The California Coast

Matt and I were fortunate enough to sneak away for 5 days and 4 nights to explore the California coast.  It has been a busy summer so it was quite a treat to get away and get some time alone with one another!  This month also marks 10 years since we started dating...CRAZY that we have been together for a decade.  My parents watched the kids and I think it was a win-win all around.  The kids loved the chance to stay at grandma and grandpas, my parents loved having them and we had a blast!

We talked about a few places we wanted to see but left Wednesday morning with no plan other than to drive north and get through LA.  We didn't make any hotel reservations and just decided to roll with it.  For the most part it worked out great and we learned a few things for our next trip up the coast!

This is the abbreviated version of our trip.  Read on for more details:)

Day 1- San Diego to Paso Robles-  

We stopped in San Luis Obispo for lunch, visited a mission and walked around the very cute town.  

Yup, that's gum.

We made it to Paso (as the locals call it) around 4.  We were able to stop in and visit a few wineries and found a great place to stay, Paso Robles Inn, right in town.

Day 2: After a fun night and sleeping in, we woke up full of energy, packed up and headed back on the road.  We spent the bulk of the day driving but hit some amazing spots.  

Our hotel in Paso

 Our first step was the Elephant seals.  They were big and entertaining...worth a quick stop.

The Drive to Big Sur is so pretty and earned the hype... I especially loved McWay Falls.

At the end of the drive, almost to Monterey, we stopped at the Pebble Beach golf course for a drink on  the 18th hole.

Final stop of the day was Monterey.  We spent the evening exploring Cannery Row and went to a tasting room with an unbelievable view of the bay.  It was a fun night but we both agreed we are really happy to have ended up in San Diego rather than Monterey.

Day 3: We started off the morning in Carmel with an delicious breakfast and a walk around the quaint town.  Another stop that is definitely worth a visit.  

After breakfast and some fun window shopping we went to the beach to walk through the sand and dip our toes in the water.

Next, we headed up to check out the Redwoods in Henry Cowell State Park.  Matt has always wanted to see them and we didn't realize they were so close.  Wandering amongst the massive trees was a great way to spend the afternoon.

About lunch time we made it to Santa Cruz and ate lunch downtown.  It is a great area with a fun vibe and I thought that the Boardwalk would be the same...not so much!  It was  pretty typical boardwalk.  Matt and I played a round of skeet ball, walked on the pier and went on a crazy ride.

We walked on the pier and these seals we so close.  We could have touched them if we were crazy enough to do so.

After enough craziness in Santa Cruz we started making our way south.  We hoped to make it to Santa Barbara we had to pass through Paso around dinner so we stopped for a bite and never left until the following morning:).

Day 4:  Paso Robles to Santa Ynez Valley  A.K.A wine country to wine country.

Heaven...

Later in the day... I was trying to take pictures of the beautiful scenery and Matt kept photo bombing me.

Day 5: Santa Barbara to San Diego
We go into Santa Barbara around 11 and explored as much of the town as we could in a short amount of time.  We started off riding bikes and headed up State Street.  We missed their last night of Fiesta Days,  a big party, the night before but we caught the Fiesta Bike Ride.  We were enjoying a nice stroll and then all of a sudden realized that hundreds of bikers were riding the opposite direction and a few called for us to join so we made a U Turn and joined the crowd for a while. When in  Rome (or Santa Barbara)...  Apparently it is a yearly thing and bikers ride from State Street to Isla Vista where UCSB is.  I am going to start working on the kids going here for school so we can come visit!

There is a nice mix of relaxation, beauty, and fun in this town.  We only got a taste but his is one of my must come back to places...hopefully, often!

We stopped in San Clemente, another cute beach down between LA and San Diego, for dinner and then rushed home to see the kiddos.  Matt barely parked the car before I had my door opened and was jumping out.  It was such a great reunion...more on their fun filled adventures with Grandma and Grandpa in another post.