Cruising California

It all started back in March when I decided we should take the train from Chicago to San Francisco.
We've been on several trains to Texas, to New York City/Washington DC/Boston, and to Los Angeles but this train, the California Zephyr, was by far the most scenic. We went through the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevadas in places only accessible by train. For over two days I sat in the lounge car watching this beautiful country roll by. It was so relaxing.

When we hit San Francisco I had 4 days until I hit Orange County(my husband's destination) and we packed as much as we could into those 4 days.
We rode trolley's all around the city.

We biked the Golden Gate Bridge.

Took a boat to Alcatraz and toured the prison.

On Monday I picked up a rental car and headed down the infamous Lombard Street(crookedest street in town) before heading south on Highway 1. Breathtaking views for a hundred miles!

I talked my family into a horseback ride on the beach. We finally took a family ride where we could move faster than a walk.

We stayed in hostels in Monterrey and Santa Barbara which were an adventure all to themselves.
We hiked through the red woods in Big Sur, walked the boardwalk in Santa Cruz and Santa Monica, and took in all the weird at Venice Beach.
Then we hit Orange County and visited with in-laws for the next week. They've been experiencing an extremely cold summer in southern California and this continued for our visit. There were 3 hours a day of sunshine where we hit the beaches. I had plenty of time available to start and finish a shawl.

Life is better when you're on vacation!