Our Trip to the Coast - SF and more

A few weeks ago, Tyson and I took a 5 day trip, just the two of us (wooohooo!) for our anniversary to see the Northern California and Oregon coast.  It was absolutely AMAZING!!!  Best trip ever, maybe because its so recent and on my mind, but it really was great.  So easy with no kids, no schedules, no lines, no crowds, just us being able to explore and be amazed by the beauty over there and enjoy each others company.

I took over 300 hundred pictures, but I could've taken 1000 , but we'd have never gotten to any of our destinations. 

Day 1 - Flew into San Francisco and headed straight to China Town for lunch.  Ok - this was the only crowded place of our whole trip, but I wanted Tyson to experience a little of SF.  Had a great lunch and fun exploring the cheap little trinkets that the Chinese hand-make. 

Us in Chinatown.

Ok - so I really need some practice on taking pictures of myself. 

Next we made it down by the piers and HAD to go get some chocolate ice-cream at Ghiradelli Square.

Enjoying the ice-cream at the bay.

Tyson's going to love this pic - sorry hun, only one I have! :)

Our stay in SF was short, just 5 hours, and then we headed out on our journey across the Golden Gate Bridge.  It was awesome driving across it!

Goodbye San Francisco, until next time (we already need to go back).

So then it was off to Mendocino.  Our trip there through the wine countryside was just amazing.  Driving on much-less traveled windy country roads, over hillsides, along the little creeks, windows down and that nice warm breeze blowing through our hair while listening to our favorite songs on the iPod.  It was so cool - we just needed a convertible, too bad we had turned that down. 

One thing about the CA coast, it is cold in summertime - like 55 for the high.  We did pack for it, but still it's July for heaven sakes!  We stayed just outside of Mendocino at a B&B.  Actually all places we stayed at were a B&B along the way.  It was our first B&B ever, and we found we really like them.  They are pretty much the only options on this type of trip anyways.  So in Mendocino we had our own little private cabin on the cliff to the beach - private deck with our own little hottub and a real fireplace, which we had to start to keep warm at night.  It was sooo cool!  We could've just stayed there all week - loved it! 

The view off our deck - there's lots of fog along the coast. 

So just beyond those rocks in the water, there is another set of huge rocks that have an archway carved in them from the waves.  It's a very famous pictures, and of course I didn't get a picture of it.  I was kind of thinking the whole CA and OR coast was going to be filled with these spectacular looking rocks out in the ocean that make that perfect picture, so when the camera wasn't convenient I didn't bother because I was sure to have other opportunities.  I could kick myself as I had this mentality quite a bit of the trip!  Another reason to go back again!

Leaving Mendocino and headed away from the coast to the Redwoods 

Not exactly the time to be messing with the settings on my camera - oops!