This giant hamburger just begged to be played with. The pieces were each large enough to serve as chair cushions, if you don't mind sitting on a sesame seed bun.

(#2 on the map.) My theme the first two days was "We've got plenty of time!" I intended to stop at every intriguing place that I usually whip by on my way to dog agility events. First up, an hour into the trip: Romero Visitor Center at the San Luis Reservoir, which is 9 miles long and 5 miles wide and very hard to miss as you skirt its shores along highway 152.

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elf1 > Everything we could possibly need for 7 days in the back of the minivan. Nothing is higher than the windows. We're good to go!

elf1 > When we arrive, it's an amazing coincidence that these five Corvettes all arrived at this otherwise unvisited spot at the same time and all parked together. Compare and contrast to our minivan packed with camping gear.

elf1 > Romero Visitor Center with a warning from the local rattlesnakes union to Don't Tread On Me.

elf1 > Information about the construction of the dam, which is the fourth largest embankment dam in the U.S. of A.

elf1 > More nifty informational tidbits. The visitor center had lots of informational tidbits and a recording of President John F. Kennedy's dedication speech for the dam's groundbreaking, indicating both the importance of the project and the compare-and-contrast difference in eloquence with our current Prez.

elf1 > This giant hamburger just begged to be played with. The pieces were each large enough to serve as chair cushions, if you don't mind sitting on a sesame seed bun.

elf1 > Oooh, neato, each piece shows how much water it takes to produce that part of this American Memorial Weekend Favorite Fine Dining Entree.

elf1 > Compare and contrast the water usage of an all-beef patty with non-artery-clogging elements such as lettuces and tomatoes.

elf1 > Tomato slice: 3 gallons of water. That's one wet tomato slice!

This giant hamburger just begged to be played with. The pieces were each large enough to serve as chair cushions, if you don't mind sitting on a sesame seed bun.