4 Wheels 4 Girls

On Monday, May 30th, we arrived in Crater Lake National Park. We checked out the visitor center, parked, and then decided to walk down to explore the lodge and Crater Lake itself. When I saw it, I thought, WHOA. It was huge, a gaping round hole, with a little dome-shaped island in the middle called Wizard Island. Well, I suppose I should explain exactly what Crater Lake is…

*Speaks in mystical, story-teller voice* Thousands of years ago, there was a large volcano that created a massive explosion that blasted the volcano to bits. It collapsed in on itself and the broken pieces fell down and formed the bottom of this caldera. Over time the caldera filled with rain and snowmelt and formed Crater Lake. It is now almost 2,000 feet deep. Wizard Island is a newer volcano that formed under Crater Lake.

Crater Lake; cold, deep, and beautiful

So anyway, I stood and looked at it for like, ten minutes straight because it was so spectacular. Then the rest of the family joined me and we headed for the lodge. Read Ellie’s post to find out more! 😀

After our wonderful tour through the cave with Heather, we decided it would be nice to check out the warm cozy lodge and get something to eat. We warmed up by the fire and then explored the gift shop. By that time we were super hungry, so we went to the lodge cafe to get lunch.

This 50's diner was great

It smelled delicious, and we sat down at a long winding counter with spindly chairs. Our waitress, Connie, was very nice and she gave us each a free cookie in honor of Ana’s birthday. We chatted with her for a bit and we learned that she used to live near Atlanta, in Tennessee. It was nice to talk to someone from the Southeast like us!

We ordered our food; I got a buffalo burger with fries and a marion berry milkshake. Marion berries are like blackberries, only sweeter. Stella got a grilled cheese sandwich on rye bread but she meant to get it on wheat, so I got to eat it since she hates rye. The food hit the spot for all of us; it was absolutely marvelous.

After lunch, we quickly went back to the visitor center. Then we left the park and drove off for our next national park!

On May 28th, we took a very nice hike in the Redwood National Park. We bundled up in layers of clothing because of the cold wet weather, and we filled up our water bottles and started off on the trail.

It was on a path of dirt and leaves, so it didn’t hurt your knees to go downhill the way concrete does. We saw lots of banana slugs, massive trees, and pretty white flowers. We were under the canopy of the redwoods during the entire hike, so it was like we were walking under a shaded ceiling of green leaves and branches. We chatted along the way and got our shoes unbelievably muddy. There were also some cool hollow trees that we could climb inside.

These trees are HUGE!!!

My great grandma Erma LOVED ferns. We thought she would love to be on this hike with us since the forest floor was covered with ferns. It was really beautiful.

This ferny photo is for our great-grandmother Erma

We sang songs to entertain ourselves, and soon we reached Trillium Falls. It was a small, pretty waterfall with a bridge crossing over the creek that it flowed into. We admired it for a few minutes and then finished our hike. On the way back to the Visitor Center, we saw some elk with huge antlers.

I really liked the hike because of the beautiful scenery and towering redwoods. It is one of my favorites so far! 😛

After leaving our nice little campground in Mendocino, we left to go to Redwood Forest National Park. On the way we spotted a nice-looking beach to run around on for awhile, so we pulled over and hopped out. I brought my camera, of course.

Can you see the tiny dots near the waves? Those are us.

The water was much warmer than the ocean in Pacifica, and there were lots of pretty shells, sand dollars, and seaweed. There were also mole crabs and lots of dogs. (Those weren’t living on the beach, though. 😉 ) I tried SO hard to keep my feet dry and free of sand, so I was mostly the photographer. My sisters played around in the ocean and ran from the waves as they splashed at their ankles. It was really entertaining to watch them scream and have fun.

I only took a few pictures before Stella and Ana got caught in a sneaker, a big powerful wave that you don’t notice until it hits you. Dad was watching, and so we had to head back to the RV because the waves were getting strong. We cleaned the sand off our feet and then drove the rest of the way to the Redwoods!

On Sunday, May 22nd, we left Pacifica in the morning and drove back to San Francisco to visit a friend of my dad’s. I’d never met her, but she sounded really cool. She was a tall, red-headed lefty, and she was an artist. I was looking forward to meeting her and her husband.

We couldn’t find her house at first and there weren’t any parking spots, so we called Kelly. Her response was, “Oh, just park right in front of our house and block the driveway!” but of course, she hadn’t seen the RV and she obviously didn’t know about the massiveness of it, so my parents thought this was hysterical. We parked in a nearby lot with a big red “NO PARKING” sign. Jean sat in the camper while we went in. Kelly and her husband, Stephen, came out and greeted us, and they still said, “Just park it here! The neighbors won’t mind!” So we did.

It was nice; they were both very nice and friendly, and so was their puppy, Trilby. They showed us around, and then we got drinks and went out to their backyard. There were lots of pretty flowers, and we were impressed when Stephen told us that he had built the entire deck himself. We chatted, or rather, the adults did (I did a little) while we sipped our drinks. I mixed lime seltzer water with cranberry juice, and it was surprisingly very good. 😛

Sadly, we had to say goodbye at some point. Hugs were given out by everyone, and lastly we showed Kelly and Stephen the inside of the RV. Then we drove off, ready for yet another day in California!

Our favorite friends in the city of San Francisco. Isn't Trilby adorable?!

I know it was a great thing for Dad to be reunited with his friends, and it was nice for me to meet some nice new friends!

After our cold trip to the beach, we were SUPER hungry. We were all delighted to hear that Dad had ordered pizza from Sonny’s, the pizza place we’d all enjoyed the last time we were in Pacifica. We weren’t so excited to hear that the pizzas were larges instead of extra-larges. We got one half-cheese, half-Hawaiian and one half….. its hard to describe; there’s too many toppings to name them all. If you’d REALLY like to know, you can go back and read Ana’s post about the first trip to Pacifica.

We saved one piece each for lunch the next day, and then settled in at the same campground we stayed before.

We were at the library in Brentwood, and suddenly Mary drove up in her car. After we met her, I knew it would be a great few days. She was so friendly, and she treated us like she’d known us for years. We followed her to her house, and after we parked she led us inside. We then met her daughter, Olivia, and her best friend Chrissy. They were both fourteen and very nice and welcoming too. They showed us around, telling us to just relax, hang out, read, take showers, watch TV, and help ourselves to any food and anything we happen to find around the house. It was so good to actually be in a house after being in an RV for so long, and it was great to meet some nice new people. Thanks again, Mary and Olivia!

P.S. Stella had been begging for weeks and weeks to watch Alice in Wonderland (the newer one), and our second night at Mary’s house, we finally watched it! We had ice cream and climbed into Mary’s big bed for the movie. It was nice and comfy. After all that time, Stella said she didn’t enjoy the movie because Ana was scared.

On Tuesday May 17th, we decided to explore San Francisco despite the cold, gross, rainy weather. We parked our RV and set off with our raincoats and umbrellas for Pier 33 to see if we could catch a ferry to Alcatraz, the former island prison. Even on this yucky day, it was packed and the wait wasn’t worth it. We walked down to Pier 39, hoping to see some sea lions and find some good hot chocolate. We walked through the streets until we heard the honk of the sea lions. We turned the corner, and there they were! There were at least 50 of them lounging on wooden rafts about the size of a queen-size bed. We stood and watched them for at least 20 minutes because they were so entertaining.

On the way to get some hot cocoa after the sea lions, we saw a store called Lefty’s. I’m a lefty, so this looked really cool to me. We went inside and Ellie and I each got our own pair of left-handed scissors and I got a left-handed postcard.

Next, we went in a magnet shop. I’m sure this sounds quite boring, but there were a bunch of other cool souvenirs too, like fake doughnuts, hotdogs, and ice cream, and a whole bunch of 3-D t-shirts and stuff. Ellie got a stuffed sea lion named Celia, (read more about this in Ellie’s post) and we got a magnet with the Golden Gate Bridge on it.

Riding the San Francisco Trolley

We got our hot chocolate (finally!), and then we walked down to Fisherman’s Wharf and then to the trolley. The trolley was over 50 years old and super cool. It ran on tracks, and it rattled like crazy. It was scary to go up and down all the hills; as we were going up the hills, all the buildings we were passing looked SEVERELY slanted, as Dad would say. It looked and felt like the world was sideways! We rode the trolley around town to see the sights, and then we rode back on a crowded streetcar and got lunch at a yummy cafe called Boudin’s. There were lots of cool things about this place: one, it had been there since 1849; two, they made their own fresh sourdough bread; and three, they made the best clam chowder I had ever tasted. Well, I don’t have much to compare it to, but it was DELICIOUS. It was nice to get out of the rain and cold and eat some warm food.

After lunch, we spotted a National Park Service building, and we went inside to check it out. Then we rode the trolley to Lombard Street, a long, winding road that reminded us of Walter’s Wiggles at Zion National Park. Remember that post? We walked up it, and then rode the trolley back to Fisherman’s Wharf. On the way back to the RV, we spotted a taffy shop and went inside. We bought many flavors of taffy, twelve pieces for each of us. (Read more about this in Ellie’s post.)

This street is crooked, but it's got nothing on Walter's Wiggles

We finally made it back to our RV in time to drive back over the Bay Bridge to Berkeley. We were meeting Perry, Katy, Owen, and Aida (Hope that’s how you spell your name!) to go get Indian food for dinner. We found a laundromat near the restaurant to do our laundry, and then we walked over to the Indian place. It was some of the best Indian food I’ve ever had in my life. My favorite thing was probably the chicken vindaloo or the chicken tikka masala.

After dinner, we said goodbye to our friends, picked up our dry laundry, and walked back to the RV and went to bed. It was a fun and eventful day! 😉

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!!!

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.