** This post was guest authored by Philip! :)
In late January, I decided a break in April was necessary. Thanks to those thoughtful educational leaders before us, they agreed and provided us with a little something called spring break. Few of those educational leaders could have imagined half-naked teenagers hanging out of a vehicle riding down the strip in Panama City. As a high school principal, my days are spent encouraging teens to keep their clothes on so I decided to avoid the popular spring break beach sites. Often I take a trip with Kat and the boys, but this year Kat and I talked about it and decided that I needed some special time with my Dad!
My dad and I spent six days in what some describe as another country, California. We flew into San Jose and stayed two nights in the Silicon Valley. The first morning included a trip to San Francisco with a stop at Stanford University and Googleplex. I forgot that we have a couple of Titan alumni interning at Google, and I should have planned a tour of the booming company. Even without the tour, I found Google and Stanford to be quite interesting. Our day in San Francisco included a visit to Ghirardelli Square, lunch at Bubba Gump looking over at Alcatraz, and a close examination of San Fran trolley. We also took a drive over the Golden Gate Bridge and a visit to the University to the University of California at Berkeley. One cool aspect of this part of the trip was the location of our hotel. The hotel was adjacent to Levi’s stadium, new home of the San Francisco 49ers.
Our next stage of the trip included a drive down the coast to Big Sur. We stopped along the way to see Pebble Beach Golf Course. We spent the night at Pfeiffer State Park and camped under the Redwoods. The state park gave us a chance to hang out by the Big Sur River and take a couple of long hikes. The stop at the state park also gave us a chance to test out our new tent. It worked like a gem!
The final stage of our trip was a 3-day excursion to Yosemite National Park. Words are unable to express the beauty of God’s imaginative creation. The landforms, wildlife, and weather were breathtaking. This was my second trip to Yosemite, and this escape has become one of my favorite. I love spending time in the Valley and walking down long trails leading to the waterfalls. The time to just talk and be with my dad was something that I will cherish always.
This was certainly another trip worth taking. Spending uninterrupted time with my dad and in nature was exactly what I needed. As a new parent, my appreciation for my personal parents continues to grow. One thing that I continue to appreciate is the way that my parents provided me with an independent heart to be curious and explore the world. I hope that I can do this for my children as they grow.
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