The Exploratorium and Home

The next day looked cold, but it turned a bit warmer. I went for a run on the Bay Trail while John and Fiona swam in the hotel pool. We didn’t want to wait until after nap to head into the city, so we put her in the car around nap time and let her sleep while we drove around Pacifica and checked out neighborhoods, deciding that it probably wasn’t a place for us, who are used to sunshine and houses with yards. We took the scenic route through the Presidio to the Exploratorium, where we woke up Fiona and let her run around. I ran into a person I know there, Sarah, so we chatted for a while. I bought a parabolic reflector bowl thing that projects objects so they look holographic in the gift shop. I’ve been looking for something like that for years, and finally found it. I want to show my students because they don’t believe in the powers of parabolas.

Appropriate dress for the Bay Area:

 

We sat in these parabolas and had a chat. If you put your head at the focus, you can hear the other person really clearly, even though they are across a crowded room:

City hall:

We got stuck in a traffic jam leaving the city and stopped in ___ for dinner, but everything was closed, so we went to downtown South San Francisco, where we found a Neapolitan Italian restaurant. It was late, so we got the food to go because Fiona was tired and did not want to sit in a restaurant anymore. I don’t blame her.

The next day was to be our last on the road. We planned to  drive to Monterrey after breakfast, visit the aquarium, then drive home. And we did just that!

It was grey and yucky, so being in the car was not objectionable. The aquarium was really crowded. I think it was tour bus day!

Fiona liked the fish:

I love the jellies:

 

 

But our favorite was the giant tank full of hammerhead sharks, tuna, and a sea turtle. Here are lots of blurry pictures of the tank and the sharks swimming in the schools of fish:

 

Hugging a pipe:

While the Pacific Northwest and Northern California have mountains, Southern California has fires:

We drove home from the aquarium. It took five hours and included getting stuck in traffic in Santa Barbara, but we made it in one piece. My mom was waiting with dinner at our house when got there. It was nice to be home and Fiona was particularly happy to see her room and all her toys. I’ve posted about what we’ve been up to since then, so I won’t bore with any more details.

Here is the rental car in our driveway, at the end of the long drive:

  

 

We really enjoyed our trip, but I think until Fiona is a little older, we will do more “base camp” style travel – staying in one place and doing excursions during the day to surrounding areas, instead of moving every few days. Less time in the car = more time to see stuff. I learned a lot on this trip, about John, about Fi, and about myself. We are lucky that Fiona is a good little traveler and I can’t wait to take her exploring again!