In no particular order, these are the descriptions I gave to my picture set of my latest trip to So-Cal:
Courtland stop…when I decided to cut the trip by a day, I thought I would make the best of it and cut through the Delta to get home…it was worth it!
A little stop in Big Sur for a few shots of espresso in a nice glass with chocolate milk and ice 
The only bad thing that happened, while I was there and the only motorcycle accident I saw the entire trip. I did not witness the biker going down, but I heard it. A car may have stopped short, and then the second biker ran in to the back of her husband when he braked hard. She appeared to be alright though, just a few scrapes and bruises and one messed up ego…and I am sure that the Harley had several thousand dollars of damage from the slide.
My second stop in Morro Bay…since the first one was just a drive by. One of the things that were good about the trip is that I did not make any plans, except for the first Saturday…other than that; it was flying by the seat of my pants. Well, emotionally it paid off in dividends, financially it sucked…but oh well. So that being said, I paid almost $200 to stay at a hotel in Morro Bay that really sucked…I am sure I will blog about that later or maybe even write a bad review somewhere. But back to the good stuff…I had never been here before this trip and found it to be a cool little city. I took a walk on the Embarcadero to find the place where I would feel the most comfortable eating solo. I found this awesome little place that had a live band and Coho-Salmon fish & chips!!! Those both paired well with a few Blue Moons When I woke up on Sunday, the fog had lifted and let me get some better pics!
First stop in Morro Bay…just a drive by on my way to Solvang.
Just a stop to see the Elephant Seals…it was a nice little lookout that really got you a little closer than you would normally get. I got to watch a small territorial spat between two males.
My lunch stop in Lucia…I would recommend that this is a “Must do” on your next trip to the coast. The view was breathtaking. Food was good too!
http://lucialodge.com/food.html
North of Malibu on PCH at the north western edge the Santa Monica Mountains.
Did I mention I ride a 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 650r My trusty stead kept me safe, took me fast and let me see the ride. Along the way, one of the things that were so great was the smell of it all. Being on the bike allowed me to smell the ocean in all its wonder (and sometimes all its blunder) as I rode along.
One of the main attractions of this ride was going to be stopping off at the Bixby Bridge. I fell in love with this Bridge a few years back and can never stop thinking about her. I knew that I had to one day ride my motorcycle to the Bridge…over the Bridge and around the Bridge. I did just that. I stopped and listened to one of my favorite DCFC songs…”Bixby Canyon Bridge”. I took pictures. I breathed. I reflected. Of all the stops along the way, this was the best. I even got a little choked up as I left her in my mirrors.
On the southbound leg of the trip, I stopped off at a “Vista Point” south of Gaviota and took these pictures. As I was getting geared back up to leave, I heard the unmistakable sound of a mammal’s blowhole. Not know what it was, I rushed to get my camera back out. They were too far away, but I snapped away anyways. Once I got home, I was able to see that they were dolphins. Yay for me! I liked the train tracks here too, as they also portrayed the constant of the ocean.
No trip to So-Cal is complete without at least one stop off at Kinda Lahaina (or as we lovingly put it…Whana Haka Lugi) in Seal Beach. So I did twice…Once with the bestest girl in the whole wide world and the second time was a wonderful time with just me and my step-mom.
Huntington Beach, on my day with my daughter. We got to see a Surfing contest and just walked around the shops and the pier. It was kind of cool, on one side of the pier was the recreational surfers and the other was the contest.
On my way up to see my sister, I took PCH up through Long Beach and around Palos Verdes Peninsula and then a stop off at Toes Beach in Playa del Rey. Most of the pictures were taken in Long Beach…but the best parts of this little mini trip were the mental pictures. The stop off in Rancho Palos Verdes was to get a Mocha…and what a view that little Starbucks had! Then while at Toes Beach I thought of all the good times that were had there. After that I had a great time with both sisters at dinner.
The Beginning of it. As I descended down on to the first true coastal part of the ride, this was the first stop. This is Ocean Beach on the “Great Hwy” just south of the Sutro Baths.
Stopped off in the Monterey area and got a car tour by my friend Donna. We went through Monterey, Carmel by the Sea, Sand City. These pictures were at a little tide pool area…but it did not have the abundant seal life I was hoping for…but it was still cool. Had dinner with a view! There was a sea lion hanging out on the rock below our window seat and a momma seagull feeding her baby.
On the northbound leg of the trip, I took Highway One through Lompoc…glad I did. I stopped off to take a break in Lompoc, as you can see by one of the pictures. This little side trip took me through Lompoc, Vandenberg and Guadalupe. I decided to take this little detour since I had to skip it on the southbound leg to get to Solvang.
Just a stop along the way…Not sure where I was, as I am looking back through the pictures.
A tribute to my late grandfather. He had to pictograph so many things that happened in his life. This is his lathe as it was being loaded on to a big rig on its way to its next journey.
They all wanted to sit on the Ninja…some even “joked” about wanting to ride it.
My second night of the southbound trip was a little stop off at Solvang. It was a good stop. I ended up getting the best hotel room of the trip at the best price (http://www.svendsgaardslodge.com)! I had dinner at the Bit O’ Denmark…Halibut and local wines…nice! I walked around the entire town a couple of times, taking it all in. The next morning for breakfast at the Solvang Restaurant, I decided to be a bit more daring…LOL. I had Medisterpølse with my breakfast. I was glad I did.
