Road Trip!!!

Last weekend I drove down to my Mom's who lives in Valencia just off of interstate 5.  Two weekends ago my Sister in Law, Kerri was here visiting and she talked me into taking my daughter Georgia (four yrs. old) with her back to San Diego.  This way Georgia and her cousin Kaitlyn (Kerri's daughter) could play to their hearts content.  So for a week we were absent of Georgia, the sunshine that she is.  This puts me to this last weekend.  I drove down to get Georgia from my Mom's as Kerri was so sweet to drive Georgia up, so that I wouldn't have to drive all the way to San Diego.  Thanks Kerri!  With me on my road trip, I brought along my oldest two children Kalen and Gwyneth and of course the baby Summer as she is still a "wee" nursing one.  We had so much fun!  And I got to relive so many memories from my childhood.  We got to my Mom's Sunday evening and left fresh and early the next morning on Monday to start our adventure.  I told the children we would take highway 101 (also highway 1 in some places)to go back home.

Our adventure started on highway 126 a precursor to 101.  I was born and raised in Southern California.   I particularly love this part of California, who doesn't with the rolling hills, the orange groves  and the coast.   My sweet Great Grandparents, Arno and Flora lived in Santa Paula in a nice mobile home park.  I have many memories as my dad would take me to visit them often.  We would always order Chinese takeout  while there.  Meanwhile I would be in their side yard picking all of the figs (they had a huge fig tree) I could get my hands on, eating them as fast as I could, they were so good!

This is me with my Grandma Pat and Grandma Flora.

Me doing a cart wheel in their mobile home park.

Growing up in Southern California our favorite beaches were Ventura Beach and Zuma Beach (Zuma is in Malibu.)  Ventura is on the way to Santa Barbara and my Grandpa Jim lived in SB as long as I knew him.  We visited him pretty frequently.  We stopped at the last house he lived in before his passing, which is the one below.  This is my mom (Grandpa Jim's daughter) with Kalen, Gwyneth, Georgia and Summer.

This is a picture of the coast off of the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway).  Do you know how many times I have seen this pier?  Countless, countless times.  It got me to thinking.  My Mom and I traveled this highway mainly to visit family and my Dad and I traveled on this highway mainly for adventure.  My Dad and I have driven this highway up and down searching for good camping spots.  We have traveled it to eat at good restaurants (The Big Yellow House), we have traveled it just to see the sights, and we have traveled it to go fishing (below).  I feel like this highway belongs to me.  It begs the question, "What will my children feel belongs to them out of everything they will have experienced?"

My Dad and I fished and camped here a couple of times.

We said goodbye to the coast and took 101 to Solvang!  My dad also took me here a couple of times during Christmas.  If you haven't been here-go!  It's the cutest, quaintest, sweetest most adorable little Dutch town.  Once you go, you may as well say you've been to the Netherlands because this is as good as it gets (I can say that, since I've been there).   The whole town is beautifully decorated for Christmas.

My mom and the kids sitting in front of a cute little boutique decorated for Halloween. My mom drove back home from here (she joined us for the day, she is two hours from Solvang).   I told the children we could make one more stop.....The Madonna Inn!!! The Madonna is in San Luis Obispo. My Dad also took me here when I was little.  All I remember is that it was the most beautiful hotel ever!  How funny the perspective of a young child because this hotel is so over the top and tacky!  (meant to be)  I was told to visit the Inn for one thing in particular....the men's bathroom downstairs from the restaurant.  See below.  

Here it is, the men's bathroom.  It's hard to tell but this is a water fall flowing and the men simply pee into it.  This is their urinal.  As we were walking out Kalen said, "Mom, I don't think any men really use this bathroom," I siad, "Why not?"  Kalen said, "Because there are always women in it."  He might be right....then again he might be wrong......We had a great trip,  I loved traveling with the bigger kids, they are awesome!  The whole time during the drive were questions from them like, "Mom, would you get dropped in the ocean for a million dollars or would you eat a bowl of worms for one hundred dollars?"  Hilarious.   This was one of my favorite times with the children, it's fun to experience them in smaller batches sometimes.  :)  And it was great to tour the places that my heart is so fond of.