Winchester Mystery House - San Jose, CA

Our trip to Winchester Mystery House was planned a long time ago. Unfortunately, they don't announce on their website that the house and the tour within are completely off limits to wheelchairs. They do not accommodate in any way. Mommy and Jilly explored the grounds and gardens while Daddy and Kate took the overpriced tour of the strange house.

Google - Mountain View, CA

With doctor appointments in the middle of the afternoon, we didn't have much time to get out. We headed over to Google because they have a visitors center. Unfortunately, you have to be invited and have a host in order to see it. We were able to walk around the campus and explore all of the statues from the various versions of Android Operating Systems. It was still a lot of fun and we spent way too much money at the official Google Merchandise Store.

Exploratorium - San Francisco, CA

This one has been on Mommy's bucket list since they moved to the Embarcadero from Palace of Fine Arts.

Lawrence Hall of Science - Berkeley, CA

After spending the morning at Grandpa's house for pre-holiday celebration with family, we headed home. On our way, we pulled over in Berkeley attempting to get into Tilden Park. We accidentally ended up in the parking lot for Lawrence Hall of Science. We were there right as they were closing so we didn't get to see much. We will definitely go back when we have more time.

Newhall Park - Concord, CA

Met up with the Breedlove cousins at this park in Concord.

Santa Claus at Tanforan - San Bruno, CA

We didn't really go anywhere for this postcard. We just happened to be at The Shops at Tanforan doing a little bit of Christmas shopping. Someone in our party woke up from a nap to find Santa Claus peeking at us. He was on his way out to a break but wanted to stop by and say hello.

South San Francisco, CA

Big sister Kate needed to pick up a viola from a music store. We ended up staying out late for dinner and a family walk in South San Francisco.

Junipero Serra County Park - San Bruno, CA

It was too nice out to go straight home after school. We discovered some paths in the park that were fairly navigable with a wheelchair so we had a nice hike/roll in the park.

Breakfast with Grandpa - Antioch, CA

We went to visit Grandpa Howard in Antioch and took him to breakfast after a brief walk by the river.

Rockaway Beach - Pacifica, CA

Like so many times before, we just happened to end up here because it is so close. It is also our favorite nearly-accessible beach.

We got to catch our first San Jose Eathquakes game as a family. Earthquakes hosted Club de Fútbol Pachuca of Liga MX at Avaya Stadium

Sawyer Camp Trail - San Mateo, CA

We had a little extra time before physical therapy and occupational therapy so we took a short stroll by the Lower Crystal Springs Reservoir.

Avaya Stadium Personal Tour - San Jose, CA

We were offered a personal tour of Avaya Stadium, with lunch and collectibles, in exchange for joining the waitlist for 2017 San Jose Earthquakes season tickets. We even got to sit in the players' seats.

San Francisco City Hall - San Francisco, CA

After leaving the library, we spotted City Hall just a block away. It was closed but we were able to walk around it and check out the statues and the playground before heading out for lunch.

San Francisco Public Library - San Francisco, CA

We have heard that this library rivals Powell's City of Books in size. That seems to be the case. This is the biggest library we've been too so far.

San Francisco Zoo

We only spent the morning here before moving on to other things in the City. The zoo just opened a new Coquerel's Sifakas (lemurs) exhibit, and we had to see what all the talk was about.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom - Vallejo, CA

There were a lot of firsts on this trip, including first time on a roller coaster and first time on a water ride.

Ocean Beach - San Francisco, CA

San Bruno was too hot. Ten minutes North at Ocean Beach was cold and windy.

Junipero Serra County Park - San Bruno, CA

We decided to skip the playgrounds to see what the trails have to offer here. It was unusually hot so we didn't stay too long.

You can check out some of our previous visits here:
http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2013/12/junipero-serra-county-park-san-bruno-ca.html
http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2014/04/juniperro-serra-county-park-san-bruno-ca.html
http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2014/08/junipero-serra-county-park-san-bruno-ca.html
http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2016/05/junipero-serra-county-park-san-bruno-ca.html

Coffee With Kevin - Millbrea, CA

We dropped in for coffee with California State Assemblymember Kevin Mullin at Caffe Roma in Millbrae.

143 South El Camino Real
 Millbrae CA

Purisima Creek Redwoods Trail - San Mateo County, CA

We just needed to get out of the house on a beautiful day but didn't know where to go. We seriously just looked at Google Maps for green areas on the peninsula that we haven't been to yet. We set the GPS and here we are.

Portland, OR

The second half of our vacation was in and around Portland, Oregon. We rented another Airbnb. This one was much more wheelchair friendly and surrounded by tall trees. We spent most of the time with family and ventured into Powell's City of Books. The bookstore covered an entire city block on 7 different levels and required a map to get around.

We had our own fireworks display in the backyard for our 4th of July celebration.

Boeing Museum of Flight - Seattle, WA

Our last day in Seattle and the highlight of our trip so far was definitely visiting the Museum of Flight.

Chihuly Garden and Glass - Seattle, Washington

Our first full day in Seattle consisted of this beautiful glass museum, followed by a trip to the top of the Space Needle.

Seattle, WA

The first half of our vacation was in Seattle, Washington. We rented an Airbnb house in the Fremont District with Grandma Sue and cousin Alicia.

Klamath Falls, OR

On a road trip to Seattle we stopped for the night in Klamath Falls, Oregon. We had fun swimming with cousins.

Magical Bridge Playground - Palo Alto, CA

We were coincidentally at Magical Bridge Playground with some friends while interns from Magical Bridge Foundation conducted family interviews of people that frequent the park.

Check out previous visits here:  http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2015/04/magical-bridge-playground-mitchell-park.html  http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2015/06/magical-bridge-playground-mitchell-park.html  http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2015/06/magical-bridge-playground-mitchell-park_16.html  http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2015/12/magical-bridge-playground-palo-alto-ca.html  http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2015/08/magical-bridge-playground-palo-alto-ca.htme

John Muir National Historic Site - Martinez, CA

With the help of Auntie Theresa, we dragged Grandpa Howard to John Muir National Historic Site to celebrate Fathers' Day.

The mansion was home to John Muir, a Scottish born naturalist, author, environmental philosopher and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books tell of his adventures in nature. It was built in 1883 by Dr. John Strentzel, Muir's father-in-law, with whom Muir went into partnership, managing his 2,600-acre fruit ranch. Muir and his wife, Louisa, moved into the house in 1890, and he lived there until his death in 1914.

Posy Parade - San Bruno, CA

Katherine was in the Posy Parade with her school, El Crystal Elementary, in San Bruno. We watched from the sidelines so we could enjoy the whole parade.










Here's a newspaper article from the event, which included a classic car show:
http://www.smdailyjournal.com/articles/lnews/2015-06-06/posy-parade-returns-to-san-bruno-annual-tradition-brings-new-flare-in-time-for-diamond-jubilee/

Stanford University - Palo Alto, CA

We met up with our friends, the Walkers, to enjoy lunch at Veggie Grill followed by a long stroll through the Stanford campus. We even splashed around in several fountains. It was a great day!

Junipero Serra County Park - San Bruno, CA

We didn't want to go straight home after school so we made a quick detour to Junipero Serra County Park.
You can check out some of our previous visits here:
http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2013/12/junipero-serra-county-park-san-bruno-ca.html
http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2014/04/juniperro-serra-county-park-san-bruno-ca.html
http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2014/08/junipero-serra-county-park-san-bruno-ca.html

San Pedro Valley County Park - Pacifica, CA

San Pedro Valley Park is a 1,052-acre area embracing the middle and south forks of San Pedro Creek, which are Steelhead spawning grounds, this park is nestled amongst the Santa Cruz Mountain range and the foothills of Pacifica. The park offers group picnic areas, family picnic sites, a self-guiding nature trail, hiking trails, a visitor center, and views of a seasonal water fall.

We spotted this park on a map and decided to check it out since it is just over the hill in Pacifica. We had a nice picnic lunch in the park. We didn't walk for very long because the paths were a little too rough for a wheelchair. The visitor center was a nice surprise and worth a thirty to forty minute break.

Bol Park - Palo Alto, CA

Mommy wanted to show us a walking path that she frequents with friends while on her lunch breaks. We stopped for quite a few minutes to visit a donkey named Niner at the Palo Alto Community Donkey Corral before heading into Bol Park. The grass was nice and cool on this very warm day.


Here's a link with more information on Niner and Perry:
http://www.barronparkdonkeys.org/http://www.barronparkdonkeys.org/

Los Altos, CA

We took a much needed break from painting our condo to grab lunch and coffee. Somehow we ended up all the way down in Los Altos. We had lunch at La Boulanger and followed it up with coffee at Red Berry Coffee Bar. Before heading home, we wandered into Adventure Toys and Teacher Supplies.

More Portland, OR

Portland, OR April 15th-18th

We flew to Portland for vacation and to celebrate the parents' 16th anniversary. The kids got to stay with Auntie Angelique and Auntie Whitney while the parents got to visit with Sir Paul McCartney. We reunited as a family the next morning with Voodoo Doughnuts and then a very filling breakfast in Lake Oswego.

Auntie Angelique chauffeured us around for the next few days. We saw things like Portland's International Rose Test Garden and Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. We stayed at Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront so we saw a lot of the downtown and the many hundreds of food trucks.

Redwood Shores Public Library - Redwood City, CA

We were an hour early for a dentist appointment right across the street. We accidentally stumbled into the parking lot of this library while looking for a city park to waste time until our appointment. We never made it to the park!

This is one of the most amazing libraries that we have been to. There are marine life themed exhibits and a fish tank with live fish. There is also Sea Link Cafe, with very delicious coffee drinks.

Farmers' Market - Burlingame, CA

We came to Burlingame for a haircut appointment at Just Kids Cuts & Beauty Market because they have wonderfully talented stylists that specialize in haircuts for children with special needs. We arrived early enough and hungry enough to enjoy lunch at the weekly farmers' market.

Coyote Point - San Mateo, CA

We recently discovered a new area in this park dedicated to Merchant Marines. We had never seen it before because we actually had to go off-roading on steep hills in the wheelchair to get there, The land for this park was at one time owned by the U.S. Government for use as a Merchant Marines Cadet School.

Apparently, there was an amusement park here at some point. Unfortunately, it only lasted a few years and was closed after being partially destroyed by fire.

You can check out some of our previous visits to this park at:
http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2013/01/coyote-point-park-san-mateo-ca.html
http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2013/03/coyote-point-marina-san-mateo-ca.html
http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2013/08/coyote-point-county-park-san-mateo-ca.html
http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2014/06/coyote-point-recreation-area-san-mateo.html

Jelly Belly Factory Tour - Fairfield, CA

We were already in Fairfield to visit family so we decided to take a factory tour at Jelly Belly Factory. The tour isn't as nice as it used to be. There's no more host, just a self-guided tour. But it's still fun and worth it if you are already in the area. You can be in and out of there in about an hour unless you stop in the cafe for lunch.

During the tour you can see views of almost the entire building and see videos of the candy making process. You can also admire all of the art created with jelly beans. The tour ends at the factory store, which has thousands of flavors of jelly beans, including a new intentionally gross and disgusting category. There's also unique types of fudge and other candy. And, of course, there is a lot of merchandising (shirts, hats, toys, underwear).

Sawyer Camp Trail - San Mateo, CA

We had time to kill between physical therapy/occupational therapy appointments and an orthotics appointment so we hit this trail again. It's only a couple of miles away from CCS.


Check out our older posts from Sawyer Camp  Trail:  http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2015/05/sawyer-camp-trail-san-mateo-ca.html
http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2015/05/sawyer-camp-trail-san-mateo-ca_22.html

San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo Mission - Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA

Mission San Carlos Borromeo del río Carmelo, also known as the Mission Carmel, is a Roman Catholic mission church in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and a U.S. National Historic Landmark. The mission was the headquarters of the Alta California missions headed by Saint Junípero Serra from 1770 until his death in 1784. Katherine was excited to see his name and a statue of him because his name is all over schools, parks and streets near our home.

The mission buildings had fallen into disrepair by the mid-19th century, but have since been restored and transferred to the local diocese to continued as a parish church. It is the only one of the California Missions to have its original bell tower dome.

Quail Lodge - Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA

This is our second overnight visit to Quail Lodge & Golf Club, located in the Carmel Valley. It is a California Ranch-style golf resort with luxurious rooms that all have hardwood floors, patios/balconies and other premium features. We stayed in a large suite with fireplaces and motorized curtains.


The resort features an 18-hole championship golf course, tennis courts, an outdoor pool, meeting/event spaces, plus 2 on-site restaurants and a bar.

Check out our previous visit to Quail Lodge: http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2013/05/quail-lodge-and-golf-carmel-ca.html

Pacifica, CA

Uncle Scott and Aunt Lesa were visiting Northern California. They came with Grandpa Howard and Cousin Lindsey to visit us. We grabbed lunch at Rock'n Rob's Famous Pacifica Burgers and spent the rest of the time walking along the beach and trails.

San Bruno City Park - San Bruno, CA

With some time to kill before Kate was out of school, we took a nice stroll through the park. It happens to be right next to El Crystal Elementary School.

Aptos, Santa Cruz & Monterey - February 12-14

 We rented a beach house with our friends and had one of the best family vacations yet. We divided our days between Santa Cruz and Monterey, and played the most hilarious Apples to Apples board game back at the house in the evening.