Honeymoon Series: Snippets from Day 7

This was one of the most memorable days of our honeymoon adventure. It all began with some nature videos:
First, a lurking morning visitor:



Nature video 2:
Conversation regarding Mike Vasich's recent discovery:
Me: What Would Carol Vasich Do?
Mike responds: What Would Milt Vasich Do?



"It's all about comfort...no regrets."



Man, what I would've done for a pair of wool socks. 3rd confrontation with poison oak that day. I was doomed. That said, Mike seemed to possess the greatest sense of doom as we hiked through private property due to getting completely lost. He claims that he was "trying to keep it real," but I think he really had this image of some crazy land owner from the boonies attacking us with a shotgun...I kept reminding him that we were in northern California...but he would hear none of it!



Lunch break, "a mile or two from our destination...only 20 minutes away..."



Hours later...



I did get poison oak.

Honeymoon Series: Snippets from Day 6

On Day 6, we decided to take a long hike out to the Point of Tomales Bay and the ocean. A day that started sunny and warm in the valley turned into a mighty fog along the coast. The highlight for Mike was definitely the Tule Elk. I wasn't as impressed. We also had our second run in with poison oak. The path went from very wide and paved to NO PATH...only brambles. My legs were not very happy. Mike sympathized.




Mike loved the Tule Elk:

Honeymoon Series: Snippets from Day 5

Saturday morning, Point Reyes Farmers Market.



This Farmers Market had quite the array of colorful vegetables and flowers, but the most impressive selections were the artisan breads, honey, and burrito booths. In this way, it reminded me of Minneapolis's Mill City Farmers Market. Mike and I ended up purchasing some bread from some local lady bakers.

Ice-creaming making!!! We found a recipe for salted caramel ice-cream in Cooking Light magazine on the airplane to San Francisco. Although Mike has always doubted desserts in "Cooking Light," I pointed out that the only difference here was the use of 2% instead of whole milk or heavy cream. Since it was the only ice cream recipe we had, we decided to give it a whirl:



(It was incredible).

And now, some commentary post trail running around Shell, Pebble, and Hearts Desire Beaches on Tomales Bay. Topics include vultures, small children, and melted spatulas:





Commentary from McClure's Beach on the Pacific:

Honeymoon Series: Snippets From Day 4

A demonstration: even our morning grocery run embodies the themes of our honeymoon.



Worn out from our hiking adventures on day 2 and 3, we decided to spend some time reading our books on Shell Beach, a small beach on Tomales Bay.



Hoping to catch the sunset, we left Shell Beach and headed to Kehoe Beach on the Pacific. Not what we expected, but Mike tries to stay positive:



Leaving Kehoe, we found sanctuary back at Almost Pi.



Note Mike's classic navy sweatshirt, quite the thrift store find (especially after spotting the exact same sweatshirt at a local goods store for $30 more).

Views from the coastal trail.

Honeymooon Series: Day 3 Adventures

Our third day was packed with adventure. A big fan of trail running, I decided to take advantage of the scenic paths. Mike dropped me off from a trailhead seven miles out, and then he hiked from a different trailhead about three and half miles out. The plan was to meet about an hour later at Alamere Falls, a (sort of) secret place off the coastal trail.

The plan went somewhat awry. First of all, I am embarrassed to admit that I was way more scared on the lonely trails than I had imagined. Things were all sunshine as I was climbing up the ridge, but as I sailed down the mountain towards the coast, some negative visions of mountain lions took over. With fog drifting through mossy redwoods and not a person in sight, I think I set a PR (personal record).

Back on the ol' reliable coastal trail (tried and true), I felt safe again. But, as the clock started ticking at the trailhead to Alamere Falls, I started to wonder about Mike. Where was he? Two passing hikers claimed that they left from the same parking lot as Mike about an hour before and they hadn't seen him. Just as I started to get really worried, Mike and his blue backpack came over the crest. He had forgotten his wallet, so he went back to Almost Pi after he dropped me off. Then, understandably, he got lost in Bolinas.


Reunited, we hiked an unmaintained trail down to Alamere Falls.

Honeymoon Series: Snippets from Day 2

The daily breakfast quandary- bovine or no bovine?



Solved.



Journey to Mt. Wittenberg:



View from (almost) the top:



Amazing Mountain Creature!



Results are in; Banana Slug is the infamous mascot of UC Santa Cruz.

Jenga Competitors

Mike and I have a passion for games- board games, yard games, cards, and sports of almost every variety (Except for video games; I am hardly ever a participant because I have no game. Mike is the record holder for every category of video game in this household).

In fact, our penchant for game playing has been known to rub off on our eager friends. Within a few weeks, "Time's Up" became the game of choice both in the Longfellow and Powderhorn neighborhoods. And more recently, Dixit, the game of visual storytelling, has discovered a dedicated following in the Dale & Victoria neighborhood in St. Paul. And of course, Parcheesi and euchre remain regular go-to's.

During our honeymoon, we spent a few evenings raiding my Aunt Jane's game collection at Almost Pi. The first night, we indulged in a rather competitive round of the all time classic, Jenga, as the pasta water reached a boil.

We captured a few nearly treacherous moments; both for your enjoyment, and to catch each other at sneaky cheating (oops, I mean to demonstrate our skillful balancing abilities).

Honeymoon Series: Snippets From Day 1

Breakfast at the Minneapolis Airport.





SFO!



Tour of "Almost Pi," Point Reyes, California

Honeymoon Sneak Peak

A small gadget appropriately named "Small Wonder" was a favorite wedding gift. We captured many memorable moments from our honeymoon in Point Reyes, California with the mini camcorder! We will share many of the clips here over the next few weeks. So, stay tuned!

Here's our trip crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Just Mike, Molly, and a car full of Trader Joe's groceries (and wine!).