Thanksgiving in "The Bay Area"

We spent our Thanksgiving exploring all over San Fransisco and the surrounding area. The first half of our adventure was based out of our friends' place just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. While there, we explored Golden Gate NRA, walked across the Golden Gate Bridge, visited Fort Point NHS, explored downtown SF, and visited both John Muir NHS and SF Maritime NHP. The most exciting moments, however, came while exploring Point Reyes NS. We were there on a cold and sunny day with very few other people. The wildlife was tremendous. Countless black-tailed deer roamed the grass-filled hills. We watched a coyote slowly stalking its prey, ending the hunt by leaping high into the air and pouncing. Once along the stunning shoreline, we found deserted beaches full of elephant seals. Out in the ocean, we saw sea lions, harbor seals and even a mighty gray whale. It was an incredible day which ended with a glorious sunset over the vast Pacific Ocean.

The second half of our "Bay Area" adventure took us to San Jose, where we visited with our cousins, Jeff, Heidi and kids. We had a wonderful time catching up and relaxing a bit. We also found time to visit the Japanese Tea Gardens and Pinnacles National Monument.

Now, we are back along the north coast in McKinleyville. It's raining heavily outside and seems as if it's been dark for hours (even though it's not even 7 p.m.). We will work for the next couple of weeks, then set out once again, this time for our Christmas adventures!