Zip Lining, Pebble Beach and Garlic Ice Cream

Friday was our final day in California, well, our final full day, as we have a 6:30 a.m. flight on Saturday. My dad had booked a zip lining adventure in the redwoods before we left and Friday was the big day. We had about an hour drive to get to the zip lining place and so we left the hotel around 8:30 to arrive around 9:30.

Our tour started at 10:00 and there were five other people with us. There were three women who went to college together that were probably in their 50s and were all kinds of crazy and then another father-daughter duo. We had two guides, Jim and Nigel and they were both nice and I especially enjoyed Jim's dry sense of humor.

Before we got out on the course, we practiced on a zip line low to the ground and after that we began our adventure. I was super nervous at first and didn't really feel comfortable until after the first two zip lines. We had a great time though and the place, Mount Hermon Adventures was a super nice place and also serves as a Christian camp. The entire adventure lasted a couple of hours. We learned a lot and really enjoyed ourselves and the people who were with us.

After the zip lining adventure, we headed to Pebble Beach and the infamous 17-Mile Drive. On the way, we stopped at a fruit stand and enjoyed some delicious strawberries. I also got some chocolate covered sunflower seeds to try. I haven't tried them yet, but I'm sure they will be delicious.

We spent a couple of hours (I think) at Pebble Beach. The scenery was beautiful and I'm glad we made the drive to see it. My dad had been before, but I had not. We also stopped at the Lodge and gift shop. I refrained from buying anything primarily because of the prices and I already had a baseball cap from the last time my dad was here.

We left Pebble Beach around 4:00 and headed back north. We stopped off in Gilroy and found the garlic ice cream and The Garlic Shoppe. The garlic ice cream comes in vanilla or chocolate. I tried the vanilla and it was good, and garlicky. I wouldn't recommend it unless you are a garlic lover like myself.

We stopped for dinner before leaving the area and enjoyed a steak which was good, but didn't hold a candle to the one we had in Napa Valley. After dinner, we trekked north to San Francisco and lodged for the evening by the airport so we could rise early and catch our flight. I'm sad to see the vacation come to an end and am really dreading going home as the loss of The Tide is still weighing heavily on my heart.

It has been a really great trip and I'm so thankful that we were able to enjoy this time together. I feel incredibly blessed to have had the opportunity to spend such a nice time with my dad. If nature takes its course as it should, I will be forever grateful for this time we had together long after he is gone.