We recently returned from a trip to visit our grandkids in the East Bay area of San Francisco. There are lots of fun things to do and good things to eat. Since it was our granddaughter’s birthday, we let her choose the activities. While her older brothers were attending school, we took her to the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo. It’s a hidden gem nestled in a quaint tree-lined neighborhood. The museum has a broad array of fun interactive scientific activities. Her favorite station involved rolling a ball down a wooden ramp and watching the momentum carry it through the curves and loops until it finally circled and spun down into the vortex. She also enjoyed making music, playing with gears, and experimenting with the magic of mirrors. After completing the indoor activities, we toured the Dinosaur Garden with its realistic animal sculptures and interactive exhibits. The grand finale was the mini zoo. It had an assortment of animals, an aquarium, and a tree house with suspension bridges. The highlight of the outing was feeding the flamingos!
On the weekend, we went on a family hike on the Stanford Dish Trail, a scenic paved walkway named after the large radio telescope located nearby. The hike was relatively easy and provided stunning panoramic views of the Peninsula, Stanford campus, and the coastal mountains. As we walked, squirrels scampered alongside the road and we were serenaded by a flock of wild turkeys. The setting was both scenic and serene—a fun foray into nature.
