Bye-Bye, Bay Area!

August 8:
All good things must come to an end and so did our SF trip. After everyone's suitcases were packed and vehicles loaded up, Jess and Clint drove Papa, Nana, and Michal to SFO airport for their flight back to ABQ and the start of their drive back to Venice. We all wanted one final meal at Joe's Cable Car Restaurant before leaving town. And since we still had a ticket in our City Pass, we opted to drive over for a quick trip to the CA Academy of Science. Since we were only going to be there for 1.5 hours, I asked one of the museum workers to recommend a route for us.

First stop: The Rain Forest. Three levels of warm and humid. But also very cool. Lots of interesting birds and butterflies. And the tiniest colorful frogs you ever saw!

Once we returned to ground level, we checked out the aquarium. I don't know about you, but I always enjoy seeing all the underwater life "up close". And no matter how may aquariums we go to, they never cease to fascinate me.

After our oh-so-quick visit (too quick, sadly), we headed back to the rental house to pack up the last minute items (all the stuff in the fridge) and locked up. Very sad to leave such a great place. But just around the corner, Joe's burgers were waiting! And this time, so was JOE! Yes, Joe himself was at the restaurant, seating guests (including us). I tried a different burger this time (sauteed onions). It was good, but my vote goes to the basic cheeseburger that Samantha and I shared during our first visit. YUMMM!

We jumped on the freeway and headed north on 101. We got our last look at the Golden Gate Bridge as we crossed it (love this bridge!), then headed over to Vacaville (passing by Mare Island Naval Shipyard en route). Another quick swing through the Factory Outlet Stores, then we headed north for home.

After staying the night in Weed, we had our final meal on the road at our favorite pizza place, Spooky's (was there ever any doubt??). We arrived home Sunday evening...tired but happy. Happy to have shared the week with family. Happy to have seen familiar sights. Happy to have seen new places. Happy to have celebrated 50 years of marriage with Bob and Kathy. And happy to be back home, safe and sound.