California Road Trip 2011
Here we go again
What is it about the road? It's just a ribbon of macadam, a temptress of things to be and experiences to come. Maybe it represents the ultimate freedom and completion of life long goals; or perhaps broken dreams and unfulfilled promises. I suppose it depends.
There is something about a road trip that is sort of indescribable, even intangible. Briefly, you are a freedom-searching drifter, despite the fallback luxury of real life. You set out with no plans and simultaneous feelings of relief, anxiety, and excitement. But yet, somewhere deep inside, you know that it's finite. At the end of 1200 miles you will board an airplane and return to the normal humdrum. And this, somehow, gives you peace.
The ultimate road trip, of course, is the California coast. Route 1. Lay back the convertible top and experience all those sights, tastes, and smells that are oh-so-Californian in their simplicity. I shall not attempt to describe it further, but rather will quote a great visionary of the early 20th century:
California, land of wonders;
Land where the Pacific thunders,
Where white Shasta seeks the skies,
Home of mighty Tamalpais;
Land of fabled treasure-trove,
Fragrant sunkist orange grove;
Giant sequoias' lifted heads,
Miles of golden poppy-beds;
Land of the Yosemite,
Cuirassed palm and olive tree;
Land where summer zephyrs blow
'Neath the winter peaks of snow;
Land of orange-blossom scent,
Garden of the Continent;
There, where the Pacific thunders,
California, land of wonders.
-Joseph Strauss (Chief Engineer, Golden Gate Bridge) April 15, 1920
Updated: Saturday, October 22, 2011
California Coast 2011
So, think about California... About driving the coast through the small surfing villages. About migrant workers picking strawberries, selling avocado and kiwi along the street. About the pines of Big Sur, the lighthouses on rocky outcroppings, the surf crashing over the rocks. I bet you never thought about pumpkins.
Neither did I.
Seriously, Californians go nuts over pumpkins. Half Moon Bay has a pumpkin festival. Pumpkin farms are all up and down the coast, and since it's pumpkin season, well, there are pumpkins everywhere. Lady on the airplane warned me that the pumpkin pickers clog up everything much like New England's Leaf Peepers. I should have listened.
Not 30 miles from the airport and I hit my first (of many) big traffic jams of the day directly related to the fat orange gourds. This gave me an excuse to check out the Ferrosaurus Rex iron dinosaur sculpture garden.
Further along... and finally clear of the jammed up freeway in Santa Cruz... the coast road reminded me why I came here. Warm sun, cool ocean breeze, the smells of stawberries and pine forests. Dinner in Carmel-By-The-Sea and a beautiful sunset show, followed by rounding Big Sur in the black of night led me to an old school motel in Morro Bay. Laid in bed with the windows open and the sea breeze drifting in, listening to the faint sound of a fog horn and the sea lions barking incessantly down in the harbor.
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Los Angeles & Vicinty 2011
LA sucks.
I shouldn't be so negative, because really, I was only there for 36 hours and just about got everything done I needed to. Spent the morning at the La Brea Tar Pits which turned out to be quite a bit more interesting that I was expecting. Really, they have pulled a lot of fossils out of those pits and done an astounding amount of cataloging work, plus the smell is indescribable. Afternoon spent on the annual Amoeba Records pilgrimage was successful, especially for MasterCard who will be pleased with their 3% of my haul.
Back in the car Tuesday morning to ride around Beverly Hills annoying the stuck up locals like a jackass and then spend some time in Venice Beach. Built in the early 1900s, it was supposed to mimic the real Venice with lots of canals and footbridges. Decades of neglect turned it into a real cesspool, but during the 70s it went through a transformation. The original houses were restored, the canals cleaned up. Up on the beach, the boardwalk sort of reminded me of Seaside Heights but with (alot) more pot and bums. Lunch under the "V-E-N-I-C-E" letters before heading up the PCH to destinations unknown.
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San Juan Bautista
I first became interested in San Juan Bautista after seeing Hitchcock's classic 1958 film "Vertigo", as the location featured prominently in the film. This is a very interesting place, founded in the late 1700s by Father Tapis as one of the original and largest Spanish missions along El Camino Real. This mission is further notable for surviving many quakes (including 1906), for it's famous Indian boys choirs, and for being the cornerstone in a classic (and now well preserved) California gold rush town. This is well worth a visit.
San Francisco, October 2011
After driving many miles, the weary traveler finally checks in to the Serrano Hotel in downtown San Francisco. 2 days of what to do… well, visit some more land marks, of course. An early afternoon trip down to the ruins of Sutro Baths, followed by a morning stomping around the Mission District in search of burrito utopia is just what the doctor ordered. Sadly, it seemed over before it started (as vacations often do), and no sooner was I chowing on refried beans and Dos Equis than was I on the plane returning to New Jersey. I am lucky to have visited this city 4 times in the last 6 years, but somehow, it isn't enough still. To quote Gonzo from the Muppets, "I'm going to go back there, someday."
