This morning we left San Francisco. I was sorry to go, because the city was alot of fun to be in, but I was dying to get to LA. I’ve always wanted to come here and see it. And though I won’t be able to hang out in it much, the drive into it was an experience altogether.

Anyway, we took the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) down here to the LA/Anaheim area. It was a long journey, and we stopped alot along the way in order to take in the whole view. San Francisco is typically foggy, so the fact that Alcatraz and the Golden Gate were covered in fog wasn’t very unusual. We drove on the Golden Gate Northbound (sans toll) and snapped a couple of pictures, then we had to turn around and go back south in order to get to Anaheim. And to go southbound you have to pay a toll. I don’t really understand that, but there’s California for you.

We ate breakfast at a Starbucks and then continued on our journey. We stopped at Monterey Bay which was incredible. If I had to pick between the places I’ve visited so far on this road trip to live in, it would be Monterey, hands down. Its just a really cute city. Its a city with a beachside small town feel to it. I believe we have a couple of pictures of it, so hopefully you’ll be able to see what I’m talking about. 

After that, we went on to Pebble Beach. Apparently, its a super upscale, high class living place. I’d rather live in Monterey that’s a lot less secluded, but if you like seclusion, this is the place for you. Pebble Beach had mansions with ocean view, not necessarily ocean front. It was really beautiful even though you had most of the golf course in front of you. I’m pretty sure you’ll see a video of Pebble Beach here too.

After that, it was all the PCH. The first couple hours weren’t bad. They were really beautiful to look at. Then the fog rolled in, and then we got a little farther, away from the fog. There was a surprise waiting down the line, which you’ll see in a video later on too. Those last few hours were really boring and tedious though.

Finally we arrived at LA. Since it was a really long journey, we got here kind of late, so there wasn’t much to see. We’re all really tired and we just wanted to eat, update this thing, and go to bed. Hopefully we’ll get to updating video later on. But for now, enjoy the post, and try to visualize it. You’ll be surprised at how different your perception of California will be.

Tomorrow we’ll be going to Harvest Christian Fellowship for a Sunday service. After that, we head back home! As much as I miss everyone, I don’t really want to leave. So if we don’t come back, you know we’re kicking back and chilling in Monterey Bay. However, if we do decide to come back, which I believe is going to be the decision, then our trip isn’t over until we get back to Miami. Keep checking with us for more updates soon!

with much love,
aimee nicole 

Well we got around today. From freezing Fisherman’s Wharf to the Exploratorium Science Museum to… the Mac store. Ahhh, something for everyone:)

San Francisco. Its known for a lot of different things. But today, our family got to know it, up close and personal. And I think we all agree that its a pretty cool city.

So our hotel is super close to everything. Its right in the middle of a shopping district and it gets really busy during the day. Think 5th avenue in New York. Except cleaner… and friendlier. Okay, the only way its like New York is the busyness of the streets and the amount of people.

Believe it or not, we took public transit. Its pretty much the only efficient way to get around and see most of the city. We took a trolley down to Fisherman’s Wharf. The trolley was really enjoyable, and the temperature was really cold outside, so the ride was pleasant. We passed Lombard Street, the crookedest street in the world. We passed Chinatown too, which is pretty different from Chinatown in New York. Down at the wharf, all you smell are fried fish and all kinds of seafood and other food. It was really busy, but the atmosphere was nice. And down at the pier, you could see the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz (video on that later).

Later on, we hit the Apple Store, of course. And if you’re wondering, I was not able to get a shirt. I was disappointed, but I’ll live. Then we ate dinner at Chevy’s. We were kind of surprised to find that there was one here, and even better, it was right down the street. It was relaxing. I have to admit though, its been an exhausting day. Exhausting in a good way. The kind of exhausting where you feel you’ve accomplished much. And we have.

Tomorrow we have a long journey ahead of us. A 12 hour ride to Anaheim through the Pacific Coast Highway. We could get there in 6 hours but we feel the scenic view of California is worth the extra 6 hours. The blog will probably be updated late, but the texted twits will be cataloging our trip up the Pacific.

with much love,
aimee nicole

Here are some of the pictures we took along the way today. Click on the image below to see the slideshow.

For serious animal hunters only. No animal was hurt during the making of this video.

This has been the most beautiful part of the road trip so far. So far we have gone from desert to stony mountain tops… today we went from large expanses of rolling dry grass valleys all the way up (over 5000 feet above sea level) to the giant Sequoia tree forest then back down to the giant buildings and bridges of San Francisco.

When watching the video, keep your eyes on the landscape and how many times it changes. We are so blessed to live in such a beautiful country.

We have officially arrived in San Francisco, California. What is amazing, and completely coincidental, is the fact that we’re here when the WWDC is here. For those of you non-Apple users, or people who are not technically savvy, the WWDC (World Wide Developer’s Conference) is where and when the Apple, Inc. announces the new products, or updates on products. So, just as a lesson to all you Apple customers, wait until after the WWDC to buy any brand new Apple product. Just a rule to keep in your back pocket.

Not only are we in the same city as the WWDC, but we’re across the street. We can see the Moscone Centre from our hotel room. You can’t miss it. There’s a giant Apple on the side of the building. We walked down there and it was pretty happening. Security was really tight, but the Apple shirts that people were sporting were incredible. I happen to want one, though I haven’t had the chance to inquire where to purchase one.

So before we arrived in San Francisco, we visited the Sequoia National Forest. Actually, our first attempt took us to a random street corner thanks to our wonderfully genius GPS, and then we got to the actual forest. But anyway, you’re like 7000 feet above the ground. Remember how I said I was freaking out at the Grand Canyon which is a mere 5280 feet off the ground? Well I was pretty much hyperventilating here. On top of that, we were in a car, with hairpin turns, sometimes sans guardrails. It was so scary. Half the time, I refused to get out of the van. After we got into the actual Sequoia Forest, it was better. All you see, and smell, are redwoods. Its really cool (temperature) and the trees are huge. Actually, “huge” seems like an understatement. They were gigantahumungabiganormous! And even that can’t even begin to describe how massive these things were. It was beautiful though.

Tomorrow, we’re still going to be in San Francisco. We’re going to be hanging around here for another day or two and it seems to me like there’s a whole lot to do here anyway, so I’m hoping its going to be really cool.

with much love,
aimee nicole

PS: if you haven’t had the pleasure and privilege of eating an In-N-Out burger, do me a favor: fly to California, eat one, grab the entire eating establishment and fly it back to Florida. Miami needs In-N-Out!

PPS: sorry that these posts keep getting longer. there’s just so much to share with you guys. i hope its ok!

Yesterday we decided to take a detour and go see the Hoover Dam then continue north towards Visalia, California where we will stay for the night. Today we will go further north into the Sequia National Forest then onto San Francisco.

We’re here. Finally. In California.

You know, its amazing how fast we’ve actually gotten to where we’re going. After several 9 hour trips in the car, 9 hours begins to feel like nothing. It flies by. Our family is getting better at loading and unloading the van, packing our things quickly and waking up early. Though the waking up early is due to the time difference. I’ll literally wake up at 6 in the morning and not be tired.

So the drive from Arizona to California was interesting. The landscape changes were the best part. Arizona was red, arid, dry, sometimes yellow and lacking in vegetation at some points. Then we took a detour north towards Nevada. No, we did not stop in Las Vegas. Though it seemed like it because the whole desert that is Nevada was covered in casinos. And yes, Nevada is pretty much a desert. Yellow, cacti, dry, hot, the whole nine yards. All of a sudden, you cross the state border and you have fruit trees, and agriculture inspections (we passed! whoo-hoo!) and trucks filled with goods. Especially garlic. We saw tons of trucks filled with garlic. And I’ve never seen so many U-Pick farms in my life. It had U-Pick strawberries, U-Pick cherries, U-Pick everything. They even had grape vineyards where you can have them make your own label for your own wine. Its pretty agriculture-y. Needless to say, the weather here is gorgeous. Its not hot, but its not freezing cold. Its great, and everything’s really pretty and green. Its like Miami, but with no humidity and cooler temperature. I love it.

Tomorrow, we’re going to the Sequoia National Forest. After that, we’ll head on to San Francisco where we’ll spend the next 2 or 3 days. Its going to be a blast!

with much love,
aimee nicole

PS: thanks to those who have been checking us out faithfully and passing along the website for others to enjoy. also thanks for those who have been praying for our travel safety. we hope you’re enjoying the trip as much as we are!

I didn’t have much expectations about the “Grand Canyon”… after all it is a big crack in the earth. But when you get there, and you come up to the ledge… barrier or no barrier, your stomach gets that roller-coaster drop sensation and your mind goes dizzy trying to take in a picture that is difficult to fathom. A landscape so large that it goes beyond your peripheral vision. Your eyeballs cannot possibly take in so much info and your brain cannot process the wonder, beauty and absolute fear of a one mile vertical drop onto the bottom of the canyon.

Was it worth it? Take a look at the pictures and you decide.

Glory be to God, who in His infinite wisdom and love for us gave us such beauty to behold.

blessings,
george
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Click on the image below to see some pictures:)

Today we went to the Painted Desert. It was pretty cool. It was scary standing next to it and looking down. I was pretty disappointed at the fact that you actually had to climb down into the desert to hear any sort of echo. However, the silence was incredible. Yeah, I said the silence. If you’ve never stopped to listen to silence, its weird. All you hear is the buzzing in your ears, and, even though you’re straining to hear something, anything, there is nothing to listen to. No birds, no squirrels or chipmunks, no rattlesnakes. Nothing. That was kind of the highlight of the Desert.

Then we finally hit Williams, Arizona. The Grand Canyon was basically our list to do. It took us an hour to get there from the hotel. When we finally did, it was quite a sight to behold. Its pretty scary looking over the edge of the cliff, especially in the parts without guardrails. Some people made me extremely nervous because they sat or stood on the teetering edge of the canyon. If you look down, its hard to perceive how deep the canyon really is. And dimensions are hard to figure out to. How so? Well you can’t really tell if the ridge on your left is flat or just the edge of a plateau or something. Apparently, the canyon is a mile deep which constitutes for a 5,280 foot fall… if you happen to somehow fall off the edge. Or decide to take a helicopter ride. I’m sure the latter is much more pleasant.

I’m not going to lie to you and say that the several hours that we were at the Grand Canyon National Park were incredibly enjoyable. After a while, I got tired of seeing the same rocks. But on the flip side, as the sun starts to set, it looks like a totally different canyon. Everything starts to turn different colors. On top of that, there was a fire on the North Ridge, if I’m not completely mistaken, so there was this blue haze looming over the canyon. When sunset hit, it was definitely one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen… despite my complaining.

At any rate, I realized that, though the Painted Desert and the Grand Canyon are just a bunch of rocks piled on top of one another in a bunch of different colors, its way more than that. I think God had a whole lot of fun when He decided to make it. The vastness of it kinda makes you realize how big God really is, and how powerful He is too. Its just an extent of his creativity, and I’m sure that I would love to rewind time and see how He did everything.

A bunch of rocks? Maybe. Evidence of God’s attributes? Most definitely.

with much love
aimee nicole

Yesterday we left Dallas, Texas. With that, we left the Kruegers. They were so much fun to be around and are incredibly hospitable. By the way, our Connie-tinental breakfast turned into a Marty-nental breakfast. Awesome pancakes, a great fruit salad and some good Canadian bacon. We had another 9 hour journey, so it was a great send-off.

I think our family is already getting used to the long journeys. 9 hours doesn’t seem as long anymore… well, atleast if you sleep alot like I do. Its pretty crazy how we keep gaining time, so we had day light until about 9 at night, our time. Remember, we’re 2 hours ahead of Miami time.

Today, we’re headed to the Grand Canyon. Yep, THE Grand Canyon. We’re already up and at ‘em so we figure we’ll eat breakfast then get to the canyon by the afternoon. We want to spend some time there and also take a ton of pictures. Hopefully by tonight (if we can get some wifi access), you’ll be able to enjoy some of those pictures.

But for now, we leave you with a run through of Dallas to Albuquerque.

much love,
aimee nicole

PS: above is a 360 view of our 2000 mile mark on the trip. if you print it out and put it around your head, you can see what we saw!

Day 02 of the trip!

Today has been a test of patience, endurance and stamina. Over 9 hours in the car, with very few stops, from Pensacola to Dallas. It went by smoothly. Then the last four hours crawled by. But we came out victorious! We finally arrived in Dallas at around 7pm CST (8pm EST). We’re an hour ahead, just like Pensacola. By tomorrow, we’ll be stopping in Albuquerque which constitutes for another hour that we jump. Its kinda cool how we keep gaining time as we near California.

So what’s in Dallas? A lot of trucks. Six lane highways. Its pretty cliché, but true: everything is big in Texas. But we decided to stay here in Dallas for one reason alone: The Krueger Family! This family and ours go way back. Marty and Connie and my parents have known each other since atleast 1986. As far as I’m concerned, that’s a long time. Their kids are awesome, and we all get along really well. They’re just one of those families that make you feel at home, no matter what. Even in Texas, a van full of Cubans feel at home with these people. We love them!

Tomorrow, we wake up to the Connie-tinental breakfast, and then head out for New Mexico. Its going to be a long trip, just like this one, especially since Texas happens to be… well, the size of Texas. Its a big state, and I can only imagine the change of landscape when we hit Arizona and New Mexico. We continue to look forward to California, but I’ll share the warning I’m constantly getting hit with: Its about the journey, not the destination. So sit back and enjoy the scenery. Hitchhiking is totally allowed.

much love,
aimee nicole

So we got here. It took a while, as expected, but we got here safely and without problems. We were all pretty cranky getting off the car, which is worrying me, because its only the first day. We pretty much got over it when we saw that our family’s favorite movie, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” was on television.

There’s a couple of things you should know. First of all, remember that we’re on Central Standard Time (CST) now. That means we’re an hour earlier than you guys. Its kind of weird that we gained an hour. Second, we have to reconfigure the set up of the van. The suitcases in the back are fine, but the food in the front makes it a hassle to get on and off the van. Third of all, we have a 9 hour drive ahead of us to Dallas, Texas. We’re expecting a long drive, because, well, it is. We’re expecting some thunderstorms according to the Weather Channel. And we’re expecting to get to Dallas all excited because we get to hang out with some very good family friends!

Thank God we have the Kruegers to look forward to instead of hard beds and small spaces in another La Quinta.

much love,
aimee nicole

Want to go to Pensacola in 12 seconds? Check this video… made totally with pictures taking from the front of the van.

Today’s trip was a full day of driving all the way up to Pensacola. We actually departed later than expected as Becca had an SAT test to whiz through. Once on the road, it didn’t take Gracie long to say, “hey, can we watch a movie?”. Well, i always thought those car DVD players were a joke considering that my Mac computer has a much better (and way bigger) monitor than those puny players. So we hooked up some wires and viola! Wide-screen movie with surround sound in the van! We saw August Rush first which has an incredible sound track.
Check out the following video so you can see our rig:)