- JRR Tolkien
A very true quote....unless however you've been in the car with us over the last few weeks. We've had an incredible knack for getting lost lately despite modern-day conveniences such as the mapquest app on my iphone AND having a library full of good ol' fashioned maps in the car! Regardless, it is all part of the journey...
While 98 square feet has been parked in one location for 20 days now,WE certainly haven't been. Since our last post we've beem to Monterey, Carmel, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, San Jose, Saratoga, Cupertino, Los Gatos and Alcatraz Island!
Santa Cruz
We had a blast playing on the Santa Cruz pier with T's cousin, Curt, and his daughters - Britney and Amber. A day of crazy rides, mini-golf and piggybacks...we were amazed at how much food small children can consume and how exhausted we were when we got home!
We also conducted an "interview" with Britney - so be sure to check it out: http://youtu.be/j576WnL4ZeU
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| Tracy & Britney ready for take-off |
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| Tracy & Amber ride the horses |
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| Amy & Amber take on the wild dragon! |
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| Splashdown - Curt discovers riding alone actually gets you MORE wet! |
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| Tracy & Amber go for a drive! |
Monterey
Beautiful wharf with lots of wildlife and we hit it just right by showing up at lunch time since all the restaurants offer free clam chowder samples! Pelicans were just hanging out on the wharf and seemed to be completely unaware that humans actually inhabited this space. The sea lions were "barking" and posing for pics. And we just enjoyed some time walking along the wharf and taking in the sites, smells and tastes!
From here, it was a short hop to the 17 mile drive which offered spectacular views of Monterey Bay, mavelous homes that are more like small countries, and amazing golf courses like Pebble Beach! Great stuff around every corner!
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| The wharf - quaint and cute! |
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| Free clam chowder samples AND giant ice cream cones |
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| The pelicans really didn't care that you were only 2 feet from them! |
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| So adorable - sea lions strike a pose! |
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| They love playing in the water and showing off |
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| That's not a beach - just giant sand traps at Spyglass Hills |
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| Lone Cypress - pretty amazing it just grows on a rock! |
Carmel
The town of Carmel may just be my favorite little seaside town thus far! Something cool and quaint to find around every corner! After enjoying the infamous 17-mile drive, we soaked in some sun on a white sandy beach sandwiched between the Pacific and Pebble Beach Golf Course. Then we strolled through the streets enjoying the shops, galleries and sights. After having a cocktail at Hog's Breath, we rounded out the day with a fantastic dinner at Il Fornaio.
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| Right on Carmel beach - our dream home. Our offer of $1 was sadly not accepted. |
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| White sandy beach with Pebble Beach in the background |
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| Adorable little houses everywhere |
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| Loved this little sign we found in someone's garden! |
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| Drinks at Hog's Breath by the outdoor fire. Cozy!! |
San Francisco
Two words: Fog & Hills!!
San Francisco lives inside it's own little weather bubble....it's very strange! Beautiful and sunny 5 minutes outside the city.....and then you cross over into a thick wall of fog. In fact, many days you can just watch the fog roll over the hills and into the valley just outside of the city border. Despite that, SF is a very nice city and I've always loved the look of row houses!! Luckily we happened to have pure sunshine on Pier 39 - where we enjoyed lunch and the Jimmy Buffet vibes at Wipe-out Bar & Grill and did some shopping.
When they say that SF is defined by its hills.....they weren't kidding! I'm thinking the cocktails at lunch must have influenced my insane decision for us to hike up to check out Lombard street - the crookedest street in the world....at least it made me feel better about buying a big loaf of Sourdough afterwards (which originated in SF)!
Take a drive with us down Lombard Street: http://youtu.be/tbCBgLo0_-E
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| Pier 39 used to have thousands of Sea Lions - they literally overtook the pier. For some reason, the Sea Lions have moved farther north. They think it's because their food sources moved, but regardless of how many were there, it was still fun to sit and watch them play, sleep and "argue" |
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| The infamous Fisherman's Wharf sign |
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| The pictures don't capture exactly how steep these hills are!!! |
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| Lombard Street |
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| Fog rolling over the hills - the ocean is on the other side |
Alcatraz
Whether or not you have a passion for history, visiting Alcatraz is a must if you find yourself near San Francisco. I'm going to let the pics speak for themselves on this one....
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| View of SF from the ferry - sunny at Pier 39 |
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| Eerie picture of the halls |
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| The warden's house - it burned down after Alcatraz was closed - Indians were living on the island. |
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| Visiting hours - I don't think I like being locked up. |
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| Is she trying to look mean or sexy? I'm still not sure. |
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| The outdoor "playground" - trying to look tough so other inmates won't mess with us! |
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| The cells |
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| 14 is my lucky number - but this was "the Hole" Solitary confinement and total darkness when the door closed. And rumors of paranormal activity in that cell....let me out! |
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| The Rock - fogged in as our ferry pulled up |
Sugarland
Friday night we went to see Sugarland in concert at Shoreline Amphitheater - an amazing outdoor concert venue near the bay. Vonda Shepard opened the show and then handed the stage over to Jennifer and Kristian who charmed us with their talent and love for performing! We thought it apropos to share this Sugarland song with you as we're out on the road finding our "something more"!
http://youtu.be/Gp5foT32tKM
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| Beautiful night outside on the lawn at the concert! |
Aunt Cath and Dave
We thank them for their generous hospitality! We've been spoiled by real showers, living space and a TV - it'll be an adjustment to get back into 98 square feet again! We had a fabulous dinner at La Fondue together and we look forward to visiting them again!
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| Dinner for 4, but we ate enough for 8 |
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| Chocoloate Fondue with a splash of some highly flammable liquer! YUM! |
It's off to southern California where the following awaits us:
- Waves crashing in Big Sur
- Dune Buggy riding in Pismo Beach
- Walks on the beach in Santa Barbara (T's favorite!)
- Attending live tapings of 3 shows - including Chelsea Lately, which we're super excited about!
Until the next exit...
Amy & Tracy
