You Know You Are In Northern California - When…

Northern California's Wild Coast

President Quinn and I have been living in Northern California for over a year now serving our mission. We have come to love this area, its people, and its beauty! We love our missionaries too! We feel lucky to have such a diverse and delightful area to serve in. We have come to appreciate Northern California’s uniqueness. Today I have decided it would be fun to share with you some of the uniqueness of Northern California that I have discovered. Here are my top twenty noteworthy finds!

You know you’re in Northern California when …

1.        You can buy a lemon tree at Costco! I really want one! Fresh lemons are the best! Eating a lot of fresh fruits is a treat here in Northern California! We especially love the crisp apples from off of our friend’s tree.

2.        You can drive on scenic Highway 101. We spend a lot of time driving on 101 from Santa Rosa northward to Eureka and south to San Rafael. Because of the beauty of the drive to Eureka, I never get tired of the 4-hour drive.

3.        You can see palm trees and pine trees growing together.  I love this phenomenon.

4.        You will find your grocery cart stored outside of the store. No snow or ice here! And don’t forget to bring your own bags or you’ll have to pay for the ones you use.

5.        You will be shocked at the price of gasoline. :( ouch

6.        You will see people wearing jackets in 60-degree weather. Wimps! - Unthinkable for us Chicagoans.

7.        You can visit spectacular lighthouses. I love lighthouses! The photo below is the Point Reyes lighthouse. Northern California’s coast has been called the “Wild Coast” which I think is perfect. The beauty of the coastline here in Northern California is inspiring.

8.        You can enjoy an It’s-It ice-cream sandwich. We keep boxes of these in our freezer to give out to missionaries who stop by the mission home to visit with us.

9.        You get used to driving on narrow, winding, and steep roads. In some cases, like our drive to Fort Bragg, I have taken Dramamine to help with being car sick.

10.  You will likely experience an earthquake. We felt one the other night at home during dinner. It seemed like the ground was rippling under our feet. Thank heavens it was a small earthquake. We learned it is wise to anchor your furniture to your walls.

11.  You see car charging stations around the area.  

12.  You can find taco trucks. We love El Roys Express Mex on Sebastopol Rd. The food is just yummy!

13.  You can take in breath taking redwood forests. I love that you can even enjoy seeing huge redwoods along the road side. Driving along the “Avenue of the Giants” towards Eureka is a favorite car ride.

14.  Your homeowners association hires a person to bring in goats to eat the foliage around the neighborhood, I mean like hundreds of goats. This is done to reduce the fuel for possible forest fires in heavily wooded Northern California. Here are some goats that walked through our front yard on the way to graze in the forest area behind our home.

15.  You can buy fresh almonds and walnuts on the roadside. I don’t think I have ever had fresh nuts before. They are soooo good!

16.  You have to watch out for forest fires. We have had to evacuate a few of our missionaries twice. There are road signs showing the possible danger level.

17.  You can drive past miles and miles and miles of lush green vineyards. I love the close up photo (below) that I took of the grapes.

18.  You can view and visit the famous Golden Gate Bridge. Coming south towards the bridge from Santa Rosa you drive through a tunnel and then suddenly the bridge appears! Each time I see the bridge I feel amazed!

19.  You can have a beautiful tree with large pink blossoms called a crepe myrtle tree in your front yard. We had one planted in front of the mission home last year. This is a new small tree. The full grown ones are much bigger. I can’t wait to watch this tree grow.

20.  You lose cell phone coverage two miles outside of a city. Northern California is a great place to get off the grid. There is wonderful back country hiking. You will most likely see a bear and maybe even spot BIG FOOT! Northern Californians love to tell Big Foot tales.

 Thank you for reading my weekly mission updates!

Here are a few photos from the week. I can’t help but post photos of missionaries!!

Playing pickleball on P-day with the Napa Zone. 

Sister Breshears and Sister Knudsen

Elders Branson and Beard with Sisters Hansen, Gabrielson, and Baird 

President and Sister Quinn at the Santa Rosa Zone Conference.