Day 7 - Heading Home

Well, we were able to get flights home today and everyone has stayed healthy.  However, they can only get us as far as Detroit and we had to split up.  The boys grabbed an early flight which will get them into Michigan around supper time, just in time for Tyler’s class tonight (which he’ll do at the airport).  Then Sammy and I will leave around noon which gets us to Detroit around 10:00 pm (the end of Tyler’s class).  Scott will rent us a car and we’ll drive home yet tonight.  That is if everything goes to plan and the expected snow storm doesn’t interrupt our flights.

I walked Scott and Tyler down to their car and said our goodbyes.  For some reason, sending them off without Sam and I feels really ominous.  But we are all ready to get home.  

On the walk back up to our room, my phone dings and I am notified that Sammy and my flight will be delayed.  Argh.  

But our car is already scheduled and I really don’t want to be stuck here any longer than we’ve been already, so we continue on with our plan to go to the airport.  

We had a decently long wait but we were a few miles closer to home.  Eventually we boarded and took off less than an hour after the scheduled time.  

Tyler and Scott made it to Detroit while we were in the air.  Tyler ended up finding a little corner to hunker down in and attended in class in AI/Machine Learning.  Scott headed out to rent an SUV, grab dinner and find some snacks for us on the ride home.  

The delay in our flight caused us to be coming in right as the storm was hitting but we landed without issue.  Tyler was in a separate terminal so after his class, Scott picked him up at the curb and then headed to our terminal to grab Sam and I.  Thankfully we sent the bags with the guys so we didn’t have as long to wait. 

It was almost 11:30 pm when we left the airport.  No one felt great but we were ready to get home.  Thank goodness Scott is confident driving in snow.  We pulled into the garage and walked in just after 2 am

It didn’t take long to find our pillows that night.  We were exhausted.  As Scott and I lay there in the dark, we took what felt like our first exhale in days.  And in that moment, we both just started laughing.  I’m not exactly sure what was so funny in that moment, or in the days prior, but it was just what we needed.

I wish the extra days would have been spent exploring and enjoying SanFran.  But am so thankful we could so easily stay back, and give Sam the space and time she needed to recover.

It was a great trip!  I’m so thankful we could share it together.

 

Day 5/6 - Change of Plans

Overnight, Sammy got sick.  I switched rooms with Tyler so I could be close and he could stay healthy.  Neither of us got much sleep so we spent most of the day resting.  Sammy spiked a fever this morning and didn’t eat much all day.  

So clearly, we are not heading home today.  We rescheduled flights for tomorrow.  But the fever didn’t go down until the early morning hours of Tuesday so we cancelled those flights too.  We’ll try again for tomorrow.

The girls stayed in quarantine.  Luckily I had my computer along so I could get some work done while Sammy slept.  The guys hung out with movies and then did a submarine tour that they didn’t previously have time for.  

It’s an unexpected extra few days in San Francisco!

Later on Tuesday, Sammy and I went for a walk to get some fresh air and stretch our legs.

Before you judge our appearance, remember that we were on a three day vacation… on the final day… all the laundry has been used.  Now we extended the trip an extra 3 days… there are no more clean options.  

We were a hot mess but it felt SOOO good to be out of our infirmary.  

Day 4 - Alcatraz & Science

 

Day 3 - All the Sights!

We were up early again but Scott was struggling with sinus pressure so Sammy and I walked to Starbucks to let the meds kick in.  We left around 9:00 am and headed out in search of breakfast.  We had saw an advertisement for a Cafe, with an all-day breakfast that's just around the corner so we decided to check it out. By first glance, it didn't look promising.  It was a retail store front advertising Teriyaki Chicken and rice but the posted menu offered a lot of breakfast options so we decided to give it a try.

The service was so quick and the food was amazing!  We all raved about the breakfast here and hope to go back again tomorrow.  Who would have guessed!

We had some time to kill this morning so we walked along the Embarcadero and enjoyed the views.

We stopped at Pier 39 to check out the local wild life.  We spent at least 15 minutes observing the sea lions and pretending to know what they were thinking.

Then we grabbed an Uber and headed over to Blazing Saddles to meet our tour guide for our bike ride.  Tyler and I met Mark McHugh on a similar tour in 2023.  We had such a great day with him we wanted to do it again!  So off we went on our bike-riding adventure!

Just over an hour into the tour, I ran into some mechanical issues.  Riding any bike through the hills of San Francisco would be difficult but riding a much heavier E-bike without any motor assistance was next to impossible.  I kept up with the group while trying to troubleshoot until the base of the next hill.  I called out and Scott and Mark came back to help.  We tried to reset the little processor with no luck, called back to the rental company and they agreed to bring me a new one.  Just as I was to start walking my bike to the meeting point, I noticed a little wire that was hanging down and once we got it plugged back in, we were back in business!  Phew.

The Palace of the Theater of the Arts which was the site of the 1915 World Fair.  The space is beautiful and hardly seems real when you ride up on it in the middle of the city.

We visited a George Lucas studio and design space with the famous Yoda fountain.  Then peaked into the windows to see C3PO, R2D2 and Darth Vader himself in the lobby.

There was so much more... Stops to hear history of the city, point out famous residences and homes featured in movies, military barracks, cemeteries, etc.  

Then we took one last stop for a final picture and began the ride across the bridge.  

We were on the Pacific side of the bridge and it was super loud and windy.  It was exhilarating for everyone and maybe a bit too overwhelming for some.  

 

We stopped just past the halfway point for photos and then continued on to the small quaint town of Sausalito for lunch.  To get across the highway traffic, we had to take this small switch-back filled road down and then under the bridge.  There weren't any cars allowed for the better part and we paused at this beautiful lookout for this photo.

Lunch was at the Joinery.  It was excellent food and since it was already after 3:00 pm, we were all getting quite hungry!  Mark stayed and enjoyed the meal with us and then brought us over to the ferry dock.  We decided the ferry would be a better route home since the temps have been falling since we started this morning the ride over the bridge was pretty chilly.  There we parted ways with Mark!

The ferry ride back was likely only 20-30 minutes but was a quiet and relaxing way to reset after a busy day.  

We weren't trying but also found a perfect view of the bridge as we rode back across the bay.

It was a 10 minute ride from the ferry dock back to the bike rental shop but it was far busier than it had been this morning.  We dropped off the bikes and headed over to Ghirardelli Square for some ice cream.

(Don't mind the hair - honestly we were in helmets all day!)

Then we sat on a bench in a little park and marveled at all the sounds of people enjoying the city.  It was a little after 5:30 pm but already dark out when the kids headed back to the hotel.  Scott and I circled the block again to check out some tricked out cars that we had seen gathered along the water.  

Once we got back, we all decided it would be best to stay in tonight and just relax after such a big day.  We ordered some appetizers from Applebees and had a picnic in our room.  Then it was time to relax. 

Scott's already snoring and I'm heading there soon!  It was a great day today! 

Day 6 - Welcome Home!

We got up and had breakfast.  Left the slip around 10:30 am and stopped over to the fuel dock for a pump out.  

We were on the lake and up to cruising speed by 11:05 am.  

He had some friends offer to meet us in Grand Haven and bring us home which was such a kind gesture.  Beyond that, they came out to the end of the pier to take photos of the boat’s arrival.

  

We settled into our temporary slip at Grand Isle for this fall and unpacked as best we could.  Then headed home.  It was an incredible trip - much quicker than expected but so many wonderful memories!  Cannot wait for more time aboard next summer!

Day 5 - Staying Put

 We decided to stay put in Frankfort today.  Weather forecast was not in our favor.  We love Frankfort so it’s honestly not a hard decision.  Had a pretty quiet day… cleaning, organizing, learning more about the boat.  We are really happy with it!

Day 4 - Made it to Frankfort

After such a big day yesterday, we wanted to have a more relaxed morning.  So we let the kids sleep in a bit until we were ready to go for breakfast.  We visited the Pancake Chef... a greasy spoon we've passed a number of times but never stopped.  But today we were in search of bacon and the Pancake Chef didn't disappoint.

While we waited for our food, we played a game of Ticket to Ride and pretty much all walked away frustrated.  But we enjoyed the walk back in the sunshine.  No rain today, but the temps have definitely fallen.  It was in the 50s when we walked to breakfast... and our shorts are now replaced by jeans and sweatshirts.  No worries though, it's some of my favorite boating weather.

When we got back, the guys worked on a couple boat projects including checking that oil sensor and removing some water from the bilge.  I washed the dishes and organized the cabinet under the galley sink.  Tyler made a run to the dumpster with more trash and then we prepped for our departure.

We left the marina around 11:20 am enjoying the views of the island and the bridge while we put away the fenders and lines.

 

The seas were rougher today, consistently 2-3' waves that grew to 4' swells as we got further south.  With such colder temps, we stayed indoors most of the day, or sat outside with a sweatshirt and blanket.  

Around 2:00 pm Jen cooked up some brats for lunch.  Tyler is always a big help with the boat but also took some time to work on his homework.  Not a bad view, if you ask me.

It was 4:15 pm when we pulled into Frankfort.  We have always enjoyed this harbor!  We filled up our fuel and then moved over to slip 55 for the night.  As soon as we were tied, we headed out for supper.  

We ate at the Dinghy Restaurant & Bar, only a few blocks away.  When we returned, Scott helped Tyler get set up for his class tonight.  He's been taking a night class for AI & Machine Learning.  So we had him at the desk in our stateroom so he could have privacy and less distractions.

Once he was set up, he and I went for a scooter ride to drop off the mail while Scott taught Sammy how to play chess.  Then Tyler headed to class, I get started on some church work, and Scott and Sammy took a dinghy ride.

Tyler wrapped up at 10:30pm and we all headed to bed.  It was another great day!