Days 8-11
We left Los Angeles and headed up the coast towards Salinas. Along the way we stopped at the Santa Barbara Pier. We actually drove onto Sterns Wharf and I freaked out because I was certain we would fall though with the amount of creaking and groaning the wood was making. But we survived and we wandered around, looking for a good place to eat. While we were deciding, we had the opportunity to see dolphins! They stayed close by for several minutes and we got a pretty good look at them. After they swam far enough away that we couldn't see them anymore, Samantha decided she wanted some fresh seafood: mussels. Which is not appealing to me. So I got some drive-thru.
Our next roadside stop was Morro Bay to get a gander at their giant Morro rock! It was nearing dusk so we didn't spend but about 30 minutes here, and we got to see sea lions! Samantha attempted to take a video and I managed to get in her way. As I had done the entire time. Like, every time she made a video, I got in the way or spoke over it.
That night we stayed at a wal-mart and hit the road again early next morning. Our first destination was Bixby Creek Bridge. We pulled over and took pictures of several pretty bridges so I wouldn't be able to tell you which ones are which for sure.
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| Doesn't this just look like a mermaid cove?! |
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| We learned pretty quickly how cool morning are on the coast. Samantha didn't really bring a coat or even a heavy jacket and had to buy not only a blanket but sweatpants to keep warm at night! |
Next was Big Sur. A place that was utterly charming. And like all utterly charming places, they tend to want to keep the best things to themselves, and I don't blame them. We had a bit of a difficult time finding McWay Falls initially but eventually we got there.
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| Leading to the falls overlook. |
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| It is almost surreal that such beauty exists in this world and I am free to go look at it! |
After taking in the falls and wandering in that area for a bit, we started to hunt down Pfeiffer Beach, famed for having purple sand (after rain is the best time for the best color).
We almost gave up on this one, the road is unmarked and it's a long winding road to get to it. But find it we did!
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| Pardon my grimace! |
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| The purple is pretty subtle in this picture but I was very pleased we got to see some! |
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| Poor pelican! |
Next we headed North up the coast to see the Winchester Mystery House!
This could even be the core reason we came to California, having heard about it when I was a child planted the desire to come and see it for myself. Unfortunately, having had a movie about it made recently, we weren't allowed to take any interior photos. It wasn't quite what I was expecting, it felt more like an amusement park rather than a house that anyone ever lived in. Still a really unique experience and a fun time.
That evening we made our way to visit our Aunt and Uncle in San Francisco. We spent a couple nights with them, visiting and catching up, getting tours to their favorite haunts.
The night before we took off, we did some quick research to see if there was anything we wanted to see as we left San Francisco. We discovered that just across the bridge there was a winding road that lead up a mountain to Black Sands Beach. Having seen purple sand, we were excited to see black sand. It was quite the trek down to the beach, a mostly dirt path on a steep incline.
At various beach sites, I had collected little bottles of sand. So I squatted down to collect sand at this beach when Samantha threw down a large rubber spider that she had just found in front of me, and called out loudly for me to "Watch out!" I attempted to straighten up to get away but something went wrong. I couldn't stand up, something had gotten wrenched in my back. After laying in the cold sand for a few minute I attempted to get up again and was unable. We called for an ambulance and a squad of men were able to haul me out on a chair. I felt so bad for them. Samantha felt so bad for scaring me. It was a rough day. They didn't offer much assistance at the hospital, I get the sense they deal with a lot of drug seekers and were hesitant to give me medication. They administered a shot which didn't seem to do anything for me. Eventually they came back to find out what I was still hollering about (as every time I breathed or started to relax was horrible pain and I would shout out). I was embarrassed that (in my mind) I was making a scene.
When it happened on the beach, I had a panic attack, but by the time the paramedics arrived I had calmed down. I made the mistake of telling the doctors at the hospital this and I believe it may have been part of the reason they were dismissive of me. Instead of giving me some anti-inflammatory meds, they gave me a valium, thinking I was still in a panic. Frustrated, I got out of there as soon as the pain subsided enough for me to stand.
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| Last picture of Black Sands Beach |
So we cut our trip short by a few days and came straight home. We still got to see some amazing scenery and we were able to jam so much into the trip before the accident that I still count it as one of my favorite trips. (I have many.)
Sometimes things don't always go according to plan, and that's okay. Now I have a story and a load of memories I didn't have before. And most of them are pretty great.
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