Getting out of Dodge: Point Reyes, California

On Friday night I spoke to the kids about what we should do on Saturday. Because the baby is due soon we've kept our weekends pretty clear just in case. Since it was Memorial Day weekend we wanted to do something! So I suggested to the kids that we go to the beach and they went bananas! They could hardly wait for dad to come home so we could tell him where we were going. Oops! Should have talked to dad first, but the kids loved surprising him!

Bella immediately went into baking mode (wonder where she gets that from) and made chocolate cupcakes for the trip.

We left early the next morning, and after making some pit-stops for a gas fill-up and snacks, we were well on our way. We had a map of the Northern California Coast & Bay Area, but no specific destination in mind: We just wanted to go to the "beach"!

We ended up in Petaluma, California and enjoyed a nice ride through their incredible downtown.

We stopped for a bit to stretch our legs...

...before continuing on to Point Reyes and the Sir Francis Drake Beach!

Even though it was late in the afternoon and everyone was hungry for lunch, nothing sounded better to the kids than digging in the sand!

When we left our home we all had flippies and shorts and t-shirts. You've got to love Northern California Coastal weather, where you'd better be prepared for gusty winds and overcast skies. Luckily, we know our California and packed appropriately.

Isn't this the best? Just staring into the great ocean and watching the waves roar in.

So beautiful.

Samuel could not resist finishing what Bella began. With the help of the kids, he created a beauty of a sandcastle that drew quite a few onlookers who were eager to take pictures.

I could literally see Samuel's head swelling with pride!

Owen stayed pretty close to our home base, but after a few hours started to get curious about the water. Samuel followed him down and removed his socks and shoes so he could feel the sand and water on his toes. This proved to be very disconcerting for him, and he trotted back up to me high-stepping it all the way and doing quick in-and-out Lamaze breathing. I think it was sensory overload!

Cuddling with my boy. I can't believe that soon I'll have two sons!

Coming into the beach are fields and fields of dairy cows. Unlike here, these cows are the classic black and white and Owen was smitten. You could say that rather than having a sing-a-long in the car, we had a moo-a-long.

It seems to go on forever.

Nature at it's best.


What a wonderful day trip!
We had so much fun, and on the way home, we couldn't resist planning all of the other wonderful places we'd like to visit next time!