the amazing grace

After our MultiCache we took a bus back to Market St. for dinner and the ferry home.  After we got off the bus and across the street we realized that our backpack with our passports was still on the bus!  We took off sprinting as fast as we could after the bus, slowing only to weave through crowds.  After a few blocks the bus turned a corner and we couldn’t catch up.  We asked another bus driver what to do and he told us “Get on the first underground Metro, get off at the first stop, go up the steps to Third St. and you might be able to intercept the bus!”  We did this, but when we came up the steps, third street was nowhere in sight.  After more running, checking the number of every bus in sight, we still had not seen the bus we were looking for.  We went into an office building and called the bus service to report the loss. Hungry, we followed the Warren’s advice and went to dinner at Super Duper Burger.  There, we had the best fries we had ever had with pieces of garlic all through and melted white cheddar cheese on top! Holy Garlic Batman!  Over dinner we laughed about how much “intercepting the bus” sounded like something a superhero would do!  The delay in departure gave us the opportunity to take some beautiful night time photos from the ferry.

While we were in the Presidio near the Golden Gate Bridge we did some more geocaching. This time we were  searching for a MultiCache, a cache where the first stage contains clues to where the physical cache is hidden.  The coordinates took us to this fountain with Yoda sitting on top.  Through the window of the building behind we could see various other Star Wars characters.  We decided to go inside and see what it was.  It turns out we were at the headquarters of Lucasfilm!  We’d had no idea that it was in San Francisco.  We took these selfies with Darth Vader, Boba Fett, and a Stormtrooper before completing the MultiCache.

Two years ago Charis and I with our friends the Warrens and the Bruemmers did a physical science unit together and studied bridge design.  We were especially excited then to see this famous bridge in person and to walk on it.  While viewing the bay from the 1/3 look out we saw harbor seals!   We love these playful creatures!  We took a ride on a cable car, ate chowder and sourdough bread at Fisherman’s Wharf and took in a bit of the Presidio.  We enjoyed a bus ride at dinner time through a very busy Chinatown.  As usual we left more undone than done….but we had an adventurous day and were glad we came.

We hit the road again on Monday 10/10 and drove to Point Reyes National Seashore.  The ranger at the visitor center showed us the coastal fog on the webcam and said “you have a slight chance of seeing the ocean.”  We ventured off with hopes for a slightly better view and were rewarded with some clearing up.  The roads to the point were the worst we’ve drive yet on our trip!  Winding and bumpy we arrived with our teeth clacking and our stomachs unsure of lunch.  Nevertheless we took an additional side road that was a bit worse and reached the viewpoint where we enjoyed a fabulous look at elephant seals.  We won’t mention any names, but they make a belching sound that is as good as a friend of ours who we thought couldn’t be beat!

The last mystery destination is…. The Sundial Bridge in Redding, California!  We went here on Oct 9th, which is International EarthCaching Day.  The bridge is an award winning cable stay design.  We also went Geocaching here and found a trackable item that had traveled all over Europe!

We hit the road again today, so look for lots of new posts.

We have been enjoying a break from camping for the past three weeks.  Charis and I have been in Redding, Ca. staying with friends.  We continued to hike and geocache and visit many beautiful places.  We loved having refrigeration, plumbing and clean, dry clothes.  It was good to see our friends and experience a little bit of their new life in California.  I have had an amazing time attending Bethel Church and I am leaving filled up from the encouragement and the sense of God’s presence and power that I experienced there. I was so glad to be there for more than a weekend as my first weekend there felt awkward and I didn’t actually like the experience.  This was unexpected and a little unnerving since I had in my mind that this was what I most wanted this year that I am turning 50.  I thought…”what!!!!  I drove 4000 miles and I’m so disappointed….”   Staying on and continuing to engage made way for the experience to actually turn out to be more than I had hoped.    I am so glad we came and so grateful to our friends for making space for us.  Another sweet treat was that our friends had a new kitten.  I heard oooing and aaaahing and squeaky little awww’s the whole time.  Funny how those little guys are so packed with joy potential.  The pic is of Liberty “Libby” the kitten!

Crater Lake National Park!  We drove up yet another narrow winding road, this time under construction, to get here.  When we crested the hill and caught our first glance at Crater Lake we gasped!  It was as surprising and stunning as we had imagined.  Crater Lake has been in our top three…..and worthy of it!

As we were leaving our KOA in Culver, Oregon, we drove past a large field full of alpacas.  There was a sign hanging on the fence that said “See Baby Alpacas!”  I love alpacas, so we stopped to see. We were invited right into the pen with the mothers and babies.  The one in this selfie walked up to us and laid down!  The tiny baby alpacas kept making a little sound like “Eehhh!”  I loved it!