I left you last in Vallejo, CA. We woke up on Tuesday morning and headed over to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, which was just a couple of miles from our hotel. Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is unique in that it is as much an animal park as a theme park. The closest comparison would probably be Sea World.
While Six Flags Discovery Kingdom has a couple of decent roller coasters, we really enjoyed the animal exhibits. Perhaps our favorite was the Killer Whale show. Being that it was Tuesday, the park wasn’t very busy and we were able to ride all of the coasters while also taking in a few shows. The park opened at 10:30am and we were out the door by 2:30pm in order to give ourselves a couple of hours in San Francisco.
Vallejo is only about thirty minutes from San Francisco and it wasn’t long before we were driving over the Golden Gate Bridge. Unfortunately, this day was full of fog. When we finally got into the city, we parked and walked over to Fisherman’s Wharf. Jasmine and I had been looking forward to getting some clam chowder in a sourdough bowl, so we did that first. With our bellies full, we purchased our tickets for the bay cruise and walked around at Pier 39.
Before long, it was time for our cruise so we lined up. Shawn Reece loved the cruise as it went under the Golden Gate Bridge. With all of the fog it was quite hard to see, but we managed. As we circled around Alcatraz, I explained to Shawn Reece what the island was. I also promised to take him there the next time we are in SF. Jasmine and I went to Alcatraz a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it.
Following the bay cruise we walked over to the cable cars, but the line was enormous, so we opted to take the “F” line street cars up Market Street. The day was just so foggy and miserable that there wasn’t much to see. Before long, we headed back to our car to drive south to San Jose for the night. Unfortunately, San Francisco was hidden behind the fog today and just wasn’t as beautiful as usual.
Wednesday started in San Jose. The plan was to drive from San Jose down the coast, through Monterrey Bay and then head inland. We did everything mentioned before, but once again through a cloud of fog. The long awaited 17 mile drive through Monterrey was spoiled by very limited visibility. We did make the best of it though and I wouldn’t have done it any other way. I just ended up using my imagination to wonder what this place would look like on a normal day.
The drive down the coast once again took a while. When we were done, it was time to head inland in order to get closer to Yosemite. We opted to stay in Merced, CA which is about an hour from Yosemite. At this point we are pretty tired, so we decided that we were only going to drive through Yosemite tomorrow night before long hauling it all the way back to Vegas,
Thursday started off pretty normal and before we knew it we were in the heart of Yosemite National Park. At one point, we had a large stoppage, because traffic was one way, since half of the road had collapsed in a rock slide. I sure hope that no one was on the road when the rocks gave way. 
The drive through Yosemite, being that it is through the mountains, was slow and scenic. I don’t believe that Yosemite is the most beautiful National Park, but it is great to look at. I also reserve judgment since we didn’t stop to much to see any of the sights.
Before long, we were almost out of the park and I will admit a little antsy to drive towards Vegas. As the day started, we weren’t sure whether we were going all the way to Vegas, or if we would stop for the night about halfway. By this point in the day it was fairly evident that we were going all of the way. After ninety days on the road, we were ready to get home for a few days. At about 6:30pm we pulled into Vegas for what is to be a nine day period of rest. On Saturday, my dad will get married, but other than that, we plan on resting as much as possible.
This post will be the last from our USA road trip. The next post will summarize what we have seen and learned. Following that, you should be hearing about Guatemala! From now on, I plan to do either once a week or twice a week updates of this site. I feel that this schedule will help me keep up a little better. I don’t like to fall behind, but if I need to update more often then I will. At this point, we really want to thank everyone for being there with us. We hope the international portion of this trip will be just as or even more interesting. Thanks again!
The Coomer Family
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