Cambira, California to Watsonville, California; 203 miles.
OLIVIA: Well, today was our slowest day for sure. Highway 1 is beautiful, and very windy. We started this morning out with a visit to Hearst Castle, which was great! except for our tour guide. Oh, well. It sure would have been something to live in that house. The pools were stunning. After that we hit the road and ran into some very heavy, intense, overcast, foggy weather. It was quite a shock and we actually had to turn on the heat in the car. One thing we noticed on the car ride was the number of Mustangs that like to drive highway 1. We must have seen at least 20 today, if not more. It really was odd. We also went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium today. I really liked that. A lot. The fishies are just so cute! They have quite an extensive seahorse exhibit going on right now, as well as scuba diving tours for those ages 8 to 13... I was quite dissapopinted I was too old. Overall today was a good day, and tomorrow we go to San Fransisco! and explore FIshermans Wharf and all that it has to offer. Also, Many pictures have been taken over the trip, so if there is a certain area you would like to look at the pictures from, or if you just want to look at all of them, just e-mail my dad or post a comment here and we will e-mail them to you because it takes FOREVER to upload them onto here. Goodnight Andrew :) and mom, and andrew's mom, and dad, and sister and heather and willy and sampson and chase and rose and everyone!
SCOTT: he's asleep. :)
Friday, July 3, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
day 7...
Victorville, California, to Cambria, California; 356 miles.
SCOTT: one truly interesting day. drove out of the mojave desert in the morning and down into the bowels of the megalopolis. except that the air was such a rich brown gooey mass we couldn't see anything. los angeles may have been out there somewhere. we looked. frequently. drove from highway 101 to highway 1 through the malibu canyon and came out at malibu. ahhh. smell the ocean. then drove north on highway 1 to cambria for the night. ahhh. dinner outside overlooking the ocean. ahhh. only downside to the day came when we stopped at a highway patrol office. stopped because olivia and her mom were researching online where she could and couldn't drive with a permit on the trip, and they couldn't figure out what was OK in california. so we stopped and asked. turns out you have to be 16, so it's a good thing she hasn't been driving in CA because she has a tendency to drive 83 miles over the speed limit, and she might have been in a little trouble doing that here. just kidding. honest. her eyes got really big and her jaw dropped on a couple of occasions today when we passed those digital signs that tell you how fast you're driving, and on both occasions i was at or below the speed limit. we agreed that is probably a first since i started driving 46 or so years ago, well before i turned 16. it's my mom's fault. i'm going to stop now and let olivia tell you about the big deals of the day. good night, mom. good night, sue, wherever you are...
OLIVIA: OW! i just stubbed my toe getting to the computer. Well, dad summed up the majority of the day, but he left out two very impressive things. #1: the car wash. We got our car washed right before we headed into Malibu Canyon, and it was the coolest car wash I have ever been in. everything was completely automated and at one point, it spewed rainbow foam all over our car. (I tried to take a picture, but my camera was too slow.) I also think that this was one of the first times -- ever -- that my dad actually agreed to go through a car wash rather than washing his car himself. Anywhoo, after the car wash and driving for a while we came across the small, nice, peaceful, wine-tasting town of Los Olivos. Now you all I'm sure have heard of this town in the news because it is the town that holds Neverland Ranch ... well, seeing as how we were there, we just had to go find this place and join all the Michael Jackson mourners. So we turned down this road that seemed to have lots of people coming out of it, and lots of police officers, and we followed it for about 5 miles. That was when it all happened, all at once. We went around a curve and suddenly we had, in our view, tons of people and cars and news truck thingys and radio truck thingys and news reporters and flowers and police officers and people selling t-shirts and EVERYTHING! People were even selling flowers out of their cars for people to put on the ground. I'm very proud to say that I made it onto some European news channel when we were driving by. (I stared down the video camera as we drove by) Dad wouldn't go top down because he claimed it was "too hot," so all the pictures I took are somewhat not the best. Anyway it was pretty impressive, and on our way out, we were behind a very large horse trailer that came out of the ranch itself (perhaps his horses?) Sooooo yeah! today was pretty great and the ocean just makes everything better. My hair is more blonde now from the sun, and I'm starting to get a T.D.T.T.T. (top down tank top tan!) Goodnight mom, heather, and andrew :)
SCOTT AGAIN: a couple more things about the day. the road to Neverland is narrow, your standard country road. it was interesting to come upon so much commotion in the middle of nowhere, or neverwhere. wouldn't surprise me if the number of TV trucks and satellite dishes rivaled the world series. and the tv reporters were everywhere doing their thing. So today we were near the "palace" so to speak of an icon of sorts from this era, and tomorrow morning we'll be at the "palace" of an icon of sorts from a while ago -- william randolph hearst and his castle at san simeon...
OLIVIA AGAIN: Sunset = Amazing, Olivia = tired.
SCOTT ONE MORE TIME: Olivia went to the pool for a bit but came back and said we gotta go watch the sunset. everyone's going. so we went. walked onto the boardwalk out to a point where the waves were crashing and the seals were cavorting and watched the sun set with a bunch of folks, all wearing nice, end-of-the-day satisfied smiles. it was a good way to end the day, with the sun getting big, and orange, and bigger, and red, and then ... gone.
Tomorrow: Cambria to at least Monterrey, maybe Half Moon Bay.
SCOTT: one truly interesting day. drove out of the mojave desert in the morning and down into the bowels of the megalopolis. except that the air was such a rich brown gooey mass we couldn't see anything. los angeles may have been out there somewhere. we looked. frequently. drove from highway 101 to highway 1 through the malibu canyon and came out at malibu. ahhh. smell the ocean. then drove north on highway 1 to cambria for the night. ahhh. dinner outside overlooking the ocean. ahhh. only downside to the day came when we stopped at a highway patrol office. stopped because olivia and her mom were researching online where she could and couldn't drive with a permit on the trip, and they couldn't figure out what was OK in california. so we stopped and asked. turns out you have to be 16, so it's a good thing she hasn't been driving in CA because she has a tendency to drive 83 miles over the speed limit, and she might have been in a little trouble doing that here. just kidding. honest. her eyes got really big and her jaw dropped on a couple of occasions today when we passed those digital signs that tell you how fast you're driving, and on both occasions i was at or below the speed limit. we agreed that is probably a first since i started driving 46 or so years ago, well before i turned 16. it's my mom's fault. i'm going to stop now and let olivia tell you about the big deals of the day. good night, mom. good night, sue, wherever you are...
OLIVIA: OW! i just stubbed my toe getting to the computer. Well, dad summed up the majority of the day, but he left out two very impressive things. #1: the car wash. We got our car washed right before we headed into Malibu Canyon, and it was the coolest car wash I have ever been in. everything was completely automated and at one point, it spewed rainbow foam all over our car. (I tried to take a picture, but my camera was too slow.) I also think that this was one of the first times -- ever -- that my dad actually agreed to go through a car wash rather than washing his car himself. Anywhoo, after the car wash and driving for a while we came across the small, nice, peaceful, wine-tasting town of Los Olivos. Now you all I'm sure have heard of this town in the news because it is the town that holds Neverland Ranch ... well, seeing as how we were there, we just had to go find this place and join all the Michael Jackson mourners. So we turned down this road that seemed to have lots of people coming out of it, and lots of police officers, and we followed it for about 5 miles. That was when it all happened, all at once. We went around a curve and suddenly we had, in our view, tons of people and cars and news truck thingys and radio truck thingys and news reporters and flowers and police officers and people selling t-shirts and EVERYTHING! People were even selling flowers out of their cars for people to put on the ground. I'm very proud to say that I made it onto some European news channel when we were driving by. (I stared down the video camera as we drove by) Dad wouldn't go top down because he claimed it was "too hot," so all the pictures I took are somewhat not the best. Anyway it was pretty impressive, and on our way out, we were behind a very large horse trailer that came out of the ranch itself (perhaps his horses?) Sooooo yeah! today was pretty great and the ocean just makes everything better. My hair is more blonde now from the sun, and I'm starting to get a T.D.T.T.T. (top down tank top tan!) Goodnight mom, heather, and andrew :)
SCOTT AGAIN: a couple more things about the day. the road to Neverland is narrow, your standard country road. it was interesting to come upon so much commotion in the middle of nowhere, or neverwhere. wouldn't surprise me if the number of TV trucks and satellite dishes rivaled the world series. and the tv reporters were everywhere doing their thing. So today we were near the "palace" so to speak of an icon of sorts from this era, and tomorrow morning we'll be at the "palace" of an icon of sorts from a while ago -- william randolph hearst and his castle at san simeon...
OLIVIA AGAIN: Sunset = Amazing, Olivia = tired.
SCOTT ONE MORE TIME: Olivia went to the pool for a bit but came back and said we gotta go watch the sunset. everyone's going. so we went. walked onto the boardwalk out to a point where the waves were crashing and the seals were cavorting and watched the sun set with a bunch of folks, all wearing nice, end-of-the-day satisfied smiles. it was a good way to end the day, with the sun getting big, and orange, and bigger, and red, and then ... gone.
Tomorrow: Cambria to at least Monterrey, maybe Half Moon Bay.
Day 6
Las Vegas, Nevada to Victorville, California; 211 miles
OLIVIA: Well, I just hit my head really hard, and now it hurts and i'm kinda dizzy so i'm gonna keep this short and sweet. Vegas was amazing, and I really want to go back. The Mojave I have decided is a fake desert because it has lots of plants, no visible cacti and not that much sand, plus it has mountains. !!!! We went to some great outlet shops, and had quite the adventure finding a starbucks. oh, and the forum shops at caesars palace were also really neat. i saw my first FAO schwartz, and FAO schweetz (look it up!) I'm currently watching Pirates of The Carribean on TV, so I'm going to get going and get some ice for my head. Goodnight everybody
SCOTT: Before we leave Las Vegas completely, Olivia and I realized that part of our reaction to it was context. We had spent a few days wandering around natural goodies, often where you could see for miles -- if not farther -- and your eyes and brain could soak in and savor things, dwell on them, commit them to memory. Las Vegas, particularly along the strip, doesn't give you a chance to really see anything or focus on it. You're constantly bouncing from one excess to the next. And it never ends. You never soak anything in, you never pause on anything, because you might miss the next big thing. After Las Vegas, it was on to Calico, a ghost town -- if that's possible when the old buildings have been taken over by touristy shops -- that once had 5,000 or so residents working in its gold and silver mines. Decided to call it a day in Victorville so we could do laundry, replenish our reading materials and just relax a little. The temperature is cooler here, and when we reach the coast Thursday we may even have to wear more clothes. Maybe it will be cool enough to put the top down (don't get to say that too often). Good night, Kim and Cindy and Billy. Good night everyone who used to work at The Times...
OLIVIA: Well, I just hit my head really hard, and now it hurts and i'm kinda dizzy so i'm gonna keep this short and sweet. Vegas was amazing, and I really want to go back. The Mojave I have decided is a fake desert because it has lots of plants, no visible cacti and not that much sand, plus it has mountains. !!!! We went to some great outlet shops, and had quite the adventure finding a starbucks. oh, and the forum shops at caesars palace were also really neat. i saw my first FAO schwartz, and FAO schweetz (look it up!) I'm currently watching Pirates of The Carribean on TV, so I'm going to get going and get some ice for my head. Goodnight everybody
SCOTT: Before we leave Las Vegas completely, Olivia and I realized that part of our reaction to it was context. We had spent a few days wandering around natural goodies, often where you could see for miles -- if not farther -- and your eyes and brain could soak in and savor things, dwell on them, commit them to memory. Las Vegas, particularly along the strip, doesn't give you a chance to really see anything or focus on it. You're constantly bouncing from one excess to the next. And it never ends. You never soak anything in, you never pause on anything, because you might miss the next big thing. After Las Vegas, it was on to Calico, a ghost town -- if that's possible when the old buildings have been taken over by touristy shops -- that once had 5,000 or so residents working in its gold and silver mines. Decided to call it a day in Victorville so we could do laundry, replenish our reading materials and just relax a little. The temperature is cooler here, and when we reach the coast Thursday we may even have to wear more clothes. Maybe it will be cool enough to put the top down (don't get to say that too often). Good night, Kim and Cindy and Billy. Good night everyone who used to work at The Times...
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Day 5
Tuba City, Arizona, to Las Vegas, Nevada :) 495 miles
OLIVIA: WOW, what a day. from Tuba City we went to the Grand Canyon (my first time there) and we went to the little Colorado river canyon (very cute!) and then we went to London Bridge, but between those two things we drove past a replication of the Flintstones village, and to a rest area that was amazingly hot. we also went to a gas station that had a melted Popsicle on the sidewalk and it was just really, really sad. London Bridge was just plain old weird. Then on our way to Hoover Dam, we passed a billboard that read "Try one.... A full automatic" the dots (...) were a picture of a very large gun on the board. IT WAS WEIRD. We went to Hoover Dam, and passed the police checkpoint. phew. now we're at the MGM Grand Hotel on the strip in Vegas and we have a pretty nice view of the airport and a little strip off the main strip :) Goodnight Andrew.
SCOTT: Today was big-time culture shock. It began in Tuba City, which I believe is the country's largest Navajo community. It ended on the strip in Las Vegas, which is the largest something. Largest concentration of Elvis impersonators. Largest assortment of high-rise casino-hotels. Easily the largest concentration of untanned tourists who probably shouldn't be wearing what they're wearing. In between was a drive along the south rim of the Grand Canyon. It was the first time I'd been there and it didn't snow. My other times there were in February, driving to spring training in Arizona. And I had to show Olivia the London Bridge. Can't remember why it wound up in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, but it's there. Strange. The other big thing that marked the day was the heat. It was still 104 at 7 p.m. when we rolled into Las Vegas. The air conditioner was on most of the day, and the top stayed up. Driving down the road the windows of the car were hot to the touch. Not warm. Hot. But a good day. We spent about 100 miles of it driving Route 66. Olivia was behind the wheel much of that time. Tomorrow morning we'll wander the strip -- she reminded me that I promised her some time at The Forum Shops -- then hit the road. Thunderstorms may be moving in, so we'll move out, heading west. West to California, west to the coast, west to the cooling breezes of the Pacific. Still not sure where we'll be on The Fourth. Maybe Monterrey or San Francisco. We'll see. Good night, Elvis. Good night, Wayne Newton. Good night, fellow tourists...
OLIVIA: WOW, what a day. from Tuba City we went to the Grand Canyon (my first time there) and we went to the little Colorado river canyon (very cute!) and then we went to London Bridge, but between those two things we drove past a replication of the Flintstones village, and to a rest area that was amazingly hot. we also went to a gas station that had a melted Popsicle on the sidewalk and it was just really, really sad. London Bridge was just plain old weird. Then on our way to Hoover Dam, we passed a billboard that read "Try one.... A full automatic" the dots (...) were a picture of a very large gun on the board. IT WAS WEIRD. We went to Hoover Dam, and passed the police checkpoint. phew. now we're at the MGM Grand Hotel on the strip in Vegas and we have a pretty nice view of the airport and a little strip off the main strip :) Goodnight Andrew.
SCOTT: Today was big-time culture shock. It began in Tuba City, which I believe is the country's largest Navajo community. It ended on the strip in Las Vegas, which is the largest something. Largest concentration of Elvis impersonators. Largest assortment of high-rise casino-hotels. Easily the largest concentration of untanned tourists who probably shouldn't be wearing what they're wearing. In between was a drive along the south rim of the Grand Canyon. It was the first time I'd been there and it didn't snow. My other times there were in February, driving to spring training in Arizona. And I had to show Olivia the London Bridge. Can't remember why it wound up in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, but it's there. Strange. The other big thing that marked the day was the heat. It was still 104 at 7 p.m. when we rolled into Las Vegas. The air conditioner was on most of the day, and the top stayed up. Driving down the road the windows of the car were hot to the touch. Not warm. Hot. But a good day. We spent about 100 miles of it driving Route 66. Olivia was behind the wheel much of that time. Tomorrow morning we'll wander the strip -- she reminded me that I promised her some time at The Forum Shops -- then hit the road. Thunderstorms may be moving in, so we'll move out, heading west. West to California, west to the coast, west to the cooling breezes of the Pacific. Still not sure where we'll be on The Fourth. Maybe Monterrey or San Francisco. We'll see. Good night, Elvis. Good night, Wayne Newton. Good night, fellow tourists...
Monday, June 29, 2009
Day 4
Moab, Utah, to Tuba City, Arizona; 426 miles
OLIVIA: Well, this day sure had a lot to offer. It all started off with an early visit to Arches, again, so I could get some much-needed photos. Then we headed out and went toward Newspaper Rock, which was actually pretty cool :) Then we headed to Mesa Verde and explored the road and a few very short trails, and I'm proud to say that I was able to rescue an empty water bottle from an ancient ruin... it just didn't look right. My dad and I both rescued water bottles from national parks today. His was in Arches. After Mesa Verde, we hit the road to head to 4 corners. There was quite a bit of nothingness and road construction. Those two should never mix. We did 4 corners, and headed out toward somewhere in Arizona, as far as we could get really.. and there was more construction. it was no fun. Hot, hot air in a black car with the windows down and no wind and the top up so you don't get sunburned and the car off.... IT GETS HOT!..... so do the seats when you go to get out of the car, to go explore, and the sun is aiming right down on it. Anyway, after 4 corners, it was a straight shot to Tuba City, which actually has nothing to do with Tubas, it translates into Twisted Waters.... what a bummer. Goodnight Andrew.
SCOTT: A full day, highlighted by wildlife, delittering, and long, long stretches of road through big-view country. The wildlife started with a couple from north of Seattle also driving a top-down Mustang in Arches. They were on their way home. Then came the lizards. And a really big cockroach. The delittering started with a water bottle I saw in Arches, just sitting by itself on the red rock, looking as out of place as tourists do. I grabbed it to dispose of later. In Mesa Verde, as we were looking at one of the excavated pit houses -- that are surrounded by metal railings so you'll keep out, a woman dropped her water bottle inside the railing. oops. olivia was able to squeeze through the top part of the railing and reach down and retrieve it. the crowd -- maybe a half-dozen people -- applauded appreciatively. Arches first thing in the morning was as good the second day as it had been the first. Newspaper Rock in canyonlands was spectacular for what it is, ancient rock art. Mesa Verde gave Olivia a glimpse of cliff dwellings and pit houses and a better understanding of the folks who built and lived in them. Four corners is interesting, even if surveyors or someone has taken GPS readings and discovered that the true four corners are 17 miles away from the four corners as we know it. but no one seemed to care. Tuba City is interesting, the largest navajo community in arizona. we'll explore a little in the morning before heading to the grand canyon. good night, linda and george and jean and ray...
OLIVIA: Well, this day sure had a lot to offer. It all started off with an early visit to Arches, again, so I could get some much-needed photos. Then we headed out and went toward Newspaper Rock, which was actually pretty cool :) Then we headed to Mesa Verde and explored the road and a few very short trails, and I'm proud to say that I was able to rescue an empty water bottle from an ancient ruin... it just didn't look right. My dad and I both rescued water bottles from national parks today. His was in Arches. After Mesa Verde, we hit the road to head to 4 corners. There was quite a bit of nothingness and road construction. Those two should never mix. We did 4 corners, and headed out toward somewhere in Arizona, as far as we could get really.. and there was more construction. it was no fun. Hot, hot air in a black car with the windows down and no wind and the top up so you don't get sunburned and the car off.... IT GETS HOT!..... so do the seats when you go to get out of the car, to go explore, and the sun is aiming right down on it. Anyway, after 4 corners, it was a straight shot to Tuba City, which actually has nothing to do with Tubas, it translates into Twisted Waters.... what a bummer. Goodnight Andrew.
SCOTT: A full day, highlighted by wildlife, delittering, and long, long stretches of road through big-view country. The wildlife started with a couple from north of Seattle also driving a top-down Mustang in Arches. They were on their way home. Then came the lizards. And a really big cockroach. The delittering started with a water bottle I saw in Arches, just sitting by itself on the red rock, looking as out of place as tourists do. I grabbed it to dispose of later. In Mesa Verde, as we were looking at one of the excavated pit houses -- that are surrounded by metal railings so you'll keep out, a woman dropped her water bottle inside the railing. oops. olivia was able to squeeze through the top part of the railing and reach down and retrieve it. the crowd -- maybe a half-dozen people -- applauded appreciatively. Arches first thing in the morning was as good the second day as it had been the first. Newspaper Rock in canyonlands was spectacular for what it is, ancient rock art. Mesa Verde gave Olivia a glimpse of cliff dwellings and pit houses and a better understanding of the folks who built and lived in them. Four corners is interesting, even if surveyors or someone has taken GPS readings and discovered that the true four corners are 17 miles away from the four corners as we know it. but no one seemed to care. Tuba City is interesting, the largest navajo community in arizona. we'll explore a little in the morning before heading to the grand canyon. good night, linda and george and jean and ray...
Sunday, June 28, 2009
day 3...
Brigham City to Moab, Utah, 356 miles.
SCOTT
Did a little bit of Canyonlands today and all of Arches. I think you could spend time in Arches every day of your life and probably see something new each time. Amazing rock formations. Even Olivia was impressed. We put the top down for the first half of the drive through Arches so we could see the tops of the formations. Nice. We put the top up for the second half of the drive because it was, well, hot. 96 in Moab around 6 p.m. Started the day talking with a couple motorcycling to Las Vegas. Asked if they wanted to trade rides for the day. They smiled and declined. So we headed out, driving south to and through Salt Lake City -- fortunately Liv found a Starbucks for us -- then southeast up into the hills. Some beautiful country, if more than a little moonlike in places. Liv was feeling much better today, mostly because she's getting over her cold, but partly because the surroundings were more interesting. Even saw an Ikea store. In Moab, we stopped at a rock shop recommended by Jean. Nice. She has a slab of Utah picture stone from this shop that's very cool. I think she got the best one they had. Moab is even more touristy than a year ago. Every storefront on the main drag is a place to either eat, drink or buy gifts. But we found a Starbucks at the grocery store, and it opens at 5 a.m. Tomorrow: South from Moab and into Canyonlands again, then south some more. At some point, we'll set foot on the Four Corners (where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah come together), but not sure yet how we'll get there. Mesa Verde is sounding pretty good, and it's a place we could see some ancient native ruins if we decide against going anywhere south of Flagstaff. We'll figure it out tomorrow. Liv's not feeling so hot right now. She was downloading photos from her camera to her laptop and they somehow all were deleted, from both the camera and the computer. She lost it all. She's not happy. Understandably.
Good night Steve and Noreen and Bob and Linda...
OLIVIA
So everything today was cool, but yeah, i'm not too happy right now, so it looks like were going to arches ... again!
SCOTT
Did a little bit of Canyonlands today and all of Arches. I think you could spend time in Arches every day of your life and probably see something new each time. Amazing rock formations. Even Olivia was impressed. We put the top down for the first half of the drive through Arches so we could see the tops of the formations. Nice. We put the top up for the second half of the drive because it was, well, hot. 96 in Moab around 6 p.m. Started the day talking with a couple motorcycling to Las Vegas. Asked if they wanted to trade rides for the day. They smiled and declined. So we headed out, driving south to and through Salt Lake City -- fortunately Liv found a Starbucks for us -- then southeast up into the hills. Some beautiful country, if more than a little moonlike in places. Liv was feeling much better today, mostly because she's getting over her cold, but partly because the surroundings were more interesting. Even saw an Ikea store. In Moab, we stopped at a rock shop recommended by Jean. Nice. She has a slab of Utah picture stone from this shop that's very cool. I think she got the best one they had. Moab is even more touristy than a year ago. Every storefront on the main drag is a place to either eat, drink or buy gifts. But we found a Starbucks at the grocery store, and it opens at 5 a.m. Tomorrow: South from Moab and into Canyonlands again, then south some more. At some point, we'll set foot on the Four Corners (where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah come together), but not sure yet how we'll get there. Mesa Verde is sounding pretty good, and it's a place we could see some ancient native ruins if we decide against going anywhere south of Flagstaff. We'll figure it out tomorrow. Liv's not feeling so hot right now. She was downloading photos from her camera to her laptop and they somehow all were deleted, from both the camera and the computer. She lost it all. She's not happy. Understandably.
Good night Steve and Noreen and Bob and Linda...
OLIVIA
So everything today was cool, but yeah, i'm not too happy right now, so it looks like were going to arches ... again!
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