The Lymans in California

We recently returned from a two week trip to California. There were several places that we wanted to go in central California, so we decided to one big, long trip. We put 2500 miles on our car in the two weeks, stayed in several places, and were exhausted by the time we got home. However, we had a great time.

Summer wins the award for the best baby ever. She was an angel in the car. I sat with her a couple of times in the back seat and we only had two moments the entire trip where she got really upset in the car. She also did really well during the day as we went from place to place. She napped when she could and was a real trooper. Nights were a bit of a different story. She got up a lot more than she normally does, so I was a bit sleep deprived and we now have some new habits that need breaking.

Summer was also adored by most everyone wherever we went. We rode a lot of public transportation in San Francisco and she was properly gushed over by most everyone-teenage boys, grandmas, middle aged men, and almost any young woman. A couple of people decided she was the best looking thing in Yosemite and much more fun to look at than the waterfalls and rocks. We didn't see many babies most of the places we went, so she was a bit of an anomaly. I decided that babies are a common connection between all people. Everyone likes them and I have talked to more strangers since having Summer than I have my entire life.

Our first stop was Sequoia National Park. It was pretty amazing to see the big trees. We were there in the off season, so the park was relatively empty and fun to be in. We did lots of short hikes, including the one the the largest tree in the world (by volume). Pretty cool! It is unbelievable how big they are-I am still in awe of them. They made me feel so tiny. This was probably the favorite stop of the whole trip.

Our second stop was in Yosemite. Yosemite is absolutely beautiful, although it was freezing. We woke up to a couple of inches of snow our first day there. There wasn't snow on the ground in the valley, but it did snow part of the day. Needless to say, our activities were a little bit limited with a baby that first day. Although, we did get to see frazil ice (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V9p4mFEYXc). You can see it in the first picture below surrounding Yosemite Falls. Our second day in Yosemite we got a little more hiking in. My favorite was a trip to Vernal Falls, where the scenery was gorgeous.

After Yosemite, we headed to Monterey. In Monterey we spent some time on a few different beaches, went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and did the 17 mile drive through Pebble Beach. Summer enjoyed exploring  the sand, while I did my best to allow only minimal amounts into her mouth (which can be tricky when she sticks her entire face in the sand to get a nice sized bite). The aquarium was pretty amazing. It was crowded (aparently Friday's are fieldtrip day), but it was also pretty neat to see. Our favorite was the Jellies and a big open sea tank that had sharks and other large (bigger than Anders large) fish. We were also there during the perfect time for flowers to be in bloom in Santa Clara (right next to Monterey). There was a walking trail that was lined with beautiful purple flowers in bloom. Our pictures don't do it justice, but it was beautiful.

Our last stop was in San Francisco. We stayed with Anders' Uncle Jed and Aunt Gayle and their family. They have a beautiful home in Palo Alto and were gracious enough to host us. We were fed very well and enjoyed getting to know them better. Jed drives a Tesla Roadster and let us take it out for a spin and on a date (while he babysat Summer). I have never driven a "fast" car before, but now I see the appeal. It is an electric car and can go from 0-60 mph in under 4 seconds. Really, it was a blast to drive. Anders' other uncle, Lars, also lives in the area. He is a stay-at-home Dad who has his own catering business on the weekends. He joined us two different days to go see some sights. One day was spent hiking around some old WWII embattlements and a hike to a lighthouse. He treated us to lunch on two different days and we sure enjoyed his company. His son Nolan, who is 15 months, joined us and he and Summer seemed to like each other. We also had a visit with my good friend from home, Heather. Her husband is getting his PhD at Stanford and they lived just a two minute drive from where we were staying. They fed us a dinner and we had a great visit. It was fun to catch up.

We also saw the sights in San Francisco. It is amazing how different it is from Utah-and as Lars said, you see everything in SF. We took a drive down Lombard Street, a trip to Ghiradelli Square, rode the Cable Car and Street Cars, saw the SF Aquarium, went to Alcatraz, the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park, saw China Town, and went to the Exploratorium. We loved it all!

After seeing a lot of beautiful places-the mountains, trees, and beaches-and seeing a lot of plant and animal life, I was reminded of a conversation I had years ago with one of my dearest friends-Nicki. We were both science majors and truly loved the beauty found in science. We talked about how studying science and nature was like trying to get a glimpse into the mind of God. I often wonder how someone can look at the beautiful Earth we have-with its diversity, uniqueness, and life processes-and believe that there is no God. I was reminded on this trip of the care that He took in creating our Earth and how it is here for us to take care of, to use, and to enjoy. I'm pretty sure God had took great care, and had a lot of fun, when creating this Earth and all the living things on it.