Back From Vacation

July 17th, 2008, 12:41 pm · 1 Comment · posted by dglenn

It is SO nice to be back home in the Tennessee Valley. Don’t get me wrong, we really enjoyed our vacation, but there is no place like home. We planned this trip many months ago and bought our plane tickets early (which were cheap at the time considering the price rise lately). With gas prices soaring, we had to cut some corners on our travel plans to stay in one place longer than making more stops across California. Even with the altered plans it was really fun. At age 41, it was my first trip ever to California. We spent the 4th of July holiday in San Francisco. Mark Twain once said that the coldest winter he ever experienced was a summer in San Francisco. He wasn’t kidding. We were prepared though. As a meteorologist, I had planned accordingly with sweatshirts and jackets. The temperature on July 4th barely made it to 60 and it was foggy and windy, especially on the Golden Gate Bridge. The bridge is magnificent and an incredible engineering achievement. The rest of San Francisco was beautiful with the VERY steep hills and winding streets. We then moved east to Yosemite National Park. All I can say is wow. In Yosemite Valley I felt dwarfed by the towering granite hill sides of El Capitan and Half Dome. At Glacier Point (ele. 7200 ft) the view back down to the valley floor was just as incredible. After Yosemite it was off to the City of Angels, Los Angeles. As a baseball fan, I made our first stop Dodger Stadium to see the Dodgers take on my Atlanta Braves. The Braves lost, but the Dodgers pitcher, Kuroda, flirted with a perfect game until the 8th inning. He finished with a complete game 1 hitter (only 28 batters faced). We gave him a much deserved standing ovation even though it was against the Braves. Yes, we saw Disneyland. I actually enjoyed it better than Disney World in Orlando because the crowds are more manageable. We took it all in at LA with Hollywood, Malibu, Santa Monica, Pasadena (my favorite) and Burbank. The Warner Brothers studio tour was outstanding and we stood on the sets for ER and Two and a Half Men. Overall it was a great time, but we all were so excited to be back home. It will be some time before we take another trip like that. But, that’s okay, we have plenty to see and do here at home. Here are some pictures:(Click Each For A Larger View)

Golden Gate Bridge