Hey, everyone! This will be a short post as we are traveling! This year, we wanted to visit Yosemite because Mrs. RB40 has never been there. It's crazy because she grew up in Southern California. She was prone to illness when she was young, so her parents didn’t have long road trips. My parents took us to visit Yosemite twice as a kid, which was amazing.
Unfortunately, Yosemite seems to be experiencing a tough year due to staff cuts, admission permits and camping booking issues. Most of these may have been resolved by now, but when I looked in January it was a mess. That's why we changed our plan and we'll be moving to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park. We will visit Yosemite again. Based on my reading, early summer may be a better time to visit Yosemite. Next year, once the school is over, we will immediately drop.
The first round of the journey
For the first stop of our road trip we drove from Portland to Santa Rosa. It was a long monotonous drive until we turned west on the CA-20. This windy road takes us through the hills of CA's wine country. This is more interesting, but you have to pay attention to the drive. We saw an accident on that twisty hilly road. A car flipped. The driver was fine and she was on the phone when we drove by. The fire truck quickly got there and took control of the situation. The driver must have walked the road and flipped the car on the mountain.
After a long day of driving, we arrived in Santa Rosa and checked into the Sonoma Hotel. It was a very nice hotel and we slept like logs that night. The bed is very comfortable. Mrs. RB40 wants one of the beds in the house. I have to see if Hilton sells these beds. I use the bonus points to pay for the hotel costs on this trip. This is a way to save money on summer travel.
In Santa Rosa, we visited the Charles Shultz Museum and bought a few items from the gift shop. Mrs. RB40 is Snoppy's biggest fan. That's why the RB40JR and I have a bunch of Snoopy T-shirts. We also visited the Armstrong Redwood State Nature Reserve. It was great to hike and stretch our legs.
Afterwards, we drove to San Jose and were with my brother. He has 3 kids, so the house is very active. The RB40JR is great with cousins. This is a big contrast to our home in Portland. It's usually very quiet because we only have one child.
We spent a few days in San Jose and caught up with friends and family. It's great to see my college partner again. We are all getting older and a little short, but we are all doing well. I think our generation is lucky. After graduating from college, we all found good jobs and were able to build wealth over the years. Millennials and Gen Z periods are even more difficult. I think our kids will also face many challenges after graduating from college.
The Bumblebee Aviation Museum is a fun experience for everyone.
Second leg
Next, we will leave San Jose and head to Monterrey. One of my college buddies lives near the beach. We will crash with him for a few days. It should be fun to explore Monterrey and Carmel.
After that, we will drive to Pismo Beach and visit San Luis Obispo's RB40 cousin for a few days. Then we will go camping at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park. After the park, we will return to San Jose. My youngest brother is flying in with his kids. We will hold a large family gathering. It is a good thing for children to spend time together when they are young. The RB40JR will go to college before we know it. When they are adults, it is difficult to gather. Life will soon become busier.
We will spend about a week with the brothers and then come home. We might spend a few nights on Lake Tahoe on our way back, but it depends on how we feel. If we are too tired, we might go straight back to Portland.
OK, that's what it is today. I hope you enjoy the summer vacation. Summer is half over. I can't believe it flew so fast. Next week, we will still be on the road, so there may be no new blog posts. I wish you a happy summer!
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