Pacific Coast Road Trip

We took the long and scenic route to Sacramento this December. We spent 4 days and 3 nights along the PCH. It was a wonderful trip!
Monday: Headed to Santa Barbara after work. Luckily no traffic the whole way. Stayed in a darling guest house with homemade banana nut bread. Watched TV!! (we don't have TV anymore, so that was a treat).
Tuesday: Lunch in Old Town Santa Barbara. Explored an old Catholic Mission, which was surprisingly fascinating and educational. Jeremy and I keep realizing how nerdy we are because we keep finding ourselves liking historical things! Continued our drive up the coast through pretty orchards and hills. Minimal rain. Paid $27 for a medium pizza (the lowest point of the vacation). Watched TV and enjoyed our private, real fireplace.
Wednesday: Enjoyed green rolling hills, enchanted trees and the misty weather--felt like England. Spent almost 2 hours watching the wild elephant seals on the beach. Great free entertainment! They were bellowing, fighting, mating, sleeping, snoring, scratching, nursing, and birthing. Incredible!
Then, we went on a tour of Hearst Castle. It was like a trip to a fairy tale.
Thursday: Spent more time with the elephant seals--couldn't get enough of them! Headed to Monterey with sunshine and clear skies. Had to keep stopping to take pictures of the GORGEOUS views of the ocean and cliffs. Spotted several whales blowing out in the ocean. Could have spent the whole day stopping and watching along the PCH.
Then, we explored the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Most fascinating to me were the cuttlefish (kind of like mini octopus that kept changing color), the jellyfish, and the kelp (seaweed). Jeremy had to drag me away from the kelp booth because I overstayed my welcome with a few too many questions...but I couldn't help myself! Kelp has to be the most fascinating seaweed there is. It grows 12-24 inches a day and the holdfast (roots) contains almost all the necessities of life for the entire ecosystem. And kelp only grows in moving water, is used in ice cream and toothpaste... okay... I'm getting carried away again, sorry!
We made it to Sacramento by Thursday night, with enough time to visit family before going to bed. What an awesome vacation for just the two of us before the Christmas festivities!

Comments

Mom R said…
Your pictures were so fun to see and your news of your trip was great! Thank you so much for sharing a bit of your delightful trip w/us! I love the Calif coast, remember when we took Christmas card pictures in the drizzel one year? Those seals looked big! I am so glad you guys had so much fun and sounds like you really enjoyed the aquarium! God Bless you!
December 29, 2010 at 10:36 AM

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