Our bed 'n' breakfast was the Hillcrest Inn, which looked more like Hawaii than Napa Valley. There was palm trees all around, buckets of blossuming flowers, a pool with a waterfall, and a jacuzzi. Around the town of Calistoga there was a variety of attractions, including a geyser and a petrified forest. We saw the geyser erupting from the road, and the place actually cost six bucks to see it up close, so we decided to take our chances with the petrified forest.
The forest cost another six bucks apeice to get into, but we thought it sounded interesting enough, so we paid up, grabbed the video camera, and headed in for a peak-see. What we saw in there was enough to send us grasping in desperation for the video camera. It was so utterly anti-climatic we were astounded. They had a lot of big, rockified trees laying on the ground. We decided to call that trip, 'You've seen one big dead tree, you've seen 'em all.'
The next day was the climax of the trip: San Francisco. We crossed the big Golden Gate bridge (For those who haven't seen it, it's actually orange. No gold on it whatsoever. Usually not much sunshine either.) and headed into the city. This was Kyle's first shot at huge city driving, and San Francisco has this pesky habit of putting their stoplights to the side of the intersections rather than stringing them above. We found a place to park and headed for the bay. After a quick look around, we discovered that all the Alcatraz island tickets had been sold out for two weeks, only attainable by paying the travel agency $60 per ticket.
However, fishing boats were offering tours of the bay, the bridge, and Alcatraz for $10 a go. Kyle and I raced over to In & Out Burger, grabbed lunch, and boarded the boat. It was windy and fabulous out on the bay. We had a funny tour guide and saw much of the city from the water. Pelicans sailed over the water past us. We got an excellent view of the the outside of Alcatraz.
After our blustery tour, we hit Pier 39 and had many adventures. They have a 'Magic Carpet Ride' where they shoot you on a bluescreen riding a carpet, then you get to watch yourself on a video where they've shown you on a carpet ride over San Francisco. It was so hilarious! Kyle and I did it together, and they have you do all these 'stunts'. Then, after you watch it they try to sell you the video for $35. Pah!
We checked out Ghiradelli Square, and got mucho free samples. That rocked. All the time, when we'd walk from place to place, we'd see performers with all sorts of acts. The famous 'Bush Man' scaring people, one man spray painted silver doing the robot, a steel drum band, spray paint artists, and all sorts.
The excitement of cities tends to brew up in my blood. The noises of the street performers, all the crowds of people, the colors, the shops, all lend to an intensity that suburbia cannot hope to achieve. I really feel that I am part of a population, a true anybody in the grand masses.
Clam chowder dinner, chocolate sundae, San Francisco sunset and strolling in the evening air provided a peaceful exhale to the day.
The next leg of our journey was a camp-a-thon. The beautiful redwoods of highway 101 awaited our exploration. They call them the 'Trees of Mystery'. Indeed, the gigantic redwoods do make one ponder the mysterious nature of God's creation.
Sequioa redwoods are the earth's largest living beings. There is something utterly awe-imspiring about walking amoung the giants, gazing ever upwards at the leaf-freckled sky. Kyle and I wound our way through the trees, exploring, laughing, thinking quietly, holding each other. Even fallen trees have wonderous aspects to observe. Gargantuan roots with chunks of dirt raggedly clinging to them. The twisted foundations, even though they no longer hold the tree up, still have the essence of strength and stability lingering.
After a few nights of camping along 101, we decided to meet up with the Baker family in a campground near Florence. To get there, we drove along the Oregon Coast, admiring La Pacifica and the little seaside towns. I couldn't help but notice that every blessed one of them had a Dollar Tree. Why? The world may never know.
The Bakers awaited us at a secluded campsite. Joanna, my favorite kid on earth, greeted us enthusiastically. Sue, who was visiting from England, was with the gang, along with Aunt Deana and our cousin Scotty. With a relaxed round of chatting and being amused by the begging chipmunks, we closed our honeymoon, and headed home.
It was nice and long, random, relaxed, and eventful honeymoon. Kyle, who had been planning it ever since we got engaged, was a marvelous master of ceremonies. It was full of romance, fun, and had the essence of the supreme vacation: Fun without parents or children, in unique lodgings, and being in love with the most incredible man on earth. Even with the car breaking down, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. It started out a marriage which I am still enjoying immensly.