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California: Sacramento to Bodega Bay - Here We Come! Bodega Bay CaliforniaRachael Ekeroth shares the best parts of her  summer family road trip from Sacramento to Sonoma including railroad museum, the governor's office, awesome Bodega Bay, and the mission at Carmel.

If I could go back to any vacation my family has ever gone on it would definitely be when we went on a road trip around my home state, California!  The time I went on a trip through California with my family was very fun.  We had been planning this vacation for a long time and I was really looking forward to it.

On the first night we arrived in a town called Chowchilla. After dinner we watched a movie and then went to bed. In the morning we ate breakfast at the hotel and then packed our stuff up and we were on our way to Sacramento.

When we got to Sacramento we walked through Old Town to the train museum (California State Railroad Museum) and saw all different types of trains.  There was even a train made of Legos!  When we were walking to the California state capitol it was so windy, my brother’s hat even blew away! We arrived at the capitol and we got to see the governor’s office and right above the door in big gold letters - Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Saturday night we left Sacramento and drove a few hours to my grandma’s house in Sonoma County.  On Sunday we relaxed and then went to an outlet mall and ate hotdogs. On Monday we went to the Bodega Bay.  At Bodega Bay my dad took a lot of pictures of me and my brother and sister.  On Tuesday morning we left my grandma’s house, and drove across the world famous Golden Gate Bridge.  Trying to hold our breath across the bridge was fun for my brother and sister and me.

On Wednesday we stopped at the beautiful Mission of Carmel. At the gift shop my mom bought me and my sister each a charm to put on our charm bracelet.  On the way back home we drove along the amazing coast of California.

When we finally got back home our dog Kelsey was so happy to see us!  As we unpacked we looked back at all the great memories we made on that trip and we knew that those memories would last forever.  I had a great time on that trip spending so much time with my family.

Vacation Planning Details
California State Railroad Museum - Old Town Sacramento. Guided tours and interpretive film screenings are offered daily. Many other opportunities abound at the Museum, including related historical attractions within Old Sacramento State Historic Park. Bonus points: Each year CSRMF offers families a chance to relive the magic of the Polar Express on an hour-long train ride to the North Pole.  The California State Railroad Museum is located at the corner of Second and "I" Streets in Old Sacramento. (125 "I" Street Sacramento CA 95814 USA . (916) 445-6645 or www.csrmf.org)

Bodega Bay. A delightful seaside community known for friendly people, great beaches, whale watching, crab fests and luscious wines. Every Friday – UC Bodega Marine Laboratory offers half-hour tours from 2-4pm.  (707) 875-2211. And every 3rd Saturday is Free Movie Night at Bodega Bay Grange Hall. (707) 875-3616. Bodega Bay is known around the world as the setting for Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds". Bodega Bay is located on the Pacific Coast just 68 miles North of San Francisco.

Carmel Mission a.k.a. San Carlos Borroméo del Rio Carmelo.  Founded on the present location in 1771 by Father Junipero Serra this mission was once the headquarters for the entire California mission system. The mission site includes a poppy-filled garden, an abalone-strewn cemetery and a stone Basilica with original 18th-century artworks. Father Serra's sparse living space and “California's first library” may be seen at the Convento Museum. (3080 Rio Road, (831) 624-1271 or www.carmelmission.org

Editor’s note.Throughout the year we invite kids ages 10 to 18 to “Tell Mom” in their own words about a recent family vacation experience. We share the best with our readers. Rachael Ekeroth is one of the winners in theFamilyTravelFiles.com contest for young travel writers - contest prompt “I wanna go back…”. Future writing opportunities for young writers include writing about a secret family vacation spot and describing the best beach vacation place. Details may be found at Contest for Young Writers: Tell Mom - Fun or Not? 

Comments and image provided by Rachael Ekeroth and planning details by FTF staff. Copyright 2010.
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