California Coast Vol. 1

Listening to The Beach Boys Hits seemed like a nice way to get our ramble up the Pacific Coast highway underway. Appropriately then, we stopped at Surf Beach in Lompoc, CA. The waves weren’t terribly impressive, but enthusiastic surfers of all ages were managing well enough.

Villages nestled into a tapestry of rolling, green hills made for pleasant driving. It had started to rain, and the surf picked up and began battering the cliffs.

A spectacular treat was observing the elephant seals that when not at sea make their home on the sand near San Simeon, CA. We were mesmerized standing not ten yards from these giant comedians as they were play-fighting and keeping each other warm. Immobilized by the obscene levels of cuteness, I was staring and snapping pictures long after Jared had returned to the car.

The drive continued to astound; once the weather cleared we were able to hike to a beach and play amongst the rocks and cliffs as they protruded about the shoreline.

Crossing this spooky bridge brought us to Seventeen Mile Drive which houses the Pebble Beach Golf Course. The drive itself featured large, distinctive homes and brilliant views of the water.

The morning was spent stopping into the cozy shops along Cannery Row in Monterrey. We then walked around the marinas and to a lighthouse that jutted off of the coast in Santa Cruz.

Our final stop before reaching San Francisco was in Castroville, “The Artichoke Center of the World.” They did have delicious-looking artichokes, and we picked up two, large, spiky ones. Jared pulled off of the road to get me close to the plants and we became stuck in the black mud that bordered the fields. Between his pushing and some carefully-placed cardboard he managed to get us moving without using one of our Triple A tows.

From The City of LA

Sometimes we pull into a town not really knowing what we will do or see.  This was not the case with southern California.

I wasn't thrilled about standing on a median at 10pm in a city once so famous for its gang violence that an awkwardly geeky girl 3000 miles away was aware of its reputation, but Jared had been talking about this stop since before we had our first 500 miles behind us.  And if you think syrupy waffles and crispy, perfectly fried chicken is an off-putting combination, think again.  Roscoe's House of Chicken 'n Waffles in Long Beach was delicious, and the staff was super-nice, even helping us to find the nearest Wal-Mart though we had walked in three minutes before closing.

Laundry took up the entire morning of the next day, but we were lucky to meet Jessica and Nate who gave us some good ideas for places to visit while moving loads and folding t-shirts.  Per their advice, we stopped at the Queen Mary, a giant ship turned shiphotel where we caught our first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean.

We drove through the Long Beach Speedway; I imagine that they block off the roads when a race is taking place.

Around the corner was West Coast Choppers, so we ate at Jesse James' Cisco Burger and checked out some of the bikes. 

Driving along the coast, we stumbled upon a Donald Trump golf course.  Though we expect the drive along the north coast of California to be the most stunning even this far south it is breathtaking.

We ducked into some of the shops along the Venice Beach boardwalk and watched the goings-on closer to the water.  The waterfront serves as the community's recreation area housing a skateboard park, basketball and volleyball courts and the world-famous Muscle Beach.

Once the sun had set we visited the Santa Monica Pier which finally put us at the end of Route 66.  Riding the Ferris wheel that looks over the Pacific Ocean was the highlight of the day, although I might have enjoyed it more were I willing to move or open my eyes.

LA was disappointing, and I don't know that our expectations were that high. The smog for which it is notorious is always present; Jared could hardly breathe despite his NyQuil-Zyrtec concoction.  Furthermore, the traffic was horrendous, and this is coming from two people who are used to it taking an hour to go fifteen miles.  We saw some handprints, some stars, some houses, some graffiti and we got out of town as quickly as possible. 

Happy early birthday, Mom.

A Deeper Shade of Swank

Several days in the wilderness had exaggerated the novelty of the twinkling lights stretching from horizon to horizon as we approached Las Vegas. Our excitement was riding high as Vegas held the promise of a bed that wouldn’t transform into an awkward and angular pattern of folded car seats through the night. Moreover, we were sure we could win enough money to drive out of town in a top-of-the-line Winnebago. We weren’t due to check in until the following afternoon, and although we had no intention of driving down the strip, we were like moths drawn to the flashy neon.



After a quick loop through the city we decided the Hoover Dam at night might be an excellent spectacle. The counterterrorism measures around the dam were extreme; we’d have had an easier time driving into Gitmo. The engineering of the roads made for fun driving, but the dam itself wasn’t particularly well lit. While we could appreciate the scale of this concrete water-wall, we couldn’t distinguish anything more than black water and grey concrete. It certainly was not photographable! We found a parking lot with some fellow campers and hit the bricks.

We booked our hotel for four nights...somewhat of a vacation from our vacation. The Riviera was the bees' knees when it opened in the 1950s but now is somewhat past its prime. Yet the water pressure was fantastic, the rates within our budget and it is right on the Strip. Also, the room felt like a mansion to us as we easily quintupled our living space.

The Bellagio at night was a priority as they have a lake in front of the hotel with fountains that dance to a particular song every fifteen minutes. The shows go through the day as well, but are spectacular at night.

We were lucky as we caught Jared's mom's favorite song (Con Partido) on video. I'm still trying to figure out how to post that...it's just beautiful when you block out the sound of Jared and I arguing in the background!

While gambling makes Jared giddy, it has me chewing my fingernails. My favorite part of Vegas was walking about the fancier hotels. The Bellagio is just as impressive on the inside. An atrium with thousands of flowers fills the air with a sweet perfume. And the sites are simply magnificent: giant watering cans filling ponds nestled into the various beds, garden creatures made partly from meticulously arranged blooms, humongous gardening accoutrements positioned among the flowers.

On Easter Sunday we had planned to celebrate with brunch at this hotel, but the line was insanely long. We decided to try the Wynn's brunch but again were met with a wait we weren't willing to endure. Instead we walked about this resort and its newer, sister hotel the Encore. Nothing in these hotels fails to drop my jaw, but the impressive floors and ceilings make it hard to see where you are going.

The related Venetian and Palazzo hotels were the only other ones we spent time marveling at. A portion of the Venetian is modeled after its namesake city complete with canals, building facades and singing gondoliers.

But the spectacle didn't end there:

The décor of the Wynn and the Encore is simply exquisite and astounds at every turn, but when it comes to over-the-top extravagance, the Venetian wins if only by a hair.

Despite its seedy reputation, downtown Vegas wasn’t too shabby. A good deal of money must have been poured into that area as the hotels along Fremont Street certainly rivaled any of the mid-line Strip hotels in both amenities and oddities. The Golden Nugget has a pool-side gaming area with private fireplaces and chaise lounges topped with plush cushion. A water slide travels from thirty feet above the water, through a shark-filled aquarium and into the pool.

Every hour along Fremont Street, an archway that spans three blocks transforms into a massive light show; the one we saw featured The Doors.

On our last day and after two previous failed attempts we were finally on our way to have our Easter dinner. This time the line at to get a table was manageable; we were seated and I had my first of the unlimited bloody marys in front of me within twenty minutes.

The buffet was nearly indescribable. Luckily, I took this picture:

We could have populated both a small zoo and the produce section of your local grocer with the variety of foods in which we indulged. I had little more than a bite of everything I wanted to try and was slightly achy in the end. Jared tried several foods as well, and then he ate approximately five pounds of king crab:

I hadn’t heard him cry like that since the time he made me swear to never let him go to The Golden Corral again, “No! I’m going to ask you. Just remind me of this moment.”

As with any other room or hall in this resort, the décor is worth mentioning. Floor to ceiling flower arrangements adorned with various fruits, vegetables and succulents align the main dining room. I’m not that well-traveled, but if I had to guess I’d say this place is world-class.

Vegas provided a nice respite from "roughing it" although by the last day we were feeling pretty lazy and ready to leave.  And while we didn't drive out of town in a Winnebago, at least I learned why they call the game "craps."