The perfect ending to a perfect year
Round two of my vacation blog post!
Before moving home, Eric and I decided to take one last road trip down the West Coast. I had stopped in San Francisco on my way down to San Diego in February, and I just knew I had to go back . Also, after being almost 1000km apart from one another for a year, we thought we were due for some time together.
This trip was the perfect way to end my time on the west coast. I have come to love Vancouver more than I ever thought possible, and I now consider it my home away from home. Looking back, I can't believe how much I changed from my twelve months on the coast, but I can honestly say, I love the person I am today. I got to do so many amazing things, make lifelong friends, and grow to become the photographer I always wanted to be. I get a little sad when I think about Vancouver, but I couldn't be happier to be at home with my family, my friends, and my guy. I also could not be more excited to be running my own photography and freelance design business. It's terrifying and amazing all at the same time.
Alright, enough of this sappiness! It's Thursday for heaven's sake! Let's check out some vacation photos!
Starting our vacation off right with a visit to see Dave Matthews Band at the Gorge. I highly recommend going to see this guy live - it's pretty amazing. And even though we were ill prepared for the weather, a kind stranger gave us her blanket after telling us "you look freezing". Why thanks! We are.
Our first of many trips to the ocean
Some of us are very excited.
Driving through the Redwood Forest was probably one of the best decisions we ever made. It was a bit of a detour, but it was so, so worth it.
I liked this, so I took a photo of it.
San Francisco!!
Lombard Street - the hill was too steep so they built the road on a curve. We probably would've driven down it if it weren't for the hundreds of tourists taking photos while standing on the road.
This is the view from the top of the curvy section of Lombard Street. You may or may be able to tell how steep it was, so I'll just tell you: it was steep.
This picture would've been perfect if I had got that trolley in the middle of those two houses, but I was too late. Guess I'll just have to go back and try again?
Have I mentioned how steep the roads are???
On the ferry to Alcatraz. Some of you might've known how I felt about going to Alcatraz. If you didn't, you'll soon find out.
This. This is how I felt about going to Alcatraz.
"Why would you turn that photo black and white? You need to show the red bridge"
I laugh every time I see this photo. As much as I love the ocean, I'm a bit terrified of it. And I may have been taking pictures in a place where I shouldn't have been taking pictures. Therefore... the face.
This picture pretty much sums up our weather in San Francisco. It was like this every. single. day.
Anybody??
One of my favourite memories from the trip. We wandered down to this beach in the hopes of getting some cool photos of the Golden Gate bridge. After passing a couple nudists, we saw this lookout point that would take a bit of a trek to get there. I wouldn't consider either of us big adventure seekers, but for some reason, the adrenaline kicked in and off we were. It was terrifying and exhilarating all at the same time. And yes, climbing over some rocks when the waves are crashing while holding expensive cameras may not be exhilarating for you, but it was for me!
I will always love the ocean. Always.
After San Francisco, we headed down to Monterey for a night so we could drive along the coast. We stopped in at Stanford along the way to check out what our lives would've been like had we pursued attending an ivy league school.
Bixby Bridge! So amazing.
Thanks kind stranger for the photo
Checking out Monterey at dusk
Portland was our last stop on our way home! We were both pretty exhausted by this point in our trip, so this is literally the only picture I took of Portland. I thought it summed it up pretty well?
We weren't too tired to catch up with my old friend though! I bet you were cool enough to be friends with your high school art teacher, right? This is Christine's daughter Jill. As you can see... she is adorable.
This was my third time seeing these guys - I'm so grateful I got to see them so often while living in Vancouver. Hope to see you guys again soon!!
That's it! For those of you who made it through my SECOND set of vacation photos... you deserve a drink!
Until next time, California.