HENRI'S HAPPENINGS: Travels: Day 1&2

We have returned from a rather largish venture across the country to visit very dear and missed friends and, like all good vacationers, have tons of pictures (all generally of the same thing). To sate your curiosity and at the same time maintain readability, we'll break the posts up a bit (you're welcome).
Let me start by saying that H is probably the best traveling toddler you could imagine. Plans got majorly altered to somehow include almost nothing but driving on twisty roads (in addition to the 6+ hour flights) and there was the whole time change thing PLUS sleeping in something other than her normal bed (hurray for the Peapod! Worked perfectly!) BUT she was an angel. Bit whiny at times (though I was way worse) and needed to run at others, but she was contented, made no peep on the plane, and slept through the nights with a reasonable wake up time. Phew.

Day 1: Travel Day. Up and ready to go for our pick up at 8. My subtle suggestion to avoid I90 till the last possible mile was ignored and it took 1.5 hours to get to airport. Upon arrival at Logan (at 0930) we were informed our plane (10 departure) had already boarded. No problem, we just sprinted to security where the line was miles long and cut to the front. Then another run through empty terminals to ours, where amazingly enough there was a person who allowed us through. We jogged to the very back of the very full plane and made no eye contact, slumped into the last row (not our seats) and the plane started to taxi. I realize some folks enjoy that sort of non-wasted time; I was ready to kill my beloved traveling partner. H immediately won over the stewardess who kept her well supplied with cups of ice and didn't make us hold her when the seat belt sign was on (H does not get the concept of "sit" so well). We nursed on take off as I was advised and I don't know that it mattered, but the pressure changes didn't seem to affect her. None of the stuff I'd carefully planned and packed had any interest for H the whole trip but the window shade, seat belt and arm rest received a thorough inspection.
Upon arrival at San Francisco we were able to take our time exiting as our ride was experiencing technical difficulties (wouldn't start) and was delayed by an hour. Finally, much joy and hugging, a 45 minute drive among palm trees, and home to a beautiful apartment. We explored and then headed to a nearby park to let H burn off steam, Steve to watch her, and Kelsea and I to catch up on everything. David got home and we feasted, then bedtime for all at the early hour of 9...which was really midnight.

Day 2: David kindly took the day off of work, so after a great breakfast he and Steve headed out to get our rental car and then we all piled in and went to San Fran and Sausalito where the roads were nothing but hairpin curves. We went down Lombardo Street and had burgers and ice cream in a park, then we drove to Muir Woods. This was to be a meeting of the Redwoods with a leisurely stroll on the boardwalk surrounding them. Somehow that changed to a short jaunt on a gentle incline which, when all was said and done, took 3 hours with no water through high desert country with buzzards circling us. Caked in dust we staggered back to SF and ate dinner in Chinatown, then walked the shops (I bought H and I cute leather bracelets and S picked up a kite) before heading home to hot showers and very inviting beds.
Stay tuned for Day 3+4 in which we travel to the ocean and the mountains and get very car sick.
And if this starts to sound like whining, please know we had a wonderful time but a vacation isn't a story unless there were some unplanned happenstances, right? :)