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Maui

11 Favorite Kid-Friendly Stays Around the World

December 20, 2017
by Carrie
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Weekend Escape to the Mendocino Coast
Lands End: Best Hiking Trail in San Francisco
Railbike Adventure in the California Redwoods
A Perfect Day in Mendocino
A Perfect Day in Point Arena

marquezfiveadventures

We haven’t left California in almost a year, but

We haven’t left California in almost a year, but we haven’t stopped exploring. One of the things I am most grateful for in 2020 is the opportunity to slow down and really enjoy where we live. We have hiked more this year than any other year I can remember. We’ve found trails, views, and unexpected treasures closeby that I never knew existed! We’ve also explored new-to-us areas of California.

Mendocino had been on my list for 20 years and we finally took a road trip up there this fall. We spent 3 days exploring Mendocino, Fort Bragg and Point Arena - all along the rugged Highway 1 coast, about a 3 hour drive from the Bay Area. This area has something for everyone: art, wineries, cute B&Bs & shops, delicious restaurants, state parks for hiking & kayaking, beaches, and over-the-top coastal views. In 3 days we barely scratched the surface and left with a list of things we needed to come back and do.

Our top 3 activities were:
🌿Skunktrain Railbikes
🌿Russian Gulch State Park
🌿Land Rover tour at B Bryan Preserve and feeding the giraffes

I put together a post on how to make the most of a 3-day weekend in Mendocino (link in bio). There are actually more ideas in here than we could get to so this list could probably last you a week!

Recently, we ventured to San Jose for a hike throu

Recently, we ventured to San Jose for a hike through Almaden Quicksilver County Park. The park gets its name from its 135 year history mining mercury, “quicksilver,” during the Gold Rush, since mercury was used to extract gold from ore. The mine was shut down in 1976 and by that time had mined nearly 84 million pounds of mercury!! 😳

On the Buena Vista Trail, we came across the remains of an old pump house which reached down 2300 feet (600 feet below sea level). You may have seen this in my stories last week. We’ll have to go back and explore more because on the Mine Hill Trail you can actually go in the San Cristobal Mine - the only tunnel in the park that visitors can enter!

There were some sweeping views of San Jose and lots of oaks. Spring wildflowers are supposed to be stunning here, though everything now is brown and crispy since we haven’t had any winter rain yet. But we did come across a few stunning trees like this one with bright yellow leaves and a picnic table underneath beckoning us to come and enjoy. 🍁

Once again, I’m reminded how lucky we are to have so many incredible parks available to us here in the Bay Area! We’ve hiked more this year than any other year, yet there are still so many more parks & trails for us to discover!

"One day if I go to heaven... I'll look around and

"One day if I go to heaven... I'll look around and say 'It ain't bad. But it ain't San Francisco.'" Herb Caen

I will never grow tired of San Francisco. There are so many different angles from which to view the city - and so many incredible treasures to discover. Just a normal day over here walking through a rock labyrinth with the Golden Gate Bridge as a backdrop! ❤️🌁❤️

This kayak/zip-line/swimming hole tour we did with

This kayak/zip-line/swimming hole tour we did with @princevilleranchkauai is still one of our family's all-time favorite activities.

Every so often one of the kids will ask, remember when we did that tour? When can we do it again? And of course they can’t forget when we had to go around and introduce ourselves to the group and Mike told everyone he was a professional Big Wave Surfer🏄‍♂️ (he’s not 😂). Kauai sounds pretty amazing to me right now and I’m about ready to hop on a plane just to do this tour again!

Did you know that Glass Beach in Fort Bragg used t

Did you know that Glass Beach in Fort Bragg used to be a trash dump?? 😳

Over the years, broken bottles from the trash were transformed into small smooth pieces of colorful glass that are now mixed in with the pebbles on the beach. I had wanted to check out this unique beach for years and was so excited to finally have a chance to visit earlier this fall.

Despite all my enthusiasm, we had a mixed experience at this beach…

The Not-So-Good: I wish we had a chance to visit years ago when I first learned about Glass Beach. While you aren’t supposed to take the glass treasures (obviously), many do, and the glass has been severely depleted. I could not believe how many people we saw filling bags with glass! Swipe to see the rocks and the crowded beach! If you go, I recommend going early in the morning to avoid crowds and have the beach a little more to yourself!

The Good: On the bright side, the crowds were pretty much limited to the pebbly beach. We quickly refocused on the massive rocks and tidepools literally right next to the beach. We had them essentially to ourselves. Searching for a rainbow of glass pebbles was fun and we had a great time exploring beyond the beach!🌈

One thing you should know about our family is that

One thing you should know about our family is that we are HUGE UNC fans! Mike went to graduate school there and I commuted to Chapel Hill just about every weekend for two years from my consulting job.

You can’t spend any time in Chapel HIll and not become a devoted basketball fan! 🏀And naturally, we have raised our kids to bleed Carolina blue: they’ve always worn the gear, watched all the basketball games, fly the flag on game day, and have made multiple trips across the country to visit the campus.

In 2016, we decided to follow the team to Maui for the Maui Invitational. 🌺🌴The tournament is held over Thanksgiving week every year in Lahaina, but UNC attends only every 4th year. That year, UNC won the entire tournament and we were there for every game! It was an amazing way to kick off the college basketball season.

We decided from that point on, we would spend every 4th Thanksgiving on Maui cheering for the Tar Heels.

2020 is the year we were supposed to go back to Maui. The tournament wasn’t canceled, but it was moved to Asheville, NC and we decided not to go. It’s a bummer to miss out this year, but we’ll be cheering them on from home with our flag flying proud. Go Heels! Maui 2024!🌈

I have to wonder how the heck this car ended up in

I have to wonder how the heck this car ended up in the middle of an open space preserve! 🤔

Clearly it has been here for a while, and it actually wasn’t the only one we saw on this hike. I love coming across things like this!

Ben didn’t like the rusted out cars - he thought they were creepy. I couldn’t get him to go near it until he decided this ramp was kinda cool. Kate chose not to go with us on this hike, but when she heard about the cars I think she may have regretted her decision and she told me, she would have gotten IN the car! Two kids, two very different responses!

What’s the coolest thing you’ve come across on a hike?

**LANDS END COASTAL TRAIL** 6 Reasons to check ou

**LANDS END COASTAL TRAIL**

6 Reasons to check out Lands End Coastal Trail in San Francisco:

🌁Gorgeous Views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin Headlands

🌁It’s a great workout especially if you take the offshoot trail to Mile Rock Beach. SO. MANY. STAIRS.

🌁Learn about the history of this area as you hike: see a map of shipwrecks along the coast and learn about the Cliff House Railway that used to run along the trail as well as the Ohlone tribe that used to live here

🌁Make your way through a Rock Labyrinth designed by a local artist

🌁Explore the Sutro Baths ruins

🌁Did you know the Fort Miley Ropes Course at Lands End is open to the Community on the first Sunday of every month?

Click on the link in my bio for even more reasons to visit Lands End plus many more pictures and details of the hike!

**MORI POINT, PACIFICA** Found another great hike

**MORI POINT, PACIFICA**

Found another great hike at Mori Point in Pacifica! This is another one where I thought, how did it take us so long to find this treasure?

Mori Point is part of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy @GoldenGateNPS. It had been on our list all summer simply because it was dog friendly, but it has so much more to offer than being dog friendly! If you can, try to go during the week or *early* on the weekend to avoid crowds. The park is big and there are many different paths to follow which helped to spread out all the hikers. Parking was tough and the trailhead was busy, but once we were on the trails the crowds thinned out.

We had every intention of following the 2.5-mile Mori Point Loop Trail, but weren’t able to park where we had planned so we blazed our own path along the many trails in the park. But the positive was we came across this fun bench, which appears to have actually been a swing at one point, overlooking the beach. We hiked all along the Bluff Trail, out to The Point, and then up to the peak where we had 360 degree views. The coastal views are simply breathtaking even on an overcast day like when we were there.

We will be back!

Many cities have walking tours, but how many have

Many cities have walking tours, but how many have urban hikes? Lands End Trail is one of my favorite hikes and it happens to be within the city of San Francisco! There are endless views of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Marin Headlands, cargo ships entering & exiting the Bay, Sea Cliff, and hidden treasures along the way (like shipwrecks at low tide).

We’ve hiked here many times, but this was the first time we took the off-shoot trail down to Mile Rock Beach. I highly recommend it! There were lots of rocks for stacking and logs for sitting and enjoying the views across the bay to Marin as well as the remnants of old Mile Rock lighthouse which now serves as a helipad. 🌊🌁

It may be Friday the 13th, but Ben’s just happy

It may be Friday the 13th, but Ben’s just happy it’s finally Friday!! 🌈

Are you superstitious? My sister was born on Friday the 13th and growing up we were always told that meant Friday the 13th was a good day for our family. So I’ve always tried to look for the positive in this day and have passed along that same message to my own kids. Hopefully it sticks!🤞🏻🤞🏻

“Exploration is curiosity put into action.” – Don Walsh

🌊A couple of years ago listened to a TED talk given by Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love, that really struck a chord. Oftentimes you’ll hear people say “follow your passion”. She claims not everyone has a passion and if they do it’s not always accessible. Instead, she argues, follow your curiosity because everyone has that. Curiosity may lead you to your passion or it may not. But if you constantly pursue the things that make you feel curious and inspired then that should lead to a fulfilling life.

🌊For me, my curiosity has led me to constantly explore - countries, cultures, states, parks, hikes, towns, museums. I have this strong urge to explore and experience as much as I can. It was an extremely indirect path that led me here, capturing, documenting and sharing our adventures, but looking back I can see that my strong desire to explore has always been there guiding me. There are so many different directions my path can go from here, but the chances it includes exploration in some form are almost guaranteed!

🌊Looking at curiosity in this way has also helped me put my kids’ interests into perspective too. Anytime they show interest in something we try to encourage that curiosity. There have been times when I’ve found it difficult to watch them let go of an interest they’ve held for a while - so much time & effort invested. But it often seems the pursuit of a new interest makes them happier even if they don’t end up sticking with it long term. They’ve gone through a lot of phases - sometimes one interest has naturally led to another and then another. I find it fascinating to watch my kids create these paths for themselves and spend time on things I wouldn’t have thought to throw their way. One thing I never want to do is squash their curiosity because I believe following it will ultimately lead them down a path of happiness.

One thing I love about travel is that I feel remov

One thing I love about travel is that I feel removed from the distractions at home (things to organize, projects to do, errands to run, etc). I’m able to be more in the moment and enjoy the now. Like when we saw this beach from a distance and just decided to head down and hang out for a bit. We pulled a football and some blankets out of the car and just enjoyed the day. There was no agenda and no one had anything else to get to. It’s a feeling I want to hang onto.

It always makes me think about prioritizing our time and our things. I think about how we often do things out of obligation rather than desire. And how we own a lot more “stuff” than we need. We travel with so few belongings - basically whatever we can each fit into a backpack. When we return home, I look at all the stuff we left behind that nobody seemed to miss and perhaps even forgot about, and I have a strong desire to purge everything we own! We haven’t traveled anywhere in over a month, but I’m still feeling this urge to purge. Maybe it’s because we’re spending so much time at home and using so little of what we own. I’d love to have that same distraction-free feeling even when I’m at home. It will never be the same I’m sure, but I hope to move a little bit closer to it.

This is what finally lit a fire under me to book o

This is what finally lit a fire under me to book our trip to Mendocino. Yep, it was these @skunktrain railbikes! Do you ever see something fun and then constantly think about it? I’m always on the lookout for new adventures and I just knew our family would love these. And I was right! ⁣
These bikes go out rain or shine. We were so lucky to be there on an exceptionally warm weekend where we didn’t even need sweatshirts in the redwoods! Check out my new blog post for all the details & logistics on our ride plus a ton more pictures of this super fun & unique activity!⁣
⁣
#familytravelblog #takeyourkidseverywhere #travelingfamily #mendocinocounty #mendocinocoast #visitmendocino #visitfortbraggca #fortbraggca #skunktrain #californiaredwoods #onlyinnortherncalifornia #fearlessfamtravels #travelfam #teentravel #travelingkids #kidswhoexplore #AdventureFamily #AdventureTravels #BornToBeAdventurous #WeCollectMemories #yestoadventure #adventureaddict #Adventurewithkids #Adventurekids #FamilyTravelTips #raisingoutdoorkids #OutdoorFamily #railbike #railbikes #welltraveledkids

My head is in a million places today. Waiting is n

My head is in a million places today. Waiting is nerve-wracking. Stay patient. Stay kind. Stay hopeful. 🍁

Now….back to travel photos. Have you ever heard of a Pygmy Forest?🌿 We found one in Van Damme State Park in Mendocino. There’s a short hike (just a quarter of a mile!) on an elevated boardwalk that winds through the forest. There are informative signs throughout which detail the significance of what you’re looking at (which was great because it would have been lost on me otherwise!) We only spent about 30 minutes here which was plenty of time to enjoy the hike and learn about the forest.

This particular area was once under the Pacific Ocean and due to geologic uplift and changes in sea level the land was exposed creating a series of terraces, an “ecological staircase”. Each terrance is about 100 feet taller and ~100,000 years older than the one below. The soil here is nutrient poor and highly acidic which leaves less than ideal conditions for trees to prosper.

Most of the trees in this forest are over 100 years old, but because of the unconventional soil conditions most are dwarfed and no taller than 8-9 feet with a trunk circumference of just a few inches!

H🎃ppy Hall👻ween!! It has definitely been a

After years of talking about it, we finally made i

After years of talking about it, we finally made it to Mendocino! We barely scratched the surface of things to do so naturally we’ll need to come back! Here are some reasons to put Mendocino on your list:

🌿IT. IS. BEAUTIFUL.
🌿3 State Parks: Russian Gulch, Mendocino Headlands, Van Damme which have a mixture of easy accessible walks to more challenging hikes all with gorgeous views of forests, streams or the rugged coast.
🌿Russian Gulch Bridge - I could have stared at this bridge all day. Lots of lookout points plus you can hang out on the beach below the bridge for a totally different perspective, and beach combing of course!
🌿Downtown Mendocino is totally adorable with old Victorian bed & breakfasts, cute shops, and delicious restaurants.
🌿Very strict mask-wearing and social distancing guidelines. We were surprised it was so strict since it’s a relatively remote area, but they also depend on tourism and want to keep everything open. Everyone we saw respected the rules and we felt very safe traveling here.

Check out more details on our weekend in Mendocino in my new Blog Post. Link in Bio.

This hike on San Bruno Mountain is one of my favor

This hike on San Bruno Mountain is one of my favorite hikes on the peninsula because of the sweeping views. Saddle Loop Trail is our go-to. It starts with views to the south of SFO ✈️ to Oakland in the east, The Bay Bridge & Downtown SF, then all across the city towards Marin and out to the Pacific Ocean. On a clear day like this it’s just magnificent, but we’ve still had good views on overcast days as well!

The absolute best time to visit the Bay Area is in September and October. While temperatures are dropping elsewhere, here we get some of our warmest fog-free days! Seriously, it’s the best! ☀️

Although it can be sporadically foggy throughout the year, it mainly blankets the coastal areas in the summer. Odd right? That’s because we have a built in air conditioner - the hot inland temperatures in the Central Valley cause the air to rise and the heavier cold ocean air rushes in to replace it. This flow pulls the fog through the Golden Gate passage into the Bay. Just take a look at my post from yesterday...that was taken in July! You’ve all heard the saying from Mark Twain, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco!” 🥶🌁

Jackson asked me the other day if I thought it was

Jackson asked me the other day if I thought it was worth it to live in the Bay Area. Whether you’ve lived in the Bay Area your whole life (like me) or you’ve only lived here a short period of time, everybody here asks themselves that question. I quickly ran through all the pros & cons in my head, but one thing always sticks out: When a “normal” day consists of views like this, then yes, I absolutely think it’s worth it 🌁😍

With California’s rocky coastline it’s no wond

With California’s rocky coastline it’s no wonder we have lighthouses all along the west coast. I always think they are beautiful, standing tall along the coast often surrounded by fog, but we don’t usually stop to look at them - maybe that needs to change.

Here are a couple fun facts about the Point Arena lighthouse we visited last month:

✨It’s the tallest on the west coast, standing at 115 feet (well, it’s actually tied for tallest with Pigeon Point Lighthouse in Pescadero).
✨The lighthouse was first lit in 1870, but was rebuilt after the original was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake.
✨This is the closest point in the continental US to Hawaii.
✨You can actually stay in the Keeper’s Apartment (listed as one of the Top 10 Unique Vacation Rentals in the West by SF Gate)
✨And yes, the light is always on!

If you’re in Point Arena, the lighthouse is definitely worth a stop. Even if lighthouses aren’t your thing, the grounds are gorgeous and if you’re lucky you can spot whales, dolphins, and seals! 🐬🐳🐋

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