Fremont, CA

Morning came way too quickly. We were exhausted from walking everywhere last night. I think the four-mile walk did us in yesterday! Whew! We got up, checked out of our hotel, and drove to Pier 39 again to take advantage of our free two-hour parking at the parking garage. We then walked a few blocks to Pier 33 to get our tickets we had reserved for the Alcatraz tour. We got our tickets, scarfed down a couple of corndogs and Churros, then got in line to board the cruise ship.

It was still very cold this morning; glad we had our jackets again! The view of San Francisco from the ship was incredible. The ship ride was about 15 minutes long. As we approached the island, we got very excited. We'd only seen Alcatraz from afar or in the movies. Now, we were getting a chance to be ON the island that used to serve as a federal maximum security prison for notorious criminals like Al Capone, "Machine Gun Kelly," and James "The Birdman" Stroud.

Right after we got off the cruise ship, we were instructed to listen to announcements by a parks and recreation representative near the dock. We then walked to the barracks and watched a brief video on the history of the island. It was very interesting. After the video, we made our way to the top of the hill and got our tape for a self-guided audio tour of the cellblocks inside the prison. Listening to the voices in the audiotape of former cellmates was chilling. We couldn't imagine a locked-up life on the island. We did learn that many wardens and administrators and their families actually lived on the island. We even got one of the former administrator's daughters who lived on the island to sign one of her latest books on James "The Birdman" Stroud. Can't wait to read that! We thoroughly enjoyed Alcatraz. It is a must see if you're ever in S.F.

After our tour of Alcatraz, we got in the car and headed Southeast toward Fremont, California, where my uncle, aunt, and several cousins and extended family live. Before we headed to Fremont, though, we drove down the famous Lombard Street (the "Crookedest Street"). Pretty neat! Fremont is right outside of San Jose and about an hour's drive from S.F. Traffic out of S.F. was TERRIBLE! I say that if you can drive in S.F., you can probably drive anywhere! People use their car horns way too much. I guess we felt like doing what the locals do, so we blared our horn a few times just to say that we honked our horn in S.F.!

We checked in to our hotel and quickly freshened up a bit before heading out to my uncle and aunt's house, which was about a mile away from our hotel. There, we met up with my sweet cousin, Jessica, who just got off work. She drove us to the Asian Pearl Restaurant. My extended family came and joined us for dinner. So, let's talk about dinner. IT WAS AMAZING! The picture just doesn't do it any justice. We ate and ate until our bellies almost ached. There was a wide spread of shrimp with candy-toasted walnuts, Dungeness crabs, several pork and beef dishes, some Chinese vegetables, tofu with chopped shrimp with a special sauce, crispy duck (Asian style) with a bread and sauce to go with it, and a delicious Chinese green bean porridge for dessert (no, not the Southern green beans we have in TN; that would not be good in a porridge!).

Dinner was so good but we had to leave room for more dessert next door. We strolled over to the little dessert shop. Zac and I both got the bubble tea with tapioca. I would describe the bubble tea as tasting like tea with some cream and sugar, only cold. Talk about being stuffed!

We said our goodbyes to my great aunt and second cousins and then headed back to my uncle and aunt's house. We chatted for a bit before saying goodbye to them and my sweet cousin, Jessica. We got back to the hotel and called it a night.

We head out to my dad and stepmom's in L.A. tomorrow!

San Francisco - Day Two

We got up this morning a little later than we normally do, gathered our dirty clothes, and finally got to do some laundry after two weeks! The laundry took about an hour. Not too bad and it only cost us $3.50 total to wash and dry both of our clothes at the hotel.

We went to Pier 39, where most of the restaurants are located in the Bay. We walked around the pier and saw some some sea lions. Yes, seal lions. They were just lounging around on the docks. Very interesting. We walked around some more and got HUNGRY. So, we decided to go to the Fog Harbor Fish House where we ended up ordering the same plate - the Shellfish Platter. Mmm......buttery shellfish goodness! The platter consisted of Dungeness crab, muscles, and clams sauteed in garlic, herbs, and a little olive oil. Boy, was that delicious! We even got our own bibs!

After lunch, we strolled along Pier 39 and did some souvenir shopping. One thing we got that was tasty was the salt water taffy. Very salty but good! Shortly aftter we got our souvenirs, we headed back to the car and went north of San Francisco to the Muir Woods National Monument, where some of California’s redwood trees are found. It was an amazing sight to see. Many of the trees were over 1000 years old. We got several dozen pictures there and we also got Zac a t-shirt using my educator’s discount of 15% off. Nice. Before we got to Muir Woods, we crossed the famous Golden Gate Bridge. It was beautiful! We didn’t have to pay anything going through it the first time but coming back was a different story. We had to pay a $6 toll just to get back in to San Francisco through the Golden Gate. That was pricey. I think we’ve probably paid a good $15 or so in tolls throughout our trip so far. Looks like there will be plenty more to come......oh, well......

We tried to get back to our hotel from Muir Woods but kept getting lost. Several of the roads were under contruction and the GPS did not recognize that at all. We finally made it back somehow a little after 7 p.m. and decided to head to China Town for one last night.

On our way to dinner in China Town, we encountered some street perfomers singing and playing traditional Chinese instruments. Zac somehow go roped in to pretending to play with them. He, of course, fit right in. Very funny but cute!

We were going to eat at the recommended Yee’s Cafe but it was closed when we got there. So, we kept walking until we found a place that looked good. We ended up at Grant Place Restaurant - a noodle and dim sum house. The best way to describe dim sum is that it’s the equivalent to a tapas bar, where food is served in small portions. Zac got the dim sum plate with wonton soup and I got the rice noodle with fish ball soup. Ahh......AUTHENTIC Chinese food is always good! While we were eating, we noticed a cat roaming around the restaurant. Nobody seemed phased by it at all. We had to get a picture of the little guy because when do you see a stray cat wandering around in a restaurant and everyone seem so calm about it? I guess only in San Francisco.

We were full and satisfied and ready for bed. We walked a good mile back to our hotel from China Town and crawled into bed to relax as soon as we got back. We had a very eventful day today. The weather was VERY cold here. Zac wore his insulated windbreaker jacket all day long and I wore my long-sleeved shirt AND my jacket as well. The high was probably in the low to mid fifties with a constant wind blowing. Brrrr! We hope tomorrow will bring us some nice and sunny weather for our morning adventure to Alcatraz!

San Francisco, CA

This morning, we got up at around 8:30 a.m. We showered quickly and went downstairs to use the rest of our comps from our rewards cards. After searching around, we finally decided to use our comps at the Starbucks in the hotel. Zac got a cherry cheese danish with a caramel macchiato and I got a blueberry muffin with a decaf mocha coconut frappuccino. Yum!

We went back upstairs, got our things, and checked out at the front desk. Goodbye, Reno! We headed out on I-80W towards San Francisco, CA.

The drive took us through a winding stretch of Tahoe National Forest. Beautiful!

After a good four-and-a-half hours, we finally reached our destination of San Francisco. Man, was it cold, rainy, and foggy! Not what we expected during this time of year in California. Traffic was very heavy with drivers who were very aggressive and unforgiving. Whew! Glad I wasn't driving.

We reached our hotel in downtown San Francisco at around 5:00 p.m. We checked in and took our things to our room. Every room in the hotel had a name dedicated to famous celebrity personalities. Ours was very unique; it was named after Hunter S. Thompson.

We went exploring for food after dropping off our things. Yes - FOOD - again. Just a note to future travelers to San Francisco: Be prepared to pay for self parking or valet parking along with your already-paid hotel room. Our fee for self parking (which was unavoidable) was $20.00 plus tax each day. Pricey, but what isn't in this city? After walking a few blocks, we stopped and pulled out our map to find the way to China Town. We must have looked like tourists with our map because a man walked up to us and asked us where we were planning to go. He pointed us in the right direction and we proceeded to walk towards the land of authentic goodness!

While we were walking through a tunnel, we witnessed a female motorcyclist slide right off of her bike and slam against the pavement. A car right behind her stopped immediately and the male passenger jumped out and went to help pick up her oversized motorcycle. Concerned, we stopped to make sure she was okay. Zac looked around the tunnel to make sure no cars were speeding through and went to her aid as well. She was lucky and so were we. If her bike had come straight through the walkway, we would have been hit! Whew, what a way to be welcomed to the area!

After the scary incident, we walked around China Town and asked the locals the best place to eat. They all recommended the R&G Lounge. We finally made it to the R&G after several wrong turns. We sat down and were provided with hot tea. We ordered the hot and sour soup, the salmon and avocado eggrolls, the R&G Beef Special, and the Triple Delight with Chinese black bean sauce. The Triple Delight had eggplant, roasted red and green peppers stuffed with crab, and giant pieces of fried tofu cubes. Holy cow! We ate every last bit of everything. No leftovers tonight!

We left the R&G very full and extremely satisfied. On our way back to the hotel, we walked around and came upon the biggest Banana Republic in the country! It had several different levels. I could have stayed in there all day if I wanted. I got one little item and we walked leisurely back to our hotel.

The rest of the night was spent in front of the tube in our room. Tomorrow, we explore the city in depth, including the famous Golden Gate Bridge!

Reno/Tahoe

It was nice to wake up this morning and not have to pack up and head out for a 200+ mile drive.

This morning, we went downstairs of our luxurious casino hotel and ate a delicious buffet breakfast consisting of eggs benedict, sausage, bacon, pancakes, cheese-stuffed crepes, smoked ham, french toast, fresh fruit, and scrambled eggs. Two plates were all that we could stomach; I know I was still a little full from last night's five-plate dinner buffet!

Shortly after breakfast, we drove through downtown Reno. There wasn't a lot of people out and about; we figured we'd go back when it was more lively at night.



We headed Southwest towards the famous Lake Tahoe. We drove about 40 miles until we saw the most beautiful sight. The mountains in the background were snow-capped and the water was glistening and simply gorgeous and peaceful. We stopped at an overlook area to Lake Tahoe, made our way down to the gigantic granite rocks, and put our feet in the water. It was about 30 degrees Fahrenheit and ICY COLD! Very refreshing and energizing!



We took several pictures and then headed back to Reno to our hotel. I took a nice two-hour nap while Zac went downstairs and played some poker. When I woke up, it was about 6:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. We took the Citifare bus, which cost us $2.00 each and took us right in the heart of downtown Reno. We went to Harrah's Casino, updated our rewards cards, and walked in to the Steak House downstairs for a nice dinner. Wow! We sat in a round booth that had special mood lighting just for us. Zac had the "Steak Diane," which was absolutely amazing. It was cooked right in front of us and served with vegetables and potatoes. I had the filet and lobster tail, which was equally delicious. We were even served a petite sorbet with champagne over it. We think it was to cleanse our palate before the main course. Either way, it was nice. Before we were seated, we had mentioned to the host that we were on our honeymoon. So, for dessert they brought out a fabulous plate of dark chocolate mousse and a chocolate cup with tiramisu inside and a bowl of specially made chocolate truffles. I'm not supposed to have chocolate at all (due to inner ear issues) and I didn't want to be rude, so I had a bite of everything. Mmm......mmm......how I've missed chocolate!

We were stuffed and the meal was well worth the price! We played some slots at Harrah's before we decided to head back to our hotel. Let me just say that finding the bus stop was quite creepy at night on the streets of downtown Reno. There were definitely some interesting characters on the street. We encountered prostitutes and many panhandlers. Should we have driven instead of taken the bus? Nah. It makes it more interesting and memorable, I think. We got on Bus 14, paid our $2.00 each, and took a seat. The people who subsequently got on after us at each of the bus stops were interesting, to say the least. I know you shouldn't judge people, but holy cow! One man couldn't stop talking about his crack addiction and was twitching and others were just plain weird! What an experience on public transportation in Reno!

We got back to our hotel and continued our fun. I played some slots and Blackjack at the tables while Zac went back to the poker table. We lost some money but had plenty of fun our last night in Reno! Can't wait for our drive in to San Francisco, CA, tomorrow!

Nevada

Well, we've travelled through three states in three days. Goodbye, Salt Lake City, UT! Hello, Reno, NV!

We left a little past 10:30 a.m. MDT and began our 519-mile journey. Shortly after we got on the road, we passed into the Pacific Time Zone and gained an extra hour. Now, we were officially three hours behind Chattanooga's time.

While leaving Salt Lake City, we passed through an area called the Bonneville Salt Flats. It is a densely-packed salt pan in northwestern Utah that is a remnant of the Pleistocene Lake Bonneville. It was truly nothing we'd ever seen before. Absolutely stunning! It stretched for miles and miles. We both walked on the salt flats. I even took my shoes off to feel the natural salt on my bare feet. Before we left the salt flats, we gathered a little sample of the salt and put it in a container to keep as a memento.


When we crossed into Nevada, we immediately saw casinos on both sides of the road. We stopped to get some gas and a quick bite to eat at Burger King.


We got back on the road and I passed out in the car for about 200+ miles. When I woke up, we were almost to Reno!


I stayed awake the rest of the trip. We finally pulled up to our hotel called the Sierra Grand Resort & Casino. Wow!!! I kept thinking to myself, "If this is one of the nicest hotels in Reno, I can't wait for Vegas!"

We checked in at around 6:00 p.m. PDT (Pacific Daylight Time). I had booked our standard suite for two nights through Travelocity (which is the best site, by the way!) but asked the receptionist at the front desk to see if the hotel offered anything special for couples on their honeymoon. We were in luck! He asked his supervisor and we were upgraded to a Grand Suite overlooking the city! Wow! We took our luggage up to our room, freshened up a bit, and headed downstairs to the BUFFET! It was time to eat again. Yay!





After five plates - yes, I said FIVE PLATES - of food, we decided it was time to get our gambling on! We played a few penny slots, won some, lost some, and then left to check out the swim area, which had a pool, bar, big hot tub, and nice lounge areas. Since we're staying two nights in Reno, I think we'll be heading to the pool tomorrow!

Utah

Today, we woke up to the most amazing view! All around us were gorgeous mountains and fresh air. Ahh......

As we were checking out this morning, "B.G.," the receptionist at the front desk, congratulated us again on our marriage and honeymoon and (in her heavy Ukrainian accent) told us to bring our kids the next time we came back!

We hopped in the car and headed toward Salt Lake City, UT. Coming in to Utah was - again - AMAZING! The view was breath-taking - just like Colorado! We drove a good 200 miles and decided it was time to EAT!!! Before we took the exit for food, we saw an armadillo walking along the interstate, a family of prairie dogs watching the cars go by, and passed along a one-mile stretch of I-70W that had been adopted by the Society of Former Muggers. Really?! Society of Former Muggers? Hmmm......

We stopped in at the first restaurant we came across after pulling off of Hwy 191 in Helper, UT. It was called Pistol Pete's. Zac had a corndog with spicy curly fries and a chocolate malt and I had the best darn hamburger with spicy curly fries as well. I had a hamburger in Helper!

The 386-mile drive went pretty well. We finally made it in to Salt Lake City at around 4:30 p.m. Mountain Time and checked in to our hotel. We asked the concierge at the front desk about activities in the city tonight. She recommended the Utah Arts Festival - just a few blocks from our hotel. We dropped our stuff off in our room, freshened up a bit, and went down to the festival.

Wow! The festival was awesome! I will say that this city has some good-looking people. Everyone seemed to be friendly but not very polite, which is all right with me. People just seemed to do what they do. We were surrounded by all kinds of food. So, naturally, we got hungry again! Zac got a taco salad and I had the best taco called a Navajo Taco. Mmm......mmm......

We ate our food and waited for the Utah Premier Brass Band to take the stage. The first piece they played blew us away. Man, they were great! After the band played, we walked back to our hotel to rest.






Tomorrow, we head out to Reno, NV!

Colorado

Denver was nice but we were ready to move on.

This morning, we got up early and went to the dealership in Littleton, CO, to get our car serviced for its regular maintenance. We waited about two hours before it was finished and ready for us to take back on the road.

We drove 160 miles west of Denver to the town of Glenwood Springs. It was the most breath-taking drive ever! The foothills of the Rocky Mountains were gorgeous. We saw some spectacular cabins and resort areas in the mountains. We even drove through some snow-capped areas. At one point, you could have stopped on the side of the road and played with the snow in your shorts and t-shirt without being cold! Amazing!

When we got into Glenwood, we checked into our motel, got our bathing suits on, and headed to the natural mineral hot springs. The springs were divided into three sections: one with a temperature of 104 degrees Fahrenheit, one with a temperature of about 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and one with a cooled pool. We stayed at the hot springs for a good two hours and then decided it was time for some - you guessed it - FOOD!




Before we left the motel lobby, the receptionist at the front desk had recommended the Chinese restaurant right down the road for dinner. Um, excuse me, but I did NOT come to Colorado to eat Chinese food! I came to eat some MEAT! That's just what we had for dinner. We went to the saloon of Doc Holliday, the famous gambler and gunslinger of the 1800's. Zac had a delicious burger with grilled onions and green peppers and I had a buffalo burger - a little taste of the old west. Mmm......mmm.....I must say that bison is delish! It was not gamey tasting and was very lean.

We walked around Glenwood after dinner and took some more pictures before heading back to the motel to crash. What a relaxing afternoon at the hot springs and a wonderful, MEATY dinner! Ahh......

Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore!

Our first night in the country went well. I was actually refreshed when I woke up, even though I was scared out of my mind about the you-know-what last night.

We had a simple breakfast of toast and cereal this morning. Nora took us around the outside of her house so we could examine all of the old tools, tractors, sheds, and buildings on her land. It was an amazing sight to see! We even got to go into their real and recently-used storm shed. It was almost eerie down in the shed but very cool!

We left Nora and Dale's house and headed over to the cemetery to pay our respects to Zac's relatives who have passed on. We then met up with some of Zac's cousins in the city of Beloit. When we arrived at Kathy and Don's house, we were immediately offered coffee and cream donuts. I didn't have any coffee but I sure did eat up some of those donuts! Roberta and Terry came by to see us at Kathy and Don's. They are also Zac's relatives. We sat around the kitchen table and exchanged some funny stories.

Before we knew it, lunch time had come around. We were asked if we wanted to have lunch with everyone, which we graciously accepted since we weren't in any rush. Banner's was delicious! I had the best quarter-pounder cheeseburger and onion rings ever!

After lunch, we said our goodbyes to Nora, Kathy and Don, and Terry and Roberta. It was great to see them again.

Our afternoon was spent on I-70W. Beloit, KS, to Denver, CO, was a little under 400 miles. Whew! I was so surprised to see how flat Colorado is. It is definitely beautiful, though!

Six hours later, not only did we gain an extra hour (woo hoo!) but we also finally made it to the great city of Denver. Wow! We are on Mountain Time and we can see the Rocky Mountains in the distance!!!

We checked into our hotel, ate dinner upstairs at the Skybox Bar and Grill, came back, crawled into bed, and watched some news about Colorado on the tube. Ahhh......another good day in a new city.



Look forward to more great food and sights tomorrow!

Welcome to Kansas!

After a quick breakfast, we said our goodbyes to Uncle Bob and Aunt Barbara and headed toward Kansas City, MO.

We passed by the World War One Memorial and had to stop to get some pictures. The memorial site was amazing! From the top of the memorial, we were able to see all of Kansas City. Absolutely stunning!

We got back in the car and drove in to Kansas City's Country Club Plaza, which is a very upscale shopping area. We walked around and happened upon a Tiffany & Co. I had never walked into a Tiffany's before so we walked right in. Pretty impressive.

We walked out of Tiffany's as quickly as we walked in and went down a few blocks to the Banana Republic. Wow! I couldn't believe how big it was. It even carried Monogram and Heritage items - items we don't have at our store in Chattanooga. I had to snap some pictures; I figured I'd show my boss at BR at home.

Again, we walked out empty handed, which is all right with me; I'm saving my pennies for Vegas!

After our tour of the Country Club Plaza, we went to eat at Kansas City's famous Gates Barbecue. Mmm...mmm...that's what I call barbecue!!!

With our bellies full in Kansas City, MO, we made our way towards Beloit, KS, where Nora and Dale live. They are the niece and nephew of Zac's grandfather.

We drove through some amazing scenery across Kansas. There were lots of soy, corn, and wheat fields everywhere. Some of the terrain was flat as a pancake. I've never seen anything like it. Beautiful!


We would've gotten to Nora and Dale's earlier if we hadn't gotten lost. We almost got run over by huge combines on the way! We got to their house in the country a little before five o'clock p.m. We took our belongings upstairs, visited with them for a while, and then headed to the farm of Zac's Great Uncle Carlos (on his grandfather's side). Uncle Carlos was an interesting person. He's an 84-year-old man who lives on several acres of land and has many animals, from miniature cows to donkeys to miniature horses and bulls.

To satisfy our hungry tummies, we were treated to steak skewers for dinner at the local bar and grille called Trapper's. De-li-cious!

I was feeling great about staying in the country for the night until Nora and Dale began sharing stories of their house. Their house was built in the 1800's and used to be a brothel. That was the interesting part. What scared me and made me think twice about staying in an old house in the middle of nowhere was their story of the ghost that supposedly lives upstairs in the bedroom where we were staying for the night. All night long, I swore I heard mysterious sounds and whispers. I tried to relax but had a hard time falling asleep. My plan to keep one eye open didn't work. It was probably well after midnight before I finally gave up, closed both eyes, and slipped into a coma. What a day!

P.S. I learned today that if you hit a cow in Kansas, you can't sue the farmer who owns that cow. It's called the free range law. By the way, we did NOT learn that from first-hand experience!

P.P.S. As of today, we are 1,000 miles away from home!