After visiting antique stores and the general hardware store, there wasn't anything left to do but enjoy apple pie... At the Julian Pie Company.
These are Jenni's folks who nicely treated them to the aforementioned goodies.
Leaving Julian, they passed through the areas recently hit by the fires. Seeing many blackened trees and ground, it was amazing to see how many houses had been saved, and to realize how much work went into save each house.
Watching the sunset as they weaved along the winding road, they said goodnight to one more day in fabulous California and prepared for their last official day of vacation.
Their final evening in California was spent at wedding of a high school friend of Jenni. Stacey said her "I do" as we all commented how beautiful she looked. Bryan and Jenni laughed and chatted with friends Heather and Love over drinks and appetizers. Sadly, Jenni was struck by an intolerable migraine headache and they had to leave the festivities early. Such an incredible bummer. While they would have loved to stay at the wedding longer, they are thankful for the few extra hours they had with Jenni's parents.
Departing the infamous Madonna Inn, Bryan and Jenni headed south, leaving the Northern California wind swept coast for the Southern California surf swept coast. Their first stop was the delightful beachtown of Pismo Beach. Take it from them, there's not a single thing to do in Pismo on a Wednesday at 11am except watch the birds and the surfers. And so they did.
Bird in Pismo framed by surfers in Pismo.
Jenni and Bryan were delighted to learn that Pismo Beach is famous for the Pismo Clam! The Pismo Clam is actually found up and down the coast but this city has pride, and that must be why they took a very, very large clam sculpture and dressed it up like a turkey. Funny, no?
Cruising along Highway 1 and 101, they saw pretty coast lines, small towns, and eventually made it to Santa Barbara with plenty of time to find the beach and find themselves on the pier with a drink in hand.
Santa Barbara is magical, especially in the fall with a beautiful sunset. Bryan may currently be scheming about how he can live forever in Santa Barbara... despite Jenni's stern warnings about how expensive it is.
In Santa Barbara they chose a beachfront motel for the night. A dump but look at the view for breakfast!
After Santa Barbara they headed even farther south, into the land of LA. LA is a very scary place but they stayed strong and stuck to the coastline. A pretty drive through Malibu and they found themselves at the Santa Monica pier. Not interested in rides, candy or other tacky touristy things, they tried on hats. Bryan opted not to buy this one.
Jenni did buy this hat. It's cute. And green.
A little more driving south and they stopped to take in Venice Beach. A good time of people watching, people avoiding, and quick street art perusing. An hour or so later they looked at each other and said, "I'm hungry... In N Out!" Unfortunately, this tiny tale doesn't have a happy ending because there was no In N Out to be found and they were overwhelmed by LA, even the coastal part. The first opportunity they could, they jumped on the 405 and didn't stop until they reached San Diego.
Just midway through their trip, they arrived at the destination Jenni has most been looking forward to... The Madonna Inn. The Madonna Inn is famous for being odd, and tacky, and strange. And for having a cave room. With real rocks! We'll just cut to the chase here, you should never drive through this part of the state without a stop at the Madonna Inn. Each room has a different theme and they don't do anything here half-assed...
Bryan prepared for quite a treat as he entered the Rocky Mountain room!
The Rocky Mountain room in all its glory! Real rocks! Wooden rocking chairs! Lamps shaped like sticks! Blue walls!
Bathroom in the Rocky Mountain room, over the top but somehow just short of terribly tacky. And, the highlight of the whole room.... (drum roll...)
ROCK WALL WATERFALL SHOWER!
Celebrating good times at the Madonna Inn, Bryan and Jenni feasted on a relatively small breakfast in a very, very large red booth.
Day five of their adventure began along the 17 Mile Drive to Carmel. Beautiful!
The 17 Mile Drive is perfect for spotting the creatures Jenni and Bryan discovered at the Aquarium. Here they watched otters frolick, kelp float, and birds fly around.
Near the end of the drive they stopped to see the Lone Tree. You can never get enough of this Lone Tree! So zen, so picturesque. Just downright cool.
With the tree.
After a stop in Carmel for a coffee and more hoity-toity than they could stomach, they hit the open road for their first ever ride through Big Sur.
The Big Sur coastline is breathtaking. Snapping pictures left and right, Jenni just couldn't get enough of it.
Hugs and sunshine made them very happy.
Stopping for a very tasty lunch at the famous restaurant along the coast, Bryan pondered the menu and took in the view.
A view like this isn't something you see on your typical lunch break. Fantastic!
Back on the road they drove, and drove. But fell more in love with the beauty of California. Just around that point way out there they'd find their hotel for the night, The Madonna Inn. A chapter in and of itself.
Day four of their fabulous vacation, Jenni and Bryan embarked on the roadtrip portion of the adventure. They headed south along Highway 1 with the ocean to their right and the road laid out ahead.
After a brief stop in Bonny Doon and a cruise through Santa Cruz, they arrived at their destination - the Monterrey Bay Aquarium. The excitement was so great Jenni dared make a fishface for the camera.
Once in the Aquarium, Jenni discovered her love for jellyfish. Is there a creature more beautiful?
Jellyfish.
Jellyfish.
Ugly fish.
Jellyfish.
Bryan was a huge fan of the kelp forest and kept a keen eye out for the Garibaldi fish, of which he has a fascination that can't really be explained.
The Monterrey Bay Aquarium rocks!
They even touched starfish!
Happy together, happy with the fish, and taking in the sunset, so concludes Chapter Two.
Bryan and Jenni embarked on a journey, a journey that would last 10 days and take them through many beautiful lands.
Their first stop was San Francisco. Hooray for San Francisco! How they love that city... What with the Golden Gate Bridge, the beautiful fall weather, their terrific friends there, and the tasty, tasty food. San Francisco is a very special place.
They enjoyed very yummy food. Naan! N' Curry!
And the crab... the buttery, delicious, garlic-y crab. Ooohh... the crab.
They enjoyed good times with friends.
Longtime friends!
Silly friends!
Wonderful friends!
Even friends from out of town!
While they were there, they celebrated the very special holiday of Jenni's 31st birthday. The city brought out the rain but they brought out their friends and a good time was had by all.
There's no better way to sail quickly into your 30's than with alcohol and Jenni did not disappoint.
Even a candle to blow out for a good wish. Even though so many wishes had already come true.
Jenni and Bryan love each other. And they love The City. Nothing could be better. But it's time to move onto to their next adventure which is just down the coast a bit...
