California’s Gold

Things have been busy and I knew I needed to steal a little time to get away. So after we picked up the little one from her amazing VBS, we headed to the foothills to Coloma.

It’s a town famous for James Marshall finding gold along the river in 1848, and Troublemaker (infamous to Sacramento river rafters). Boasting a population of 529, there is a lot of charm packed into this micro-town. It includes a blacksmith, a post office, a handful of  places to grab food and listen to live music.

After parking, our first destination was the farm-to-fork restaurant, Argonaut Cafe. Our sandwiches were filling and the cookies sweet and warm. It was the perfect place to fuel before we headed for the Monument Trail.

I’m a huge Yelper, and here is a picture of us in the back room of the cafe.

 

The Monument Trail leads you to the old jail, the catholic church from 18oos, the cemetery with gravestone markers going back to the time of the Gold Rush (I’m creepy like that), James Marshall’s cabin, and the monument erected in his honor in 1890.

Along the trail, we were greeted with this lovely little sign:

 

We definitely kept our eyes out on this quiet trail. We didn’t see any other hikers, so we decided to sing John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt with the thought it would keep unwanted meetings from occurring.

After the hike, we crossed the Coloma bridge (my family is silly), built in 1915, to grab an ice cream at the Coloma Resort, the place I camped every year as a kid. 

After putting our feet in the river to cool down, it was time to come home. It was a quick trip but enjoyable and full of history. Check out Coloma and lose yourself for a little while.

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Weekend in San Francisco

My cousin, who I am so very proud of, had a very special weekend which we were grateful to be part of. Not only was it his birthday and promotion to Captain of the South San Francisco Fire Department, but he earned his bachelors in fire science. So we had a lot to celebrate!!

We were thankful for the warm, beautiful sun that greeted us as we headed into Pacifica, which is nestled in-between two lush mountains bordered by a sandy beach and the blue Pacific Ocean. I’m so grateful for my wonderful family – for all the loving hugs we get from uncles and aunts and countless noogies from all the boy cousins that will forever outnumber the Lange female population.

After the celebration, we headed to the infamous Taco Bell located on the beach. I like Taco Bell and I like the beach, so it’s a win-win.  Later that night we strolled Rockaway Beach (still in Pacifica). While I chilled, my brother and other cousin (another boy cousin) headed to Nick’s – Pacifica’s local bar and restaurant operating since 1927.

The next day we headed out for the sea cliffs in San Francisco. That is where you will find the historic Cliff House, the Sutro Baths, and Lands End, which has wonderful look out posts with glimpsing views of the Golden Gate and the never ending ocean with swelling waves crashing against the land. I loved sipping on my latte that I got at the cafe/visitors center, and taking in the view and breathing in the fresh air.

Then we headed to the Presidio for the Walt Disney Family Museum. I’ve been wanting to go for sometime and this was the perfect weekend for it. My pictures of the museum don’t do it justice. It was absolutely amazing. Every detail was thought of and the exhibits were the highest quality. My cousin and brother agreed, we could easily go back and spend a couple more hours just learning all about Walt Disney. Of course, I nearly cried at the end. What can I say, Disney gets to me.

After we spent a few hours at the museum, we drove into Sausalito for some really great burgers. The Napa Valley Burger Company offered quick service and gourmet burgers that didn’t disappoint. Our last stop was the Nut Tree in Vacaville for some sweet ice cream at the Fenton’s Creamery. As we all ate our ice cream, we watched the little run around on the playground. The Nut Tree has become our designation for a quick stop for trips between Sacramento and San Francisco.

The weekend was great. The weather was wonderful. And each place we went just filled in our time perfectly.

 

Disney Never Gets Old

Me and my brother never get tired of talking about our trip to Disney World. I’m pretty sure most people are tired of hearing about it. But…I don’t think either one of us cares, so I’ll probably spend the rest of my days blabbing ‘Disney this.. and Disney that.’

I haven’t uploaded my DSLR pictures to my computer until today and seeing my photos sparked all those great memories from way back – way back 2 months ago. Don’t judge.

Unfortunately, I forgot how much I hobbled around WDW (did the Dopey Challenge and ran nearly 50 miles) and how little I used my DSLR to take pictures. But priorities, right?

Since this is a website about what makes me happy, I thought I would post some of these photos from our January 2018 trip to Walt Disney World.

The epitome of the Magic Kingdom

Gaston’s has the best drink. Le Fou’s Brew is a must get.

I really don’t care for romance anything, but hey when in Rome.

Sci-Fi Drive in Restaurant. My fav restaurant in WDW.

Dang’t Mark!!!

Transported back into the 1950s. Love it.

Is this sponsored by Pizza Rat

I love the Muppets. I hope they one day further develop this area.