California - Day 7

Until this particular day in our trip, we woke up mostly to fog/smog covered skies with little visibility. However, on day 7, we awoke to bright and sunny skies, which allowed us to view the Golden Gate Bridge from our hotel room window. C had asked prior to the trip if we could walk onto the bridge. I thought this to be a great idea....how many 9 year old children can say that last year they were standing/walking on the Great Wall of China and this year they were standing/walking on the Golden Gate Bridge? With this request in mind, Ryan and I took advantage of the morning and planned a trip to walk onto the bridge. Perfect. First stop, though, was Lombard Street, or what is better known to tourists as "the crookedest street." Silly, but I wanted to drive it. So, to Lombard we went and then onto the bridge....two great places.

Then we proceeded south on Highway 1, the Pacific Coast Highway. Thankfully, C tolerated the drive well and we were able to enjoy the magnificent scenery that the west coast has to offer. After a two hour drive, we landed ourselves on the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. Similar to Myrtle Beach, lots of interesting souls to see and rides galore for the children to enjoy. This is when we learned lesson #7....gone are the days of "kiddie" rides, we, as of this date, have officially entered into the roller coaster, death defying rides - the faster, the higher, the twistier, the better....
**MK was beside herself when the boys agreed to take her for a helicopter ride. Once the ride ended, she exited and ran right back into the line to ride again! Following our daytrip down south, we quickly cleaned ourselves up and attended the rehearsal dinner of my cousin, Matthew, and his fiancee, Deborah. The rehearsal was held on a lawn surrounded by the San Francisco Bay at the marina where my cousin houses his boat. It was a perfect California evening. We were joined by my cousin's friends and family members, lots of laughing occurred, the children happily played, and, to put an end to our evening, the boys were given a tour of Matthew's boat.