Trip to the Grocery Store

I finally took time to hit the grocery store where I made a serious dent in our snack reserve deficit. Here is what I bought-- three Lindt milk chocolate with hazelnut candy bars, some Chip Ahoy and Nutter Butter cookies, Fresca and limeaide, I snuck in some Dr. Pepper with that, Triscuits to go with my squeeze cheese, Fritos, (already have bean dip) ranch flavored Doritos, regular Lay's potato chips, Tostidos to go with the Salsa Con Queso I have in the cupboard, and three boxes of swiss cake rolls.

I did supplement the junk food with bananas, celery, grapes and various other healthy stuff which will probably go to waste. Whatever! This will probably last us less than one week because what happens is this - I go to work a couple of nights in a row and then try to find something to snack on and there is nothing left. I never do find out who ate it all because if I ask Curt he says he didn't eat anything and Emerson always says "I only had a couple." So, they are either lying or I am sleepwalking and eating it all without knowing it.

Good and bad things about road trips

Good things
1. Having your own car to keep all your junk in.
2. Stopping when you want to.
3. Packing lots of goodies and blankets and comfy pillows. Eating lots of goodies.
4. No security checks
5. No sitting by scary or creepy people or kids on an airplane.
6. Having a great new camera to capture everything on.
7. Taking car naps.
8. Going in February because nothing is crowded.
9. Coming home to grateful pets.
Bad things
1. Having no viewfinder on your new camera so you basically can’t shoot when it is bright. Which included, the whale trip, ocean creatures, elephant seals on the beach and everything that is bright. Stupid camera.
2. Having to pay for everything- parking, lighthouse, parking, tips, 17 mile toll roads, bridges, and parking. I can’t believe they didn’t have some sort of money collection station by the elephant seals!
3. Having to stay in seedy hotel by the highway. Losing four dollars in seedy hotel slot machine.
4. Not finding a bathroom when you need one.
5. Hotels that say they have internet service but don’t tell you until you get there it is only free in the lobby.
6. Not buying that silver bracelet and sea otter mouse pad I wanted, but buying several things that I didn’t want.
7. Weighing in after trip.
8. Looking at the credit card bill and not remembering all those things you charged.

Below video is of Curt and the bunny.

The Way Home

Above picture is of Emerson at the wheel. Notice correct 10 and 2 o'clock hand placement.

I filled out a complaint card before I left the hotel to tell them how crappy they were. That made me feel better. Like an idiot, I put four dollars in their crappy slot machine and didn’t hit the jackpot so they will never see me again.

It felt great to climb in the car and head for home. YES!!! Sheldon is seriously tired of taking care of our pets.

Curt let Emerson drive for about 40 minutes and I only screeched once from the back seat. The picture of the road sign is where I was busy trying to draft a Will.

We stopped only for gas on the way home and still didn’t get in until almost 7:00 pm.

Only one little incident I want to mention. The last gas station where we filled up was Eagle’s Landing in Scipio. I went to the ladies room, chose the handicap stall and then realized (too late) that there wasn’t any toilet paper. There wasn’t even a dispenser. I couldn’t even see where one had been attached to the wall. So if you pretend you are handicapped like I do, or even if you are truly disabled, don’t use the handicap stall at Eagle’s Landing in Scipio because they don’t think you need any toilet paper! (Idiots)

I tallied up our gasoline bill on the drive back and it cost us $225 to drive to and from and all over California. Not too bad. On reflection, the only place I would revisit is Monterey.

Now, back to reality. Tomorrow is Sunday and two weeks ago I told my primary class I would bring them a treat and they asked for Tic Tacs. Funny kids. I said they could each have their own little box. Ever since, I have tried to find those little boxes. Not being up to date on my Tic Tac news, I now see that they have enlarged the little box into a much bigger box which I think is too much candy and money. I finally found some of the small boxes at a convenience store in CA but they wanted $1.29 per box. I don’t think so. What a pain! That is the last time I let seven year olds make an important decision like what treat they want!

Six days on the road

Our trip is starting to get tiring. I am however feeling better today which is a relief. I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed. We were out the door and at Carl Jr’s by 7:30 this morning hoping to make a dent in our drive home. We traveled down highway one along the California coast. It was so beautiful, although the sheer drop offs were kind of scary. We did make a couple of stops to take pictures but after a while I started getting car sick because the road was so windy and so many ups and downs. It was taking way too long and we still had plans to go to Hearst Castle.

The one stop we made that was incredible was looking at tons (literally) of elephant seals all along the beach. We were so close to them. It was fantastic. One male got too close to another male’s harem and there was a bit of a chase off, but nothing too intense. We loved it!

We did make it to Hearst Castle, but I was thinking about a 45 minute visit instead of the two hour tour they make you take. So after lunch, the $50 tour, and of course the gift shop we REALLY were late in getting back on the road.

One funny thing that happened when we got to the car. I sat in the front seat and then looked out my window and this raven was sitting right by the car door with such an irresistible look that I had to find a cracker to give him, but as soon as I threw him a bite of cracker another one showed up, then another and then all of a sudden every raven in San Simeon descended on us. I told Curt to drive away as fast as he could because the scene looked just like something from Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. EERIE!

As far as the castle tour, it was interesting but I couldn’t help thinking the whole time we should be leaving.

On our way back to some sort of civilization we drove across California, highway 46 and came to an oil field with hundreds of working oil pumps. It was such a sight. I have never seen anything like it. Haven’t been to Iraq, but really, do you think they have more machines (and didn’t Saddam burn them all up anyway) than California? Well, I guess they might, but I was surprised to see that gas wasn’t any cheaper just down the street from that massive oil collection site.

Going home has been so slow. It is 10:00 pm and we are still on the road. I watched the last installment of Foyle’s War and one episode of Sharpe’s Army and now I am typing on the computer so I have been fairly occupied. But I am about done for, so I think that the next hotel we see might be the place we will spend the night. I hope one shows up soon.

Whiskey Pete’s. I stood in line to get a room but they were taking too long and my patience ran out, besides, I looked at all the people in line (one lady was so drunk she was running into things) and thought I should go somewhere else. We drove across the street to Buffalo Bill’s. They were fast and got us a room but . . . I now take back anything bad I said about the other places I stayed. For $79 plus tax, this is about as crappy as it gets. I can’t wait until morning so I can LEAVE. Curt thought we might have to get hepatitis shots before heading home!

Five and counting

Do you see that whale out there. Me neither.

We were waiting to see if the weather would cooperate before we committed to a whale watching tour and today was perfect. The tour started off the Monterey Fisherman’s Wharf. This is a really cool place. There are lots of little shops and restaurants. We left on the boat about 10:00 am and rode out to sea. Here is what I was worried about, first - sea sickness, second - pirates, and third - an unworthy sea craft.

First worry - YEA!, YAHOO! That expensive seasick patch I got a prescription for worked! We really rocked and rolled on that boat and I didn't even get nauseous.

Second worry - I have heard a lot about pirates on the high seas taking passengers as hostages in exchange for money. OK, nothing happened but when I saw all the foreigners with their big fancy cameras I thought some bad guy might want to take over the boat and steal their cameras! (Which would have pleased me because people with elaborate cameras think they are better than those of us with the plain point and shoot and they push their way into the best picture taking places and then when I try to get a picture I end up taking one of the back of their head.)

Third worry - I am terrified of the ocean and all its creatures, so I don’t want to end up in it because of some sort of incident, so while deciding which boat to go out on I picked that one that look the sturdiest. It must have been the right choice because I am still here!

We did see at least three gray whales (quite far away actually, which is good because I didn't have to worry about one tipping over the boat) but what I really wanted to see was a dolphin. There was a mother otter with a baby we spotted on our way back. At first the baby was along side of her then it climbed on her for a ride. Wow! So cute, I hope they didn't get eaten by a shark.

After the excursion we decided we would eat somewhere at the wharf but we got ambushed by all the restaurant people trying to coax us into their café. Too much pressure, so we had to leave and eat in our hotel room instead!

Curt and I drove to a lighthouse that was just down the street and then we decided to try out the 17 mile drive. We didn’t know this but the drive is some kind of state park so we had to pay $9.25 to get in. Isn’t that a strange amount? Why not just gouge us for ten bucks?

We have spent so much money in California that I think I deserve a thank you note from Governor Schwarzenegger because we have seriously made a dent in that big deficit they have.

vaca #4

Fish are kind of ugly. I don't know why I don't have a picture of an otter.

Today was beautiful. We spent the day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The only hitch was trying to decide where to park, which the place I chose ended up being the best, so all was well with that! (ha! ha!) It was a calm day and we spotted a whale in the bay along with lots of otters and sea birds. The otters on display couldn’t have been any cuter. Only one complaint - I wonder if they have ever considered an adult only day.

We bought a bunch of souvenirs and stopped at all the fun little shops on Cannery Row which was on the way back to the car. There was a candy shop that had my favorite - a chocolate ice cube - WOW! I haven’t had that little treasure for years. I think my favorite part of the day - was popping that yummy gem of chocolate in my mouth.

Our hotel is only about a mile away so it was an easy commute. I have been struggling with a cold and cough so I am getting tired of running around.

Tomorrow is a big day. I will get to see if the sea sick patch really works. Last time I got on a boat I spent the whole time on the lower level with my face in a barf bag. Can’t wait to see what happens.

Day three - Alcatraz and Fisherman's Wharf

First picture - Alcatraz from San Francisco then San Francisco from Alcatraz.

We walked to Pier 39 from our hotel. Convenient since we didn’t have access to our car. Went to Alcatraz which was interesting. Did a lot of walking, realized how out of shape I am, ate lunch, checked out of the hotel, then went to Ghirardelli Square to see what the chocolate situation was.

Curt didn’t want to go so he sat in the car and read maps while Emerson and I scoped out the goods. One little mishap, I put money in the wrong parking meter. I swore a couple times, laughed and then put more money in the right one. Gosh! Sometimes I feel like such an idiot.
I don’t really like Ghirardelli Chocolate so I bought cupcakes instead of chocolate. The cupcake was yummy but why did they have to put raisins in it? A carrot cake cupcake doesn’t need raisins. Nothing needs raisins. (My only complaint of the day)

Drove to Monterey.

Day two

We left Reno at 10:30 am. It was "wash my hair day" so I was the reason for the late start. Our route took us on I-80 toward San Francisco, through Donner Pass. We started toward the Pass when traffic slowed to about two miles per hour. A big storm ahead. Big rigs lined the highway to chain up. If you didn’t have a four wheel drive you were suppose to chain up too. Wow! It looked like it was going to be one heck of a ride. We drove the two mph forever. There ended up being about a ½ inch of slush for about one mile of the entire way, the rest of the time it was just wet! What a bunch of wussies. No one would even slow down in Utah for that piddly storm. It took us over two hours to go about 20 miles.
The problem I had in the middle of this was my fear of an exploding bladder. The same phobia that Bob has in What About Bob. One small problem, it wasn’t my imagination. The situation begin blossoming into a DEFCON 1 emergency with no stops, bathrooms, or gas stations to be found. We finally found one station off the pass with a line to the potty a mile long. I couldn’t wait. I had to do something drastic. I resorted my own devices which wasn’t pretty but what do ya do? Let’s just say it involved an empty big gulp cup!
Map quest said our drive would be three and one half hours. We didn’t get to SF until 4:30 pm. Gosh, I thought we had taken a wrong turn or something. I couldn’t believe it when we came around a curve and there it was - the big red cabled Golden Gate Bridge. Fantastic! We walked out onto it, took some pictures then ran back to the car. It is cold and rainy and I am a boob about that sort of thing. Tomorrow is going to be the same so we will see how we do after two and one half hours on Alcatraz.
Next, on to our lodgings. Curt was pretty amazing at navigating our way to the Sheraton Fisherman’s Wharf Hotel that I had booked online, but as we got closer I started to worry about parking. I thought I had read that the hotel had parking but all the hotels we were passing had very limited space. Wouldn’t you know, they charged us $49 just to park, (jerks) we had to use the valet, so there was a tip and then another tip to the bellboy. Gosh, this is already the most expensive hotel we are staying in, so I am not very happy. Oh, another thing, no microwave, so no way to heat up our cooler food. I hate this place. Oh, while I am complaining, no free internet except in the lobby, a small room, (kinda cute though, decorated Pottery Barn style -small wonder) and I don’t know where my new car is! Can you believe it? Stupid city. (Kind of reminds me of Park City during Sundance) I don’t think I will be coming back here.
Curt just said that the car is underneath the hotel in some kind of underground parking. I hope there is not an earthquake because the hotel will fall down and smash my car and then I will REALLY be unhappy because I will have no way to leave.

Me After a Drive with a 15 year old!!!

Day one of our vacation to California. We FINALLY left Park City about 11:00 am. (Of course I was ready the night before.) Emerson had misplaced both of his coats, so we had kind of a test with that one. The first stop we made was at a gas station, Curt filled the tank while Emerson and I went inside. It was the coolest place. They had all sorts of junky knickknacks and the most interesting array of food. We didn’t really need to buy anything because I had packed sandwiches to eat along the way but they had a pretzel wrapped hotdog that was GIGANTIC (I will forgo all the jokes) and we couldn’t resist! This was the Flying J Truck Stop in Salt Lake so we really hadn’t made it very far, but I was already in the tourist mode!
The next stage of our drive was rather grueling. I watched one episode of Foyle’s War. It is sooo great, this is one of my favorite shows. We finally stopped in Elko for refueling and this is when Curt decided Emerson could get in some much needed driving time. (I have to admit, we haven’t taken him out driving much.)
I sat in the back seat with headphones and another episode of Foyle’s War and Curt sat up front to dole out driving instructions. I don’t know why, but Emerson likes to hug the right side of the lane which either means he is about an inch away from the rumble strip or if in an inside lane, scarily close to the big rig next to us. After about an hour and twenty minutes, Curt put an end to the driving lesson. GOSH, was I ever grateful. He told Emerson to pull over at the next exit, which was Golconda (somewhere in Nevada) and I can’t believe the t-post they line the freeway with are still standing in that particular area. Curt had to reach over and give a little help with the steering wheel because we were SOOOO close!
We are now in our hotel room, which is really nice, with 520 miles under our belt. I did forget my toothbrush however and just got a complimentary one from the hotel. It is so crappy that it is like trying to brush your teeth with a feather. Obviously, one should read their notes when packing and I think I will buy myself a new one tomorrow.