E.S.C.A.P.E. Club

Our March trip has really become one to appreciate. There’s not a whole lot of planning that goes into the day–other than maps and driver communication for staying together. We get to see and do a bunch of things that are close by, and free, that most if not all of our kids have never seen or done. It’s six different stops in the Golden Gate Bridge area, all in about eight hours. So here we go…

We started our day at curvy Lombard Street. We drive down in cars, then park, and walk the street again. We were glad to see the wild parrots, who announce their presence with their decidedly un-urban squawks. From the top of the hill, we saw Angel Island and Alcatraz, and a cable car rode right past us. For a bonus stop, we also hit the Palace of Fine Arts. Fewer kids get to see this beautiful spot than when it was attached to the Exploratorium. So it’s a worthwhile 15 minutes.

Next it was on to Fort Point, at the base of the bridge. The kids brush up against the history of the fort, and check out a few of the exhibits there. But mostly they enjoy the building itself–walking around with friends, hiding and seeking, and enjoying the views. We hung out for about an hour, and moved on up the hill to the bridge visitor center.

If you haven’t heard or been, the construction around the visitor center is pretty much done, and is done very nicely. We ate lunch at the statue of Joseph Strauss, and made our way out to the first tower–just a 10 minute walk each way. Looking over the rail, we got to see a dolphin–how often do you get to see a dolphin in the wild?! What a treat. And a unique experience just to walk on the bridge itself. (I was also enamored by the new “zipper” median on the bridge–hadn’t seen that yet.)

On we went across to Marin. At the Marine Mammal Center, we used our connections and got a brief presentation by an old friend who now works at the center. Courtney gave us a great intro to what goes on at the MMC. She told us about this year’s El Niño, and all the starving sea lions that they’ve been treating so far this year. The kids got to see pelts, and skulls, and learn how the staff capture, rehabilitate, and release the seals and sea lions. We watched as young seals, too young to hunt, were force-fed the “fish milkshake”.

Our final stop of the day was at Battery Spencer, overlooking the bridge from the Marin side. As usual the views were spectacular, but this time, the fog was rolling in. I have always wished I could see this in person, and after years and years of stopping here, I finally got my wish. It was mesmerizing. Despite the views, as I’ve learned over the years, the kids most of all love the freedom. They run, and play, and jump, and climb, and sit, and talk, and just enjoy being out in a special place together. And then they complain when we have to leave. All the elements of a great day.

The slideshow video with all the photos and clips can be found here:

April’s trip is back to Alamere Falls in Point Reyes, and then camping in Yosemite in May. Let us know if you’d like to come along for camping–we are beginning the planning now.

Hi All,

Not sure what’s taken me so long here to send a report.  We’ll call it my busy work schedule…

Anyway, we made it to the snow.  We were headed to Boreal to pay through the nose because there was no snow anywhere.  And then the storm came…

We were treated to a charter bus, all our chaperones relaxing as we headed up to the mountains, and the kids filled with anticipation.  We knew it was snowing, but of course, did not have a good handle on what current road conditions might be.  The kids’ reaction was great as we watched them see the first signs of snow–many for the very first time.  You can see it in our video here:

But as we headed further up the Interstate, things slowed to a halt.  The freeway was being closed.  And all traffic had to exit.  There was no room for a bus to wait at the exit, so we headed back east and exited at Blue Canyon.  There was a nice little clearing, so we decided not to wait for the freeway to re-open.  We pulled out all our stuff, and decided to make a day of it there.

The snow was so fantastic.  Soft, light, quiet, fresh powder.  Great for snowballs, rolling massive ‘avalanche’ boulders, snowball fights, snow angels, snowmen, all the best parts of playing in fresh snow.  Snow on all the evergreens.  Looked great with our new green and white shirts!  Kids explored, did all the fun stuff, built mini hills to sled down, and had a grand time.  Melissa Lau cooked up our lunch for us–chili dogs and hot chocolate, and we saved ourselves a chunk of change not making it to the tubing resort.  So despite the trial, we had an amazing day, and were grateful for the experience.

Back down the hill, we made our usual stop in Auburn at In’N’Out.  We rented Big Hero 6 for our evening entertainment (“Are you satisfied with your service?”).  Then a quick visit to the capitol in Sacramento.

Such a great experience for all of us.  Even a treat for those of us who’ve been to the snow many times.  It’s been sunny and warm most of the past several years.  This was definitely a treat.  Enjoy the photos, check out the slideshow video if you have a minute, and we’ll talk to you again soon!

We got 2015 started with our annual return to Año Nuevo State Park down near Santa Cruz. The weather, as most of you know, was spectacular. A little too spectacular for January. Forty of us made our way down the coast, and hiked out to see the elephant seals. We saw all the usual sights–males fighting, females raising their pups, pups calling out for milk, and dodging the 5000-pound behemoths around them. It’s sometimes hard after so many years to remember that this is a really unique place to be close to wildlife and see them act like we aren’t even there.

The highlight of the day for most of the kids was after the tour, when we walked down to nearby Cove Beach. The tide was way out, so we had a long and wide swath of beach. The sun was warm and bright, and the ocean felt cool on our toes. The kids (and adults) had an hour of free time, and it was hard to accept that we’d have to keep our day moving and head back north.

We did receive special ‘funding’ for an ice cream stop in Half Moon Bay. Some kids said it was their first time ever to Baskin Robbins. We love giving the kids ‘new experiences’!

We’ve found that the Pacifica Pier is a great place to stop and see something different (and free!). Lots of people were crabbing and fishing, huge waves rolled in far below us, and the sun was setting off to the west. We fought the bridge traffic, made a quick stop on Treasure Island, and called it a day.

If you have an extra few minutes, the slideshow video is here:

We’re still hoping for a trip to the snow this year at the end of the month. The only thing we’re waiting on, is, well, snow. A big storm is coming this weekend, you may have heard, so we’ll see if it gets cold enough to drop what we’re looking for. Otherwise we’ll have to get creative!

Our new shirts are being printed, and should be ready in the next couple weeks.

Thanks for reading, and we’ll talk to you soon.

Hey Everyone,