Andrea and Richard

Our very first year as a married couple is fast approaching, so we figured it’s probably best to start planning for our anniversary. After much discussion, we finally settled on taking a Mexico cruise. Originally we were going back to Kauai, but the cost of fuel has risen so dramatically, it was no long economical. Then we wanted to take a cruise to Alaska, but unfortunately the last cruise out to Alaska was in September, plus the cost was as much as going to Kauai. We were thinking of taking a cruise to the Caribbeans, but then we would have to fly to Florida and that would have been expensive. Plus if we were going to Florida, we would also want to go to DisneyWorld. Then we figured we would do something simpler like take the train to San Diego and spend a nice week there going to the beach and the zoo; but decided since this is our Anniversary trip, we didn’t want to do a lot of driving. This year’s Anniversary trip had much more constraints that last year due to a huge reason: we’re saving for the dream.

Screenshot of the TravelZoo's special Mexico Cruise

So we checked TravelZoo for deals on Mexico cruises and there happened to be a pretty good one: $199 to $229 for a 4-5 night cruise that stops in Mexico Riviera, Baja, Ensenada, and Cabo San Lucas. Our specific Mexico cruise is 4 nights with stops in Catalina Island and Ensenada. At the last minute, Andrea decided to do some comparative shopping and called up Costco Travel. Once again, Costco Travel did not disappoint. Within a matter of under an hour, Andrea was able to book our Mexico cruise for $530. The cruise ship departs from Long Beach, CA, so we are flying out of Oakland International Airport (OAK) to Long Beach Airport (LGB) for an added cost of ~$200. Reason we didn’t fly directly out of San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to LGB is because there aren’t direct flights. Go figure. So we’ll be cruising on the Carnival Paradise.

As for activities, we haven’t got that far yet. We’ll make another post once we finalize the details.

Now that the weather is beautiful (sunny days with nice blue skies), Andrea and I are doing something we haven’t done in awhile: hiking. A great way for us to get out, get fresh air, for me to take pictures, and both of us to get more exercise.

Our first trail hiking of this month takes place at San Bruno Mountain State Park. San Bruno Mountain State Park is next to San Bruno and Brisbane. It’s an easy drive to get to. There is plenty of parking. You do have to pay for parking. When you arrive at the entrance, you’ll notice it is unattended and all parking is self-registration. There are envelopes where you deposit the money into and a stub that you put inside your car. According to the signs, parking is verified by Park Rangers. The cost is $5. The total elevation is about 1530 feet and according to MountainWatch.org, San Bruno Mountain State Park “is the largest urban open space in the United States - 3,300 acres of undeveloped open space.” The views from the top are amazing. You can see San Francisco, Daly City, Brisbane, SFO, and more.

The Bog Trail is one of the easy trails offered in San Bruno Mountain State Park. It’s almost half a mile (0.4 miles) loop that starts at the Picnic and Restroom area (the only man-made restrooms are located here). There is very little elevation change (30 feet) and no climbing is necessary. The trail is well paved with rocks and there are rest benches every 10-15 feet. There is quite a bit of vegetation and shade deeper in with wild raspberries growing about 0.2 miles in. They seem to be safe to eat as Andrea still seems fine. There isn’t much of a view other than plant life and trees. Becareful of some of the plants that have thorns. We didn’t notice any poison ivy, but it’s always best to keep alert. Nothing worse than an uncontrollable itching episode. There are a few wooden bridges to cross, nothing major.

Today is our 9 month anniversary from when we got married. The latest update in our lives is that we are still saving for the dream, our side business is almost fully operational, we still have our health, Stripes is doing good, and we have job security.

It is amazing how fast time has gone by, in a few more months, we will be celebrating our First Year since we were married and so far, we’re still trying to plan where we want to go but with the cost of gas and trying to save for the house, it’s a bit difficult to plan a memorable, yet affordable Anniversary.