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And Panda especially, thank you for the great post and all the tips. I've printed your post out, and I'm taking it with me for future reference when I get there. We'll eat at Alioto's, and yeah, in some ways I wish the stay in San Francisco were longer but I really prefer wild places, and I'm the one who is driving.

We'll squeeze all that we can in while there though.

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ORIGINAL: TreasureKY

Firm and I are on one right now... literally. I have no idea how well this will post from my phone, but my laptop is all the way in the back of our vehicle and I hate to ask Firm to stop for me to get it.

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ORIGINAL: LadyPact  Panda, you know you're welcome anytime.

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ORIGINAL: ThatDamnedPanda

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ORIGINAL: LadyPact  Panda, you know you're welcome anytime.

Thank you! I'm really looking forward to it. Toward the end of the month, we can firm up the dates a bit. When i swing up north to San Luis and Monterey will probably depend on how long I decide to stay overall, and I haven't decided that yet. Still working the numbers. By the end of the month, when i know all that, you should be settled in and able to think comprehensively about it. This is going to be a blast!

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ORIGINAL: ThatDamnedPanda

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ORIGINAL: TreasureKY

Firm and I are on one right now... literally. I have no idea how well this will post from my phone, but my laptop is all the way in the back of our vehicle and I hate to ask Firm to stop for me to get it.

Nope. Sorry. Didn't  work. Make him pull over and dig around in the trunk!

Or better yet, wait an hour. It'll be dark soon...

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ORIGINAL: outlier

Sanity,

If I was doing what you are planning there is one place that
would be right at the top of my list.  THE EXPLORATORIUM

It is a science museum that was conceived and designed to be interactive,
a touchy feely, fun exploration and education for children of all ages.  Here is
another link:.  http://www.exploratorium.edu/visit/index.php

You can probably find some stuff about it on Utube as well.
Whatever choices you make, have a ball.

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ORIGINAL: ThatDamnedPanda
You and me both, man, you and me both. I am not a city guy. Give me trees, lots of them please. In my opinion, cities are a (barely) necessary evil, a way to generate taxes to maintain parks. Which reminds me - if you do go to Mount Tamalpais for any reason, you might want to consider checking out the Muir Woods. Given your circumstances, I don't know if I'd suggest a special trip, because you'll definitely see bigger redwoods (with a lower density of people) further up the coast. But if you are already on the mountain, it's a very  cool place, with an uncommonly relaxing ambience. If you get there any time within an hour of closing, they don't charge admission. One of the last times I was there, I spent an hour and a half stalking a spotted owl, and eventually was fortunate enough to track her to her nest. It was just incredible, absolutely fascinating, watching her feed her young. Beautiful bird.

I'm glad you found this stuff helpful. If there's anything i can do, let me know. One more thing I should add - you're probably going to want to stop and have a look at the bridge on your way north out of town. The best viewing - the site from which all those panoramic pictures are taken - is from the viewing area on the west side of the bridge, about a half mile up the hill from the freeway. The east side viewing area is cool too, but the best view is definitely from the west. Head uphill west from the freeway, and you'll know it when you see it. It's very quick if you're pressed for time - you can do it and be back on the road in less than 15 minutes, easy, and 10 of those minutes are the time you'll spend standing there admiring the view.

I've got a few road trips of my  own coming up, small ones mostly. I'll go camping next week on the North Shore of Lake Superior, do some hiking on the Cascade, Split Rock, and Temperance Rivers. Then I'll come back home for a couple of weeks, and take a longer trip to the Black Hills. It's a day's drive from the Twin Cities. I'll camp and hike in the area around Mount Rushmore, take a day trip to Devil's Tower, spend some time in the Badlands... if I'm feeling really ambitious, i may just take a few days and drive all the way to Yellowstone, as long as I'm halfway there anyway. I haven't been there in so long, last time I was there they hadn't even installed the geysers yet. They'd just been invented, and the park staff was still testing them out for safety purposes.

I had been planning a road trip through the Southwest to LA, but I decided to do that in  the spring instead, when the deserts are blooming instead of baking. Instead, I'll be flying to LA around the 5th of August, and spending about 2, 2 and a half weeks there. Mostly in and around Ventura. I'll swing up to San Luis Obispo to bask once again in the thoroughly delightful company of Vendaval and Subbiegurl, and hopefully visit Lady Pact and her clan in their new digs. I'll drive up to Monterey while I'm there, see the aquarium once again, and hike until I can't walk upright anymore on the Big Sur coast, in Pfeiffer, Molina, and Garrapata State Parks. Then come back and recover so i can either fly or drive out to Folsom in September. After which I'll probably never leave my house again.

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Thanks again Panda, maybe I can get a look of the bridge looking West around sunset, if I try hard enough! Is that a marked exit, does it say "scenic point" or something?