On a banana slug hunt

We found some really cool roots at a redwood tree in Muir Woods.


We heard that there might be banana slugs in the area so we looked for them.


We searched all around the tree but we didn't find any.


Then we finally saw one a bit further down the trail. It was so cool looking. I had to stop Bill from eating it though. You know how he loves bugs.

Visiting Muir Woods National Monument

We went to a redwood forest after going to Mount Tamalpais.


The trees are so tall here. You can barely see us next to them and grandmommy.

Atop Mount Tamalpais

We picked up our grandparents the day before then went for a drive up to Mount Tamalpais, north of San Francisco.


You could see a long way from the top of Mount Tamalpais. It was very pretty and sunny that day.

Birdwatching at Elkhorn Slough

We went to a nature reserve called Elkhorn Slough to see some birds (and eat some water bugs).


We hiked around it for awhile so we stopped to have a drink at one point.


There were railroad tracks so we walked along them for a little bit, but we were careful to make sure no trains were coming.

Continuing up Highway 1

We visited this waterfall at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.


Apparently the waterfall used to go straight into the ocean until there was an earthquake which caused a landslide. That means it just goes on the beach now. It's too dangerous to go down there to see it though.


We also found this cool beach where the sand is purple due to minerals in it! Some adoring fans had written our names in the sand hoping we would come by.


We also went to Big Sur State Park where we hiked to this waterfall.

Hiking in Limekiln State Park

We visited a place called Limekiln State Park, which has some old limekilns in it. You can see them in this picture.


The park has an interesting waterfall too.


We had lunch by the waterfall and played king of the mountain, which SP won.

Driving up Highway 1

We drove up Highway 1 to see the pretty coastline.


There were lots of really pretty places on it.

On the way to Hearst Castle

On the way to Hearst Castle we stopped at the side of the road at this lovely place.


You could see the mountains and the coast really well. Sadly we couldn't go with Dad to Hearst Castle as they don't allow animals (anymore, they used to have a zoo).

Visiting Fresno

After Santa Barbara we got into the car and drove to Fresno. Thankfully we had some nice strawberries I could suck out with my long bill.


At Fresno we went to the zoo and saw some cool animals like this wild boar that was really friendly.


It was an exhausting day so we had a long sleep too.

At the Santa Barbara beach

We also went to the Santa Barbara beach after the presidio.


There is a nice boardwalk there though they let too many cars on it.


It was a little chilly for the beach however so we couldn't go swimming or anything.

At the Presidio of Santa Barbara

We visited the presidio (fort) in Santa Barbara. This part of it is one of the oldest buildings in California that is still standing.


Here we are posing inside the building.


We also got to dress up like typical Santa Barbara residents from the past.

At the Santa Barbara Mission

Kristian and Moire let us stay with them in Santa Barbara on their air mattress.


The first whole day in Santa Barbara we went to visit the mission, which is one of the nicest of all the missions in California.


The mission had a lovely courtyard in the center of it.

On the road to Santa Barbara

We said goodbye and got in our car to drive to Santa Barbara.


On the way we stopped at the side of the road on our own private beach.


We went crawling across the barnacles looking for starfish.


Eventually we found a lovely purple one named Jim. He was super friendly but couldn't come with us as he needed to be near the water.

Visitando El Pueblo de Los Angeles

We went to the old part of Los Angeles, which is called El Pueblo. That means the village in Spanish. But they are not so big anymore.


There was a giant tree right next to the town square in El Pueblo.

Touring LA

Here I am at Griffith Observatory where we heard an interesting planetarium talk.


Here we are with a rainy LA skyline in the background.


Bill's all famous now, he's made it in Hollywood!

California trip, starting in LA

We went to California for a big trip.


In Los Angeles we stayed with our grand-aunt and uncle Rick and Pam. We did a lot of sleeping there while Dad drove around the city the first few days.


The house was owned by a dog named Tilly that was very friendly to us and a great host.

At the beach for the new year

We visited the beach for New Year's


They had a cool deck chair designed perfectly for a platypus and panda to sit together on.


They also had a bean bag, which was an interesting thing to sit on. I kept imagining it was filled with yummy bugs instead.


Here was our view of the ocean. We live somewhere over there.