Chapter Five: Welcome to SoCal

When we had finally laid down, sprawled in the seats of my car, we feel asleep to the sound of crashing waves, just beyond the road where we had parked.

When I awoke (Paige was still oblivious to the world, lost amongst the folds of her sleeping bag), it was to the sounds of closing car doors, wax being spread onto boards, and zippers being pulled up. Sitting up in my seat, I strained to see outside the car, but struggled because of the thick layer of condensation that had formed inside of the car. Wiping it clear, I was shocked to see the road packed with cars and surfers, all getting ready to plunge into the morning swells. It was quite the sight to see. Who would have thought that the road that was empty the night before, was the local surfing spot. Rad dude.

After a little while, Paige finally stirred and cracked a smile, accompanied with a groggy "good morning." From there, we knew exactly what we needed to do - back track about six miles up the coast, to a specific cove that had been carved out by the waves over the last twenty years.

Pulling into the nearby swath of dirt that was designated as a parking lot, neither of us could wait to get out of the car. Walking quickly over to the edge of the cove, Paige let out a little squeal and I was speechless. There before us, laid out all over the beach and on top of one another, were some of the most hideous creatures I had ever seen. Elephant seals.

Not only were these things rather unattractive, the noises that came out of them were even stranger. I don't really even know how to describe it. Somewhere between a clogged drain or toilet, mixed with a busted washing machine. It certainly didn't sound natural, nor friendly. Couple these features with their lack of motivation - they'd move five feet then flop to a halt, as if it was the most strenuous activity in the world - and you have laying before you a creature that leaves you wondering how it made it so far along the evolutionary chain. They were an absolute hoot to see, don't get me wrong - we actually stared at them for probably close to forty five minutes, but man, were they some strange, ugly creatures.

Continuing down the coast, we just soaked up the views and chit chatted. We stopped at a few little towns, one of the main stops being Pismo Beach. I fell in love. I know I've said this a lot in the retelling of this trip, but this was thee perfect Southern California beach town. Surf shops were everywhere. Local seafood restaurants dominated the air space, filling your nose with all sorts of wonderful concoctions pulled from the sea. People were smiling. The waves were crashing. The breeze felt clean against your cheeks and refreshing as it blew threw your hair, tickling your scalp. It reminded me of what I miss about the East Coast and LBI. It reminded me of home.

What came next on our trip down the PCH was down right scary. For those of you who read my blog when I first began it, when I documented my move out West, you'll remember my feelings towards Branson, Missouri. Let me tell you...

We had another Branson moment.

This time, we stumbled upon Slovang, a Dutch Town, founded in 1911. While pretty, it was as hokey as can be. We're talking waffle and pancake houses everywhere, windmills, danish shops, carved store fronts. We weren't safe from anything.

When Paige had first mentioned Slovang, it sounded fun and interesting. Like we were going to step back in time, like driving through Amish country in Pennsylvania. We were wrong. This was 110% pure tourist trap. Sure, did we eat some pastries? Guilty. Were they good? Guilty again. Did I feel good about being one of those passing tourists who had been sucked into it's streets? Absolutely not. I'll be completely honest with you. We didn't stay for very long. A quick pastry, coffee refill, bathroom break, and we were on our way. I really just couldn't stop laughing the whole time I was there. I couldn't tell if it was because I felt like I had stumbled into the Twilight Zone or if the look of amazement and joy on all the other tourists' faces just made me that uncomfortable. Unlike Branson, I don't think I would have made it through the night. I need out. Immediately.

Ah Santa Barbara - how lovely are you? You guessed it, that was our next big stop for the day, to grab a late lunch at a rather popular chain of restaurants, Wahoo's Fish Taco's. It was my first time in Santa Barbara and it really reminded me of what Sonoma would be like if you plopped it down the coast a couple hundred miles. Houses were built into the hills, vineyards sprawled everywhere - the people friendly. The main street also kind of felt like a California Ithaca. It was lined with shops and restaurants and filled with a younger crowd. By the time we had hit Santa Barbara, we needed to pick up our pace a little in order to get home at a reasonable time, so we scarfed down our fish tacos and shrimp enchiladas, crawled back into the car and began our journey to Malibu.

Unfortunately as we approached Malibu, it had grown dark enough that most of the sights to see weren't anything special, but the moon had begun reflecting off the ocean perfectly, illuminating the road ahead of us like a giant streetlight.

Highlight of Malibu? Passing Jennifer Aniston's beach house.

So where did we end up next, at the bottom of the PCH? Santa Monica. My home.

And that my friends, was the end of the road trip. I know, a sad moment. I'm sad even thinking about it now, remembering all the memories and moments shared along the trip.

But wait!

Don't worry! While the road trip portion is over, we still have a week of time spent in LA to discuss! Wahoo!

So sit back and relax, we still have at least Chapter 6 to go.

Total Miles Driven: 1,644  

                                   Moo cows just chillin' on the PCH