GRT2014 Days 20-22 Santa Barbara, CA to Pacific Grove, CA

I write this as I'm having my breakfast, on my way out of Pacific Grove. But I'll be back in just a few days!

I spent time on Monday wandering around Santa Barbara since I'd not seen that part of the state.  Wow is it ever beautiful! They do not have the rocky beaches that this part of the state enjoys, but they certainly have some spectacular scenery.  For those that have access to my Facebook page, these pics will be duplicates, but heck, who minds seeing such gorgeousness again?

Oh  rats. All the good ones are on the computer. I'll update this post later today.

I left Santa Barbara around 1:00, heading to Morro Bay. I had read a bit about it and it seemed like a good place to spend Some time. I wanted to settle in for a few nights rather than jumping from place to place on my way to my friend Kathy's house in Dublin. It was a short hop - just a little over 100 miles. 

I promise I was NOT looking for the quilt shop. I simply arrived into the town of Morro Bay and there was the shop, right on the corner of one of the main intersections. Talk about location! You don't think I passed it by, do you. Not only no, but hell no! I whipped right into their (tiny) parking lot & made myself right at home. I got advice for a hotel, an invitation to a retreat that starts today (turned that down), and good chat about quilts. Since I knew I would be in town for 3 nights, I figured I could make my purchases later.

Nope.

After spending some time driving around the tiny berg, I decided I didn't really like it after all. I headed north. Pacific Grove, here I come! I know my way around here pretty well now, so didn't really care that

it was dark by the time I got here.  I had a few minutes of panic, though, about halfway up when I remembered the AT&T golf tournament is going on this week. Crap! Would I find a hotel? 

Not only did I find a hotel, I found a gem. Andril Fireplace Cottages is just great! I had a suite, which is really more like a little 3 room apartment.  Honestly, I could live in that little place!  The fireplace and full size kitchen were worth the price of admission.

And really, how can it be bad when your wood bin is stocked for you every day and all you have to do is start the fire? They even stocked wine glasses. Yep. I'm good.  

So I spent my two full days here making up for not walking earlier in the trip. I walked all day both days,  both in exercise mode, and in looking-around mode. Wandered some streets I hadn't been down before, got my pesky roots taken care of, and generally enjoyed myself. I thought I might break out the sewing machine, but that didn't happen either. My plans are usually just mere suggestions. I walked instead.  (For those of you that know about Back Porch Fabrics, I haven't been the yet. My Visa melted in Scottsdale, remember? Gotta get that billing cycle closed first.)

So I spent the time just enjoying this beautiful pace. Have a look.

And that's just a glimpse of the beauty that is Pacific Grove.  No wonder the butterflies come back here every year. (And me, too!)

I'm over 3000 miles into my journey. I keep forgetting to check the tripometer, but its keeping track. I'm so glad you're enjoying the trip with me!

Thanks for stopping by.

GRT2014 Days 16-19 Scottsdale, AZ and Goleta, CA

The last few days in Scottsdale sort of flew by. After making more of my sections of my project from Gail Garber's class, I then went to my Louisa Smith 2-day class. We had a great time make circles and Xs (hugs and kisses), then playing on our design walls. It's a really interesting concept.  I can see multiple projects using this technique.  Louisa is in the midst of publishing prep, so look for the book in the not too distant future. 

There are some pics on my Facebook page, but I am in a restaurant as I write this so cant upload anything new right now.  Check tomorrow. 

My roomie Dolores left on Saturday, but I stayed over to get a second dose of the Chihuly exhibit after having lunch with my brother.  he ended up having a root canal, so tho plans got cancelled. Then, after an Intense week of class, I decided I needed just a quick nap before heading back over to the Desert Botanical Garden.  Ha! The "quick nap" lasted till 7:00 pm. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.  Although I still think I'm in my 30s, I'm not. After a week of class, running around, too much rich food, and entertaining in our little casita for 3 evenings, I was really tired! Sometimes I need to catch up on the sleep.

Sunday morning, I decided to head to Joshua Tree National Park then spend the night in that area. The joy of driving is that I can change my mind on the fly.  I forgot that I'd gain an hour by changing time zones again.  It was so early when I got to the exit for Joshua, and the Pacific was calling me so loudly, that I just kept driving to see how close I could get to Morro Bay. 

 Let me offer a little insight on navigation systems at this point.

I think I may have mentioned that the nav system in my car is way, way out of date and that updating has, so far, not been possible (many curse words inserted here). So I sort of use it as a back-up, but am also using Google maps on the iPad to navigate since it is equipped with the newest roads that the car is unaware of.  Yea. Well. The iPad took me right thru Burbank and its surrounds.  Argh! The traffic, even on a Sunday afternoon, was ridiculous. I should've listened to the old dude and taken I-10 to "the 5" and come up that way.  Still, I got to see parts of California I'd not yet seen. 

I ultimately ended up in Goleta, which is really Santa Barbara but probably less expensive. I made it this far because I wasn't about to stop in the LA/Hollywood area and deal with that traffic on a weekday morning. Although it is dingy and full of buildings with not much "California" in sight, I was intrigued enough with what I saw to think I'd like to go back sometime.  I didn't see the Hollywood sign in the hills, but I didn't have much opportunity to take my eyes off the road, either.  I don't even know if I was in the right area to see it.  

I drove over 500 miles yesterday, which I don't really,like to do, but now I have just 100 miles to go today to get to Morro Bay.  I'd like to do a little walking around Santa Barbara before I head north, though. It's quite beautiful her and I need pictures.

So that's what I've been up to for the last few days. Always an adventure, and I truly never know what I'll do next unless its one of the few things that are concrete plans. What a fun way to travel! My clothes still fit, but my body is begging for some exercise, so maybe walking around Santa Barbara is exactly what I need.  Stay tuned!

Thanks for stopping by.