Yosemite

Our last day of vacation was one of the best. Yosemite was amazing! We were just blown away by how gorgeous it was. Both of us felt like it was almost fake, it was so perfect in its glory. God truly had a grand time putting this masterpiece together. We took a walk in a beautiful field and the kids got to play in the perfectly crystal clear river. Unfortunately, we had to leave after only a few hours so that we could start the drive home. We drove that night till midnight, then woke up at 6 am the next day to get home before dinner.

We really had such a terrific adventure together. I so enjoyed being so close to my family for 10-jam packed days. It was hilarious to have Phoebe with us-- she brightened each day with her pure devotion and sweetness. We didn't plan too much, or too little, didn't spend too much or too little, and didn't see and experience too much or too little. The kids were old enough to enjoy everything, and still young enough that everything was new and exciting. The pace of the trip and the amount of ground and awe-inspiring sights and adventures reminded me of of our honeymoon in Spain 7 years ago. I am already looking forward to another Krentz Family road trip!

Bass Lake

About a half hour outside of Yosemite, we discovered Bass Lake and the Wishon Campground. What a great place! Again, the beach was chilly, but by now, the kids didn't know any different, and were in high heaven shooting each other with water guns till they were blue in the lips. The campsite was lovely, and we really enjoyed our last night camping out under a full moon and starry night. Kevin and I both forgot it was our anniversary, but I can't imagine a nicer place to celebrate our 7th, and the only itching came from mosquito bites.

More L.A.

The next day, we spent driving around Beverly Hills checking out some celebrity homes (although intellectuals, we are not beyond enjoying a little bit of star power). We actually drove up to one of the particularly star-studded neighborhoods, parked the van, and gave Phoebe a walk. Apparently, she is not a big fan of the Matrix, because she peed on Keanu Reaves lawn... Honestly, the movie was great, but he is a terrible actor.

After our star tour, we went shopping! The boys both got very cool hats. We also had lunch at the Farmers Market and as we were stuffing ourselves with a huge fruit crepe covered in chocolate sauce, Kevin started pointing widely, and low and behold-- Joshua Bell walked by!

That night, we stayed at the Anaheim Motel 6 and the next day had an exciting (and grossly overpriced) day at Disneyland! We had to put poor Phoebe in the Disneyland Kennel, but that allowed us to come visit her every couple of hours and still get to spend the entire day in the park. It was a Saturday, and the place was packed, lines were long, but the weather was great and the kids had a wonderful time. Elena rode all the rollercoasters with Kevin-- what a brave girl!

Venice Beach

After about an hour on the beach, we discovered a bike rental shop and picked up a couple bikes and a kid-chariot and pedaled the mile or so to Venice Beach. We were blown away by how different Venice Beach was from anything we had ever seen. Tattoos, weed, skateboarders, psychics, piercings...and the most amazing Cuban sandwich and fish tacos. We stopped at a skateboard park right on the ocean and Jesse was completely awestruck. We made it back to Santa Monica at dusk and still had energy to stroll down Rodeo Drive and admire the storefronts before crashing at the Van Nuys Motel 6.

Santa Monica beach

Our first stop in Los Angeles was Santa Monica beach. The kids were beside themselves with excitement. Unfortunately, it was crowded, windy, and rather chilly, but our Seattlite children didn't know what they were missing and had a blast. We also visited the pier where there were some fun rides, over-priced hotdogs, and lots of good people watching.

Hearst Castle and Dune Buggy Adventure

After Big Sur, we camped out at a lovely campsite (unfortunately, we got the last site, closest to the beach and closest to the latrines) and woke up early to see the famous Hearst Castle. We didn't bring the camera, but suffice to say that it was really incredible! We spent a few hours touring the grounds and relishing in every detail. After the castle, we thought we needed to balance the sublime with the redneck and drove to Oceana Dunes and went on a hilarious dune buggy adventure. I didn't bring my camera again, so you'll have to use your imagination... We drove about a half mile down the beach (on the beach!) to the Sun Buggie hut and rented a 5-seat dune buggy. They eyed Jesse suspiciously (we claimed that he was three), but managed to find helmets and goggles to fit the kids, strapped us all in, and sent us out onto some of the most extensive sand dunes in America. I managed to snap a quick picture of our buggy before hopping aboard-- see that tiny little figure in the huge helmet? That's Ellie! We tore them sand dunes up, stopping every 10 minutes or so to check in with the kids...until we lost some momentum going down a dune and got stuck in the sand. One of the of the nice Sun Buggie boys came and rescued us, then kindly led us back to the hut, until we lost a wheel! The Sun Buggie boy (now rather exasperated) towed us back and we all got back safe and sound-- if a bit more sandy and tired than we expected. The kids were amazing-- they loved the ride, and were such troopers through our crazy return trip.

Big Sur

Along the coast of Big Sur, we happened to stop at one of the hundreds of viewpoints along the highway and literally stumbled upon a herd of huge elephant seals! They were magnificent! I totally felt like we were in a nature documentary.

Aaron and Chandra

After seeing Anne, we drove down to Santa Cruz and got to spend the evening and following morning with Chandra, Aaron, and their sweet girls, Adelle and Deia. Chandra and the girls took us to a wonderful Brazilian restaurant for breakfast, then up to an amazing restaurant down along Big Sur. Kevin and I were completely blown away by the beauty of this area. Truly, it must be one of the most gorgeous places on earth!

Anne and Jamie

The next day we visited an amazing castle that had been transported from Italy, ate more wonderful food, and ended the afternoon with a visit with Anne and Jamie and their new baby boy, Jonah, in Berkeley. Jonah is only two weeks old! It was fantastic to see Anne as such a natural and beautiful mother.

Sulfur Springs Hike

I was bound and determined to find the sulfur springs at the Mountain Home Resort. Apparently, there was an actual pool of warm water nestled in the woods about a mile from the cottage, and I will do almost anything to sit in warm water surrounded by trees-- what could be more perfect? So we followed the trail, and after a few dead-ends, discovered this amazing little piece of heaven. Kevin was shocked when I immediately stripped down and climbed into the silky water (that's the whole point!), but then one by one, the rest of the family climbed in and we all giggled like goofballs floating naked in 85 degree water in the middle of nowhere.

Sanoma Valley

We finally found the sun in the Sanoma Valley. Our first stop was at a fancy resort called Solage, and its restaurant, the SolBar. We ordered something called "One Lucky Pig," a perfectly marinated and stewed chunk of pork, served with crepes, spiced pinapple, spicy peanuts, strange and salty sauce, and a variety of green things (lettuce, cilantro, basil.) We wrapped it all up in the crepes and enjoyed one of the greatest taste sensation I have ever experienced.

That afternoon, we toured a winery that featured a tram ride up a mountain and lots of wine tasting. The kids loved the ride, Kevin and I loved the wine.

That evening, we discovered one the highlights of the trip-- the lovely, quirky, and totally unexpected Mountain Home Resort. As far as we could tell, this place used to be a truly spectacular and fancy resort back in the day. Now, it is overgrown, run-down, and shabby, but still beautiful and charming. We stayed in a tiny little cottage (called "Life"-- surrounded by "Truth," "Beauty," "Love," "Peace," etc.), visited the roaming white horse, friendly cows, and swam in the heated ancient pool. The next day, they served up a wonderful breakfast in the common room and we took a hike up into the hills to find the sulfur springs.

Redwoods

The Redwood empire was beautiful, but cold and rainy. We also made the mistake of trying to find a camp site on a Saturday night, mid August, on the coast. Every single campsite was filled, so we ended up finding a privately owned RV park with a few tent sites available. We were nestled right up against our neighbors, and the adjacent Best Western, but managed to enjoy our traditional camping meal of steaks-on-a-stick, roasted corn, and s'mores.

Road Trip!

We just got back from a fantastic 10-day road trip to California. We camped half the time and stayed in cheap motels half the time, sleeping in a different town every night. Our first stop was a motel in Salem, OR, then woke up early to head over to Route 101 and the beauty of Northern California. The kids kept busy watching videos, coloring, playing games, and chatting (yes, they are extremely CHATTY children.) Kevin and I listened to three books-on-tape (thanks to our amazingly handy smart phones and a tape-deck converter), two murder mysteries and a hilarious audio book by Tina Fey. Phoebe was happy as a clam, usually perched on the luggage behind the kids, or curled on the console between Kevin and me in the front. I gave her lots of opportunity to hang her head out the window and enjoy the new smells. Overall, she was a champion traveler-- just totally happy to be anywhere, as long as she was near us.