On Sunday, Derek woke up feeling worse, and Marty had a sore throat. The boys went to urgent care for the 2nd time on this trip and we decided to pack up and head home. I haven't tried towing the trailer at this point, and since we weren't going to be able to do any real site seeing, I felt it was best we get everyone home.  McKinley and I have not come down with any symptoms and I'm praying we stay healthy. The staff at Candlesticks RV Park refunded us our money which was incredibly kind and unexpected. We will definitely be back their in the future. 

We left San Francisco at 1:30, and attempted to drive straight home. By 9:30 we began to get tired, and McKinley wouldn't stop crying. We pulled off the freeway to get gas, and I spotted a Mobil station. I told Marty we could totally fit, he insisted we could not, and I said, "no really there is enough room." He pulled in and we got stuck for 30 minutes. We blocked the entrance, Marty was pulling forward then reversing, then forward again. We looked like total idiots! Once we got ourselves out of that mess, we went up the road a bit further and found another gas station. I got on the RV Parky app and found Flying Flags RV Resort was .2 mile from where we were. McKinley wasn't about to settle without laying down in our bed, so we drove to the RV park to sleep for the night.

When we pulled in we were greeted by Craig. He is such a nice man. He was so helpful. He showed us all the spots available in the park on the map, and even helped Marty navigate into the space after registering. We were a bit nervous as we have never pulled into an RV park in the late night hours, but it worked out fine. We are so glad we stumbled on this site. It's very peaceful, clean, and it's only 4 miles from Solvang. The facilities here are very well done and newly remodeled. I highly recommend this park!

This morning we woke up and decided to stay another night. Marty felt like he needed more rest, we love this RV site and I wanted to head into Solvang to get some cheese and beer for my dad's birthday. My parents brought me to Solvang as a little girl. I remembered the cute town once we arrived. We all got t-shirts from Del Sol, wine from a winery, cheese & beer from Vanhus, and a danish from the Solvang Bakery. 

We had lunch at Andersen's. The pea soup (what they are known for) was delicious. After, we came back to the camp site to get some rest and hit the pool. Devlin and I went swimming and played Connect4, while Derek, Marty and McKinley rested. Tonight we are planning to sit by the campfire and roast marshmallows. It's been a really stressful trip, so we head home early in the morning to return to our lives. Derek has freshman orientation on Thursday, and I have a lot on my plate as high school season is about to begin.

In September Marty, McKinley and I will take the trailer to Oasis RV Park in Las Vegas for the Durango High School Volleyball Tournament. The casino's are a bit too smoky for the baby, and we aren't big into gambling. It should be another great adventure. Derek and Devlin will be back in school, so unfortunately they will miss this trip. We are so grateful for the time we were able to spend as a family on the road. This has been an incredible experience for our family.

Our trip to San Francisco so far has been a lot of fun, but it's not going quite as planned.  Derek is sick with a cold, and unfortunately missing a lot of the touristy destinations.  This was a trip he was really looking forward to so I feel bad for him.  It's basically his last hooray before high school begins!

On our first day we spent some time at Pier 39 and Devlin enjoyed the trampoline!  We watched a magic show, had lunch at Neptune's and all got a treat at the chocolate shop.  Derek started to feel like he was coming down with a cold, so we headed to the Golden Gate Bridge to drive across as Derek has been looking forward to seeing it.  After we went back to our campsite at Candlesticks RV Park.  This is a great spot for site seeing.  It's literally a parking lot, with hookups, a bathroom and a store.  It's not as nice as the other campgrounds we've been to, and definitely not as much space, but we knew this when we booked the site.  We wanted to be near all of the touristy attractions, and it's totally serving its purpose.  The staff here has been nice, and it's been interesting to see people from all over the world are visiting here in RV's.  The downfall is there is no place to play for kids.  Most of us are so tired after spending the day site seeing that it's not the end of the world.  We brought movies and we are fortunate enough to have a tv in our trailer!

Today Devlin, McKinley, Marty and I went out exploring while Derek spent the day at the trailer.  We had lunch at The Waterbar.  Marty had the oysters, Devlin had pizza and I had a burger with soft shell crab.  The food was fabulous.  After lunch we headed over to the Exploratorium.  The museum is very cool, but overwhelming for a 5 year old boy, as it's a 1/4 mile long.  Devlin played with a lot of the experiments, and once we lost his focus we took him to the outdoor playground.  He spent an hour playing with the other kids climbing on a pretty cool toy.  See the pictures above. 

The Academy of Art University is across from Pier 39 so I headed over to get a feel for the campus after the museum.  I've had a few artistic athletes show interest in the program, so I wanted to get a feel for the area so I could best describe it.  Since it's Saturday, I didn't get a chance to connect with any of the students.  I'm glad I got a chance to visit.  

Tomorrow will be day 4 of Derek being sick.  We have been holding off our boat tour and the California Academy of Sciences.  We are aiming to see both if he can make it through.  Tonight I have a stuffy nose, so I'm praying Derek heels up and I don't get sick!  

Purchasing a travel trailer was one of the best decisions we have made!  We are all really enjoying the time together as a family, and the adventures ahead.  We have decided for sure we will do the cross country trip next summer!  In the evenings the kids have been talking a lot about it!