Monday, August 2, 2010

Trip to CA

In July, Creighton and I took our first vacation sans Marshall to California with our friends Aaron and Mandy. Unlike our last trip to CA, I did not do a good job of taking pictures...quite pitiful really. But I think it's because I was trying to relax and enjoy the moment, rather than capture it. So here are a couple that we did capture!

We started our trip with an afternoon in San Francisco, then headed up to Sonoma for dinner at our favorite restaurant, El Dorado Kitchen. We fell in love with this place on our last trip and as usual, it did not disappoint! Thankfully they still had my fav dessert, homemade cookie ice cream sandwiches with a chocolate and caramel dipping sauce - YUMM-EY!

We spent the next day in Napa and enjoyed some tastings at a couple of different wineries. Below is a picture of us in front of Darioush, one of our favorites! This place is over the top (as you can tell by the decor) the owner's Persian so he wanted to bring his "home" to Napa.




After Napa, we headed down the famous Hwy 1, Pacific Coast Hwy for a very long and picturesque drive down to Paso Robles, our next stop. The views are just breathtaking and an absolute testament to the glory and greatness of God's creation. We made a stop in Santa Cruz to enjoy a walk on the beach. Then off to Monterrey and the 17-mile Drive at Pebble Beach.

On the boardwalk in Santa Cruz


At Pebble Beach, the self-named "log of love" since it seemed to be the photo op location for all the couples...even for Mandy and I!







This picture doesn't really capture the wicked view of the trees along the coastline. You see them a little better, along with all those seals in the next picture.


The famous "Lone Cypress" it's the one in the background growing all by itself out on that rock.
I didn't take a single picture the entire time we were in Paso Robles, but I did whip out the camera at Hearst Castle, owned by the famous media mogul William Randolph Hearst. This place is huge and beautiful! These are just a few pics from the tour.


Main House

Outdoor Swimming Pool

Dining Hall - he wanted a narrow table so that people had to talk to each other, love it!

Indoor Swimming Pool with real gold tiles!

After Paso Robles, we headed back north and stayed the night in Half Moon Bay before heading to the airport in the morning. Half Moon Bay is a lazy little surfing town and our hotel was right on the beach. Although it was in the 50's it was still nice to be by the ocean, ahhhh...miss it already!

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