Thursday, April 16 – Saturday, April 18, 2026

This morning, we started making our way back south, first to Visalia and then eventually home. We were going to use Visalia as our base for visiting Sequoia National Park.  We also wanted to see Sophon’s aunt while we were there but with neither of feeling all the great, we did not want to get her sick.

We began the day with breakfast at Sax’s. Sophon got the chicken and waffles, and I got one of my favorite breakfast items: eggs Benedict.

Before leaving Petaluma, we stopped at Petaluma Market. I noticed they had a section with some really nice cheeses, including cheeses from one of my favorite cheese places, Rogue Creamery, which we discovered when we went to Oregon. Naturally, I had to stock up and try a few new ones.

From there, we headed to Visalia. It took about five hours to get there. As we pulled into the hotel parking lot, I realized we had stayed at this hotel before. Unfortunately, when it comes to Visalia, there just are not a lot of great hotel options.

We checked in, went to A&W for dinner, and then returned to the hotel. We also filled up on gas, knowing there would not be many options once we were inside the national park. Continue reading →

Old Faithful

Wednesday, April 15, 2026

For breakfast, we went to Sax’s, a 1950s-style diner. I really loved the place. It was filled with memorabilia, the service was friendly, the food was delicious, and the portions were generous. I had a feeling we would be back.

After breakfast, we headed back to the hotel before starting another GuideAlong tour, this time through Napa and Sonoma, which was about a half hour from Petaluma.

When we got to the starting point, our GuideAlong guide said we were about to see where the most viewed photo in the world had been taken. I was intrigued. How do we know it is the most viewed photo in the world?

We were driving along Route 12, surrounded by rolling hills and vineyards. As we rounded a bend, I suddenly recognized it: the Windows XP home screen. Only now, the grassy hills had been planted with vineyards.

I wish there had been a place to pull over. Being in IT, I cannot imagine the hundreds, if not thousands, of hours I spent staring at that screen. I was always fascinated by that picture. It was such a simple landscape, but it was beautiful. Continue reading →

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

We got up and went back to Rustic Bakery for coffee, and I stocked up on their cheese coins before we headed north to Petaluma, California. The drive was less than an hour, and Petaluma put us closer to both Sonoma and Napa.

It was too early to check into the hotel, so we headed into Petaluma’s historic downtown district to walk around. I was surprised by how nice it was — historic, charming, and filled with fun, upscale boutique shops and restaurants.

Our first stop was the Sonoma Spice Company. I try to hold off buying spices at the grocery store so I can splurge when I find fun shops like this one. After that, we found a culinary store, which is always fun to browse through. We then found the Petaluma Pie Company and stopped for a snack, sharing a couple of small savory pies. Continue reading →

Monday, April 13, 2026

Overall, this was a packed, fun-filled day.

We started with another stop at Rustic Bakery for coffee and a ham and cheese croissant. I also bought a box of rustic cheese coins for the road and quickly found that they were somewhat addicting.

As we left the hotel, the sun was shining brightly. Driving south on the 101, I looked out at the green, hilly terrain and admired the natural beauty. It was one of those views that made me think, this is why people want to live here.

We arrived at Muir Woods around 8:30 a.m. We had the required parking reservation, and there were, at most, a dozen cars in the lot. Since it is so close to San Francisco, I had no idea how busy it would be, which is why I wanted to get there relatively early on a weekday. It looked like my plan worked. Continue reading →

Sunday, April 12, 2026

We got up around 7:00 and headed over to Rustic Bakery in the Marin Country Mart before driving out to Point Reyes.

It was pouring rain as we headed out. I reminded myself that when it comes to seeing nature, nature doesn’t always cooperate. It poured pretty much the entire morning, so we spent more time driving and sightseeing than hiking and taking pictures.

I hadn’t been to Point Reyes before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. It is a vast, scenic region with a little bit of everything: rolling hills, patches of forest, rocky coastlines, and sandy beaches. Elk and deer roam freely, birds are everywhere, and elephant seals sun themselves along the beaches.

We used the GuideAlong app, which gave us the history of the area while letting us know which stops were must-sees and how difficult the hikes were. Although the rain didn’t make for great pictures, we had a great time seeing the area. It reminded me of visiting California’s Central Coast, where you drive from one scenic stop to the next. Continue reading →

Family get together!

Saturday, April 11, 2026

I love to travel, but in the days leading up to a trip, I always find myself thinking of every reason why I should just stay home. Then, once I actually hit the road, I’m fine — and usually wondering why I hadn’t left sooner.

We were up early, packed the car, and headed to Paris Baguette for coffee. As we were ordering, my cell phone chirped. I looked at the camera alert and saw that, for the second day in a row, someone had put a door hanger on my front door.

Nothing screams “we are not home” quite like packages, flyers, or door hangers sitting on your doorstep.

So we headed back to the house to grab it, and as I suspected, it was from a real estate agent promoting an open house. Seriously, you would think a real estate agent would understand home security. Continue reading →