[cute fuzzy bunny]

I found a lot of budget travel in my own back yard. Theres a lot of places within driving distance here in CA to see that I havent been to yet. When Gabe's bigger and can handle a long car ride, we'll be back to it.

When I first moved here, I bought the 'frommers' guide (or whatever the heck the travel book was, there are a bunch), and my girlfriend and I did all the touristy things. We went to alcatraz, down to the aquarium in monterrey, up to point reyes, down to the hearst castle, etc. When I went to work the next day and said where we went, I always got the same thing. "Gee, I've lived here all my life and never been there. I should go".

On my next trip back to boston, I picked up the boston guide in the airport book store. Flipping through it, yep, all sort of stuff that was essentially 'invisible' to me as I'd driven past it for years. The science museum. Pymouth rock and the mayflower replica, the plymouth plantation. The tall ships. The freedom trail. The fall 'leaf driving tours'. Various homes and museums of the 'forefathers'. Either had never been there or not since I was a kid or it was just invisible stuff. When my wife and I took a trip back a few years ago, we went to all those places. We had a good time.

Since my dad moved out 5 years ago we had a chance to revisit many of the 'trips' I took 12 years ago. Hiking the trails on mt tamapais. Going up to the lighthouse on point reyes and eating freshly dug bbq oysters. Walking the trail from the wreckage of the Sutro Baths up to Lands End under the golden gate bridge footings.

So look for the day trips and 'travel', sights and scenes in your own backyard.