California Road Trip - Day Four

April 14, 2016

Definitely brings back memories, listening to the bugler playing Reveille this morning at 0700 hours.  Only difference was, back in the day, Reveille was played at 0600 hours.  Must be that we're on California time!  It was a great way to start our day. 

After breakfast, we drove over to the famous 17 Mile Drive skirting Pebble Beach Golf Course on our way to Carmel.  If I were to pick one city in California to live in, it would definitely be Carmel!

We strolled around this charming town until it was lunch time.  We had already decided to have lunch at Clint Eastwood's Hog's Breath Inn, since it was a recommended place.

So, we enjoyed Dirty Harry burgers, which were "lick your plate delicious" and fries.  My wanna-be Harry justified our lunch claiming that we certainly had walked off plenty of calories during our 40 mile walk this morning!

We drove back to Monterey to visit their aquarium, which was delightful!  I especially enjoyed the "wave" experience where you stood underneath a plexi-glass bubble while a huge wave crashed overhead.  I kept thinking how much David and Lily would love that!

The exhibits were fabulous.  We even found Dori and Nemo playing!

Again, Rob claimed that we walked another 40 miles!  Once back on the Presidio, we decided to visit the Post Exchange.  Back in the room, it was nap time for Rob and laundry time for me. Tonight we opted to skip dinner, trust me, we could afford to skip a meal.  So, we're snacking on fruit, coffee, and protein bars. Time to repack our suitcases for tomorrow!

California Road Trip - Day Three

April 13 - Driving along CA 1, the Pacific Coastal Highway

We left around 0930 hours this morning, traveling along CA 1 on another sunny California day.  Our first stop was Morro Bay to see the Pacific's Rock of Gibraltar.

Our next stop was just a little north of San Simeon, at a "vista" where hundreds of elephant seals were out sun bathing. 

This was one of those stops that we could have stayed for hours watching these mammoth creatures.

However, we had several other stops to make, so on we traveled. The scenery was absolutely amazing, and it was difficult not to stop at every "vista" for pictures.

Every time we turned a corner, there was another scene that could have been on a postcard!

We stopped in Big Sur for a lunch at Nepenthe, which was delicious and included a setting that a picture just can't do justice.  The restaurant is perched on the mountain side overlooking the Pacific Ocean complete with birds flying around chirping.  Paradise!

We reached Monterey around 1500 hours and checked into The Army's Hotel on the Presidio of Monterey.  Rob took a nap while I did some laundry.  Then, it was time for dinner.  We selected the Fish House of Monterey and began our destination, only to find that three of the posts' gates were closed.  Eventually, we found an open gate, and asked the guard if it would be open later.  He informed us that only one gate would be open, and luckily we remembered the name - Boleo gate.  After a great seafood dinner and Starbucks, we tried to get back on the Presidio.  We tried THREE gates, but all were closed.  Finally, we parked our rental car outside one of the gates that also had a bar next door, and went in for help.  A very sweet gentleman wrote out the instructions, which we managed to screw up.  Eventually, almost one hour later, we found our way back home.  Whew, and another day ends.

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Calinfornial Road Trip - Day Two

April 12, 2016

Another glorious, not a cloud in the sky day, for our California Road Trip.  We enjoyed a poolside breakfast, complete with birds chirping.  Time to drive past those windmills as we drove out of the desert and over to coastal California.  We traveled along US 10 until we were close to LA, then headed north on US 210 and 101.  We traveled along the Ventura Highway, through many places that we've heard about - Loma Linda, Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, Burbank, Riverside, etc. We saw endless vineyards as this area is one of California's top wine producers.  One of our favorite sights is the palm trees that look like they are wearing hula skirts.  We also got a few glimpses of the Pacific Ocean while on US 101 which were gorgeous!

We arrived at our destination, San Luis Obispo around 3:00 PM, so we decided to walk around the cute little town.  Eventually, we enjoyed awesome coffee at a Peet's Coffee House, before returning to the hotel for a rest and then showers.

We went back into town to Moe's BBQ for a tasty dinner. We finally have Internet again, but it is painfully slow, so pictures will be added once we have decent Internet speed.

California Road Trip - Day 1

California Road Trip officially began at 0915 AZ time on April 11, 2016!  We left in our KIA Cadanza with glorious sunny skies!

The traffic was light as we headed out on US 10. In the middle of the Mojave Desert, Rob decided that he needed a bathroom break.  We pulled off at the next rest stop, only to discover that it was closed.  Not good.  We continued to drive, and drive, and drive.  Finally, one stop prior to our scheduled destination, we found an exit with a gas station and food, AND a General Patton Museum! 

This was too good to be true since Rob was formerly stationed with General Patton's Third Army.  So, Rob has his bathroom break, we fill up the car, and eat lunch in a cute coffee house next to the museum.  We then dash into the museum just as a thunder shower begins.  It turns out that Chiriaco Summit was General Patton's training camp for soldiers going to fight in WWII.  The museum showed an informative video about General Patton and the training camp, as well as being filled with Army artifacts.

Back in the car, we headed to our intended destination, the Joshua Tree National Park.

We stopped at the visitor's center to purchase our Senior Lifetime pass, then began our two hour drive through the park.  We saw NO wildlife, but the rocks and Joshua trees were amazing.  It almost felt as if we were on a different planet.  A Joshua Tree isn't really a tree, but rather a species of yucca.  The rock piles were formed underground about 250 million years ago ago as a result of volcanic activity due to the North American tectonic plate riding over the Pacific Plate,

After leaving the park, it was time to go to Palm Springs to overnight at the Best Western.  Just prior to entering Palm Springs, we saw an abundance of windmills.  In fact, more windmills than we've ever seen!  Note to self - research those windmills! 

We enjoyed one of the best meals EVER at Spencer's.  The calamari was by far, the very best we've ever had, followed by truffle French fries which a description can't do them justice.  I had amazing scallops and Rob's coconut shrimp were beyond delicious.  We finished our meal with carrot cake that was heavenly.  The ambiance in this restaurant was incredible.  It was an open ceiling with trees within the seating area.  The large glass windows showcased the mountain that was in the background.  All in all, we felt that it was a dining experience that we'll always remember.

April 10, 2016

Happy Birthday, Richard!  It was a rainy day in the desert, so everyone relaxed and stayed unconnected since the Internet was down.  Some watched movies (guess who?) while others worked, especially on the world's most challenging puzzle!

Later, we went to JoJo's for pizza, the birthday guy's request, and then we returned home for peanut butter pie - again, special request from Rich.  What birthday would be complete without Rob's special rendition of Happy Birthday?  And a special treat was Connor's trumpet version of Happy Birthday.

A Phabulous Phoenix Day - April 9, 2016

April 9, 2016
Happy 70th Birthday, Sally Rhoden!  Meanwhile, in Phoenix, it was another sunny, awesome day!  First thing, Rachelle drove us to the Enterprise Office to pick up our rental car.  Within minutes, we were driving back in our comfortable new KIA!

The gals and guys went our separate ways today.  Rachelle and I headed off to "Backyard Pickins" - a HUGE crafts show held inside the Cardinals' Stadium.  We had such a great time checking out all the vendors' crafts.  We each made a couple of purchases.  Hey, we all have to do our part to support the local economy!  Then, we drove over to a section of Phoenix called Biltmore to a fantastic restaurant called, True Food.  We both enjoyed amazing salads, and decided we needed to walk off our meal while doing a little retail therapy.  We had great success in a cute exercise apparel shop called Lululemon's.  Next, we hit the grocery store before returning home. 

The guys went to the mall to get Rich's birthday gift, as well as a treasure for Connor.  They grabbed lunch at the In-n-Out, a burger chain here in the west.

Back at home, we visited for a while, then Rich offered to take me for a motorcycle ride on his Harley.  Well, it should have been on my bucket list!  Riding on a Harley, through the desert, at sunset was one of those "good to be alive" adventures!

Later, we enjoyed a delicious lasagna dinner - thanks Rachelle! Afterwards, the guys watched a movie while Rachelle and I worked on our computers.  A phabulous Phoenix day!

California Road Trip 2016

April 8, 2016

We've arrived in Phoenix!!!!  Thank you, Dan, for taking us to the ATL airport this morning to begin our California Road Trip.  After an uneventful flight to Phoenix, Rich and Connor met us at the airport to bring us back to their home for the next few days.  We all visited, relaxed, spent some time in the glorious sun, worked a while on Connor's puzzle, and then enjoyed a fantastic dinner at Haymaker's.

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Tomorrow, we'll pick up our rental car from Enterprise in preparation for our drive on Monday.