For the past five years we have been planning an extravagant cruise to the Baltic capitals and a trip to Europe for our 15th wedding anniversary. As the pandemic continued to cause travel issues, our cruise was cancelled by the cruise line and we were stuck trying to find alternate plans. We decided to travel to Northern California since neither Chris nor I had been to this part of the United States. This turned out to be one of our most memorial trips together and we were blown away by the beauty that is Northern California and the pacific northwest.
We have highlighted our daily activities and travels through the California Bay Area as well as Lake Tahoe. These blog posts have tips, tricks and pictures to help you plan your own vacation to the San Francisco bay area. Once again, we appreciate your continued support of our blog by clicking on the daily posts. We wouldn't be as popular or successful if it weren't for you all. Thank you so much!
This was an AMAZING trip and we are so grateful to have been able to change our plans last minute and still celebrate our wedding anniversary as well as get to see such beautiful countryside. From start to finish, this trip had it all! This was truly a trip we will never forget!
This was a trip of a lifetime! Thank you Chris for making it all a reality!
We're waiting for the cruise industry to "settle down" a little bit and work out all of the kinks of the industry restart before we board a cruise ship BUT we do plan to sail during our Fall and/or Winter break from school. I'll keep you posted!
So that means...
Up Next- Kellie's 40th Birthday in NYC Summer 2022 (How am I turning 40 ALREADY?)
Such a beautiful picture... Seen from a different view.
As a bystander for the past 15 months, I watched the news of people getting COVID and even watched friends get this terrible virus and deep down I thought "I won't get it. I have a GREAT immunity system". I never said this out loud but I will be honest and tell you that I did, in fact, think it. I am not someone who gets sick very often. In fact, in all 16 years of my teaching I have only taken a true sick day about 4 times out of approximately 2,992 days. I have taken personal days or "mental health" days but I have rarely ever been so sick I could not report for work. I've built up a very strong immunity system and even when Chris or the kids would get sick with a stomach bug or some other contagious sickness, I would remain healthy. The Thanksgiving of 2010 when Natalie had a stomach bug and then got EVERYONE sick at my in-laws house... Everyone but ME! I remained "healthy as a horse". So I just knew I would be fine if I did ever get COVID19.
The Last Week of School 2021 (May 17-21)
My campus is getting a new building for 2021-2022 and this was the week we were all packing up EVERYTHING in our rooms to take to the new school. My orchestra kids were done playing for the year and I was inventorying all of our instruments and supplies to be taken to the new building. My classroom was built for me in 2019 and the air conditioning does not work at full strength. It will cool my room a little bit but it is always super humid and hot in my classroom. Again, since we are getting a new building, repairs were not allowed for this old building. In other words, I just dealt with the crazy hot and humid temperatures in August and May and the SUPER cold temps in January.
But this week I was working so hard and there was LOTS of physical work involved. Most days I was not eating lunch in order to get more work done while I did not have kids in my classroom. And looking back, I was drinking coffees and Cokes and not water. By Friday, the last day of school, I was very dehydrated and I could tell. I was also having stomach issues. I checked for a fever and did not have one so I just assumed I was physically worn out, dehydrated and possibly had a stomach bug.
Luke had a baseball tournament in Beaumont, TX this weekend and I was so worn out and having bathroom issues on both ends that I told Chris he would have to do this one alone. I came home from school on Friday, May 21st and literally passed out on the bed around 5PM. I NEVER do this!
Saturday, May 22nd
Chris and Luke left for Beaumont mid-day and I told Chris I just didn't feel well at all. I was starting to cough but in the afternoon did not have a fever but I felt as if I was ran over by a dump truck. I tried to stay away from Natalie in case it was a 24 hour stomach bug or something. The poor girl had to take care of herself that evening as I was asleep in the guest bedroom before the sun even went down.
Sunday, May 23rd
I woke up and was still feeling AWFUL and took my temperature and sure enough, I had a fever. I had developed a deep cough as well so I knew this was not good. I went to the Urgent Care near our home around 11AM and got a positive result by 11:30AM. I came home and went straight to the guest bedroom to isolate from Natalie. Luckily we had lots of snacks and groceries for her but she did have to take care of herself, for which she did an amazing job. By 6PM I was in a LOT of pain and coughing so hard, it hurt. Chris and Luke got home from winning the tournament around 10PM. It felt so good to have them here to take care of Natalie. I said hello from the upstairs hallway but stayed as far away as possible. I felt terrible missing his tournament and just stood at the top of the stairs and cried.
Monday, May 24th
This was a Profession Development (PD) day in our district and even though I was in quarantine for COVID, since Chris was fully vaccinated he continued to go to work like normal. The kids stayed downstairs and watched movies and played on their iPads while I was upstairs in the guest bedroom. I still had a fever and it was creeping up little by little to 102* by evening. I did not have an appetite at all and was coughing around the clock. I called the doctor from the Urgent Care and asked for some medication for the cough. He prescribed two types of medicines and I started those around 4PM.
I spent the afternoon trying to sit up and do my grades for the end of the school year. I would enter a class or section then lay back down. I didn't even have energy to sit up. When Chris got home I told him I was not getting better but worse. He made me try and eat some soup but I couldn't even keep it down. I could not remember a time in my life when I felt this bad. I remember praying, "Lord please just heal me and let's this be an EASY bout with Covid". I also remember a friend telling me to NEVER lie on your back since the virus will accumulate on the lungs if you do this and you could develop pneumonia. I did not sleep hardly at all but when I did, it was on my side.
Tuesday, May 25th
After a long night of uncomfortableness and an elevated fever, this day was pretty much "same song, second verse" from the day before. The medications for the cough did not help that much but made me super dizzy, nauseous and my mouth really dry. The kids continued to stay downstairs and were on their iPads literally all day. I hated this but there was nothing I could do. Natalie did an exceptional job of making breakfast and lunch for her and Luke as well as taking care of our dog, Oxford. Again, I tried to do some end of the year work for school but I could not stay sitting upright for longer than about 5-10 minutes before getting nauseous and dizzy. Around 3PM on this day I noticed my heartrate was elevated. Even when I was trying to sleep. My FitBit would register my heart-rate at 120 or higher when I was laying down and when I got up to use the restroom it would go as high as 140-145bpm. While this did seem odd to me, I just thought it was part of Covid.
Pre-ER Vlog:
Wednesday, May 26th (Hospital Day 1)
I woke up and my fever was still sitting right at 102* and I was still coughing quite a bit, more than I would have assumed with the help of the medications. I was really dizzy and when I got up to use the restroom, I nearly blacked out. My heartrate continued to stay in the 120-130bpm zone all night and in the early morning. Around 10AM I sent Chris a text and told him that when he got home, if my heartbeat was still high I wanted him to take me to Urgent Care. Within 5 minutes he called me and said he was on his way home. The rest of the day was a whirlwind. Covid Pneumonia came and hit me like a TON OF BRICKS. After HOURS in the ER, I was wheeled up to room 572 as a Covid Pneumonia patient and was starting the Remdesivir drug in hopes of getting better.
My home for God only knows how long...
Hospital Day 1 Vlog:
Thursday, May 27th (Hospital Day 2)
I was SO TIRED. I was running on minimal sleep anyway but you add a HARD hospital bed and it was so much worse. I felt like a leper in that hospital room as NOBODY was allowed to be in the room and even the nurses had to put on 3-4 layers of protection. I was isolated and alone and it was absolutely miserable. I prayed and sang Praise songs most of the night to help me not go crazy. I was reminded of something my dad said at my Grandma's funeral in 2015... "When Jesus is all you have, Jesus is all you need". He was all I had and He was all I needed.
The door could only stay open for 15 seconds or a LOUD alarm would go off. The nurses were in head-to-toe protection and I just felt like an STD or something. It was so awful!
Hospital Day 2
Friday, May 28th (Hospital Day 3)
Another restless night in the hospital but I could tell the fancy drugs and medicine I was taking were working because I actually started to feel better. I no longer had a fever and my appetite was slowly starting to come back. However, by mid-day my anxiety was as high as ever. I was going completely insane due to isolation and my mind was racing thinking of all of the long term effects this might have on me. I did SO MANY PACES in that small hospital room on this day but near evening, Chris and the kids made their way to the "bridge" and I was actually able to see them. I cried many, MANY tears. But they were tears of JOY! I missed my family SO MUCH!
As most of my teacher friends OFFICIALLY started their summers with pictures of beaches and mountains... This was MY view! I think this made the anxiety even worse!
Even through the window and hearing their voices on the phone... I felt SO MUCH better.
Hospital Day 3 Vlog
Saturday, May 29th (Hospital Day 4)
I kept praying and kept singing and was able to get a decent night's sleep and woke up refreshed. I was feeling better everyday and even was able to get off the oxygen machine by the afternoon. The medicine was working very well and I was hopeful I could go home the following day.
Hospital Day 4 Vlog
Sunday, May 30th (Hospital Day 5 and DISCHARGE)
I woke up and prayed that after this last dose of medicine I would be able to get a green light to be discharged on the following day, Monday (Memorial Day). Every time I was woke up for a blood pressure check or blood draw, I prayed and prayed for a good report so this evening would be my last night at St. Luke's. My parents and sister surprised me and came to the bridge to wave hello and I was giddy with excitement thinking that soon, I would be able to actually see them in real life and hug them! It was a slow morning but shortly after lunch my doctor came in and gave me the green light to go home... TODAY! God is SO GOOD!
My sister, dad and mom from "The bridge" outside of St. Luke's in The Woodlands! I cannot even begin to describe how much this meant to me. Thanks y'all!
I have the papers... LET'S GO!
When I got home... This was waiting for me from my parents and sister! This meant SO MUCH to me!
Hospital Day 5 Vlog
I'm going home today... WOOHOO!
Monday, May 31- June 3, (The rest of quarantine)
These days were FABULOUS but so hard as I was still in complete isolation and could not be around Chris or the kids... BUT I was at home. It felt right and felt normal again! On Thursday, June 3rd I had a post-discharge appointment with my PCP and was released from quarantine. The chest X-ray showed I still have some lingering pneumonia but contagious Covid had run it's course. I had been in isolation so long, it almost felt weird to take my mask off and be around other people. I will NEVER forget the hug Luke gave me when I got home and told him it was time for hugs. This was literally the best hug of my entire life.
POST HOSPITAL VLOG
Week 1 Post- Covid (June 4-10)
The day after I got out of quarantine Luke and Chris headed out to another tournament. This was in Austin and was supposed to be the start to our family vacation 2021. I did not feel it was a good idea if I went since I was still not 100% so the boys went alone. My parents came to spend the weekend with me and then took Natalie back home with them to Arp, TX for the week.
1st day out of quarantine and I wanted to get dressed up. I was SO EXHAUSTED afterwards but felt so much better!
Overall, I was really tired this week and felt myself trying to get back to normal "too much, too soon". But I wanted to get back to normal. Normal for me this week was laundry and dishes. Chris still made all the dinners and did most of the other housework. About every 3-4 days I had to just stay home and lay in bed. The Texas heat and humidity was an issue so I stayed inside most of this week while Chris took the kids to the neighborhood pool in the afternoons.
Week 2 Post- Covid (June 11-17)
This week was much of the same from the previous week. However, now our summer really started as we helped Natalie and Luke get to and from summer camps and sporting lessons. I noticed that I was starting to do better with my nebulizer and my breathing exercises. I also noticed that I was not as tired as the previous week to 10 days. I still got tired every once in a while but it was about every 5 days. We had our first family outing of the summer to Neal's Berry Farm and I only lasted about an hour. I was just worn out and hot! This was also Luke's 9th Birthday weekend. I was able to go to Urban Air with the family, sit by the pool and Olive Garden. Thank you Jesus for this blessing!
Now it feels like summer... A family outing!
Happy 9th Birthday Luke the Duke!
I am SO GLAD I was able to spend the day with you! I love you!
Week 3 Post-Covid (June 18-24)
As I continued to make progress daily and I got the green light from my hospital doctor, the Montgomery County Infectious Disease doctor as well as my PCP, we decided to keep our vacations plans and we traveled to the San Francisco bay area for a week long celebration of our 15th wedding anniversary. It was an amazing week of incredible memories and my Covid fatigue only got in the way 1.5 of the 7 days and I count that as a blessing. I was able to walk across (and back) the Golden Gate Bridge, which was a total of 3.6 miles as well as do a 3+mile hike in Lake Tahoe. We did a lot and I paid for it (see week 4) but I am so glad we did it! Check out our San Francisco Blog!
I did it... I actually walked across (AND BACK) the Golden Gate Bridge. It took FOREVER and about every 10 minutes I had to stop as I was short of breath but I DID IT!
Check out my short testimony below:
This was an "it can't get much worse" type of moment. I was already short of breath and winded so might as well go up a mountain top! I thought, if I am going to go "out"... I am going to go out SWINGING! I am so glad I pushed through (it was rough the last little bit) and got to the top! It was incredible!
Week 4 Post- Covid (June 25-July 1)
This was a week of almost complete recovery. We picked up our kids from my parents on Monday and dropped them off with Chris's parents on Thursday. In the middle of that we took the kids and their friends to a local waterpark. It was then that I learned I am just not quite ready for long and hot days such as this. I really felt the fatigue on these few days and was completely wiped out.
Week 5 Post- Covid (July 2-8)
Our kids were living up their life at "the farm" in Lubbock, TX with Chris's parents and in the mean time Chris and I were living it up... on the couch. We treated this week as a time to just relax, not have chores and enjoy each other's company. We watched movies, made meals we wouldn't make for the kids and ate out many times at our favorite restaurants. It was a vacation from parenting and a well deserved break.
Alligator from Pappadeaux... My all-time favorite!
I decided it was time to get back to exercising on July 1st. This was a SO HARD! I was so winded... SO QUICKLY!
Week 6 Post- Covid (July 9-14)
We picked up the kids from Chris's parents on Saturday and enjoyed being able to see the kids again. We had really only seen them 2 days out of the last month. They had each grown so much! Then we got home and heard all about their time at the farm with Gigi and Grandpa!
Thank you Gigi Jackie and Grandpa! The kids LOVE spending time with you at the farm!
Reunited and it feels so good! I have missed my babies!
I had my 6 week follow up appointment on Monday and I was FINALLY all clear from COVID and the pneumonia was completely gone. My doctor said she was extremely pleased with my recovery and gave me the "green light" to return to work full time and life as we know it! It felt SO GOOD to walk out of that clinic knowing I was completely healed. Thank you JESUS for Your continued blessings.
July 14. 2021... I am officially ALL CLEARED! Bye bye COVID Pneumonia! Peace out!
With God by my side, I made it past this terrible virus and I owe my recovery all to HIM! He is the Great Physician and He healed me. I do not deserve this type of mercy and grace but I am forever grateful. Thank you to all of our family, friends and colleagues for the kindness, support, prayers, meals and so much more that you provided for our family in our time of need. I do not know what we would have done without y'all! God is so good to us and has blessed us with so many good people in our lives and we are so grateful!
I hope and pray that my family and friends do not have any type of encounter with this virus and I pray it has "ran its course" in the future. But I made it through and am a living testimony for God and His faithfulness. If you have never accepted the Lord Jesus as your personal savior, please call/ email/ text me and I will help you receive the greatest gift of all time.
When Jesus is all you have... Jesus is ALL you need! God is good... ALL the time!
The alarms were set for 5:30AM and it came real quick. We got up and packed all of our stuff into our suitcases and made our way to the front desk to wait for our 6AM shuttle to San Jose Airport. The shuttle was late but, again, we planned for delays. TIP- If you are early, you are on time. If you are on time... YOU'RE LATE!
Once at the airport it was 6:15AM and the Southwest Airlines check in line was absolutely INSANE. I had never seen anything like this in my many years of travels. The line was about 100-150 people deep just to use the computers to check in and get boarding passes. We went back outside to the Southwest Curbside and only had to wait about 5 minutes and 4 parties deep.
The long zig-zag of the Southwest Airlines check in at SJC at 6:15AM on a Friday.
Then we went to the security check point. The TV monitors said it was about a 30 minute wait to get through everything and this was just about right. It took us 34 minutes to get through all of the security. This is not bad but we were shocked it was this long, this early in the morning.
We then went to Chick-fil-A in terminal B. This too, had a CRAZY long line. Within minutes we realized that a California Chick-fil-A is NOT the same as a Texas Chick-fil-A. We ended up waiting in the CFA line for nearly 40 minutes. We finally got our breakfast at 7:45AM and our boarding began at 8AM for our 8:30AM flight. We had to eat in a hurry but were reminded this is why you get there early!
The flight was completely full (not at all what we expected) and there were 2 people who purchased an extra seat for themselves so Southwest was asking for people to take a later flight for a $600 flight credit. We didn't have to pick up the kids until 2 days later so this was VERY tempting BUT the offer included a plane change in Nashville so we stayed with our original flight.
With boarding group B we were able to get 2 seats in the very front of the plane, not together, but Chris was able to get the larger leg room on the 1st row. The flight was boring and uneventful, just the way we like it.
We were so close, we could see inside the cockpit! Too bad this was not on our flight from Phoenix, the kids would have LOVED this!
We got back to Houston before 2PM and it felt SO GOOD to finally be back in "God's Country". The luggage took forever to get off the plane so it was 3PM before we were back at our car headed north to Conroe. Just as soon as we stepped outside the airport... we were dripping with sweat as the humidity just slaps you in the face!
Houston Hobby airport terminal. I have never seen it this busy either. I believe the pandemic travel era is OVER! Welcome back to full capacity!
Feels like 106*... Yep, we're home!
Afternoon
We got home shortly before 5PM and Chris was off to pick up our doggie, Oxford while I started the first of many loads of laundry. It felt SO GOOD to be HOME!
This was an incredible trip full of memories, bucket list check-offs, nature's beauties and so much more. We loved California and it's beauty and cannot wait to take our kids back to get the Oakland Coliseum and yet another of my remaining FOUR MLB stadiums. Thank you Chris for making my dreams come true and Happy 15th Anniversary! I love you!
UP NEXT... Our last day in the Bay Area.
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It was planned to be a busy last day in the bay and I was up early not feeling 100%. We woke up with the sunrise, got ready for the day and went to get breakfast in Chinatown. There was a great bakery near our hotel and we walked the short 3 blocks to get some food. The Brioche Bakery offered hot and fresh breakfast food like quiche and eggs benedict as well as fresh fruit and bakery items. It is very reasonably priced and the service was outstanding.
This was a very small family-operated business and we LOVED it!
I ordered the French Baguette and fresh fruit.
Chris had the eggs benedict.
I ate very light and was still not feeling very well. As I continue to recovery from my bout with Covid Pneumonia 3 weeks prior, I am just so tired and physically exhausted about every 5 days or so. This happened to be the day I was feeling terrible. Combine this with the "late cruise bloat" (the non-stop eating and binging during a vacation and then at the end you feel as if you could just pop) and I was just done. We went back to the hotel and packed all of our belongs and then checked in for our return Southwest flight to Houston the following morning. TIP- If you are flying Southwest, remember to set an alarm for 24 hours prior to departure to "check in". I actually set it for about 20 minutes before that actual 24 hour mark. You cannot check in until the actual second the 24 hour mark hits but I am ready and just push CHECK IN as soon as the clock strikes. This time we got boarding Group B, again, but #5 and #6, so overall it was not a bad draw.
The walk back to our hotel was just beautiful!
I loved this hotel and room so much!
A view of Chinatown from the front of our hotel.
Then we went to drop off our luggage with the hotel Front Desk Customer Service while we toured Alcatraz. This was so nice and convenient and the hotel was very accommodating. We had set up an Uber the night before and this, too, was very easy.
Our Uber driver was a little late but we planned well enough this didn't effect us. We arrived at Alcatraz Landing at Pier 33 around 9:10AM for a 9:30AM check in time. We meandered around the grounds and read up on the island before I decided to go over to the check in area and get behind someone who looked like he was the 1st in line. Man, was that GOOD IDEA! All of the sudden, the line got VERY deep. Luckily, I was the 2nd party in line. We got checked in for the tour and then boarded the boat around 9:55AM and got a GREAT seat for the ride to Alcatraz Island. TIP- THINK POSH for the ferry to Alcatraz. Port Side on the way out (to Alcatraz) and Starboard on the way home (Back to San Francisco). This helped a lot and we got PRIME TIME SEATS to Alcatraz!
This was a larger scale demonstration of Alcatraz that explained the areas to you before you arrived on the island. It was like a HUGE map and really helped me know where to go and how to get there!
We did the POSH and got GREAT SEATS!
Coit Tower from the Ferry.
The Bay Bridge from our ferry.
Alcatraz Island
Pier 39 and downtown San Francisco
The Golden Gate Bridge
As I've mentioned in previous cruise blogs, I LOVE small boat/ ferry rides!
Chris enjoying the ride to Alcatraz
Downtown San Francisco
We found it odd that this sign was still there... For the tourists, I guess.
The final approach.
The ferry ride to Alcatraz Island is only about 15 minutes and we arrived around 10:15AM. We then started to make the 10+ story climb towards the cell house. TIP- As of July 2021, Alcatraz Island is 100% capacity BUT is still limiting the number of people in the cellhouse at any given time. Because of this, we made sure to get off the ferry and then immediately go towards the cellhouse. The climb to the cellhouse was NOT for the faint of heart and I was still not feeling very well. So much for getting there early, I guess! But eventually we made it and got our small devices for the Audio Tour. TIP- You can download the Alcatraz app and run the tour through your phone but I wanted my phone for pictures and I was worried about the battery draining. We just took the CLEAN radio-like devices and it worked out VERY WELL!
Our first view of the cellhouse was very humbling.
Once in the cellhouse, we were told all about the cells, prisoners and so much other information. We were able to see the main lower areas of this prison house, as well as the recreation area, library and even the dining hall. The stories we heard about the prisoners was absolutely fascinating. This was easily the most interesting and fascinating tour I have ever taken in my life! I highly recommend you take this tour, if tickets are available. TIP- We purchased our tickets from the official tour company Alcatraz City Cruises for $42 each.
Chris's wingspan was wider than the cells which were 5 feet wide and 9 feet deep.
This was so fascinating.
A look at a normal cell on "Broadway" in the cellhouse.
Another view of "Broadway"
The Rec Lawn.
Making memories... I love doing this WITH you!
More of the cells at Alcatraz.
Some of the most famous inmates to serve time at Alcatraz.
Towards the end of the tour we learned inmates had instruments and hobbies like "crocheting" supplies mailed to them.
It's time for visitation.
A reenactment of the inmates who actually escaped Alcatraz. They placed fake heads on their beds. It is all just completely fascinating.
I have always known when we made it to San Francisco we would do Alcatraz but as COVID precautions were still not lifted in May, I wondered if we would be able to see it. Then on May 29th from my hospital bed, I got notification that Alcatraz would be 100% so I jumped on it and we actually got tickets. GOD IS SO GOOD!
The Dining Hall menu
They had to have the knives in a box with the shape of each knife so if after feeding times a knife was missing, they would know.
Good Prison food... That is like saying good school cafeteria food! I'm a teacher... that doesn't exist!
After the cellhouse tour, we meandered all around the island until our return ferry arrived. There are designated times the ferry returns to San Francisco, but you are allowed to stay on Alcatraz Island as long as you wish. We stayed on the island for about 3 hours and then boarded the 12:30PM ferry back to San Francisco.
A view of San Francisco from the island.
We LOVE the Golden Gate Bridge
And this is why I am not driving these streets... Look how steep they are!
We loved San Francisco.
Mine... Mine... Mine! There were SO MANY BIRDS! I am reminded, that I HATE birds!
The lighthouse on Alcatraz Island!
Another view of the cellhouse.
THIS... SO MUCH THIS! This needs to be the motto of our society.
This was the most AMAZING and interesting tour I have ever taken! It is a MUST if you are in San Francisco!
Afternoon
As we got back in to San Francisco, I ordered an Uber and the wait time was about 20 minutes. Then all of the sudden, a different Uber was offered for us. We practically walked off the ferry and into the Uber. This was nice and very convenient. The Uber took us back to the hotel and since it was 1:30PM, we decided to go get lunch in Chinatown. We did not have a place in mind so we just went to the first (good and safe looking) Chinese Dim Sum restaurant we saw. Dim Sum Plus on Clay St. was good and the service was fast, despite only 2 people working. Chris had the Peking Duck, which he said was fabulous, and I had the Shrimp Chow Mein. We had never had authentic dim sum so we ordered some of that too. We learned towards the end of our meal that this was a CASH ONLY place. Good thing we won at the casino and had cash, haha!
The Peking Duck.
The shrimp Chow Mein
Dim Sum
After lunch we secured our luggage at the hotel and completely checked out of the Hilton San Francisco Financial District hotel and headed to Baker Beach. Baker Beach is a FREE beach located on the central pacific side of San Francisco just south of the Golden Gate Bridge. Chris was able to touch the Pacific Ocean for the very first time and it was "refreshing". TIP- This beach was absolutely GORGEOUS with 3 different looks all in one. You can see a stunning view of the Golden Gate Bridge, a rocky California view and a 3rd view of the small California town on the beach. However, be forewarned that if you walk closer down towards the rocks below the Golden Gate Bridge, this is a NUDE beach. We did not know this and accidentally stumbled upon a few weird sights. That is about all I will say but if you are traveling with kids, especially, stay closer to the Baker Beach parking lot.
Welcome to Baker Beach
I loved this beach.
Selfie time
This beach is worth this view... It is absolutely priceless.
California beach... I love you!
Priceless memories... We loved Baker Beach.
The California coastline.
After Baker Beach we started our trek down to San Jose where we would be staying for the night before our early morning flight back to Houston. This was our first encounter with heavy California traffic on the west side of San Francisco. It took us about an hour to get out of the steep streets of San Francisco and onto I-280. Here we also encountered stop and go traffic. I had to let Chris drive most of this because I was just so worn out and had absolutely no energy.
We made a pit-stop in Cupertino to see the Apple Park but unfortunately, it was also closed to the public so we could only see it from the outside. Then we went to Main Street Cupertino to try Philz Coffee. My sister in law, D'Ann, suggested this to us and it was a REAL WINNER! The best coffee I have ever had! Mr. Philz, please come to Houston ASAP! Thanks D for the suggestion!
The menu at Philz Coffee... not extensive but just what the doctor ordered!
Cheers!
The coffee did perk me up a bit but we still had some traffic issues getting to our hotel near the airport. We stayed at the Hampton Inn and Suites San Jose Airport and they offered a free airport shuttle to and from the hotel/ airport. We were supposed to turn in our car rental the following morning at 5AM but we got an email during our drive stating the hours for the Rental Car Center didn't open until 7AM so we decided to turn in the car early.
This was not a fancy hotel but got the job done. Just a typical airport hotel.
We grabbed some dinner at Una Mas, think Chipotle, and then turned in our car at the San Jose Airport and took the hotel shuttle back to the hotel. We got back to the hotel around 7PM and I hated this so much at the time but we just chilled in our room watching an Office marathon on TV. I hated that it was our last night of vacation and we were in the lame hotel room but I was so tired and just couldn't bring myself to call an Uber and go to a bar or restaurant. I was asleep by 8:30PM. So sorry, honey, for a lame last night of vacation!
The steak fajita quesadilla at Una Mas. Una Mas is a California fast-food chain and the food was not bad and reasonably priced.
It was a different type of last day of vacation but it was full of excitement and memoires. We are so grateful that we were able to see and do everything we wanted to before my post- Covid fatigue kicked in! Thank you Jesus!
UP NEXT... We're headed back to the Lone Star State.
Thanks for following along! We appreciate your support!
