Days 69 to 76 - San Francisco to Santa Barbara & Back!

Firstly, apologies that it's been so long since we last blogged. It seems the more easy it is to access a computer, the less we're actually doing so. Maybe it's that when we're with other people we have more to occupy our time. Does that suggest that we're not making the most of our time when it's just the two of us? I don't think so when I read back through our blog and see the hundreds of photos that we've taken.

We keep thinking about coming up with some statistics on miles travelled, places visited, number of beds slept in etc. Maybe that will be something for the 24 hour bus ride we have ahead of us on Wednesday or maybe the 72 hours we get on a train! More of that to come. Firstly I'll update you on the last 8 days...

Day 69 – San Francisco
I woke at 5:30am feeling surprisingly well but with a big thirst. I headed to the kitchen, downed a couple of glasses of water and congratulated myself on not having a hangover. The football that lay ahead at 2:30pm was still a possibility.
Back in bed I was restless. I couldn’t sleep and tossed and turned for what felt like forever. My head began to hurt and my tummy was swimming.
Eventually I got up and I was ill. I hadn’t avoided a hangover at all. I had just woken up before it had started!
I slept some more and eventually everyone else began to stir. Ben and Madeline decided to head to Starbucks to get some work done. Dave planned to write the blog. I planned to continue sleeping and try and get over my hangover.
1:55pm arrived. I was still in bed. Still feeling awful. Why is it that I can drink the same as everyone else, if not less, eat the same as everyone else and yet be the only one feeling so ill?! I really must learn from this!
Emily (Madeline’s sister) was due to pick us all up in 5 minutes so I hauled myself out of bed and got myself ready. We drove to the soccer ground and I decided that I was not really able to play. It wouldn’t be fair on the rest of the team. So I watched whilst Ben, Madeline, Dave and Emily valiantly soldiered their way through 90 minutes with only 1 sub – Ben was the only one who took advantage of him – finishing with a 4-3 loss with Dave scoring 2 goals and the team really looking like they could win it at half time.
The team have had a consistent season losing all of their games and coming bottom in the league. But it appears from their one game that they are in it for all the right reasons – the fun of playing a team sport and not necessarily just to be in the top 3!

Back to the flat we decided to walk down to Brainwash for lunch. I managed only a diet coke whilst the others tucked into delicious sandwiches. Back home I decided to continue where I left off and had a little snooze.
Waking feeling a lot better, I had a muffin and some water and we decided to take a walk to the grocery store to buy dinner and get a DVD.
Dave and I were choosing some cereal and saw a little mouse scurry across the aisle in front of us! Very cheeky!

Ben cooked us all a delicious dinner of turkey meatballs whilst Madeline made a yummy salad to accompany it. We all tucked in (I was finally able to face food) and we finished the evening off watching ‘Margot At The Wedding’. If you’ve not seen it, don’t bother! Very weird and we were all left wondering if we’d missed something. Madeline slept through the last of it so we called it a night and went to bed.

Not surprisingly, we haven't got any photos of today!

M x

Day 70 – Alcatraz & Sausalita
Dave and I were up early to get ourselves ready to head to Alcatraz. Ben, for all his plans the previous evening, laid in bed whilst Madeline fortunately got up and gave us directions on how to get there!
We eventually got ourselves on to the MUNI (we bought a BART ticket by mistake but the kind man behind the counter swapped it for us) and headed down to the water.
A fairly long but pleasant walk along the front and we arrived at Pier 33 where we were to board the ferry. The clouds were low and it was a little foggy so Dave was able to get his wish of seeing Alcatraz appear from the mist as we approached.


The ferry journey was really short – about 15 minutes – and we soon docked and made our way over to see Jon the Ranger who gave us an introductory talk about ‘The Rock’. We headed inside to see a short video with some history about the different uses of the island and the escape attempts that had occurred.

We had been told that Stan the Ranger would be giving a talk about the escape attempts at 10:00am so we waited patiently for him to arrive. An interesting half hour later we knew that there had been no-one confirmed to have ever escaped from the prison although there were 3 men who had managed to break their way out of the prison into the choppy, freezing cold waters around the island and were assumed drowned. They would be over 100 years old now so the authorities have stopped looking for them! One guy also managed to escape from the island having gathered together a navy corporal’s uniform over many months only to be taken to the next island where he was quickly brought back to Alcatraz and given an additional 30 years on his sentence!!

We decided that we’d heard enough about escape attempts so we broke away from the group and headed inside to the prison for the audio tour. The tour has been really well done. You have a head set each which talks you through the tour, all the commentary being given by ex-inmates and wardens of the prison. It was really interesting and kept our interest throughout.
Back outside in the real world we were a little chilly so treated ourselves to a hot chocolate before getting the ferry back to the mainland.

Whilst we’d been away, Ben and Madeline had been to pick up our transport for the next few days of the road trip so met us at the Pier.
The road trip began as we headed over the Golden Gate Bridge and into Sausalita, a beautiful harbour town with houses climbing up into the mountains and sheltered from the wind so a good few degrees warmer than the bay.
We stopped at a small store to buy sandwiches – freshly made and delicious – before walking along the front and to the harbour. We sat and contemplated the virtues of having a boat – deciding that we’d like one that someone else would look after for us and get ready when we wanted to sail away for the day – before walking back to the car via a shop to buy ‘Salt Water Taffy’. Yum!

Back in the car we took a scenic, wiggly, windy road up to a vantage point overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay.

Photos taken, the wind drove us back into the relative warmth of the car and we made our way back to the flat.
Quick change and we were back in the car heading for Ramblas, a Tapas restaurant that Ben and Madeline had been to a number of times before. We ordered a number of Tapas dishes along with paella and had a lovely relaxed meal.

Back home we watched the latest episode of ‘The Bachelor’ before I made an attempt to pack for the road trip and we all headed to bed. Another long but very enjoyable day.

M x

Day 71 – San Francisco to Monterey
Up early, Dave was first in the shower whilst the rest of us finished off our packing and readied ourselves. Ben went to collect the car from just down the road and crammed as much in to the car as possible. We managed it but with lots still in between the 2 back seats – good job we’d got a free upgrade on the car or we’d never have fitted everything in!

Heading south, our first stop was Yahoo! Ben had promised us a delicious breakfast and he wasn’t wrong. We all had our fill, and some, followed by a tour of the offices where Ben works. He was also due to pick up a tent and some other camping gear from one of his colleagues but unfortunately it had been forgotten. We were tent-less with 2 nights of camping ahead of us!

Next stop was REI, a camping shop which also does rentals. Discovering that it was as expensive to rent a tent as to buy one, Ben took the option of buying, assuring Madeline that they’d use the tent again. I’m not so sure Madeline was convinced!

I took the opportunity to re-pack the car to allow everything to fit in (including the new tent) and we were soon back on the road.

Next stop, Monterey where Madeline had reserved tickets for the Aquarium. We spent a happy few hours wandering around seeing the many fish, sharks, jelly fish and otters and watching the penguins being fed.
A little further down the road and we arrived at the Travelodge which was to be our home for the night.
Checked in and unpacked, we strolled down the main street to Rosina’s for dinner. An All American Diner, we had the biggest dinner ever, all leaving feeling over full but very satisfied.

Back to the hotel for a quick change before back in the car to drive the short distance to the bowling alley – Monterey Lanes. We had a few games of pool before buying our game (it was buy one get one free after 9:00pm) and heading to the lanes. First game was won by Dave and the second by Ben. Madeline and I weren’t far behind but all were hampered by a less than flat lane!

Soon it was time to call it a night so we headed back to the hotel via the supermarket to get some supplies for camping and some ice-cream for dessert.

M x

Day 72 – Monterey, Carmel & Big Sur
Again, an early start with breakfast at the hotel. Ben and Madeline went for a run whilst Dave and I snoozed after which we all went for breakfast where we had our fill of bagels, muffins, eggs, cereals and toast. Picking up a few supplies for the next few days of tea bags and sugar we checked out of the hotel and set off towards Carmel.
Stopping at a supermarket to buy breakfast, lunch and dinners for the next few days then at the mall for Ben to buy a saucepan and for me to exchange some shoes that I’d bought only a few days before – the sole had started to come apart!

Carmel is a lovely little beachside town, near to Pebble Beach golf course where they sometimes hold the US Open.
Down at the beach, Madeline and I played smashball for ages – trying to get to a rally of 40. Having finally achieved it, Ben and Dave repeated our success on only their second attempt!
A quick stroll through the town, we stopped for refreshment before hitting the road again.

A short time later we arrived in Big Sur and to our first campsite of the trip. The campsite is set within a large redwood forest which is beautiful. All sites with their own fire pit, bench and space for the car and a tent. We cleared a space, removing acorns, twigs and large lumps of mud before finally erecting the tent. Very simple and plenty big enough for the 4 of us. Ben and I spent a little time trying to arrange the few mats that we had to try and make it as comfortable as possible for us all to sleep.
We’d bought a trek guide as we’d entered the park so decided that we’d do the 5 mile trek to Buzzard’s Roost. It was pretty steep in places with lots of cutbacks making it seem like we were walking a lot further than we needed to. Finally making it to the top, we had wonderful views of the Pacific Ocean and the hills the other side of the valley. Beautiful.The walk down was much quicker with the sun going down it was also a little chillier.
A quick stop at the store to buy some firewood and a tarpaulin to go under the tent before heading back to camp to make dinner.
Ben quickly realized that his paraffin lamp mantles had not survived the trip from San Francisco so another trip to the store was required to buy new ones.

With the light fading and the temperature plummeting, Ben lit his camp stove and cooked us all some delicious sausages which we ate with chips and dips all washed down with a few beers. Other than the chill in the air it was lovely! We attempted a game of smashball but the visibility was far too poor. Frisbee was a little better but once I’d thrown it at the window of our neighbour’s car we decided to call it a day!

A few games of cards later, the cold got the better of us all and we retired to the tent to wrap ourselves in as many clothes as possible before snuggling down under the sleeping bags for the night.

M x

Day 73 – Big Sur to San Simeon
Not a great night’s sleep for any of us and we awoke to a cold morning as the sun hadn’t quite made it above the hills that we were sleeping in the valley of.
We attempted to make toast but finally accepted that we’d have bread for breakfast.

We packed up the tent and I re-packed the car before we set off on a much shorter walk to Pfeiffer Falls. More on the flat than the previous night’s trek and considerably shorter we arrived at the falls pretty quickly. Having not had a lot of rain the fall wasn’t that spectacular but I think we were all feeling a little better for the fresh air.

Back to the car, we headed further South to San Simeon.
As I was looking out of the window towards the ocean, I noticed lots of large lumps lying on the beach. They looked like sandbags but it turns out they were actually elephant seals! There were hundreds of them. We pulled up at the next scenic spot and joined lots of other people walking along a path at a safe distance from the seals, taking photos and being amazed at their smell!


A short drive further to another campsite for the night, this time next to the beach and much less shady, with grass sites!
We erected the tent, had some lunch then the boys fell asleep on the grass whilst Madeline and I read.
Dave and I decided to walk to the beach but were held back by a river in our way and being too cold to be bothered finding an alternative route!
Having learnt our lesson from yesterday that being cold for so many hours is not that much fun, we got in the car and drove to the local store to buy some marshmallows, Graham’s crackers and Hershey’s chocolate to make s’mores over the campfire later in the evening.
We spotted a bar next door which had wireless internet so we popped in for a beer or two, a game of pool for Dave, Madeline and I whilst Ben did some work on his laptop.

All feeling a lot warmer we made our way back to the campsite for showers before playing a game of ‘marsh pong’. A bit like beer pong but with marshmallows instead of ping pong balls!

The light was fading so Ben lit his camp stove and heated through some soup which we had with baguette. Yummy!
He also lit the campfire and we were able to move the bench to sit as close as possible and keep warm. Madeline showed us how to make s’mores which involves holding the marshmallows over the fire until they’re toasted then putting them between two Graham’s crackers with some Hershey’s chocolate. So delicious!

We played a little more cards before once again being beaten by the cold and heading to bed.

M x

Day 74 – San Simeon to Buellton
Up for tea and breakfast (more soup) we all agreed we’d had a better nights sleep although both Dave and I were aching!
We walked down to the beach where we spent a lovely time taking some photos, playing Frisbee and strolling along by the water’s edge.
Back at the campsite we dismantled the tent for the final time and re-packed the car. As we were doing this, we were joined by a couple of chipmunks who were very interested in the Graham’s crackers than Ben offered them – coming up at one point and stealing one from the table! Very cute!

Back in the car we headed South again, our destination Buellton. Stopping off for Subways for the boys and toiletries from the supermarket for me I called Emma to wish her a happy birthday.
We soon arrived in Buellton where we checked into the Quality Hotel, showered then back to the car for a wine tour.
Ben had kindly volunteered to be the designated driver so took us to Sun Stone, the first vineyard of the day. We sampled some delicious wines then on to Kalyra (a vineyard owned by an Aussie) where we had more wine – a delicious rose which we bought a bottle of – and some girl scout coconut cookies. Madeline and I devoured the cookies as we got back to the car – regretting having not had lunch before starting on the wine tour!
On to Gainey for the final vineyard of the day, Madeline and I befriended Rafael who spoke English, French, Spanish and Japanese and allowed us to try lots of wine!
I think Ben had had enough of our giggling as we drove back to the hotel for a quick shower and change before heading out for dinner.

AJ’s was our dinner location – there was more meat than you could possible ever want and lots of stuffed animals around the place. Everything was served with a huge bowl of soup with black beans, salsa, pilau rice, potatoes, onions and finished with a root beer float or liqueur. A ridiculous amount of food, Madeline and I shared a half rack of ribs and had more than enough.
We all left feeling a little bloated and made our way to the Sport’s Bar for our favourite past time of pool and darts.
Madeline and I were both feeling the effects of drinking wine so early in the day so stuck to water!

The walk back to the hotel was refreshing and we all settled down for sleep, please to be back in beds rather than on a mat in a tent!

M x

Day 75 – Buellton & Santa Barbara
Up for breakfast at the hotel then drove to Santa Barbara. Madeline had been to uni here and I can’t think of a better location. The sea, the mountains and a lovely warm climate. So many shops too!
All feeling a little out of sorts, Ben decided to go to Starbucks to get some work done, Dave wandered around the town, also calling in at a Starbucks, and Madeline and I set off in search of a hairdressers.
After being unsuccessful in about 5 salons, we decided that we would try one more and were fortunate enough to both be able to get appointments immediately. Both feeling better for having been pampered for an hour or so and for having beautiful new hair cuts, we re-joined the boys for lunch at Pescucci’s, a delicious Italian restaurant.
A quick drive to the old court house where we climbed a tower that overlooked the city. Beautiful views and a huge lawn where we spent a little while snoozing in the sun.
On to the beach we played Smashball and did a little more snoozing before we made our way back to Buellton.

A short detour to Cachuma lake, we were able to see more of the beautiful countryside. A very quick drive around the lake complex (we only had a 15 minute courtesy ticket!) and we were on our way back to the hotel.

We noticed a Firestone brewery just down the road from the hotel which also served dinner so I booked a table for 8:00pm.
Back at the hotel we showered, changed, had a glass of wine then strolled the short distance to the brewery.
We were able to try 4 different beers and get a souvenir glass for $6 each. Bargain!
Dinner was a much healthier affair than the previous evening and we all left feeling full and comfortable.

Back at the hotel we watched TV for a very short while before tiredness got the better of us all and we were off to sleep.

M x

Day 76 - Buellton to San Francisco
Up for breakfast at the hotel. Packed up and I managed to get everything into the car for a fairly comfortable journey back up the 101 to San Francisco. I confess I've enjoyed trying to get everything to fit as neatly as possible into the boot (or 'trunk' as I keep being told it's called). The endless hours of tiling ladybird books when I was younger have certainly paid off!

Fairly uneventful journey. Madeline drove, Ben read the remainder of Dorien Gray, Dave snoozed and I wrote this blog in draft.
A brief stop in Gonzales for lunch - Subway's foot longs for only $5! Bargain.

After about 4 hours of driving we were home. Ben took to taking a huge pile of clothes to the laundry, we all unpacked and tidied a little and then decided that we should head out for a game of soccer. A week of eating, drinking and generally being slobbish getting on top of us all.

We drove a short distance to a park near Emily's house where we met with Emily and her friend Cory. Cory had also brought her little dog Ruby with her. So cute!

The wind had got up and we were all freezing so we quickly got stuck into a game. Ben, Madeline & Cory versus Dave, Emily and I. I never have been able to play football and calling it soccer didn't change that! I did score two goals though - Dave noticed both with my left foot. Maybe I could have been a great football star if I'd started younger!..

Emily received a good kick in the leg from Cory (accidentally I might add) which halted the game after about 45 minutes. I was pleased as the inactivity over the past few months was very noticeable. I was shattered!

We drove a few blocks away to Emily's house where we cracked open the champagne, donned our swim wear and headed for the hot tub. How cool?! Very much needed and appreciated.
After not too long we decided that we were all starving so the four of us left Emily & Cory to it and headed home.

A quick shower & change and we walked the short distance to Basil, an amazing Thai restaurant.
Delicious starters and main courses and a really nice atmosphere. We chatted the night away.
Home for a bit of TV, Ben to do some work and tidy the flat and we were soon all tucked up in lovely comfy beds.

M x