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California 2019
  • Macy Sto. Domingo

California 2019

September 2019 Read more
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    September 4, 2019
    Macy Sto. DomingoCalifornia 2019Traveler

    We fly tomorrow!

    September 3, 2019 in Germany ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    Tonight is our last night in Bremen. Tomorrow morning we fly to California (Bremen - Paris - San Francisco).

    Chris and I are busy packing all the things we need, especially for Theo, because his needs are less flexible than ours. If we forget anything, Walmart is our solution.

    We’re really unsure about how the flight will go (over 10 hours of travel time!), but I have my fingers crossed that it’ll be easier than expected. Probably not, though.

    Today Theo was really grumpy. Nein, nein, nein to everything. We had his friend, Anno, over for a play date, and that entertained him a little bit. Let’s hope our tiny dictator is in a better mood tomorrow morning. Chris and I both hope that the airplane makes him happy.

    I’ll be updating this blog as often as I can to keep friends & family in touch with what we’re doing. So far, this is our plan:

    San Francisco
    Sacramento
    Lake Tahoe
    Yosemite
    Santa Cruz
    Monterey
    LA (meeting the Celle people here)
    San Diego (Chris’ 30th bday!)

    After San Diego, Chris, Theo and I will travel further down south, but our plans aren’t concrete yet. We’re hoping to see Joshua Tree, Zion National Park, Utah and Arizona, but we’ll see what time permits.

    *our friends Lisa and Judith (also from Bremen) will be traveling with us for just over 2 weeks. They’re on the way to San Francisco as I type this, and we’ll see them when we arrive 💕    Read more

  • Macy Sto. DomingoCalifornia 2019Traveler

    San Francisco Day 1

    September 5, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Today is Judith’s birthday and we decided to go to the Haight-Ashbury area to have a look. The weather today was great - sunny, but not too hot and the breeze was refreshing.

    We ate lunch at a place called Bacon Bacon. After lunch, Chris, Theo and I split up from Judith & Lisa so that they could go shopping without the added stress of a grumpy Theo.

    Theo didn’t sleep so much on the plane ride, so his Jetlag isn’t great. He’s both very sleepy and very easily irritated. He also peed through his diaper so Chris and I had to walk 40mins to a Target to buy a change of pants for him. We actually enjoyed the walk because the weather was so nice and we got to walk around and see the area a bit more. We didn’t do any shopping, except for stopping by a market and buying fruit. 2 mangoes for $5!

    We met Judith and Lisa again outside of the Golden Gate Park but we we’re too tired to actually walk around the park. Instead, we headed back to the Airbnb and went to the supermarket to get food for the next couple of days. Oakland is known for house and car theft, but I didn’t really realize how much that might be true until we finished shopping at the supermarket and the car next to us had been broken into. We were very lucky that our car stayed safe!    Read more

  • Macy Sto. DomingoCalifornia 2019Traveler

    San Francisco Day 2

    September 6, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Yesterday was our last full day in San Francisco. Judith, Lisa and I went to the Mission District while Chris and Theo went on a “secret mission” without me.

    We saw some pretty cool, colorful murals in the Mission District. The California sunshine really helps bring out the colors in the city in a way that wouldn’t work in Germany, I think.

    When we met up with Chris again, we all went to Chinatown to eat some ramen. We went to a small place and were the first customers there. The service was really good and the food was tasty, although too much for us to finish.

    At the end of the day, we decided to drive through he Golden Gate Bridge and to several vista points to get a good view. By the time we got to the vista points, it was SO cold. Really great view, but a bit too windy for Judith and I. Chris and Lisa were happy to leave us in the car and run to the top of the “hill” in order to get the best view.

    Today we head to Sacramento, with a stop at Point Reyes first. Theo didn’t sleep well last night, so chris and I are really tired 😴    Read more

  • Macy Sto. DomingoCalifornia 2019Traveler

    Leaving San Francisco

    September 7, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We left San Francisco by way of Point Reyes. The road was winding and I felt car sick, but the ocean view at the end was beautiful. Chris and I unfortunately did not get to see the highest point (Lisa and Judith did, however), because Theo didnt want to stay in the hiking backpack for too long.

    We left Point Reyes later than expected, so ended up having ‘In n Out’ burger for our late lunch/early dinner. Theo ate a whole mini cheeseburger on his own! He’s been eating quite a lot this trip and I have the feeling he’s grown a lot. Many service people we’ve met so far are so shocked at how tall he is for his age.

    We arrived in Sacramento at 8:30pm. We only stayed one night, but the Airbnb was really comfortable and clean and the hosts were very friendly :)

    We’ve now arrived at our cabin in South Lake Tahoe and the drive here was already so beautiful. At one stage we reached 7000ft above sea level. It’s quite cold here (18 degrees celsius), but we’re all really excited to go hiking and be in nature soon.    Read more

  • Macy Sto. DomingoCalifornia 2019Traveler

    Lake Tahoe

    September 9, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Theo woke up at 6:30am - I guess he wakes up with the sun. The morning was hectic, trying to figure out what hikes would be possible with Theo and generally what to do with our day. We got into our cars at around 10:30am, and Theo fell asleep within 15mins.

    We drove up towards Emerald Bay, and there we found a tiny creek where Theo could put his feet in. It made me so happy to see him enjoy himself. It was also very sunny there, so we were able to tan a little bit.

    Lisa and Judith then left us to go on a separate hike that would’ve been too difficult for Theo. Instead, Chris, Theo and i did another tiny walk down towards a viewing point for Emerald Bay and then went to have lunch. We ate Mexican food and it was reaaaally tasty. Theo like the burrito salad more than the tacos.

    After we had lunch, we went to a quiet beach called Pope Beach. It cost $10 entry fee, and we were only there for 1 hour, but I reaaaally wanted to go for a swim. The water was surprisingly much, much warmer than we had expected. It was cold, but still manageable. Theo really loved playing with the sand and water too, and it really filled my heart with joy to see him by the water. It was too cold for him though, and now we’re a bit worried that he might get sick. Somehow, we’ll manage.

    Before heading home, we all tried to go crawdad fishing (a type of local crayfish) but we’re very, ver unsuccessful. We were looking forward to having home cooked seafood, but instead we’re eating eggs with toast.. which is not so bad 🤷🏽‍♀️

    Chris and I get the feeling that Theo’s mood is affected a lot by the change in routine. He’s often having to sit in the car or wait inside a store and it seems that the lack of physical activity is really making him grumpy and impatient. We plan on trying to cater to his physical needs more so that he feels more normal again.

    Tomorrow we drive to Yosemite national park, and it’s a 5 hour drive. We likely won’t have any reception there, so I’ll update the blog once we’re in Santa Cruz.    Read more

  • Macy Sto. DomingoCalifornia 2019Traveler
    1

    Arriving in Yosemite

    September 10, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    We left our Lake Tahoe cabin 10:30am and went to a playground for Theo so that he could move his body a bit before another long drive. The playground was really cool and relaxing for everyone and afterwards, Theo fell asleep in the car for almost 2 hours, which was really good.

    We had a stop in a small town called Jackson to buy some supplies for our camping trip in Yosemite. Lisa and I went to Walmart and Chris and Theo went to another playground. It took so long to do everything, that we didn’t leave Jackson until 6pm and arrived in Yosemite after the sun went down. It was a bit chaotic trying to set up our tents and entertain a very tired Theo, but we managed in the end. He fell asleep really quickly, which was a relief for Chris and I because we were both very tired.

    Unfortunately the weather was so much colder than we had expected - about 1-2 degrees at night. Judith was feeling sick and tried to book a cabin, but was unsuccessful and had to sleep in the car instead. The rest of us tried sleeping in our tents and although it was cold, I think it went really well. Theo woke up around 6am, which wasn’t so bad considering how cold it was.    Read more

  • Macy Sto. DomingoCalifornia 2019Traveler
    1

    A day in Yosemite

    September 11, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Our first night in Yosemite was freezing, we all wore several layers in anticipation for 1-2 degree temperatures. In the end, we survived and were rewarded with beautiful Yosemite campground sunshine weaving through the tall pine trees that surrounded us.

    Chris started the morning fire with Theo and boiled eggs for everyone. We ate a big breakfast so that we’d have energy enough to explore Yosemite. Chris and I would leave with Theo to visit Tunnel view and Mirror Lake while Lisa would do the big El Capitan hike.

    I fell asleep on the drive down to Yosemite valley and was awoken by Chris pointing out the view of El Capitan and half dome. Both are so impressive to look at, photos really don’t do them justice!

    We decided to let Theo do the Mirror Lake hike with us without his buggy, hoping that the physical activity would help tire him out.. which it did. Mirror Lake Loop Trail is the easiest hike that Yosemite offers - it’s family friendly and wheelchair friendly and is a round hike of approximately 3.7km. Chris and I were so proud of Theo for finishing the hike! We made a LOT of breaks in between so it probably took us about 2-3 hours to complete.

    We got back to camp 5mins after Lisa and immediately started making food because we were all so hungry. We ate a lot of food and Theo fell asleep really easily again. Such a successful, fun day and the evening temperatures were warmer than the night before too 👍🏽    Read more

  • Macy Sto. DomingoCalifornia 2019Traveler
    1

    Santa Cruz

    September 12, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We arrived here yesterday afternoon and it was unbelievably hot - a full 10 degrees difference between here and Yosemite. Because of the heat, we headed straight to the beach and threw ourselves into the ocean. The cold water was incredibly satisfying and Theo was both excited and terrified at the strength and roar of the ocean waves. We stayed long enough to watch the sunset and also watched the moon rise above the lighthouse further left of us.

    Once Theo was in bed, we ate seafood for dinner and went to bed, freshly showered and rejuvenated.    Read more

  • Macy Sto. DomingoCalifornia 2019Traveler

    Gilroy for the night

    September 14, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    We’re awake and refreshed from our night stay in Gilroy! We couldn’t find further (affordable) accommodation last minute in Santa Cruz so we decided to stay one night in a hotel in Gilroy because camping wasn’t an option for Theo (who is just now recovering from a small fever).

    Fun fact: Gilroy is also known as Garlic city because they have garlic plantations/farms in the area so everrrrything smells so strongly of fresh garlic bread

    Today we drive to Carmel by the Sea and tomorrow we go to Monterey. We’re staying in an Airbnb in Salinas which is a 20min drive from those two places and much cheaper than staying in Monterey.

    I really enjoyed Santa Cruz. Being by the ocean is so relaxing and really helped lift my mood. Theo loves it too! Yesterday we drove to some forest with redwood trees but unfortunately didn’t get to explore because Theo had his fever and was not in a good mood. We gave him some medicine and decided to drive to capitola village instead. He seemed to be happy in Capitola village which was right by the ocean and full of bright colors and lively music. There was a wine festival on that we were unaware of so it was quite crowded, but not an issue for us.

    We looked at a lot of stalls of local art and a lot of it was VERY cool that it’s such a pity we can’t bring it all back to Germany.    Read more

  • Macy Sto. DomingoCalifornia 2019Traveler

    Monterey Bay Aquarium

    September 16, 2019 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    Today we all visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is right on the ocean’s edge. There’s not much to say other than it was interesting and calming for everyone. Theo only got grumpy a couple of times because he was sleepy.

    Tomorrow we will camp one night at Pismo Beach before arriving in LA, where all of Chris’ friends from Celle will be. Lisa and Judith will arrive at the campground before us to reserve a spot for us, because we were unfortunately unable to reserve a place online.    Read more

  • Macy Sto. DomingoCalifornia 2019Traveler

    A surprise at McWay Falls

    September 17, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We left Monterey to head towards Pismo Beach in order to camp 1 night. We didn’t want to drive the 6-7 hours to LA, so we thought it would be a good idea to split the journey into two parts.

    Lisa and Judith drove towards Pismo Beach really early. Chris, Theo and I packed up the rest of the stuff from our Airbnb and headed down the highway along the coast a few hours after them. The views of the coast reminded me very much of home (New Zealand, not Bremen... although I wish Bremen had water that blue). Theo slept for the first half of our 3 hour trip and we stopped by McWay Falls to check out the view and to eat our packed lunches.

    First we headed down a little tunnel to get to the waterfall lookout, but we couldn’t go the whole way because the end part of the lookout was off-limits. I wasn’t disappointed, however, because the sun was shining, Theo was in a good mood and the different colors of the ocean were like something out of a postcard.

    At the back of the car park area, there was a secluded area, which used to be for picnicking, with a little stream running alongside it. It was quiet, shaded and we had the whole place to ourselves.

    Theo and I ate our sandwiches happily and then Chris crouched infront of me, with Theo in between us (always), and proposed. I cried before be could finish was he was saying. Theo handed him a slice of cheese midway through his speech and I didn’t even get to take the ring out of the box myself before Theo had it in his chubby fingers and Chris asked him to put it on me. It was a wonderful moment that I’m so glad we were able to have, just the three of us. Yet another thing to enjoy about our California trip!!

    We ended our day camping at Pismo Beach. Our campsite was great, we spent the rest of our afternoon enjoying the peace so easily found in nature and fell asleep to the sound of the ocean. Such a wonderful, relaxing, joyful day for our family 💕    Read more

  • Macy Sto. DomingoCalifornia 2019Traveler

    Los Angeles

    September 18, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Finally, an update! We’ve been really busy since being in LA. We’re now in Las Vegas and Judith and Lisa are on their way back to Germany.

    Our time in LA was short in comparison to the size of the city. I can’t believe it can easily take 1 hour just to get from one end of the city to the other. Totally too big for our little family, because driving long distances just to see 1 place is such a waste of time.

    We stayed at an Airbnb within walking distance of Venice Beach. Tbh, I can’t really remember everything that we did, but here’s some of the highlights:

    - having breakfast (eggslut) by the beach with Lisa
    - getting crazy sweet donuts from Donut Friend in the city
    - eating Papi’e Tacos. SOOOOOO GOOOOOOD.
    - a brief walk around Abbot Kinney (wish I had more time to explore this area!)
    - playing arcade games at night while Judith babysit for us
    - catching the sunset at the pier
    - walking around the Venice Canals with all the pretty houses    Read more

  • Macy Sto. DomingoCalifornia 2019Traveler

    San Diego/Chris' 30th bday

    September 20, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    We left LA as soon as we could in order to avoid Friday traffic on the way to San Diego. The drive was okay and we were happy to arrive at our Airbnb at a reasonable time. We stayed at a big Airbnb big enough to fit 12 people, but in the end there were only 10 people who stayed. Two of chris’ other friends stayed with us too, but slept in their camper van outside.

    The Ocean Beach area is just like many of the other beachside towns, but with a lot more craft beer bars. There are a lot of homeless people that stay around the beach area, so it’s not necessarily the prettiest place, but it’s not ugly either. I feel like I would need to stay here longer to get a real feel for Chris’ love for this place. Unfortunately we never have enough time!

    On the 22nd we of course celebrated Chris’ 30th bday. Everyone slept in (except me and Theo 😅) and once everyone was ready, we started the day. First Chris opened all his gifts (thank you to everyone 💕) and then we started with the birthday festivities. We organized a funny costume for Chris and I had prepared some Schlag den Raab style games to bring out chris’ competitive nature. We enjoyed a bbq together and in the evening, Chris and his friends started a craft beer tour of Ocean Beach that I had also organized. Lots of photo tasks using disposable cameras📸 the photos won’t be developed until after we arrive back in Germany, but I’m sure they’re equally as hilarious as the rest of the day was.    Read more

  • Macy Sto. DomingoCalifornia 2019Traveler

    San Diego pt2

    September 23, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Chris and I decided to stay one extra night in San Diego to make things easier on Theo, because driving long distances so often isn’t fun for him.

    We decided to stay in the Ocean Beach area, because it was the most convenient. With our final day in San Diego together, we had Hodads for a late breakfast and we visited Balboa Park, which is a huuuuge Park that connects to San Diego zoo. We were able to walk around the area pretty easily and the weather wasn’t too hot for Theo either. The Spanish village area of the park was really pretty and colorful, and it was nice to see something new that Chris has also never seen.Read more

  • Macy Sto. DomingoCalifornia 2019Traveler

    Big Bear Lake

    September 25, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We left San Diego and headed towards Big Bear Lake where we would stay for the night so that we didn’t have to the big drive to Vegas in one sitting. Theo can handle up to 3 hours in the car, but anything more than that is a bit exhausting/boring for him.

    Big Bear lake is an area that’s popular for snow sports and if you look on google maps, you can see that the lake is up in the mountains and is roughly the shape of a bear. When we arrived at our cabin, I had an instant liking to it as it reminded me a bit of Yosemite and Lake Tahoe.

    Felix and Anja (our friends traveling in the camper-van) met us there and we enjoyed an evening bbq together. We only stayed one night and left for Vegas this morning.

    On the way to Vegas we stopped by Seven Magic Mountains, which is a very colorful art installation in the middle of the desert. It’s so strange to see so many colors amongst the desert background, but it was really nice to see and take photos of.

    We’re now safely in Vegas, Theo is sleeping and Chris is trying to find us some dinner. Tomorrow we celebrate the very spontaneous Vegas wedding of our friends. Unfortunately only Chris will be able to attend, because I’ll have to stay with Theo for the night. It’s still so exciting that our friends are marrying in Vegas though!    Read more

  • Macy Sto. DomingoCalifornia 2019Traveler

    Las Vegas

    September 27, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Today we leave Vegas for Flagstaff, which is our half way point to Arizona.

    Vegas isn’t exactly child-friendly and there really don’t seem to be any obvious family-friendly things to do, but we managed to still do a few things here and there that were enjoyable.

    Yesterday we had breakfast at a place called Stacks and Yolks, where you can customize your own gigantic stacks of pancakes, and we also went to see the Neon Lights Museum. The museum would’ve been better at night so we could see the lights properly, but we already had evening plans... a wedding! Not ours, but friends of ours who know Chris from Celle.

    The wedding was actually pretty cute/fun and not super trashy like some people might think. I think having everyone there together is what made it sweet. And now we all the Celle people will part ways and will likely not see each other again until we return to Germany.    Read more

  • Macy Sto. DomingoCalifornia 2019Traveler

    Camping at Flagstaff

    September 27, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    When we left Vegas, our plan was to either go towards Utah or skip Utah and head straight to Phoenix (Arizona). Unfortunately, time didn’t allow for Utah, so we left Vegas and headed to Flagstaff, which is a midway point on the way to Phoenix.

    The decision to stay in Flagstaff for the night was relatively spontaneous, so we didn’t know much about the place and didn’t have any campsites booked. Luckily for us, we were able to get a campsite last minute (our first choice was completely full), and enjoyed a quiet night alone, eating s’mores and sitting by the fire.

    Much to our delight, Flagstaff actually has a lot of little nature things to offer! We decided on Wet Beaver Creek (A+ for the name) because it was on the way to Phoenix and people had recommended it for families.

    Wet Beaver Creek was the best decision! We had no real expectations, but the little creek was the perfect stop for a quick swim before continuing our drive. We all really enjoyed it and it was such a petty spot to relax :)    Read more

  • Macy Sto. DomingoCalifornia 2019Traveler

    Phoenix, Arizona

    September 29, 2019 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    Our first and only full day in Phoenix was really wonderful. It’s a relatively large city, but not densely populated. It almost feels as if there aren’t enough people here, given how big the infrastructure is. It makes Phoenix feel either relaxed (in comparison to busy Vegas or LA) or... maybe a little bit like a ghost town?

    We woke up early, packed sandwiches for lunch and went to the Children’s Museum of Phoenix, which is basically one big playground for kids. It was VERY impressive though, and super relaxed for all the parents since the kids are allowed to play with and touch everything so you don’t really need to monitor their every move. Theo totally loved it and fell asleep super fast once we got him back in the car.

    After Theo’s nap, we had a look at some shops and then drove to Popago Park. There, we ate watermelon on top of the highest rock and watched the sunset. It was such a lovely moment to share as a family (like many moments we’ve had on this road trip).

    It’s strange thinking this trip is coming to an end soon, but we’re certainly trying our best to enjoy as much as we can 😊    Read more

  • Macy Sto. DomingoCalifornia 2019Traveler

    Lake Havasu city

    September 30, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    We stayed 1 night at Lake Havasu, which seems to be a mix of beautiful palm trees and desert mountains. It’s a clear lake, with very few people (at this time of year). Our campsite was a few meters away from the water and one of the first things we did, was jump in to escape the heat. Theo loved it! It was the first thing he demanded when he woke up this morning - “Theo Wasser!”

    Before we left this morning, we stopped in the little town, ate some tacos and then continued onto Joshua Tree. We will spend one night here before we go to LA, our final stop before flying back to Germany.    Read more

  • Macy Sto. DomingoCalifornia 2019Traveler

    Joshua Tree

    October 1, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    We arrived at Joshua Tree yesterday afternoon around 1630 and set up camp as soon as we could, so that we could catch the sunset before Theo going to bed. As soon as I stepped out of the car at Jumbo Rocks Campground, I immediately fell in love. It was like one gigantic playground where you could climb and look out and see all the different desert plants. It exceeded my every expectation.

    And the sunset was AMAZING. Photos simply don’t do it justice. It was a rainbow sunset with such vibrant blues and pinks and green. It’s the mot breathtaking sunset I’ve ever seen in my life.

    Theo enjoyed climbing up the rocks and playing with his toy car, collecting little stones he could find on the ground while Chris set up our tent. Theo went to sleep really easily and Chris and I were able to enjoy a quiet final night of camping. We drank tea and gazed at the stars... all of them were so vibrant and clear. The Milky Way was more visible here then at any other place we camped at. We talked about our future plans and how happy we are with our lives and where we’re going together. It was a really lovely way to say goodbye to summer.

    We’re now in LA, our final stop before flying to Germany. We have a lot to organize, because we need to return a lot of camping gear as well as organize our luggage again. Traveling with kids requires so much extra luggage, my goodness!

    BUT.. we still have one day to enjoy California tomorrow. I’m sure that we’ll find some things to love amongst all of our traveling responsibilities. Such is the way of our family life. Always busy, but so much to enjoy in the chaos.    Read more

    Trip end
    October 5, 2019
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