I knew before we left on our 13-day trip that it would be a whirlwind. Even without throwing the holidays into the mix, our itinerary was a little…hectic. We’d spend our first night in San Francisco, and then a couple of days in West Marin. A cross-country flight to JFK would get us to Connecticut for a few days with John’s dad. A short train ride later would land us in NYC for all sorts of Christmas fun, and then we’d travel to Princeton, New Jersey (by train) for time with John’s brother’s family. Our last leg included yet another train ride into Philadelphia for some fascinating American history and a Flyers hockey game. Five states in 13 days! It makes me tired just thinking about our ambitious plans. But oh, what fun.

John had been in San Francisco for a couple of days for work, so I flew solo and met the gang in Fairfax at the lovely home of Bryan and Allison. We had such a fun night: snacks and wine, Puerto Rican take-out from Sol Food, baking cookies with the littles (including an edible Cholula), catching up with friends. It was the perfect first night of our trip.

In the morning, there was time for coffee, breakfast, and playing with Kalia and Fisher before saying goodbye to our hosts and moving on to the next stop: Point Reyes with Whit and Lazuli.

The boys headed to the beach while I joined Lazuli at the West Coast Craft Fair. Don’t be misled by the word “craft”– each booth was full of beautiful things made by true artists. Plus, they had Bloody Maries.

We’ve spent a lot of time in Point Reyes with our friends and their two boys. Every trip is magical. We eat well, laugh a lot, and experience a completely different (and dreamy) way of life. There are also always ninja battles: John vs. Ozzie and Huck. It happened to be crab season during our visit, and we devoured a big bowl full that first night. Then the “big kids” sat around the fire, played Cards of Humanity, and laughed until we cried. John and I got to enjoy the new “tiny house” in the backyard. Lazuli has flawless taste and the space is a little piece of Heaven.

Plus, here’s where we woke up.

After a semi-lazy morning, Whit and Lazuli took us to Hog Island Oyster Company for an incredible lunch. Tomales Bay is oyster country! When in Rome, right? “The Farm” is a gorgeous spot right on the bay with outdoor seating. You can reserve a table with a grill, purchase your own oysters, and have a full-on picnic. Or, you can do what we did: pack some champagne and cheese and crackers and order pre-shucked raw and BBQ oysters. What a spectacular feast.

We spent the rest of the day in front of the fire, watching football and snuggling with B Tiger Kitty. John and I had an uber-early flight to the opposite coast in the morning, so the ninjas had their epic battles and we reluctantly said our goodbyes.

Before we knew it, we were on a plane again. It’s never enough time when we visit northern Cali, but it was a fabulous start to our travel adventure.

Up next: Connecticut, conquering my train phobia, and Christmas in NYC.

Got the travel bug? See more of our adventures here.

One year ago: A piece about the joy of a snow day in TrailGroove Magazine.