Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Long Beach to San Luis Obispo


Happy Tuesday, This morning we found out there was a Chik'fil'a in Long Beach and so we headed a little out of the way to have breakfast there. Yum… We drive down to Long Beach and they are setting up for the Grand Prix so we skip going down to the beach and head back up into LA via Highway 1. We drive along the coast for a while and it's beautiful Basically a lot like West FL but with more waves and the water is nasty cold. No swimming for me.

My allergies are going bonkers. There are hundreds of blooming plants and trees and no way to figure out what is causing it but I luckily brought my medicine. I am hoping once we reach further North they will give me a break. I am actually surprised I have not had any problems through the entire trip until California. Maybe I am allergic to this state?!?!? Heh…

For lunch we know exactly where we want to be. 970 La Brea Avenue a.k.a. Pink's Hot Dog Stand. This has been a suggestion from friends, family and Food TV as well as several of our books so we figure we can not bypass it. We grab a few dogs and a Spicy Polish Sausage and have lunch then drive down Hollywood Blvd for a couple pictures… I am discovering I really don't care much about celebrities. *shrug* so we head over to Malibu for the afternoon and to avoid LA rush hour traffic.

So while I was in Vegas I neglected to post about my jewelry making class. On Friday I took a class about wire wrapping jewelry. I will post a picture of the necklace I made. It was very cool and I learned a ton of useful tips and tricks to help me become more skilled at it. I am glad we decided to take this trip.

While driving along 1 and 101 we decide to cut across from Santa Barbara to San Luis Obispo via a "short cut" now frequently our short cuts have been more like long cuts (see 10,000 Feet up OMG) this cut turns out to be similar and equally as beautiful. We drive along through the Los Padres National Forest and right past the Cachuma Lake Area. It is like paradise and as I mention this we drive past a sign for Paradise Road. Hehe apparently great minds think alike. We are planning to stop in San Luis Obispo tonight in order to make San Francisco by early afternoon tomorrow. The sun is beginning to set and I will see if I can get some nice pictures tonight. I need to remember to post last nights sunset. It was beautiful.

We found it… I should explain. Many many many months ago Bill and I discussed this hotel called the Madonna Inn. http://www.madonnainn.com/ he had found a link on some website and thought it looked very cool. We daydreamed a bit about flying down and staying in one of their very interesting rooms. Well time passed and we didn’t think about it much again until… As we were driving from LA to San Luis Obispo Bill says… where was that hotel we saw on the internet that one time? I immediately remember exactly what he was talking about… well guess where it is? San Luis Obispo… We remembered that they tend to fill up and that they generally require reservations so we do not get our hopes up as we travel along the road. We arrive and in Bright Pink Neon it says VACANCY! I squeak my pleasure and we rush to the registration desk. This is not your average everyday hotel. The owner is a bit eclectic and so every room is completely different… when I say "different" I mean REALLY different. When you walk into the registration area they have a wall lined with postcards of each room with their name and number on them. You receive a list of rooms that are available for the night and prices and you get to choose your room from the wall. (I am glad I saved so much for this trip LOL.)

We got the Cabin Still room. Here is what the website has to say about the room "Conversation pieces everywhere you look in this room! We have built a replica of an old-fashioned still in the bath, but no “moonshining.” The bathroom has a chain that comes down from the ceiling that you flush with… the nightstands are rocks coming out of the wall. The walls, floors and part of the ceiling are all rocks. The lights above the bed are lanterns. The whole room is traditional still. I feel like I am living in Uncle Jessie's bathroom (for reference see Dukes of Hazzard.) So it seems California may have some redeeming factors. Check flickr for more pictures of the weird room. Heh

This is definitely turning out to be the most unusual and likely unforgettable vacation I have ever taken.

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