Our Summer Day Trip to a Hidden WWII Battery in California

What if the best history lessons aren’t the ones that happen inside a classroom?

In this episode, I’m sharing one of our favorite summer day trips a simple adventure that turned into a hands-on WWII history lesson for our family.

We took a day off work, packed a picnic lunch, and drove through the beautiful Marin Headlands in Northern California. What we found was Battery Townsley, a hidden World War II coastal defense site tucked into the hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

We walked through a piece of history, stood next to a 68-foot coastal defense gun, explored the area, and had the kind of conversations with our kids that you just can’t plan.

This episode is about so much more than one location. It’s about why experiences often teach our kids in ways that textbooks can’t, why you don’t need a huge vacation to create meaningful memories, and why some of the best adventures are waiting right in your own backyard.

We’ll talk about:

•  Taking a day off work to create summer memories 
•  Packing a simple picnic and making a day of it 
•  How WWII history became real for our kids 
•  Why experiential learning sticks 
•  Finding affordable adventures close to home 

Because sometimes the best classroom doesn’t have four walls.

Sometimes it’s a winding road, a hidden tunnel, a picnic by the coast, and a piece of history waiting to be discovered.

I'd love and appreciate a 5 star review, and sharing my content with a friend who might love to listen!

Find me on Instagram for daily life, tips and fun content: @wellness.with.virginia

Helpful Links:

Join my 21 Day Reset:

 https://www.fasterwaycoach.com/?aid=wellnesswithvirginia

Want to try a FREE workout and try my FAVORITE seasonal crock pot dishes?

• Free FASTer Way 30-Minute Workout: https://www.fasterwaycoach.com/workout-free?aid=wellnesswithvirginia
• Free Crockpot Meal Guide: https://www.fasterwaytofatloss.com/guide/crockpot-meals?aid=wellnesswithvirginia

My favorite high quality protein use this for a discount!

https://www.equipfoods.com/WELLNESSWITHVIRGINIA

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:38

Hello and welcome back. Um, today I am chatting about what I would characterize as a history lesson that happened outside of the classroom. Um, and if you're listening and you're thinking, what is she going to talk about? I want to share with you kind of a spur of the moment little day trip that we took on a random Thursday because summer is winding down for us and we're trying to kind of embrace these more like let's just go do something, let's just go explore type moments. And I want to share that with you today. I'm curious if you've ever had one of those days when you realize after like that was really fun, and not because it was expensive or perfectly planned, but because you were all together, everyone was present, and something just kind of naturally flowed. Well, that was this day for us. So my husband and I took a Thursday off of work, we packed a lunch, which you will want to listen about my lunch failure. We loaded up our car and we headed out for a day trip in Northern California. Um, I had given my husband and kids a couple of options for this. So we love to go to Sausalito, California for the day. We love to walk around. Um, we have a place there that we like to eat lunch. It's called Barbachi. If you've never been to Sausoledo, it has just got these most spectacular views. It's just really fun. Um, we talked about going to Doran Beach, which is kind of in the Bodega Bay area. And then we also talked about driving to Half Moon Bay for the day. There's a great beach there. It's a state park. Um, and then my husband said, What if we went to the Moran Headlands? And the Marin Headlands is a turnoff like right before you get to the Golden Gate Bridge off of 101. And my son actually attended a science camp there and just loved his trip, loved all the history. And so we decided that's what we wanted to do. Um, and I think this is why sometimes when you just take a simple day trip and you kind of explore things and you pack a lunch, you realize that afterwards that was just such a great day. Um, even though the traffic on the way home was kind of a grind, it always is. We had the best time. Um, and I think as parents, especially when we're busy, we sometimes wait for this perfect time, the perfect vacation, the perfect weekend, the perfect plan. And sometimes the best memories happen when you just decide to take a day. Um, we had no packed schedule, we didn't have a checklist, we just had a destination, food in the car, and the goal was just to enjoy the day. And we really wanted our son to kind of be our guide because he was the only one who had been to this particular part of the Marin Headlands. So the drive itself is actually part of the adventure. Um, and one of the things that I really love about Northern California, and I've lived here my entire life, is you can leave your normal routine behind pretty quickly. You can be at the coast, you can be in Lake Tahoe. Um, and when you kind of get off of 101 before you cross the Golden Gate Bridge, you start winding through the Marin headlands, and you really do feel like you're somewhere different. The views are incredible. The coastline is spectacular. There are hills, the ocean, and you really feel like you're escaping the city, even though you're actually very, very close. Um, and this is one of the most, you know, kind of unique parts, I think, of Northern California is just kind of this, you know, intermix of the city of San Francisco and all the skyscrapers, and then this gorgeous scenic coastline. So when we got off of 101, there actually is a one-way tunnel. And you wait on one side, there's a light, there's a whole line of cars, and apparently it's a five-minute wait each round. So it was our turn. We went through the tunnel, and when you're coming up out of the tunnel, you just have these incredible views. Um, there are a lot of places along the way to stop and kind of appreciate the views. Um, and so we actually stopped at like a visitor center that had this really cool topographical map. Um, it had bathrooms. And if you are someone where these kinds of things matter when you're going outdoors into the outdoors areas, um, these were bathrooms with flushing toilets and they were clean. Um, they were remote but totally clean. It's a state park, so it's well maintained. Um, so we arrived and there's plenty of parking. It actually didn't cost us to park, which was also exciting. No entry fee either. Um, and we parked the car and just started walking around and exploring. Um, and at first, you know, we're kind of just appreciating these incredible views. There are picnic tables right by the parking lot, and you're just sort of walking around, and we were winding up this hill, winding up, and you know, my son is telling us all the things, all the hikes they did, and there are people biking up the hill and down the hill. There are people running up the hill and down the hill. And by hill, I really mean like it was like a pretty steep ascent. Um, and then when we came around this corner, we came across Battery Townsley. And I honestly didn't know what to expect. My son didn't tell me what was going to be there. I had no idea. So I started walking around, and it's this concrete structure that's built into the hillside, and there are underground spaces and there are views, and then there is this massive World War II coastal defense gun. And I was like, am I really looking at some like it's not a replica. It is actually a coastal defense gun. And this wasn't just something we were reading about, it's something you can see and you can touch. The gun there is a 16-inch coastal defense gun, and the barrel is 68 feet long. And I actually did a reel on Instagram where I kind of walk you through this area because it's just hard to believe, right? You're like, am I, like I said, you're am I really looking at this? Um, to put that into perspective, that's longer than a bowling lane. Um, and it was designed to help protect the San Francisco Bay during World War II and could fire a 2100-pound projectile nearly 25 miles out to sea. And this is literally on the cliff, like you are on a cliff looking out into the Pacific Ocean. I think what fascinates me the most when you explore sort of historical sites like this. Number one, I did not know this existed. And like I said, I lived here my whole life. I did not expect that I was going to come upon this. And it really gives you that pause of like, wow, this was here functioning and operating during World War II. Um, I think about the people who were there, the soldiers who worked there, the people who lived their everyday lives around this piece of history. And I feel like for us, that's when history becomes more than just dates and facts, it becomes stories. And we love taking our family to places like this. Nobody had to sit down for a lesson. Although I like museums, museums can get to be pretty intense. And I feel like sometimes in a museum you feel very compelled to like appreciate and stop and look at everything, even though you probably are kind of in an overload situation. So out on this hike, nobody has to sit down for a lesson. You don't have to memorize anything. You could stop and read the placard, or you could just walk around and touch things and look at it. Questions will naturally come up. What was this used for? Who worked here? What was life like? Why did they build it? Then there are moments, I think, when you're having those conversations that learning actually happens. Kids remember experiences. I remember experiences traveling with my parents more than any sort of historical fact about what I saw. Um, you remember seeing something, you know, massive and you were just out on a hike. You remember the feeling of being there. And, you know, later in life, they're not going to remember every detail from a textbook, but they'll remember the days that they did things like this with their parents, the day that they stood inside of a piece of, you know, coastal California history. And I think adults are the same way. We learn better when we can connect to something that's like to a place or a story or an experience. Um, so we walked up further and there was another, there was another battery. I don't remember what it was called, but it was kind of it kind of turned into this big open sort of tank that I think collected either stormwater or rainwater. And there are actually like some sort of tadpoles or things living in it. It was just very odd. And like I said, I posted a reel on Instagram, and so many people were like, I've lived in Vallejo my whole life, didn't know this existed. Or I went there as a kid and I totally forgot this was there. And then someone said they thought like on the third weekend of the month, they actually opened the underground tunnels so you can see where the soldiers would go. Um, and they they said, I haven't fact-checked this, but they said that was like the third weekend of every month. Um, so we hiked all the way to the top and then we hiked all the way down. Um, at that point, we were all kind of like done and ready for lunch. The weather was gorgeous. It was July in San Francisco, so it was not hot, but it was very sunny. You know, there was a significant amount of wind because I think that part of the coast, number one, it is not a warm part of the Pacific Ocean. It is very cold. I feel like year-round that water is just frigid. Um, and although it's not windy and cold there every day, on that particular day the wind was pretty significant. So you were getting kind of windblown. Um, so our kids went down to the beach. Um, there were also like a lot of like day camps that were there. There were a lot of kids, a lot of families, um, you know, a lot of like naturalists, people who work in that area. So it was pretty busy, but not overwhelmingly so. So the kids went down to the beach to explore. My son said he got into the ocean and it was freezing as always. Um, and then, you know, we found my husband and I found some picnic tables. Now, when we go to the beach, when we go to Doran, when we go to Half Moon Bay, when we go to any beach, I generally have like the same sort of menu. Um, during COVID, we got a really small propane beach kind of picnic table barbecue. And this thing is a workhorse, it is amazing. I love it. And I love to kind of think of different things, you know, to make on it. So I've done like non-bread and made pizzas on it. Um, kind of our favorite thing are like chicken apple sausages. We call them beach dogs. Um, and so I'll cook those and then I usually do like peppers and onions. Um, for this trip, I had fire roasted peppers and onions from Trader Joe's that are actually frozen. But by the time we got there, even though they were in our cooler, they had kind of defrosted. I had a ton of fruit. Um, and I was just super excited because it had probably been, I don't know, a year since we had done a beach picnic. So the morning that we were packing up to leave before we left the house, I was getting all my you know stuff together and I was also on a work call. And so I was probably 10% paying attention to what I was doing and 90% paying attention to this work call. I even was doing a work call in the car, like a whole different call. So, needless to say, I was distracted and not paying attention to what I was doing. So we get there and I'm like, oh my God, I did not bring any plates or napkins for us to eat on or utensils for us to use. So, and then the my husband and the kids were like, Do we have buns? And I was like, Well, we don't usually eat buns with this, but I also have no buns. But I had like packed a container of ketchup. I had also done, because we really love like fire-roasted like red potatoes with the peppers and onions. Um, and usually what I'll do for those is I'll air fry them and then just reheat them in like a foil pack on my barbecue. Well, instead, I was like, I'm gonna try tater tots. So I had brought the tater tots. I had these sausages. I had peppers and onions, but I had no forks. I didn't even have a spoon. Um, I had a knife to cut the sausages open, but I didn't bring like anything to cut these things on, but I did grab a whole package of foil. So we start the barbecue and I'm like foil wrapping these peppers and onions to cook. I'm reheating the tater tots because I had cooked them in the air fryer before we left, you know, and I'm like making do with this whole camping barbecue. Um, and we are just like eating all this food with our fingers, no napkins. Um, anyway, it was really fun. And I I really do love that sort of the adventure because I do think like that's where the memories are made. But, you know, a word to the wise is pay attention to what you're packing when you're leaving your house and going somewhere where there's like nothing. Um, we also love to do on this stove, we make s'mores. So I take foil, I put down the graham crackers and the chocolate and the marshmallows, and I just cook them, you know, on this sort of barbecue propane grill, and they turn out great every time. So, all in all, we had a great picnic lunch, even though it was, you know, a little haphazard and messy. Um, but I do think, you know, seeing the kids come back from the ocean, being outside, you know, watching the, you know, ocean just kind of storm around. It wasn't stormy, but it was just very rough because it was so windy. It was just, it was a great day. Um, we packed up the car and started heading back, probably like around 2:30. So we spent, you know, three and a half hours there, which was the perfect amount of time. I really think like these are the moments that become family memories. And it's not because they're planned, it's because they're simple. I mean, yes, we had to make some of a plan, but not this huge plan. But to allow my son to share with us this experience and be our tour guide was a very cool part of this trip. Um, I think if you're a parent and you want your kids to learn, but don't want every experience to feel like school, this is your reminder to just look around where you live, right? There are stories everywhere, there's history everywhere we live, and you don't have to take a huge trip. I think, you know, I love travel content on Instagram. I love planning things, but I also am a big believer that you do not need to spend hundreds of dollars. You can literally pack up what you have in your refrigerator and make do as is and have a great experience. Um, I will say if you are in Northern California or you're visiting, you've got to go to this Battery Townsley because you won't believe it. It's like I said, you're just hiking up this cliff, and then all of a sudden, is this huge coastal defense gun. It was very cool, and they have a lot of very good informational placards kind of all around this site. When I look back at this day, I don't think the thing that I'm going to remember is the history that I read off those signs. I'm going to remember the whole experience. I'm going to remember that although I tried to take the day off, I failed and had to do these, you know, somewhat lengthy calls that totally distracted me. Um, but after once that was done, I enjoyed driving somewhere beautiful, walking around together, you know, watching my kids laugh, you know, talking about how cold that ocean is, eating outside, discovering someplace new and a place that I've lived near my entire life. I think, you know, I know I put a lot of pressure on myself to create these great memories, but this was a very good reminder that it could be much simpler than that. Um, it's about choosing to be intentional, choosing to explore, and just saying, today we're gonna go somewhere. So my challenge for you for whatever you've got left in your summer is take a day, pack a lunch, pay attention to what you're packing, don't be like me. Find somewhere you've never been, or go someplace that you know you love and let the adventure teach you something. Um, because the best classrooms don't have walls, and I think we all know that. Um, thank you so much for being here. I hope that this inspires you to try something different and be sure to share it with a friend who might be interested in it too. I'll talk to you soon.