Road Trip!!

Okay, this is going to be a quickie, all in pictures!! (Tomorrow is Wordless Wednesday anyway, right?) We just got back from our family road trip & I was in California history nerd heaven!! First stop was Columbia, California: we stayed at an authentic hotel (built in the 1850's!) and the whole town is still exactly as it was during mining times. Everyone walks around dressed for the time period; my girls rode a stagecoach, dipped candles, watched a blacksmith work, as well as visited the original schoolhouse (complete with DUNCE cap in the corner!!) The girls thought it was especially funny that the showers were down the hall from our room (at least there was indoor plumbing!!)

Nearby is Mercer Caverns; it turns out there are quite a few caverns in the area! I did not know that but it sure made for excellent geological discussions (since Becca just finished 4th grade & she had studied rocks & minerals!!) We took lots of pictures to show her teacher!!  We descended 16 stories below the earth & were awed by the stalactites ("They hold tight to the ceiling") and stalagmites ("You might trip over them on the ground"). We also saw helictites, limestone formations that from sideways out of the walls!! That was a new term to me!!

 From Columbia, we drove to Coloma, otherwise known as the birthplace of the California Gold Rush!! Becca & I started jumping up and down and screaming when we saw the huge wall with Sutter's Mill and a plaque stating THIS was where James Marshall discovered gold!! (Well, okay I may have been more excited than Becca, but she still thought it was very cool!!) We were able to pan for gold & found a few flakes!

We ended our trip with a relaxing few days in Sebastopol and Bodega Bay (in Sonoma County). In fact, it was so relaxing that there was not much to take pictures of! Lol

It was a wonderful family vacation &  I loved that my middle daughter, Lizz, was able to join us!!! My oldest, Kayla, is still traveling through Europe; we don't really feel sorry for her!! 

Off to Vegas in the morning, where I hope to meet many of you!!