Foreword:
I studied engineering. I am a math person. I do numbers, not words and letters. I am neither a writer nor a grammar freak, but I do my best. So I apologize in advance for my run on sentences, misspelled words and misuse of punctuation. Please don’t feel compelled to comment on such errors.
Also, we’re really trying to enjoy the trip and savor the moments. So, I’m keeping it fairly brief from day to day. Not going to waste my whole summer blogging about what we’re doing so you’ll get what I give you. If you are looking for more details, you’ll want to check out Katie’s videos because they’re AWESOME.
California’s Coast
Day 1: Friday, June 5, 2015
On our last night in Los Angeles we had a vehicle mishap involving a dislodged brake caliper. We had a total freak-out but it was luckily a cheap fix. That, along with moving and packing pains made for a pretty stressful last couple of days leading up to our departure. But, after months of “planning” (I use that term loosely because I don’t really believe in plans) we finally hit the road!
For our maiden leg we traveled north up the 101 for 500 miles or so, missing the exit for US-1, which set us behind about an hour but led us to our first corny roadside attraction; queue massive old farmer man with lettuce balls.
We arrived in Big Sur late in the day and were lucky enough to snag the last campsite at Andrew Molera State Park. Highlights included close encounters with an owl, a pack of baby ground squirrels and a skunk. Katie almost got sprayed by Pepé Le Pew trying to get a good video so I hope yall enjoy that one.
Lessons learned the hard way from Day 1:
- Enter destination in GPS before you are ¾ of the way there.
- Yoga mats do not make for sufficient sleeping cushions.
- When camping don’t forget to pack water… duh.
Day 2: Saturday, June 6, 2015
We stayed on the beach and had a great little hike up and around a lagoon to a point that overlooked a surf break and the iconic Big Sur coast line. We choose a short cut back, by way of water, which was icy cold but proved to be an invigorating start to the day.
Second hike of the day took us to Buzzards Roost Loop in Julie Pfeifer State Park where we were quickly reminded what working 40 hours a week behind a desk does to your physical stamina. However 3 hours wondering through the forest sure was pretty and of course the view from the top – breathtaking. Katie cooled down in the river before we got back on the road.
A couple hours drive further north found us in the Bay City of San Francisco. Despite our exhaustion, it was Saturday night so we decided to seize the evening. My best friend from High School and her hubby, Jenn (aka JJ) and Landyn Christopher, hosted us at their stunning Pacific Heights apartment, which had 360-degree rooftop views of the city including the obvious Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz.
After long showers to wash away the mud from camping we walked up Polk Street to Shanghai Kellys, an irish pub. It was packed and most people were already hammered. It didn’t exactly fit our scene so we asked the doorman for an alternate suggestion. He sent us up and over the hill and we wondered into some other bar with just slightly more elbowroom. The bar tender was super friendly and bought us a shot once he realized we might have been the only sober people in the entire building. A few beers later we were twerking on a multi-colored light-up dance floor and chatting it up with an Irish rugby player. ;)
On the way back we stopped to visit street vendors (yes, plural) for an ever-so-tasty drunken street meat feast. Slept like rocks.
Day 3: Sunday, June 7, 2015
Woke up to a perfect sunny and 70, AND it was JJ’s 28th Birthday! So we baked cupcakes for her, had champagne and then walked down to a street fair just a few blocks away where we browsed local vendors before ducking inside Bar None for a game of ski ball and a pitcher of pilsner.
We hit all the stops that afternoon, Irish coffee at Buena Vista, walk through Ghirardelli Square, Katie hung off a cable car like a true tourist, ate clam chowder from bread bowls and we watched the sea lions at the pier which had striking resemblance to my dog, Ed. We stayed in that night and stayed up late planning the weeks to come. I felt like we had done so much already but it was only just the beginning.
(Check out the video below. If you would like to watch in HD you will have to choose to view from Vimeo)
