Chasing Life

Day 5 This morning we started our day by driving to see the Painted Ladies in San Francisco. Next, we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge, stopped briefly, then went back across. After that, we stopped at the Palace of Fine Arts, and while there, we walked around the manmade pond and fascinating architecture. Following that, we went to the Wave Organ and got a nice view of the GGB and of Alcatraz Island. Then, we drove down Lombard Street again on the way to Pier 39. We parked about a block away from the pier, and the parking was free because of Thanksgiving! A couple of things we saw there were seals, musical stairs, a crepe shop, a Christmas tree, and an old railroad ramp. We walked around for a while and eventually decided to catch a streetcar (twice) before heading back to our car. As we rounded the corner to our block, we noticed our empty suitcase sitting at a bus stop. Someone (most likely a homeless person) had burned the cords that were tying it down, taking our air mattresses...

 Day 4 This morning our first destination was nearby Sequoia National Park. On our drive in, we could see Moro Rock and a picturesque mountain view. After lots of switchbacks and elevation gain, we arrived at the main Sequoia section of the park. We got lots of photos that made us look tiny, and also had some fun crawling and sliding through hollow logs. Our last stop in the park was the General Sherman tree, and then we started the four-hour drive to San Francisco. We arrived there around 4:30 and immediately drove to the cable car turntable on Powell Street. From there, we caught a ride across town and then walked the 1½ miles back to our car through Chinatown. Next, we drove down Lombard Street and then headed to our lodging in the southern suburbs of the city.

Day 3 We started today off by driving into Malibu. Our first stop was Malibu Bluffs, and while there, we saw a finger-skateboarding park, a whale tail bench, and a beautiful ocean view. We also took a picture of our Chevy Malibu in Malibu, California. After that, we drove to Malibu Lagoon State Beach and were there from around 9:30 until just after 2:00. We had a lot of fun playing in the water and sand, seeing interesting animals, and just enjoying the sunshine. On our way out of town, we got lunch at Subway, filled our gas tank, and saw the Pepperdine Cross. As the sun went down, we started driving toward Sequoia National Park. Our lodging ended up being just miles away from the park in the town of Three Rivers.

Day 2 After packing up this morning, we drove to a store to get some groceries and other items that we didn’t bring on the flight down. We also decided to tie one of our suitcases onto the roof so we could have more trunk space. After that, we continued driving toward LA. The first place we stopped there was Griffith Park & Southern Railroad where we looked at some locomotives and train cars. Next, we parked at the Dolby Theater to walk along Hollywood Boulevard. We took pictures with a few stars and the prints in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater. While there, we decided to go on an open-air van tour of the area. The two-hour tour took us through Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Rodeo Drive. Along the way, we saw houses belonging to Lebron James, Taylor Swift, Jeff Bezos, and others. After finishing the tour, we took pictures with the (distant) Hollywood sign and then drove to the La Brea tar pits. We hung out there for a bit then walked over to the Las Angeles C...