California

Be warned: due to our lack of recent blogging (which in turn is due to our sketchy internet access over the past several days), we have a lot to cover in this entry. It will be long, perhaps tedious, and by the end you may feel that you’ve been pulled by the hand through a winding forest with little chance to catch your breath and look around. With that being said, we do promise that should you embark on this journey with us, you will find yourself being told tales of wonderful lands, harrowing accounts of danger and adventure, and fantastic yarns full of intriguing characters. Let us begin… (Jillian wants to alert you that, in case you haven’t guessed, Aaron is currently reading Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Apparently she wants to distance herself from this literary madness.)

Last you heard we had hiked the Grand Canyon with Meghan and Taylor. Upon our successful completion of that challenge, we continued west stopping in Las Vegas for the night. Las Vegas pretty much lives up to its reputation. We stayed in the famous Flamingo Resort & Hotel, one of the earliest hotels to be built in Vegas. It’s located in the middle of The Strip, across the street from the Bellagio, Caesar’s Palace, and the Mirage, making for excellent gaming, dining, and even better people watching. After naps and a refreshing dip in the pool, we dressed up and went out on the town. We figured we’re in Vegas, we gotta live it up right?!? Our version of “living it up” meant getting dinner at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville, checking out the finer hotel/casinos, and playing a few hands of blackjack. We really know how to party :)

Waiting for dinner at Margaritaville

We gotta pay for this trip somehow!

The next day was Aaron’s birthday! Thanks for all the birthday wishes! We celebrated with a feast at the hotel’s breakfast buffet and then headed to San Diego, our next stop. The drive through the desert and mountains between LV and SD is treacherous; we had to drive slowly with the heater on to keep the temperature of the car down. Not fun.

In San Diego, we visited Jillian’s aunt and cousin, Sylvia and Nicholas. They were great hosts, cooking a delicious birthday meal of barbequed chicken and beef tacos, fresh guacamole, colorful fruit salad, and a mouthwatering red velvet cake. I’m getting hungry while I write this! After dinner we walked around La Jolla cove and beach and saw some sea lions. It must be mentioned here that it was at this fateful moment that Taylor took his first baby-steps into the mighty Pacific Ocean; we shed tears of delight.

One small step for man, one giant leap for Taylor

The following day we visited San Diego’s historic district, Old Town, seeing some of the early architecture and lifestyles of the Spanish missions. We visited street markets, listened to live Native American music, and bought saltwater taffy. We also went to Coronado Island and saw the world famous Hotel del Coronado. How we wish we could have stayed there! If only one of us had become a doctor. Aunt Sylvia generously bought us drinks on the veranda and we saw how the other side lives.

A school house in Old Town

Our group on Coronado Island

San Diego was also the location of another first: In-N-Out. Aaron had eaten at In-N-Out several years ago on a trip to Los Angeles and had been craving it ever since. In-N-Out is a burger chain based in Southern California that uses only the freshest of ingredients, creating one of the best cheeseburgers I’ve ever tasted. If you haven’t had the opportunity to try this gastronomical delight, it’s worth buying the $400+ plane ticket to get to California. Seriously, do it. Anyways, we had our first of several visits to In-N-Out in San Diego.

Everyone's happy after eating In-N-Out!

After our short but sweet visit with Sylvia and Nicholas, we traveled north to the Los Angeles area. Our happy clan resided with a good friend Ryan at his apartment in Costa Mesa. Ryan and Aaron go way back (about three years) when they were traveling companions throughout New Zealand, Africa, and Europe with YWAM.

The night we arrived we went out on the town and had a rude welcome to the fast-paced SoCal party culture when we witnessed a collision between man and machine. Yes, that’s right, while walking around Newport Pier, we saw a man get completely rundown by a taxicab. The unfortunate man (shirtless and intoxicated at the time) flew quite a few yards into the air, flipping over the cab’s windshield and landed in a crumpled heap on the road. Our first thoughts were of a tragic nature, however the man surprised us all by shaking it off and walking over to sit down on the curb. His friends were not quite as composed. Shouting obscenities, they attempted to kick in the cabby’s door. Authorities arrived quickly to assess the scene; their arrival proved to be the most surprising sight of this adventure when up pulled an unmarked mini-van and multiple cops jumped out of the side-doors clown-style. That’s right, your typical dodge grocery-getter. California—what a funny place.

The next day was the Fourth of July! We began the Fourth by going to church and going out to Taco Beach for lunch with Ryan and some friends. After that we went to a barbeque (an American tradition) and watched fireworks on the beach.

From here on out, California did not prove herself to be the sunshine state. We spent the day playing games (Scrabble and Blackjack) and going to a coffee shop. That night we made dinner at Sheryl & Laura’s (more YWAM friends of Aaron).

We spent our last day in LA visiting Hollywood. We saw the Chinese Theater and the hand and footprints of all the greats. We drove down Sunset Boulevard and through Beverly Hills to see the ritzy mansions until our car felt self-conscious for being the only domestic make in the area.

It's hard to see because of the fog

but that little white smear is the Hollywood sign.

Jillian walks with the stars!

While in Hollywood, we had the chance to meet up with a Hudson friend, Jake Feyereisen, who works as an up-and-coming screenwriter. It was a lot of fun to hear about the inside view of the movie biz and talk with an artist who is passionate about making movies.

The next morning, we said our sad farewells to our traveling buddies, Meghan and Taylor. We were so glad they joined us for the past week and a half and we’ve made such good memories with them! Before saying goodbye to Los Angeles we quickly stopped off at Venice and saw Muscle Beach, where Arnold Schwarzenegger once toned his abs all the way to (begin guttural Austrian voice here) winning Mr. Universe seven times in a row ;). And then we were off to drive up Highway 1!

Some socially-motivated "art" in Venice, CA

Checking out the beach

We've eaten a LOT of peanut butter & jelly!

Our first stop on the 1 was Morro Bay, near Cayucos. We camped there for one night, and the next morning we visited a coffee shop and a cookie bakery that Aaron had read about when this trip was in its planning stages. Then we drove north, heading for San Francisco. The drive up the coast is breathtaking! We hadn’t planned on stopping, but we had to stop multiple times to take pictures and hike in a state park because we didn’t want to hurry past the beautiful views (the kind that encourage impromptu belting of the Sound of Music).

Our first campsite on the 1!

Jillian has become a tree-hugger :)

I was inside this tree!

One of many beautiful views

We did eventually make it to San Francisco though, after eleven hours of travel. Our first day there was pretty chill because we realized how exhausted we both were. However, the next day (my birthday) had many adventures in store. Aaron kindly allowed me to sleep in and presented me with birthday decorations and gifts and a scrumptious IHOP breakfast. Then we set out to follow the 49-mile scenic drive of San Fran. In fact, we saw much more of the city than 49 miles, due to a lack of signs in some key intersections. We felt quite accomplished once we had completed the drive, however it should be noted by others interested in cross-country road tripping that adding a 49-mile drive to the day can seem like a bit much. We really enjoyed seeing the city though, and we spent the evening walking around Fisherman’s Wharf.

San Francisco's Exploratorium

Aaron pondering the meaning of life along with "The Thinker"

A typical San Fran street

The Golden Gate Bridge

The Bay Bridge

The next morning we rode a Cable Car, beating the system by getting on at the first stop, which was about a minute walking distance from the ridiculously long line at the starting point. Then we drove over the Golden Gate Bridge and said goodbye to San Francisco!

The streetcar we rode on

San Francisco's "Painted Ladies"

We spent that day leisurely in beautiful wine country, getting a taste (hehe) of Sonoma and Napa Valleys. In Sonoma, we had quite a classy olive oil tasting, not wanting to offend any vineyard owners with my negative reaction to wine. We got to walk in the vineyard and see how the olive oil was made, then taste the various “varietals” of oil. Warning: you do, in fact, drink the oil plain before you can sample it on the delicious food. You have to try not to think about texture. Before checking in for the night, Aaron got to complete his wine country experience by actually tasting some wines. We left feeling a little less hungry, a little more educated about olives, and a lot classier.

Round Pond Estate's vineyard & olive grove

Yes, after a month on the road we still love each other!

- J & A