California Dreamin'

The next day, I packed up a picnic lunch and we headed south out of Crescent City to see as much of California as we could in one day. And so it began...

"Let's go to San Francisco"
"No"
"Come on, it's only...look! 368 miles!"
"No"
"San Francisco...."
"No - it's too far."

I went through all the reasons we weren't driving to San Francisco and he went through all his arguments why we should. I won. As it should be.

Wow. Is this what being a mother is like?

Then, we hit more redwoods...everywhere now. As we were driving through the National Park, I kept seeing elk signs so I asked him if he'd ever seen an elk. He had not. So, when I saw a sign announcing what was an "elk meadow" I pulled in. We began walking along the path in some lovely sunshine and I was enjoying the peacefulness of the meadow, even sans elk.

"Wow" he deadpans. "We don't have meadows in Indiana."

I swivel my head around and glare. Then, next comment "I'm tired, my feet hurt, I don't want to walk." This was until he spied the sign that said "waterfall 2.5 miles". He darted up the path and I trudged along behind, exiting my beloved meadow.
After a few turns through the trees, he disappeared. Poof. Gone.

I took a picture to show his real mother the last place I saw him in case she wanted to search for him.

Eventually, he showed back up again, with a waterfall review. "Not much."

Back down into the meadow, he became convinced he smelled a pot plant. He began sniffing every growing thing within reach while I endeavored to convince him it was elk musk. Then, I tried reasoning. "Even if it is pot and you find it, I'm not going to let you smoke it." After some extensive sniffing, he accepted the elk musk theory and we went back to the car and drove back out to the highway.

Where we promptly ran into a large herd of elk.