a hill that went almost STRAIGHT up. I decided we were NOT going on that one… I looked to the right. It was pretty flat, but that was exactly the OPPOSITE of the way we were supposed to be going. Then I looked in front of us, because that was the way we were supposed to go. But I looked and… there was nothing there! Oh wait, maybe there was! Oh, great, there WAS! Oh, no! It was awful! Holy guacamole! Okay, I’ll be quiet now. So anyway, the road in front of us was the steepest I’d seen in the WHOLE TOWN!!! The reason why I said there wasn’t anything there was because it was so incredibly steep that I just couldn’t see anything! To me, it actually looked like the road just ended there. And then I couldn’t believe what was happening. Dad started to drive toward it!!! “Dad, no!” I said it quietly so he wasn’t really listening. I was sooo relieved when a tour bus came from the right. The driver started giving Dad signals that said, Noooo!!! Back up and go left!! Dad asked the two teenage girls standing on the sidewalk if he was clear behind him. They said yes and told him he was fine. So he started backing up. (Hey! Who says he needs to listen to a bus driver and two teenage girls but not his own daughter! Not fair!) So we went to the left ( which was the hill that went straight up, which is a little better than straight down but was horrifying anyway) and we went to look at the Golden Gate Bridge. We did and it was really cool. Dad said it was hung by the red suspension cords on it and that it was the biggest suspension bridge in the U.S.A., maybe even the world. We didn’t go over it yet, we’re saving it for when Jean gets back, but it was pretty cool just to see it, and I’m looking forward to going on it. But for then, we’d just have to enjoy the view. So that was my story. Did you like it? You’ll have to comment to let me know how you feel, and I would also like to know if you have stories about steep hills or anything like that. I’d love to hear them!

On May 11th we drove Mommy to the airport. We got there at night and I was fast asleep. All of a sudden, a huge noise woke me up. Be quiet, I thought. I was so, so, so mad at that airplane. Then I fell fast asleep. Guess what happened! Another dumb airplane woke me up again. I was fast asleep when uhhh there were so many airplanes. I don’t think you will want to hear me telling you the same thing over and over again.

Noisy airplanes are not good

In the morning my mom got packed up and left. I cried and then Daddy came and cheered me up a little and I hopped out of bed and ate breakfast. Stella helped Daddy navigate us to a place were we got our oil changed. When we got there they made us get out and go to the waiting room. Greta brought Uno so we played a couple of rounds and then they told us that the RV was ready. After that we went to San Francisco.