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Wunderlich Park (Woodside)
It’s been almost 2 weeks since our last good hike, so the kids and I set off this morning for Wunderlich Park. We parked right by the stables and were on the trail before 9 this morning. We managed 2.6 miles and it took us a full 3 hours to do it. Slow and steady right?
Most of the trails allow equestrians, so the paths are wide and comfortable for hiking. We found the signs and directions especially good, even though we did manage a wrong turn!
We started up Bear Gulch Trail and wound our way uphill for 0.7 miles. HJ is getting to be quite a hiker, but the elevation change meant she needed a break on the way up. K had refused to walk a single step so I wasn’t too opposed to a break myself!
Even as spring is wrapping up, we still found plenty of wildflowers along the trail.
Our first clue that we’d taken a wrong turn was when we arrived at Salamander Flat without ever having seen Redwood Flat. Fortunately Salamander Flat had a bench to sit and study the map on and the coolest green algae pond the kids had ever seen. The pond was small but so densely covered it looked like you could walk on it.
Once we left Salamander Flat it was all downhill on the Meadow Trail and Alambique Trail. The kids had a great time running along. We passed some nice views of Stanford but mostly concentrated on dodging the horse poop that was all over the paths. On the whole hike we passed 6 horses which thoroughly delighted the kids.
We passed this monument to the gigantic tree that once stood here. Depending on your angle it looked like a giant war mask, set beside the trail.
K insisted on being carried most of the hike, but he ran the last half mile downhill with gusto.
When the trail finished we took a few minutes to talk to the horses before eating our lunch at the picnic area.
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5 Ways to Maximize PTO & Travel More
Traveling makes me greedy. The more I travel the more I want to travel! But we’ve still got to balance our wanderlust with everyone’s favorite limiting factors: time and money.
Right now we are privileged to only have one job to accommodate, and Chris has a generous vacation/PTO plan. It’s still something we have to work around though! Especially since Chris is new and had to start his accrual from the beginning!
In addition to the items below, we never ever use PTO for anything other than travel or hosting travelers. He has his sick days if he gets sick, but if he needs to go to the DMV or something, we’ll do anything legal to avoid taking a vacation day! Drive 2 hours to a DMV that’s open on Saturday? Sure.
So what are we doing to maximize our vacation time?
1) Traveling around holidays.
We are going to Santa Barbara for Memorial Day, Raleigh and Virginia for 4th of July, and Hawaii for Labor Day.
The downside is that there may be more crowds or costs may be inflated, but we were able to get a great deal by flying on the 4th and we’ll land in California in time for fireworks! Likewise, by being a bit flexible with my Hawaii dates, we were able to get a good deal on those flights.
2) Take the red eye.
In October we’ll be flying to London for a short trip. We’ll be hopping on the flight after work Friday and spending a full 3.5 days before heading back Tuesday. Flying through the night and not having to take Friday off saves us one precious vacation day!
3) Split up.
For Easter, the kids and I flew east Wednesday-Wednesday. The flights were cheapest and that meant we had a good long trip. Chris had only accrued 2 vacation days and we weren’t trying to zero him out, so we paid a little more and he left after work Friday and returned Monday so as to only use 1 day.
We may end up doing the same or similar for a wedding that’s coming up in November or for Christmas. It’s hard for me to fly solo with the kids and it can be a bummer for Chris to miss out on part of the festivities, but it’s worth it when we can save a whole PTO day!
4) Short trips on the weekend.
We have reservations for 3 camping trips coming up and we aren’t planning to take any time off! We’ll head out after work Friday and be back Sunday evening. Since we keep these trips within a 4-hour drive, we still get to spend close to a full 2 days, and it helps quench our wanderlust and introduce us to cool places!
5) Capitalize on business travel.
Last year Chris went to Thailand for work and we tagged along! Of course, we were very careful not to interfere with his work in any way, but it was basically a 25% discount on a trip to Thailand and it didn’t cost Chris any vacation time at all! Unfortunately, it also wasn’t a vacation for Chris and he hardly saw a single thing in Bangkok, but we sure did!
I’m hoping next time he gets to go someplace cool, we’ll join him midweek and have him stay a couple extra days. This way he uses some vacation time, gets to relax, but doesn’t need any PTO for the travel time!
Another business travel “hack” we’re working on is flying Chris home to a different airport. We had a planned camping trip on the books when we found out he needed to travel during the week. Technically there was no conflict because we weren’t planning to leave until after work Friday, but we realized that Chris could fly directly there at no extra cost to the company. This means the kids and I will be able to leave 5 or 6 hours earlier than we originally planned and the whole family will be around the fire for dinner!
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Allied Arts Guild (Menlo Park)
This morning I decided to check out the Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park and I absolutely fell in love! I guess you need to guard your heart when you visit any garden this time of year, but this one really took my breath away.
The complex includes a number of artist-in-residence with permanent stalls and work places and has a beautiful garden which fills each courtyard. I had heard of this place before, but had not received a strong enough recommendation to prioritize a visit. Let me be that strong recommendation for you, if you are near Menlo Park you need to visit this place! It’s only open from 10-5, Monday-Saturday and many of the artist’s shops were still closed when we came at 10. I’d recommend coming closer to noon and getting lunch at the cafe. They have outdoor seating by the fountain.
How great is this door? 
It wasn’t all roses! 
The paths throughout were a mixture of stone, brick, and cement. We had no problem wheeling the stroller around. 
Yes, they did end up going for a swim. No, this was not allowed. Oops. 
It was closed when we visited, but this is the cafe. I’m looking forward to having a kid-free lunch here someday. 
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Visiting Sutro Baths in San Francisco
This weekend we had 2 hours to spend and we were looking to spend them in San Francisco. Sutro Baths turned out to be a great place to kill a couple hours and meet up with a friend from college.
Once a gilded age indoor swimming complex, the Sutro Baths are now ruins inviting graffiti, climbing children, and swimming dogs.
The water comes right up to and into the ruins, so you get the impression that you’re looking at the original salt water pool, just without the building around it. We even saw a dog jumping off the ruins and swimming laps.
From the ruins you can see the Cliff House, the third in that location since the first and second burned down in 1894 and 1907. The first Cliff House hosted Mark Twain and President Hayes, the second hosted Buffalo Bill, and the third hosted President Taft. Considering the Sutro Baths also burned down in 1966, you have to wonder what exactly led to so many fires in this one spot! Now both properties are owned and protected by the National Park Service.
Despite the tagging, it’s a really beautiful spot. It’s rare to come across ruins like this in the US, and it’s rare to find ruins the kids are allowed to play on! So it’s well worth the stop if you are in the area!
Once the kids were tired of playing on the ruins, we walked through the tunnel next door and got a peak into the sea caves below. We didn’t stay long, even though the tunnel was super cool, because the wind was whipping through there like crazy and we didn’t have any jackets. I always forget that even though San Francisco is so close, it’s an entirely different climate.
We didn’t have much time but we did walk a short distance (maybe a quarter mile) up the Coastal Trail to get a view of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a beautiful day and we had clear skies and sun shine! It was definitely a little chilly though, it is San Francisco after all!
If you find yourself in the area, this is a unique and fun place to check out and burn some energy!
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My Top 5 #AirTravel Fails
Over the years we’ve messed up, like really messed up, but we’ve learned from it and become better travelers as a result. Here’s my “List of Shame” to help you learn from my mistakes, or just feel better about yourself!
1) Relying on my memory of the flight schedule. I never do this anymore. I have shown up to the airport on the wrong day, flown into the wrong airport, shown up several hours late and missed flights, and booked a flight for the wrong month. Seriously. It took all of that before I learned to triple check my flight details including date, time, and airport.
2) Not packing ID where it’s easily accessible. My husband gets the award for this one. After a lot of scrambling at the airport we decided it was lost and he went through the long arduous process of clearing TSA without ID. (Pro tip: this can be done, but leave yourself plenty of time because it can’t be rushed.) We eventually found his wallet months later. It had been in a weird side pocket all along.
3) Not writing down which parking lot my car was in. I was flying out of Charlotte and my car was literally right next to the shuttle so I didn’t bother to take a picture of the location like I would usually do. Well it turns out they had several different lots and I had to hop on and off different buses until I finally found the right one.
4) Not bringing milk on a flight to Asia. My 14 month old son had recently been weaned off the breast and we were flying to Bangkok via Beijing. I assumed there would be milk on board and that turned out to be a huge mistake. We had plenty of snacks for my son, but not the milk he was screaming for. If I’m ever traveling internationally with a baby that young again, I’ll probably invest in a high quality soft cooler and just fill it with milk and ice packs.
5) Not bringing gum for ear pressure. On the return flight from aforementioned Bangkok, my 2 year old daughter had severe ear pain. We tried everything but she was in so much pain she cried for hours. I had previously figured she was too young for gum, but after the flight I figured out that if I chewed some gum with her we could do it as an activity and spit it out before she had time to get distracted. (Pro tip: In addition to gum, I now always bringing tootsie pops, since they are a good combination of sucking and chewing.)
Ick. This list makes me sound like a terrible traveller and mother. At least I can say with confidence that I’ll never do any of these things again! And you know what? All these trips were still worth it!
What travel fails have you had?
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My Favorite Travel Tool for Flying with Children: TSA PreCheck
TSA PreCheck how I love you. Let me count the ways. I’ve had it for a year now and I can tell you definitively that it is worth its weight in gold if you have young children.
Why TSA Precheck?
Here’s why you should click over to the TSA website right now if you have young children:
- Family members under the age of 12 on your booking are automatically given TSA PreCheck. In my personal experience, everyone on my reservation gets it! They only promise for kids under 12 though.
- You don’t have to remove your shoes or your laptop. When I travel alone with both kids I wear sneakers to make sure I can keep up with them and be comfortable all day. Removing these is not something I can do while carrying K and holding HJ’s hand, so why not just skip that step?
- Less time standing in line means more time for the kids to run wild at the gate before being cooped up on the plane. On several occasions I’ve taken the kids through Pre while my husband went through the regular line and we’ve had an extra half hour on the other side. This is huge.
- Once approved, you will have PreCheck status for 5 years. That’s 5 years of set-and-forget. You just need to enter your Known Traveller Number (KTN) every time you make a reservation.
How to Get TSA PreCheck?
So now you’re convinced right? Here’s what you do next.
- Visit the TSA website, click “Apply Now”
- There will be several pages of application. Be sure to carefully fill in all the information so it matches your passport or driver’s license exactly. You will need to provide:
- Basic information such as name and address.
- Previous address information if you’ve been at your current location less then 5 years.
- Height and weight.
- Questions related to criminal record.
- Previous/maiden names. If you have these, you may be asked to bring additional documentation to your appointment, such as a marriage certificate.
- Select which office you prefer for your in-person screening and the best time slot available.
- Show up for your appointment as scheduled. They will verify your documents, take your fingerprints, and collect $85 payment. My appointment took less then 5 minutes!
- Wait for your KTN to come with your approval and start skipping the line! 🙂
It’s really not hard! While I was writing this I applied for my husband and his appointment is set for a few weeks from now. If you have kids and travel a few times a year, it’s absolutely worth it. If you don’t have kids, it’s nice, but I’m not trying to get more people in that line. 😉
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Hikes and Rambles: Coyote Point (San Mateo)
I’ll start this by saying that Coyote Point Park is the best place to go if you live south of SFO but fly in/out and receive visitors there. It is less then 5 miles south of the airport and is a great place to let the kids stretch their legs, visit the museum, take a walk, or watch the planes coming in.
Once you get there you have to pay $6.50 for parking but there’s a lot to do in the park, so it doesn’t feel too steep. We bought a museum membership and it came with free parking. If you plan to visit the museum, the membership pays for itself after 3 visits with a family of 4.
We have been a twice now, the first time we checked out the museum and the Magic Mountain playground, this time we visited both of those and also walked along the Marina Trail.
The marina trail starts from the marina parking lot, but we started at the marina overlook and then walked down the path and through the marina. This is a great place to check out the boats and the planes coming in.
View from the Marina Overlook. The Marina Trail itself is paved and also has a substantial gravel shoulder. My kids took full advantage of the gravel shoulder to sit down and play every few steps. Since we were killing time, I didn’t urge forward progress as much as I usually do.
Playing in the gravel 
Watching the planes come in. The planes fly silently overhead every couple minutes and look like gliders from this angle. The kids loved watching them and asking if Daddy was on that one. I kept trying to explaining that Daddy’s flight wouldn’t be in for 2 hours but the concept of time is lost on them.
We watched this guy reel in a shark! 
City view in the distance I’m sure we’ll make this a regular hangout spot when we are flying in/out and want to stretch our legs or if we need to pull over to dodge traffic for a couple hours. I’m looking forward to checking out their other trails next time and visiting the beach here.
Do you have a favorite spot near your local airport?
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Costa Rica: Pacific Coast vs. Caribbean Coast
After much discussion we have decided to take an extended family vacation to Costa Rica in 2018 to celebrate my grandparent’s 50th anniversary. The trip will need to accommodate 15 adults from 19-80 and 8 children from 3-12.
I’m anxious to set a date and a location since we have budgets and vacation days to accommodate, so here is my research on the first big question: which coast to visit?
Costa Rica Pacific Coast
Pros
- Rental houses available to accommodate our whole group
- More tours available
- Generally closer to the airports
- More developed roads
- Better access to wi-fi
- Closer to major hospitals or emergency flights home
- More national parks
- Less humidity, less rainfall
- The waterfalls are all on this side
- Most of the volcanos will be more accessible from this side
Cons
- Warmer (Expect 75-95 degrees F in April)
- More tourists
- More large, brand name hotels and resorts
Photo by flickr user Arturo Sotillo. CC 2.0. Costa Rica Caribbean Coast
Pros
- Fewer tourists
- More diverse
- Cooler (Expect 72-84 degrees F in April)
- White sand, turquoise water
- Cheaper in the central and southern areas
Cons
- Harder to get to, expect approximately 4-5 hours from the airport
- More difficult to get quality medical attention if need be
- Stronger currents and riptides, many beaches not for swimming
- More humid
- Roads are more likely to be potholed or damaged
- Hard to rent a house large enough for everyone, would need to stay at a hotel or book multiple houses.
Picture by flickr user Armando Maynez. CC 2.0. What would you choose? If it were just my small family going, I think I’d head to the Caribbean Coast to get away from the development. Since my grandparents are coming along, I have to vote for the Pacific for its accessibility and access to better healthcare. I don’t think there are any bad options here anyway 😉
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California Missions: Mission San Jose
The quest to visit all 21 California Missions continues with Mission San Jose in Fremont. This one is only 35 minutes from our apartment, so the kids and I made a special trip on Saturday morning.
The original Mission church was built in 1809 but was destroyed by an earthquake in 1868. In 1985 the replacement, designed just as the church had originally stood, was complete. The earthquake spared the west wing, so when you start your tour in the museum, you will be standing in an original building.
Mission Museum
The museum itself is excellent, although small, and includes examples of how the Ohlone Indians lived at the time the Mission was founded as well as how the Spanish missionaries lived.
Checking out the model of the Mission. 
Timeline from Columbus to current. 
Display of life for the Ohlone Indians. 
A room displaying the type of room the Spanish missionaries would have stayed in. 
“Reserved seating” is such a funny thing that still exists in churches today, it’s just more of an understanding. I had no idea people used to pay rent! Mission Courtyard
After we finished in the museum, we exited through the gift shop to the courtyard. The court yard was a good size but fairly sparse in plants and decorations. There is a nice fountain in the middle and beyond the fence you can see the rolling mountains.
You can see in the background of this picture that half of the courtyard is just rocks with no plantings. 
View from the courtyard. 
Fountain in the middle of the courtyard. Mission Chapel
Passing through the courtyard you enter the church half way between the front doors and the pulpit. Looking straight ahead the first thing you notice is that the side balcony is beautifully painted as well as the columns that run the length of the church. I found this chapel more beautiful then San Francisco’s Mission simply because the wall and ceiling are so simple that the colors of the altar and the organ really stand out and make a statement.
The kids and I had a big talk about being quiet and respectful in the church, but we had it all to ourselves on a Saturday morning!
Even the cloth draped behind the crucifix is painted on. 
I like to think of my daughter as a distracted church goer in this picture. 
The painted organ in the choir loft. Mission Graveyard
I am one of those people who does not appreciate graveyards. I generally find them boring and this one was no exception. However, it did have one fascinating detail that I loved. Above the door to reenter the church there was a skull and cross bones described as being a tribute to the mostly unmarked graves of the native people and original Spaniards.
The plague just outside this photo reads, “The bodies of hundred of our predecessors from the mission period, Native Americans, Mexicans, & Spaniards alike, rest here. In that time, graves were marked with small wooden crosses, if marked at all. Thus, the skull & crossbones over this door proclaimed this area as the cemetery. Many Native Americans who lived at the mission wished to follow their custom of being buried at their home villages. For those from the nearby village Oroyson, the missionaries honored that wish by blessing the formed village site as a cemetery. Title to that site was returned to the Ohlones by Floyd L. Begin, Bishop of Oakland, in 1965. Here, later immigrants added new layers of graves to the old. Please visit our holy ground with reverence.” -
One Day in Richmond, VA: Focus on Architecture
I planned this trip for a foreign exchange student from Colombia, but I think this would be a great day trip for families with kids in the 10-18 range, especially if they are considering a career in architecture or history! Based on the request, this trip is planned for a Thursday, but it would work almost any day of the week.
Juan David was nice enough to provide the pictures used in this post after he took the trip. The vintage postcards are the exception and those belong to the public domain.
Breakfast
Start the day right in Richmond’s oldest neighborhood, WPA Bakery in Church Hill. Expect breakfast sandwiches, baked goods, and doughnuts to be on the menu. It has 4.5 stars and 90+ reviews on yelp so it shouldn’t disappoint. It’s open starting at 7 am every morning and the earlier you get there the more time you’ll have to explore the architecture of Church Hill.
Morning
Spend some time rambling through Church Hill on the lookout for the Greek Revival, Italianate, Federal, and Queen Anne architecture styles that can be found throughout. Read this and this for a little background before you go.
Promptly at 10 am find yourself at St. John’s Church ready for a guided tour of the 1741 church where Patrick Henry first spoke the words, “Give me Liberty or give me Death.” The 20-25 minute tours start at 10 am every day except Sunday (start at 1 pm) and costs $8 for adults. Children under 7 are free and youth 7-18 are $6.
After the tour, you’ll want to hop in your car or Uber quickly to make it to the 11 am free downtown walking tour with the Richmond Tour Guys. The Downtown tour is offered at 11 am Thursday, Fridays, and Saturdays, but be sure to check their website for other tours. The 2-hour tour will show you much of what is historic and contemporary in Richmond. The tour is free but please tip your guide and reservations are required.
“Give me liberty or give me death.” Lunch
After all that walking you’ll be hungry, but the famous Jefferson Hotel is only a 12-minute walk from the Richmond Convention center where the tour wraps up. TJ’s in the hotel is open for lunch from 11 am – 2 pm M-F and 11:30 am – 2 pm on Saturdays. The sandwiches on the menu run from $10-$26 so you can choose just how much to splurge on lunch. The real draw is walking through the Jefferson Hotel lobby and checking out the Tiffany stained glass window and the marble statue of Thomas Jefferson. Before you go, read here for some background on the hotel built in 1892.
Richmond architecture and history on display in the Jefferson Hotel lobby. Afternoon
After lunch prepare yourself for some unique and wonderful Richmond architecture and history. Agecroft Hall is an English mansion originally built between the 15th and 17th centuries. In the 1920s a wealthy American had the house dismantled and shipped to America where it was rebuilt in Richmond. The architect who oversaw the reconstruction changed the floor plan, so now we have a unique marriage between 17th century England and early 20th century America. The house is open from 10 am – 4 pm Tuesday-Saturday and 12:30 – 5 pm on Sundays. Tours start on the hour and half-hour and adults are $8. Students are $5 and children under 5 are free.
Before they close head to the Branch Museum of Architecture and Design. The 27,000 sq. ft. mansion is impressive enough and it now houses exhibitions on Architecture, Design, and History. The museum is open T-F 10 am – 5 pm and S-S 1 – 5 pm. There is a $5 suggested donation. If you find yourself there on Tuesday or Thursday there is also a 1:30 pm house tour.
Agecroft Hall is arguably the most unique example of Richmond architecture because of the history on two continents. Dinner
The Half Way House is about a 20-minute drive outside the downtown Richmond area, but it’s worth it to eat in a house built in 1760. According to Yelp you can expect to pay between $31-60/person while eating in the same place as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and many more.
The Branch Museum Evening
This day is jam packed and I wouldn’t blame anyone for going straight to bed after dinner, but if you can grab drinks at Legend Brewing Co. and take in the city views from the porch. They are open until 11 pm M-Th, 12 am F-Sa, and 10 pm Su.
Richmond Graffiti Did I miss anything Richmond natives?
Magnets From Everywhere
Dreaming, planning, inspiring family travel. Starting here, starting now.
Magnets From Everywhere 