'Luke I am your father'.......

Lake Tahoe - Sacramento - San Francisco

The day started with none of the usual early morning dramas and we were out of the door with the key posted back into the mail box by seven thirty.

We had voted the night before to hit the iHOP in Sacramento as a midway breakfast stop rather than before we left Tahoe. So after being on the road for two hours with no traffic delays, we still had plenty of time for a leisurely breakfast and to get to our next destination, the offices of SIXITS - where we were hoping to get a peak at their latest computer games and APPs under development.

All too aware of our latest calorific food intake, I appreciated the extra information on the menu and opted for a 'slim and fit' breakfast omelette with only 420 calories but no pancakes. Needless to say the male portion that makes up ¾ of my family maxed themselves out on bacon and eggs in various guises with a side stack of pancakes dripping in maple syrup.

As it turned out they had taken the right option as they had to skip lunch and only managed to squeeze in a quick brownie in the late afternoon, to keep them going in the late afternoon until later that evening.

An armed gunman caught in a high speed police chase on the interstate 80 sent our carefully planned timetable spiralling out of control as we became snarled up in a two hour deviation.

An internet search later in the evening provided us with a fully description on the incident. After abandoning his stolen truck on the i80, when the Police helicopters got involved. He made his escape across the fields surrounding the highway and hot wired a tractor before being 'fatally killed' at an apartment on the outskirts of Sacramento.

Needless to say we were late for our lunch meeting and only managed a quick introduction into the creation of ROBOTA (their latest video game) and the functionality of their latest Interactive 3D character App 'Babies Everywhere'.

It was one of life's cruel twist of fate that meant we couldn't stay longer, but we had a pre-arranged date at three o'clock at Industrial Light and Magic, which promised to be the highlight of our holiday so far.

Our family are huge movie fans and whenever the kids were sick, and were stuck on the couch or in bed, it was compulsory to watch the box sets of Stars Wars (the original and new versions), Harry Potter and/or Lord of the Rings. So a visit to the studios of the visual effects masters ILM, was the equivalent of visiting Graceland if you are a dedicated Elvis fan (which is on my list too!).

After making our way across the Golden Gate bridge for the second time this holiday we met our host for the evening and college friend Paul. As we picked up our security passes we oggles at the lobby filled with awards and props from classic films. We couldn't resist a photo at Yoda fountain or with the original Darth Vader costume and Paul kindly obliged us by taking some family photos. As we calmly strolled the corridors we were flanked by more original props, including a frozen Han Solo, life-sized storm trouper and ET still in the front basket of the chopper. The models continue from such iconic films as Jurassic Park, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Mummy, etc…

The tour also included a sneaky peak into the design studios an a private viewing of rushes from the latest films, Gi Joe and Battleship.

We stumbled into Starbucks for refreshments dumbstruck but the legacy that George Lucas and his team of special effects wizards have created.

In the early evening the boys were whisked back over the bridge in a convertible Audi and we all dined like kings in the warm evening air, sipping Margaritas in the sublime sweetness of the dense tropical suburbs of Mill wood.