We reached the California Coast not a moment too soon. 103 degrees gave way to 70 degrees the second we passed over the San Simeon foothills and could smell the ocean air.

This officially marks the beginning of the homestretch for us. Every mile we travel is taking us closer to Seattle. Which is a good thing because the kids are definitely hitting their limit. Greta broke down before bedtime because she missed home and our cat. Apparently 3 weeks is the sweet spot for 7 year olds. But she rallied the next day and we had a wonderful day geocaching and tidepooling along the beach in the morning.

After lunch we toured Hearst Castle. Who knew this would be the highlight of the trip for Kellan. He marveled at all of the rooms and declared, “I want to live in the library with all the pots [3,000 year old ancient Greek pottery] by myself.” When the guide informed him that was a lot of space for such a little guy he clarified that other people could live in the house, they just can’t go into his room.