wednesday, october 20, 11:45 am
we arrive at lax. our flight to san francisco is scheduled for 12:15 so we grab a sandwich at starbucks and eat it next to our packed gate while people-watching. i expect to see ten trillion "hollywood" type people milling about. fake blonde hair, fake tans, fake boobs. you know. although there is the occasional ugg and sweatsuit-wearing combo, i am surprised not to see any of the aforementioned stereotypes. i resign to the fact that this is, after all, the airport. most people are here to visit or en route to another destination.
soon, our packed gate is overflowing with passengers and they call for volunteers to sacrifice their seats. i get excited. i have ALWAYS wanted to do this, but never had the time (or the paid ticket) to be able to wait for a later flight. i run this idea by marcus...earn $600 in travel for four hours of waiting. he likes the idea too. we are like kids at christmas waiting for them to announce that we have "won" the travel vouchers....at least it felt like winning to us. thirty minutes later, we are enjoying beer and margaritas and staring at our newly acquired "free trip" coupons....a traveler's dream.
wednesday, october 20, 6:30 pm
we have picked up our rental car and are headed down the coast toward monterey. by staying the extra time in lax, we have given up the chance to enjoy the "nice" dinner we had planned for carmel. instead, we opt for our first in-n-out burger experience. i had honestly never even heard of this place until marcus said we needed to stop at one before leaving the state. the verdict? eh. it's a burger. the nice thing about this place is that there are only three things on the menu. hamburger. cheeseburger. double cheeseburger. this makes it hard for them to screw your order up. and since this is all they do, it does come out hot and fresh...so i guess it's not all that bad. we drive the remaining hour and a half to monterey on the dark, winding mountain roads. mild carsick alert. we arrive at the hotel, check in and hit the sack.
thursday, october 21, 7:45 am
we are up and dressed. we have no set plan, but are ready to see the ocean. so we start driving. within a mile, we've find a beach trail that carries you to the pier. we park and head over a tiny sand dune that unveils the morning sea. it is windy and briny along the coast. although it is crisp and pleasant to be near the pacific, we are not so impressed. even less impressed as we approach the smelly, run-down pier of old shops and tourist-trap eateries. this is the great california? our spirits are dampened with the heavy mist. we don't stay long. after a hike up some stairs for a better view of barnacle-laden boats and rotting seal fur, we power-walk back to the car and head for the shower.
thursday, october 21, 10:30 am
breakfasted and repacked, we load up and head out for pebble beach. marcus' dream is to play this course, but prices deter us from spending an entire day here. we are content to simply see the wonders of this rich man's paradise. we park and spend about 45 minutes roaming the property, course, shops, and hotel. it is beautiful.
next stop....henry cowell redwoods state park. just before we hit it, i see a local artichoke farm featuring "freshly steamed artichokes." i have to try. i eat the entire thing alone at a picnic table while marc browses the little farmer's market for other treats. i am satisfied with my morning snack, so we leave for the park. we arrive and are virtually the only people there. i don another jacket layer, put on my "hiking" shoes and we enter the forest of gargantuan wonder. we marvel at the sheer might and calm of such a place. truly breathtaking. as we wander, we notice dozens of trees that have hollowed out trunks. marcus meanders near one entrance to investigate. he crouches for a picture and then scoots inside the tree for a better look. we laugh as we imagine some small animal scrambling around inside the cavernous hole and pouncing on him. with the aid of our camera flash, he captures the hollowed-out base and then bolts back out. the resulting images show that it is black and charred inside. at the ranger's station later, we will discover that the tree's natural defense after a forest fire is to hollow out its own damaged areas. pretty remarkable. we soak in as much of these amazing feats of nature as we can and then head to the parking lot for the 85 mile drive back to san francisco along highway 1.
thursday, october 21, 2:00 pm
it's time for lunch. we drive into santa cruz, where i gape at the beachfront roller coaster. marcus is not as thrilled by it. we buzz in and out of the small streets, looking for somewhere to eat. nothing but fast food junk. finally we spot a diner called the saturn cafe. it has curved, floor to ceiling windows and plastic booths with funky paintings on the walls. looks interesting. we pop in and open the menus. i notice a few vegetarian options and then start hunting for the meat choices. chili. mmmm. oh wait. it's vegetarian. blt. yes! oh wait. fakin' bacon. we then start to get a clue. an entirely vegetarian menu. bleh. marcus is smart and orders an omelette. at least eggs are closer to real food. i get some fake chicken sandwich. the flavor is alright, but it doesn't satisfy. in-n-out burger is sounding better by the minute. at least i had had my artichoke earlier. as we leave the cafe for the roadway, i'm already talking about stopping for ice cream.
about twenty minutes into the drive, we hit it. the road opens up and there is the ocean. the sprawling coastline of cliffs and white, crashing waves. THIS is the great california. wow. we pull over after an hour at a spot with massive rocks. the tide must be coming in because the waves are magnificent. they are deafening as the pound the rocks and spray blasts of icy water at us. we climb to the top and just watch. marcus has seen this kind of treasure before in georgia. i, however, am a first-timer. and i am enthralled. we stay for a while until the wind has chilled us. i probably could stay all night. such power. but san francisco still beckons us, so on we press.
about twenty minutes into the drive, we hit it. the road opens up and there is the ocean. the sprawling coastline of cliffs and white, crashing waves. THIS is the great california. wow. we pull over after an hour at a spot with massive rocks. the tide must be coming in because the waves are magnificent. they are deafening as the pound the rocks and spray blasts of icy water at us. we climb to the top and just watch. marcus has seen this kind of treasure before in georgia. i, however, am a first-timer. and i am enthralled. we stay for a while until the wind has chilled us. i probably could stay all night. such power. but san francisco still beckons us, so on we press.
thursday, october 20, 5:30 pm
downtown san francisco. rush hour. yikes. we locate our hotel where marcus dumps me out and then has to circle the enormous, one-way blocks because there is no stopping on the curb at this hour. luckily, valet is available within 10 minutes and we head up the tiny elevator to our tiny, but elegant room. we are very reminded of europe in this room. we call around to find a nice restaurant within walking distance. we set a reservation for alfred's, the oldest steakhouse in the city. we should have just taken a cab down to the wharf. the food is just ok. we are annoyed enough to venture a long walk to another oldie, tadich grill, for dessert. marcus plays some merry tunes on his pandora and we step-dance our way down the sidewalks. soon, a flood of giants' fans come our way as the world series game comes to an end. the city is bubbling with sparkling lights, happy people, and a gentle breeze. it's lovely to be in this exact spot at this exact moment.
downtown san francisco. rush hour. yikes. we locate our hotel where marcus dumps me out and then has to circle the enormous, one-way blocks because there is no stopping on the curb at this hour. luckily, valet is available within 10 minutes and we head up the tiny elevator to our tiny, but elegant room. we are very reminded of europe in this room. we call around to find a nice restaurant within walking distance. we set a reservation for alfred's, the oldest steakhouse in the city. we should have just taken a cab down to the wharf. the food is just ok. we are annoyed enough to venture a long walk to another oldie, tadich grill, for dessert. marcus plays some merry tunes on his pandora and we step-dance our way down the sidewalks. soon, a flood of giants' fans come our way as the world series game comes to an end. the city is bubbling with sparkling lights, happy people, and a gentle breeze. it's lovely to be in this exact spot at this exact moment.
friday, october 21, 6:45 am
we begin to layer up for our morning run. the golden gate bridge awaits. we arrive to an empty parking lot and relish in the fact that we are here early enough to avoid paying for parking. we climb the stairs to the start of the bridge and breathe in as we see the size of it towering ahead. we are off and running. 1.7 miles across and we're totally alone, save three bikers. i reach out and touch the enormous cables as we approach the first suspender. i glance over my right shoulder at alcatraz and the city, still lit up from the night. when we reach the other side, we stop for several minutes to catch the sun rising abovethe buildings, in all it's glory. magic moment. we turn around for the run back just as the fog rolls in. the city vanishes. we are running in a virtual cloud. now wet and misty, we are grateful to have had this private morning event to forever catalog in our minds. in later passing, we will realize just how lucky we were to have the bridge to ourselves. tourists come in droves later in the day. it's funny, but i do feel awfully lucky an awful lot of the time.
to be continued...
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