Pleasanton Ridge

The Pleasanton Ridge is a bit of a hike, but if you can make it to the top you will have some breathtaking views of the valley. The hike up was pretty intense, but it was a gorgeous fall day and we were glad to be out! Cora was still in the backpack carrier at this point and she enjoyed the ride! About halfway up, we stopped and let the kids play under a huge tree. As you can see Caleb climbed and we just hung out and had a snack. After a bit of a break, we continued toward the top and almost made it. We decided to turn back after a while as we weren't sure the kids would make it all the way back down without a meltdown. There were a lot of other families and lots of dogs on this hike which is always fun. Halfway back down the hill, we discovered that one of Cora's shoes was missing! It had fallen off while she was enjoying her ride down the hill in the backpack. We did some backtracking to no avail, and since it was getting late and the kids were tired,we decided to just head back to the parking lot. Lo and behold, when we arrived back to our car a lady approached us holding Cora's shoe! I have no idea where she found it or how she knew it was ours, but I was relieved to have it back! All in all, it was a afternoon well spent on the ridge.

Crissy Field ~ San Francisco

This was a really fun adventure! I had hesitated going into the city just because I am nervous about the traffic and finding parking on my own with the kids. However, for this adventure we went along with our walking group! Our walking leader gave me very specific and easy to follow directions and I was able to find parking very easily and right away. I was so excited to have made it in to the city on my own! Of course, the was horribly foggy and overcast, but that just added to the adventure. I came prepared with extra clothes, towels and jackets. After parking and hooking up with our group, we made our way to the flat gravel path and enjoyed the views of the Golden Gate Bridge as we walked along. The wind was blowing pretty strong, but we charged ahead! There were lots of bikers, walkers, runners and dog walkers going back and forth despite the chilly weather. At the end of the path, we came to what is called the warming hut which is a little gift shop and cafe. Bingo! We quickly got in line to invest in some hot chocolate (lets keep in mind we were in the middle of July....55 and rainy it was not in the East Bay, so after a half hour of walking, we were pretty frozen!) We sat outside the warming hut chatting and sipping our hot chocolate. After a few minutes we decided to head back to the parking lot. As we got closer to where our cars were parked, we headed toward the beach to give the kids a better view of the bridge and let them splash in the water. Yes, no matter how cold it is, my kids still want to play in the water! Caleb was able to guide Nyah (he is such a good brother!) to a sandbar a short distance from the beach. They rolled their pants up and off they went. Thankfully, Cora stayed glued to me, too cold and scared to venture away from me. This is when I took the pictures of the kids with the bridge in the background. If the weather had been just a bit nicer, I would have stayed the rest of the afternoon to let the kids play at the beach, but I could tell they were getting cold, so we decided to head back to the car and have our lunch. I wanted to get the kids changed out of their wet clothes, but they wanted to eat, so we ate quick and then changed. Then we headed out. I saw signs for Ghiradelli Square on our way out, but wasn't sure the kids were up for it. I may try that when we have family out next week! This is a really fun place to show visitors the Golden Gate Bridge and take a nice walk as well!