Saturday!
Both felt a little hungover, and debated about whether to go shopping or do something proper. The guilt of wasting time in Austin got the better of us, so headed south about 30 miles or so to New Braunfels. This was a town that was billed as 'charmingly German'. This was clearly not the case, but perhaps Americans thought that it was. Having said that, it was a nice place, and had a villagely feel to it; found a farmers market with loads of delicious local produce - Jerky, Honey, Cheeses and most strangely of all, flavoured olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Had lunch and then set off to San Antonio, which was only another 30 miles south or so. San Antonio has the most 'European' feel to it out of any town that we have hitherto visited - was set out similarly, sunny, relaxed - and of course, the home of the Alamo.
The Alamo is the symbol of Texan resistance, and the root of their individualism. Around the 1830s there was an ownership tussle over Texas between the Mexicans and the then US. San Antonio knew that the attack was coming, but only had 100 or so irregulars manning the fort, bolstered by another 89 men from surrounding states who answered the call for help with Davy Crockett being one of those. The Mexican regular army then attacked and wiped out the defenders, only to be shortly afterwards be removed from the fort themselves as the US regulars arrived - too late to help their countrymen - but numerous enough to beat the Mexicans.
Arriving back in Austin about 5-ish, had a bit of a relax before heading out for steak and BBQ. The restaurant (Lamberts) that had been recommended by the waiter at Snack Bar had a 2 hour wait. Clearly popular and great, but we were not up for waiting for that long. There was another steak place nearby (Bob's Steak and Chop) - a bit pricier, but we reasoned that it would be good. Ensconsed at the upstairs (open air) bar, we chatted to the bar man about steak choice. He recommended rib eye for myself and rack of lamb for B. Our neighbours at the bar inevitably heard our accents and started chatting to us, very nice couple who were from Texas and who we also ended up talking to for the rest of the time there. It happened that the woman had also lived in the same small village as the lawman from Lubbock, 5 miles from where B grew up.
The steaks and lamb were fabulous. Truly one of the nicest I've eaten, and the lamb - again - perfectly cooked, tender, juicy and loads of it. It came served with what seemed like a single, large, raw carrot. In reality it was aldente and glazed in cinnamon, with the potatoes covered in a peppercorn sauce. A side of creamed spinach was also ordered, and again was absolutely fantastic. Despite B being gutted at not getting to try BBQ, she enjoyed her food immensely. The couple next to us also suggested that we visit a BBQ place called 'Franklins'. This is an unusual place, opens at 11am generally, but queues start forming around 9am for lunch. They come down the queue, take your order, and basically serve until they run out of meat.
A short note on steak size - the smallest they offered was 12oz, the largest 24. The barman suggested that 12oz would be sufficient - 16, he said, would be like a double portion, although and I quote, "24 is normal size for a Texan, but double for normal folks." 12oz was sufficient for me - I was tempted by the 16, as who can resist such a large slab of tasty meat? On reflection, it was just as well that I went for the smaller. Not sure who would be able to manage a 24oz steak along with the additionals.
Around this time, a text from Kate and David arrived, so we made tracks via one of the cycle couriers - a pedal powered tuk-tuk essentially, to the bar where their friend was singing. This was a fun evening, and got to meet some of their other mates; towards the end of the night, another musical friend of theirs told us of a party up the road at Robert Plant's house. Somewhat sceptical, we went along, as a party is a party, right? It didn't turn out to be *quite* at his house - that was next door, but he owned the one we were at for renting out. The band that was set up in the kitchen was pretty good although the kitchen was rammed and was difficult to get into and out of. A bit of hanging around chatting to randoms and was time to go home. Kate & David offered us a lift home which was very generous, stumbling into our flat at around 3.
Showing posts with label Hospitable Americans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hospitable Americans. Show all posts
Monday, 28 January 2013
Austin - 25/1/13
Had another really leisurely morning, glorying in the fact that there was no driving to be done.
Went into Downtown Austin to see if we could find some shops to buy another travel bag (so that we could bring back our additional purchases). Downtown Austin wasn't what we were expecting - no shops, just business district and restaurants, all centred on 6th street.
Elected to walk back up to South Congress, this time over the bridge rather than bussing it - turned out to be a lot further than anticipated. These American streets are huge. Walked past the SXSW (South by South West, a music & media festival) building - presumably where it's organised from, as SXSW takes over the entire city around March time. The tickets are insanely expensive if you want to take part in the full thing - $1500. However, it is possible to experience it by not paying, as all the artists that turn up for their gigs will play in other bars (despite their contracts specifically not allowing them to do so), naturally making it cheaper for punters and making the whole city one big party town for a week or so. Would be great to visit then - but book 6 months in advance for accommodation unless you know someone there.
Decided to walk further up SC than we did the day before and stopped at a really nice cafe (called 'Snack Bar' - US business names are very literal sometimes) for lunch. Our waiter, once pressed, told of some places downtown to get good steaks and BBQ (couldn't leave Texas without trying steak & BBQ!) and also mentioned a good live music venue called the 'Continental Club'. A bit further up the road, we stopped in at a sweet shop. They had UK chocolate in there, but at $3 for a Twirl or Star Bar, was not worth it. This shop turned out to be very fortuitous place to visit, as we bumped into a girl from Bradford who had moved there 3 years ago for music college, met someone and got married. They (Kate and David) were both lovely, and we had a chat, swapped numbers and agreed to perhaps meet them on saturday evening at a bar where one of their friends was gigging.
The sun was starting to go down, Kate and David had told of a great BBQ place called 'La Barbecue' (what was that about business names?) which was off down some side streets. This was interesting as we saw more of residential Austin than simply the shopping streets - seemed a nice neighbourhood. We found La Barbecue, but were too full from lunch still, so walked back to the bus stop and got back to the apartment for 'un rechargement' before going out later. Wandering around in the sun, shopping and eating is intensely tiring. Dont'ch'a'know.
We'd been told of an unusual street just out of Downtown, called Rainey street. This was a residential neighbourhood that has gradually over the last 4 years turned from that into a street of bars made from people's homes. Pretty buzzing place. 6th street used to be the place to go out in, but has filled up with students - locals who are a bit older stopped going there, as the surrounding streets got to be so busy that after about 6pm are closed off and made entirely pedestrian. Rainey street seemed to arise from this to cater for the older clientele who didn't want to be wading through youngsters and slipping on vomit.
I had forgotten my passport, but most places check IDs here, which was a minor concern. As it happened, the chap on the door wasn't that bothered and could see that we were over 21 so we got in. A few beers here, and then onto 'Bangers' - a sausage joint. Really nice food here, plus had cask ales. Alas, all sold out, but the thought was there. B experienced her nicest Bratwurst ever, and I had a Louisiana Lighting. This was bloody spicy, but delicious. Cab back, pretty reasonable price. In bed by 1.30.
Went into Downtown Austin to see if we could find some shops to buy another travel bag (so that we could bring back our additional purchases). Downtown Austin wasn't what we were expecting - no shops, just business district and restaurants, all centred on 6th street.
Elected to walk back up to South Congress, this time over the bridge rather than bussing it - turned out to be a lot further than anticipated. These American streets are huge. Walked past the SXSW (South by South West, a music & media festival) building - presumably where it's organised from, as SXSW takes over the entire city around March time. The tickets are insanely expensive if you want to take part in the full thing - $1500. However, it is possible to experience it by not paying, as all the artists that turn up for their gigs will play in other bars (despite their contracts specifically not allowing them to do so), naturally making it cheaper for punters and making the whole city one big party town for a week or so. Would be great to visit then - but book 6 months in advance for accommodation unless you know someone there.
Decided to walk further up SC than we did the day before and stopped at a really nice cafe (called 'Snack Bar' - US business names are very literal sometimes) for lunch. Our waiter, once pressed, told of some places downtown to get good steaks and BBQ (couldn't leave Texas without trying steak & BBQ!) and also mentioned a good live music venue called the 'Continental Club'. A bit further up the road, we stopped in at a sweet shop. They had UK chocolate in there, but at $3 for a Twirl or Star Bar, was not worth it. This shop turned out to be very fortuitous place to visit, as we bumped into a girl from Bradford who had moved there 3 years ago for music college, met someone and got married. They (Kate and David) were both lovely, and we had a chat, swapped numbers and agreed to perhaps meet them on saturday evening at a bar where one of their friends was gigging.
The sun was starting to go down, Kate and David had told of a great BBQ place called 'La Barbecue' (what was that about business names?) which was off down some side streets. This was interesting as we saw more of residential Austin than simply the shopping streets - seemed a nice neighbourhood. We found La Barbecue, but were too full from lunch still, so walked back to the bus stop and got back to the apartment for 'un rechargement' before going out later. Wandering around in the sun, shopping and eating is intensely tiring. Dont'ch'a'know.
We'd been told of an unusual street just out of Downtown, called Rainey street. This was a residential neighbourhood that has gradually over the last 4 years turned from that into a street of bars made from people's homes. Pretty buzzing place. 6th street used to be the place to go out in, but has filled up with students - locals who are a bit older stopped going there, as the surrounding streets got to be so busy that after about 6pm are closed off and made entirely pedestrian. Rainey street seemed to arise from this to cater for the older clientele who didn't want to be wading through youngsters and slipping on vomit.
I had forgotten my passport, but most places check IDs here, which was a minor concern. As it happened, the chap on the door wasn't that bothered and could see that we were over 21 so we got in. A few beers here, and then onto 'Bangers' - a sausage joint. Really nice food here, plus had cask ales. Alas, all sold out, but the thought was there. B experienced her nicest Bratwurst ever, and I had a Louisiana Lighting. This was bloody spicy, but delicious. Cab back, pretty reasonable price. In bed by 1.30.
Lubbock - Austin - 23/1/13
Managed to get out and be on the road by 9.15, a trip record. Today was going to be a lot of small roads - no interstates or freeways, so would be likely to take a while longer to cover a similar distance.
On the way out of Lubbock, we passed miles and miles of cotton fields - this was pretty interesting, as while we knew what they looked like, had never really seen them before. This spark of excitement soon passed as we drove through the next 100 miles of it.
Western/Northen Texas is the 'classic' Texas that you may think of: arid, desert-like and flat. There was some soil and clearly people were able to make a living from farming the land (arable and dairy/meat), but it didn't look easy, and as a result wasn't densely populated. The small towns we did drive through looked run down and not too wealthy - either filled with agricultural or chemical businesses. Chalk it up as our least favourite scenery.
What there was a lot of, however, was churches. The Lord has a strong presence here, as you might imagine, but they look nothing like a UK church. All single store, made of tin and wood, with only really a spire giving away it's true purpose: to save, praise be.
After a quick stop and snack, we came into Lampassas, the largest town we'd seen for a while - a lunch stop. Found this nice 'mom and pop' restaurant called 'Country Kitchen'. As you walked in, it was clearly very, very Texan. Nearly spit and sawdust, but not quite. B had brisket, pinto beans, potato salad and 'hush puppies', which are little corn maize balls. I had some fried chicken breast - both were pretty good, although I did get food jealousy after trying the brisket which melted in your mouth and very tasty BBQ sauce. This place also had an array of homemade pies - Pecan (pronouced p-khan over here), Cherry, Apple, Pumpkin, Lemon Meringue and a few others that we couldn't identify. This caused excitement, so after a mandatory purchase of p-khan and apple pies, we left.
As we arrived in Austin, it was rush hour. Nightmare traffic, close to LA levels, but made worse by Austin's completely incomprehensible highway system. Think Spaghetti Junction in Brum, but far bigger and by no means intuitive. After a bit of a struggle, we picked up the apartment keys and did a spot of food shopping. Met an American who has some good friends from Sheffield and loved our accents. Then, with heavy hearts, we tackled Austin traffic again to the apartment itself - again, rush hour, strange highway organisation, made for a taxing last few miles, taking about an hour to get through.
Lacking energy to do much else, we watched a couple of films before passing out. The drive in the main had been a cinch - just those last 20 miles or so had really taken it out of us after the 7 1/2 hours or so previously.
373 miles for this stretch:
View Lubbock - Austin in a larger map
On the way out of Lubbock, we passed miles and miles of cotton fields - this was pretty interesting, as while we knew what they looked like, had never really seen them before. This spark of excitement soon passed as we drove through the next 100 miles of it.
Western/Northen Texas is the 'classic' Texas that you may think of: arid, desert-like and flat. There was some soil and clearly people were able to make a living from farming the land (arable and dairy/meat), but it didn't look easy, and as a result wasn't densely populated. The small towns we did drive through looked run down and not too wealthy - either filled with agricultural or chemical businesses. Chalk it up as our least favourite scenery.
What there was a lot of, however, was churches. The Lord has a strong presence here, as you might imagine, but they look nothing like a UK church. All single store, made of tin and wood, with only really a spire giving away it's true purpose: to save, praise be.
After a quick stop and snack, we came into Lampassas, the largest town we'd seen for a while - a lunch stop. Found this nice 'mom and pop' restaurant called 'Country Kitchen'. As you walked in, it was clearly very, very Texan. Nearly spit and sawdust, but not quite. B had brisket, pinto beans, potato salad and 'hush puppies', which are little corn maize balls. I had some fried chicken breast - both were pretty good, although I did get food jealousy after trying the brisket which melted in your mouth and very tasty BBQ sauce. This place also had an array of homemade pies - Pecan (pronouced p-khan over here), Cherry, Apple, Pumpkin, Lemon Meringue and a few others that we couldn't identify. This caused excitement, so after a mandatory purchase of p-khan and apple pies, we left.
As we arrived in Austin, it was rush hour. Nightmare traffic, close to LA levels, but made worse by Austin's completely incomprehensible highway system. Think Spaghetti Junction in Brum, but far bigger and by no means intuitive. After a bit of a struggle, we picked up the apartment keys and did a spot of food shopping. Met an American who has some good friends from Sheffield and loved our accents. Then, with heavy hearts, we tackled Austin traffic again to the apartment itself - again, rush hour, strange highway organisation, made for a taxing last few miles, taking about an hour to get through.
Lacking energy to do much else, we watched a couple of films before passing out. The drive in the main had been a cinch - just those last 20 miles or so had really taken it out of us after the 7 1/2 hours or so previously.
373 miles for this stretch:
View Lubbock - Austin in a larger map
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
San Diego - 17/1/13
No driving! Awesome!
Up at 8 and chatted with Rebecca for an hour or so before getting ready and going out to San Diego Zoo. We got there about 10.30 and leisurely missioned our way around particularly as the weather was beautiful and hot (~20 degrees). The best thing that we both thought about the Zoo trip was seeing a polar bear in a huge enclosure with under-water viewing swimming about and doing Polar Bear-ish things. Apart from eating seals. No. Although in general, zoos are not the nicest of places, the greatest purpose of this zoo was to protect endangered species, some of which no longer live in the wild and are entirely domesticated. Definitely worth a visit.
Came back around 2.30 and chatted to our host some more. It was really lovely as the sun was starting to set and we were all just chilling doing our own thing for a bit. Felt really relaxed considering that we were in someone else's home that we had only met the day before.
At 7pm we went down into Ocean Beach town centre, a five minute walk from Rebecca's house to meet her and Ory at South Beach Bar and Grill. It had been suggested because of the Mahi (a meaty fish) Tacos. Pear cider on tap, so B was made up. I had a beer that had been brewed with oranges, and was surprisingly tasty. We ordered peel'n'eat fresh prawns with a tomato and horseradish sauce (lovely and sweet), steamed clams. B had a Mahi Taco, with me having a Shark Taco - all very delicious.
Better than Scammos.
Back to Rebecca's with some of her friends (via the off-licence), most of whom seemed to play the guitar. At one point there was 4 of them playing and singing, which was ace.
Up at 8 and chatted with Rebecca for an hour or so before getting ready and going out to San Diego Zoo. We got there about 10.30 and leisurely missioned our way around particularly as the weather was beautiful and hot (~20 degrees). The best thing that we both thought about the Zoo trip was seeing a polar bear in a huge enclosure with under-water viewing swimming about and doing Polar Bear-ish things. Apart from eating seals. No. Although in general, zoos are not the nicest of places, the greatest purpose of this zoo was to protect endangered species, some of which no longer live in the wild and are entirely domesticated. Definitely worth a visit.
Came back around 2.30 and chatted to our host some more. It was really lovely as the sun was starting to set and we were all just chilling doing our own thing for a bit. Felt really relaxed considering that we were in someone else's home that we had only met the day before.
At 7pm we went down into Ocean Beach town centre, a five minute walk from Rebecca's house to meet her and Ory at South Beach Bar and Grill. It had been suggested because of the Mahi (a meaty fish) Tacos. Pear cider on tap, so B was made up. I had a beer that had been brewed with oranges, and was surprisingly tasty. We ordered peel'n'eat fresh prawns with a tomato and horseradish sauce (lovely and sweet), steamed clams. B had a Mahi Taco, with me having a Shark Taco - all very delicious.
Better than Scammos.
Back to Rebecca's with some of her friends (via the off-licence), most of whom seemed to play the guitar. At one point there was 4 of them playing and singing, which was ace.
Tuesday, 22 January 2013
Santa Barbara - San Diego - 16/1/13
We were up by 8 to find that Arlene had set breakfast out for us. This was a delicious array of cereals, pastries, croissants and fruit. Drinks were fresh coffee, tea and fresh Californian oranges picked from her neighbour's garden. Neither of us had ever tasted orange juice like it - naturally sweet, orangey and fresh. Exactly how it should be. Southern Californians probably drink this all the time and look at you sideways if you admit to drinking concentrate - that's what I like to think anyway.
We chatted to Arlene for an hour or two about her life and adventures until a friend of hers called Larry arrived to help Arlene in the garden. Larry was of similar indeterminate age as Arlene, tanned, healthy etc. Clearly southern Californian life suited them both. Larry was telling us that he'd been watching a flock of Pelicans and a pod of Dolphins having a 'feeding frenzy' (his words) as a school of sardines were gradually reduced in numbers. Time was getting on and we were looking to leave, so we said our goodbyes, got ready and drove to the bay that Larry had said that the event was happening to see if it was still going on - Larry said that he'd never seen anything like it in all the 30 years that he'd lived in Santa Barbara. Unfortunately the sardines had managed to escape or had all been eaten by the time we'd arrived, but we got to see Santa Barbara which was a lovely looking town, but what do you expect when the rich and famous have holiday homes there? Would definitely be worth another visit!
About 12.30 we set off again on Highway 1 to San Diego. We drove through Malibu (predicatably posh) and then unfortunately hit Los Angeles about 2-2.30. The traffic was appalling. It was a good 2 1/2 hours (and 1 Taco Bell stop) later that we finally saw the back of LA. Which was nice. The plus side to this was that we ended up on Sunset beach just as the sun was setting - there's a reason they call it that.
Night seems to fall more quickly than you may expect on the west coast; as we left Orange County it had started to get dark and we finally arrived at Rebecca's house in San Diego at 7pm. Another 6 1/2 hours of driving and 219 miles.
B did all the driving that day and by the time we'd disembarked, her body and brain were more scrambled than usual. (She's just hit me).
Rebecca arrived home at 7.30 and she was lovely and friendly. She lives in an area of San Diego called Ocean Beach, only a short walk to the beach itself - so no car needed!
We were starving, so were advised of good Mexican food at a place called 'Rancho's'. Lovely, fresh, healthy and tasty. Can't beat fresh Guac!
On the way home, we stopped by at a liquor store and B was pleasantly surprised to find that they had cider (of the local kind), called 'Angry Orchard'. Not too sure what to think about the connotations of that name. A slow meander back up to Rebecca's house due to food and sat chatting with her and her friend Ory until around 11. Great end to the day.
View Santa Barbara to San Diego in a larger map
We chatted to Arlene for an hour or two about her life and adventures until a friend of hers called Larry arrived to help Arlene in the garden. Larry was of similar indeterminate age as Arlene, tanned, healthy etc. Clearly southern Californian life suited them both. Larry was telling us that he'd been watching a flock of Pelicans and a pod of Dolphins having a 'feeding frenzy' (his words) as a school of sardines were gradually reduced in numbers. Time was getting on and we were looking to leave, so we said our goodbyes, got ready and drove to the bay that Larry had said that the event was happening to see if it was still going on - Larry said that he'd never seen anything like it in all the 30 years that he'd lived in Santa Barbara. Unfortunately the sardines had managed to escape or had all been eaten by the time we'd arrived, but we got to see Santa Barbara which was a lovely looking town, but what do you expect when the rich and famous have holiday homes there? Would definitely be worth another visit!
About 12.30 we set off again on Highway 1 to San Diego. We drove through Malibu (predicatably posh) and then unfortunately hit Los Angeles about 2-2.30. The traffic was appalling. It was a good 2 1/2 hours (and 1 Taco Bell stop) later that we finally saw the back of LA. Which was nice. The plus side to this was that we ended up on Sunset beach just as the sun was setting - there's a reason they call it that.
Night seems to fall more quickly than you may expect on the west coast; as we left Orange County it had started to get dark and we finally arrived at Rebecca's house in San Diego at 7pm. Another 6 1/2 hours of driving and 219 miles.
B did all the driving that day and by the time we'd disembarked, her body and brain were more scrambled than usual. (She's just hit me).
Rebecca arrived home at 7.30 and she was lovely and friendly. She lives in an area of San Diego called Ocean Beach, only a short walk to the beach itself - so no car needed!
We were starving, so were advised of good Mexican food at a place called 'Rancho's'. Lovely, fresh, healthy and tasty. Can't beat fresh Guac!
On the way home, we stopped by at a liquor store and B was pleasantly surprised to find that they had cider (of the local kind), called 'Angry Orchard'. Not too sure what to think about the connotations of that name. A slow meander back up to Rebecca's house due to food and sat chatting with her and her friend Ory until around 11. Great end to the day.
View Santa Barbara to San Diego in a larger map
San Francisco - Santa Barbara - 15/1/13
Tuesday morning we were up early again so that we could check out of the Hostel, have breakfast in a cafe next door and pick our car up. It was a monster. I'd ordered a 'standard' SUV (Jeep Grand Cherokee or similar. Turned out to be a Chevrolet 'Tahoe LT' V8) so that we could travel in comfort (estimated distance ~4000 miles). It's one of those ones that require climbing into. That kind of size. It's bigger than a Mercedes SUV that we have in the UK. What is a 'full-size' SUV you may ask? I'm going to tell you anyway. Bloody gigantic. Roughly the size of a Mercedes Sprinter van, or Ford Transit. Enormous. Big enough so that we, in our frankly silly-size car, feel slightly intimidated.
We headed south around 10am out of SF with a minor detour due to one-way systems and, er, navigational hitches, headed for Highway 1 - the Pacific Coastal Highway. Weather was bright and sunny, if a little chilly, but as we got further south it warmed up to around 15-20 degrees.
Our view on the right whilst driving was the Pacific Ocean, on the left, National Parks consisting of forests, vertical cliff faces, ravines and awesome vista . Stunning. Better than stunning. Slightly frightening at times with sharp turns that clearly, if not taken, led to a couple of hundred feet straight down into the drink. Neither of us were sure how a piece of arnco might withstand a 2 tonne SUV impact. We stopped at a place called 'Big Sur' around 2pm for lunch. Burritos were chosen, and of American portions. Both of us managed to eat about half before being too full. Big Sur wasn't actually that large, as we soon left it and emerged onto the coastline again.
We arrived in Santa Barbara at Arlene's house (found via Air B'n'B, a great site for finding unusual places to stay) around 6.30pm, after travelling for 8 hours with a half hour break and had covered 361 miles. It was dark and Arlene's place was in the hills above the town and not trivial to find, stuck way up some winding lanes amongst millionaire's houses. All of Santa Barbara looked nice, wealthy, but these houses were a cut above, although Arlene's wasn't as she and her husband had moved here about 50 years ago when it was still quite a small place. Arlene was lovely, probably in her 70s, but didn't look it, fit as a fiddle with a house that was a treasure trove of things that she had collected over the years and enchanting & welcoming. We chatted to her for a while but, feeling hungry, headed out to the Enterprise Fish Company restaurant, recommended by Arlene. When we arrived, it turned out that they had a special on Lobsters for $29 (usually $50) - it was cooked to perfection, served with liquid garlic butter, shoestring fries and grilled vegetables. Frankly, awesome. No other words. I washed it down with Sierra Nevada ale, one of their dark ones, and was suitably tasty while B stuck with a cranberry juice that was, perhaps needless to say, one of the best she or I had ever tried. Still feeling that a small corner could be filled, pudding was a molten chocolate cake (recommended by the waiter - a hot sponge with melted dark chocolate in the centre), served with vanilla ice cream, strawberries and dusted with icing sugar. It sounds heavy, but was deliciously light. B says that she was in heaven.
Got back to Arlene's around 10.30; she was asleep and we flopped into bed completely shattered. It had been a long but fabulous (darling!) day of driving.
View SF to Santa Barbara in a larger map
We headed south around 10am out of SF with a minor detour due to one-way systems and, er, navigational hitches, headed for Highway 1 - the Pacific Coastal Highway. Weather was bright and sunny, if a little chilly, but as we got further south it warmed up to around 15-20 degrees.
Our view on the right whilst driving was the Pacific Ocean, on the left, National Parks consisting of forests, vertical cliff faces, ravines and awesome vista . Stunning. Better than stunning. Slightly frightening at times with sharp turns that clearly, if not taken, led to a couple of hundred feet straight down into the drink. Neither of us were sure how a piece of arnco might withstand a 2 tonne SUV impact. We stopped at a place called 'Big Sur' around 2pm for lunch. Burritos were chosen, and of American portions. Both of us managed to eat about half before being too full. Big Sur wasn't actually that large, as we soon left it and emerged onto the coastline again.
We arrived in Santa Barbara at Arlene's house (found via Air B'n'B, a great site for finding unusual places to stay) around 6.30pm, after travelling for 8 hours with a half hour break and had covered 361 miles. It was dark and Arlene's place was in the hills above the town and not trivial to find, stuck way up some winding lanes amongst millionaire's houses. All of Santa Barbara looked nice, wealthy, but these houses were a cut above, although Arlene's wasn't as she and her husband had moved here about 50 years ago when it was still quite a small place. Arlene was lovely, probably in her 70s, but didn't look it, fit as a fiddle with a house that was a treasure trove of things that she had collected over the years and enchanting & welcoming. We chatted to her for a while but, feeling hungry, headed out to the Enterprise Fish Company restaurant, recommended by Arlene. When we arrived, it turned out that they had a special on Lobsters for $29 (usually $50) - it was cooked to perfection, served with liquid garlic butter, shoestring fries and grilled vegetables. Frankly, awesome. No other words. I washed it down with Sierra Nevada ale, one of their dark ones, and was suitably tasty while B stuck with a cranberry juice that was, perhaps needless to say, one of the best she or I had ever tried. Still feeling that a small corner could be filled, pudding was a molten chocolate cake (recommended by the waiter - a hot sponge with melted dark chocolate in the centre), served with vanilla ice cream, strawberries and dusted with icing sugar. It sounds heavy, but was deliciously light. B says that she was in heaven.
Got back to Arlene's around 10.30; she was asleep and we flopped into bed completely shattered. It had been a long but fabulous (darling!) day of driving.
View SF to Santa Barbara in a larger map
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