Posted by Caroline and Laura
Another sunny day in San Fran... Today, we started our adventure with a trip to Pacificia. The weather was great, but not great enough for swimming. Instead, we picnicked by the beach and even made a few new friends when our guide, River offered them our leftover chips and burgers. We were shocked when they told us they thought Richmond was super cool! After lunch we hiked up a nearby hill and saw great views of the ocean. It was a perfect photo-op. Then we took a twisted car ride (lots of car sickness) up to Muir Woods. We saw red wood trees and even had the opportunity to fit 5 kids inside one. Then we took another twisted car ride down the mountain and over to Haight Street. We handed out food and socks to homeless people along the way. We were humbled by their extreme graciousness for what seemed like such a small act of kindess. We took the kindness a little too far when we accidentally offered an obviously not homeless woman a nectorine and a pair of socks. Her response (while looking at her feet)t: "I think I'm good on socks." Oops.
Maureen was even blessed with the experience of reconnecting with a high school acquaintance who had ended up on the streets. This was hard for us to see and made us think about all of the people we know now and how there are no guarantees in life (we learned that from River) and to appreciate everything you have while you have it. Before we started our sock handing out extravaganza, we had stopped in a pizza place to order a few pizzas so they could cook while we walked around. When we went back, we were informed that another woman had claimed our pizzas and was now sitting right in front of us eating and clearly enjoying herself. We contained our frustration as we walked back to the van. We arrived at the hostel hungry and tired. Kate ordered 4 pizzas and we were disappointed again when the deliverly guy showed up with only 3. But Kate didn't let it get her down and that is why we've awarded her with the Awesome Person of the Day Award! Go Kate! The Biggest Laugh Award goes to Henry for sitting on a blob of chocolate and giving us something to poke fun about for the rest of the day. This has been an awesome day and we can't wait for tomorrow. See you all soon. This would be longer, but Laura is bugging Caroline because she wants a shower. Goodnight from San Fran...
What wonderful experiences and insights you are getting about the world we live in. Such simple gestures can mean so much. Thank you for all the wonderful details about your adventures—the fun and the unexpected. Keep up your good work. We love you.