Farewell San Francisco!

Our time in San Francisco came to a close this past week as we packed up and moved back to Spanish Fork yesterday. It is good to be back in such a spacious condo compared to our studio in the city. I actually have to shout to get Mandy’s attention when she is in our bedroom upstairs. The space is fabulous. However other than the great living conditions I would say that we are generally depressed to leave the city by the bay. Even though I spent 99% of my time at work I can’t think of any other place I would enjoy that 1% of the time I was free to explore.

Last week we took the opportunity to celebrate our anniversary and be tourists in our own city before coming back. On Wednesday we drove down to Monterey/Carmel and on to Big Sur. The area was gorgeous. Another nerdy fact about me is that I love aquariums, so the Monterey Bay Aquarium was a must see before we went back to school. The aquarium was very nice with some really cool species of fish but much smaller than I had expected. Everyone in California hears about the fabulous aquarium in Monterey and I had a lot grander expectation than it lived up to. Overall it was very cool to see. After the aquarium we drove over to Carmel and had lunch at a little French café on the hill overlooking the ocean. The setting was perfect, a cool breeze, clear skies and delicious food that reminded us of our time in Paris together. At this point Mandy was ready to call it a day, but I of course refused. All summer my co-workers told me the drive from Carmel to Big Sur was material for the finest post cards. So we took the long windy road along the cliffs over the coast down to Big Sur. As you can see in the photos it was absolutely breathtaking.

On Thursday we caught the boat to the isle of Alcatraz and toured the former penitentiary there. I absolutely loved Alcatraz, it is definitely a must for anyone visiting the city. They have this audio tour you plug into as you walk around the jailhouse. The sound effects, stories and voices were fantastic. It was really eerie to walk around and hear the stories of the prison. After Alcatraz our tour included a visit to Angel Island and a tour of the old military installations on the island. There isn’t much on the island, but it had some great views of the city.

Friday, our friend Scott Wall came to help us move back. We went with him and said our goodbyes to the Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street, Union Square, Cable Cars and Fishermen’s Wharf. The night ended with the Giants game vs. the Pittsburg Pirates. We got to see Barry hit #758 that night adding to his record.

Saturday, it was time to pack the truck and hit the road back. We grabbed a final In-n-Out, shed a tear and crossed the border as we head to our next adventure. Now we’ve got two days to unpack and get settled in before we take off for a 10 day family trip to Nauvoo and Dallas. Should be a lot of fun. We are really looking forward to seeing a lot of our family and friends in Texas next week.