California Dreaming

Hey Everyone, Mike here. The kids are sleeping after a day of travel and a week of memories. Nikki just finished her workout, we're finally figuring out how to get our routine in order. Hope, our RV, sits along the Klamath river, just miles from the Oregon border. And me, well, I'm trying to sift thru the events of the past week so I can share them with you- a lot has transpired since we departed our folks home in La Verne, a suburb of L..A. You know, when we were planning this trip that we wanted to prioritize people over places, nature over manmade, sacrifice over easy--- we didn't know to what extent that dream would unfold. After just one week, it has already became apparent.

Salinas, CA -Hidden Hills Ranch. Our friends from church connected us with their folks that run an amazing non-profit and we were welcomed with a tour of their ranch which included a plethora of animals (check out https://hiddenhillsranch.org), many of which are rescued. Mark and Gayle have a passion for educating kids thru outdoor experiences, just incredible folks. We snuck away for a brief trip to Monterey Bay, stopping at Lover Point and in search of the "must see" California Sea otters. After climbing rocks, hiking the coastline we finally spotted our guy, lounging about in the channel- the kids were ecstatic. Back at the ranch, Allie and Daniel quickly made friends with Jack and Capri, played with them for hours on the day we left. They are pretty good about making friends and were sad to say goodbye. What a way to start the trip, thanks to everyone at Hidden Ranch!

Petaluma, CA- Just north of San Francisco is where we put Hope, at a nice KOA campground in Petaluma. We met with my cousin Stan and his lovely family. It was great to see the kids just start interacting without any prompting. The funniest thing was when Sam found out that Daniel liked to play the game of clue, the two were inseparable after that! We spent some time in the park, walked the Golden Gate bridge and met another time for board games and dim sum. So thankful we got to catch up and build even stronger bonds. I was also able to meet up with a good friend from my early days in the Navy. Hank and his family met us for incredible BBQ and then we took a short expedition to the coast to explore the Goat Rock area. The kids did gymnastics and  built tiki huts while Hank and I caught some waves, for 5 minutes- --- COLD! Finally, met up with my childhood buddy that lived on my street as a kid. Brad and his family met us for ice cream and the kids rode scooters around Ocean Beach.  We even took the time to officially organize a block party for next summer on our old street-- July 2021, see you all there! Daniel and Allie met a  new friend at the camp, Olivia, which ironically is the name of Daniel's best buddy back home. These kids just keep making more friends.

One of the constant themes this past week was spending time with people. I am so filled with energy with each interaction and I am glad the kids are quick to meet friends. We've also had our share of nature-- just getting out of the city has allowed us to see the beauty which has always been present. Now, there is of course an element of sacrifice in a trip like this which has also made itself apparent. Living on the road is hard! I'm no gearhead but have had to figure out things like sewage valves, water pumps, and something called the flux capacitor. And on top of that, there's the challenge of backing up and parking the RV with your best friend trying to guide you in while remaining your best friend-- stress turns to laughter after the fact but guys this is real and it isn't always pretty. But you know what, I wouldn't change a thing,  I'd never go back on this decision, and I look forward to the growth we will experience. Stay tuned for more updates.

God Bless,

Loco