I first visited San Francisco when I was 13 years old.  My family spent a day visiting the city before we drove to Lake Tahoe for skiing.  There was a torrential downpour in San Francisco, and the majority of our day was spent dining in Rainforest Cafe.  We drove across the Golden Gate Bridge and got outside of the car long enough to take a picture while getting drenched by the rain.  Mostly, I remember learning that my windbreaker was not, in fact, water repellent.  I was cold, wet, and miserable.



Well, San Francisco more than made it up to me this spring, because I couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather.  It was unseasonably warm, which is just what this southern girl loves.

After a lovely lunch in Sausalito, my Uncle John took me to the Golden Gate Bridge.  He and my Aunt Kathy are seasoned San Francisco tour guides and have certainly perfected their bay area day trips.  Normally, he tag teams with my Aunt Kathy, and one of them will drive the car to the other end to wait so that their guests can walk the bridge one way and drive back.  But it was just Uncle John and me, so we set out to walk it halfway.

I spent spring break visiting my Uncle John and Aunt Kathy who live in San Ramon, California.  They're amazing tour guides, and I had the best time exploring the Bay Area.

California is a huge, diverse, and beautiful (as I happen to know from riding Disney's Soarin'), and I am so excited to get to know this state.  As a California newbie, I still hadn't seen the redwoods.  My Uncle John showed me around Muir Woods National Monument, located north of San Francisco.  It's actually part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.



We arrived around 11 AM, and Uncle John was surprised at the large number of cars already there.  Parking at Muir Woods is already limited, and due to the crowds, we had to park on the road and had a nice little hike to the entrance.