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| Salmon Creek Falls |
First off, I will apologize for the long blog! So Hayley and I had a few days off in a row, so we decided to go on one final road trip up the Pacific Coast Highway. We started Monday morning (too early!). We drove to Santa Barbara and ate lunch and walked around. I had an amazing breaded Ahi Tuna, rice pilaf and cole slaw. Hayley had some shrimp scampi, french fries and cole slaw. We ate at the Santa Barbara Harbor outside on the patio at Brophy Brothers Restaurant. A great recommendation from our friend Nicki! If anyone is every in Santa Barbara looking for a place to eat, I highly recommend it! So off we went up the coast.
About and hour after lunch, we became super tired! I think they put something in our food! Or, maybe it was bc we only slept about 5 hours the night before. We stopped at the Hearst Castle, but decided not to do a tour, bc it would take to long and cost too much money. So instead we looked at it from afar. There was a starbucks in the visitor Center, so we bought ourselves coffee (my first time!) I asked for something that didn't taste like coffee, a hazelnut latte or something. Pretty disgusting, but it did wake me up! On the road again! Along the way we found a random waterfall on the side of the road (not sure the name of it). it was about a 1/2 mile walk to it. We have mastered hiking (in shorts and flip flops!) We took a few pics and then hit the road again. The Pacific Coast is beautiful with all the cliffs and rocks. It was picturesque! We stopped a few more times to take pictures on the side of the road and then finally made it to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and found the only waterfall on the West Coast that falls directly into the Pacific Ocean. It was beautiful. The water was turquoise and the waves were crashing on the coast. It was a very peaceful place to be! Next stop Monterey (our place of rest for the night).
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| McWay Falls |
We (well I, I will take full responsibility) booked our Monday night at a Bed and Breakfast called the Inn on Del Monte. Once we finally found it, we walked in to check in and the owners wife was high as a kite! She couldn't speak clearly, hair look a hot wreck and was in a complete daze. What did we get ourselves into?? So we got settled into our room, changed clothes and then we headed downtown to eat dinner! We went to Monterey Harbor, and was hoping for a good chicken sandwich or hamburger, but pretty much all we had to choose from was seafood. I guess that's what you get when you eat at a fishing harbor! So we ate at an Italian seafood place. After dinner we walked through a few shops and then headed back home. We had to wake up early for our whale watching tour!
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| At Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park |
So began our sleepless night. When we walked back in the front door, the owners wife was asleep on the couch and jumped up when she heard us. So creepy. I mean, go to your bed woman! There were cameras all over this Inn. I swear we were being watched all night! Even the rooftop had cameras! As we were trying to sleep, we kept hearing noises, so Hayley dared me to go downstairs and see if the creepy woman was still on the couch. She wasn't but as I was walking back up the stairs, someone came busting in the front door. It was probably her outside getting high, thinking she was about to get caught. Anyway, as the night went on, Hayley had the bright idea to read reviews on YELP. Bad move. Almost no good reviews with many of them stated hearing creepy noises such as footsteps up and down the hall and chains. Then we got to the terrible breakfast part! AHH i need breakfast! Anyway, we finally calmed down, and headed into dreamland.
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| Humpback Whale Tail! |
The next morning we headed down for our mystery breakfast. It was a small piece of banana nut bread (pretty good), some weird meat, 2 strawberries, and a tiny slice of some kind of potato egg casserole. Oh yeah and two champagne glasses of orange juice. Needless to say on our way to the Whale watching tour, we hit up McDonald's. So on to our whale watching tour. We went out on the Princess Monterey Whale Watching Tours, and we did exactly what the name says: watched some whales, along with some other sea life. On our way out of the harbor into the Monterey Bay we found hundreds and hundreds of sea lions! Once we got out to the open water, out came the whales. Humpback whales to be exact! It was soo incredibly neat! Lots of amazing pictures!!! Lastly we saw hundreds of dolphins, swimming right up next to our boat! We had an awesome time! Check one more thing off our bucket list (not sure if it was on there, but now it is). Once back to the shore, we headed back to get the car and get back on the road!
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| Golden Gate on a clear day |
We headed up the coast saw some more beautiful cliffs, light houses and such, and finally made it to San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge (for the 4th time). This time, it was clear blue sky, sun shining and no fog! We finally saw the top of the Bridge! We continued on to hit up the Muir Redwood Forest before dark. It was getting late and and we were super tired (from being up all night waiting for something to get us) so we just briefly walked around the entrance, took some quick pics, and then headed back to our hotel (which we book an hour before).
We rested up in the hotel, ordered some pizza, got cleaned up and then headed to our friend Kevin's bar a few blocks away to hang out! We had a blast as usual. Right before we closed up, Hayley and I played a game of pool (not sure who won, probably her). Then Kevin decided to play a game against us, and we of course cheated so we could win :) We left from there and headed for some early morning breakfast (I was starving as usual). One of Kevin's friends me us there and she got the most amazing chocolate shakes! Hayley got a patty melt and fries (I think), and I got an omelet (my favorite breakfast item) with some potatoes. Of course this place didn't have grits :( We headed back to the hotel and crashed for the night! Such and awesome way to end our assignment here in California! We've had such a great time here, but we are sooooo ready for our assignment in paradise :) Next blog from the Caribbean!!!!!
Till Then
~Hayley and Elizabeth~
About and hour after lunch, we became super tired! I think they put something in our food! Or, maybe it was bc we only slept about 5 hours the night before. We stopped at the Hearst Castle, but decided not to do a tour, bc it would take to long and cost too much money. So instead we looked at it from afar. There was a starbucks in the visitor Center, so we bought ourselves coffee (my first time!) I asked for something that didn't taste like coffee, a hazelnut latte or something. Pretty disgusting, but it did wake me up! On the road again! Along the way we found a random waterfall on the side of the road (not sure the name of it). it was about a 1/2 mile walk to it. We have mastered hiking (in shorts and flip flops!) We took a few pics and then hit the road again. The Pacific Coast is beautiful with all the cliffs and rocks. It was picturesque! We stopped a few more times to take pictures on the side of the road and then finally made it to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and found the only waterfall on the West Coast that falls directly into the Pacific Ocean. It was beautiful. The water was turquoise and the waves were crashing on the coast. It was a very peaceful place to be! Next stop Monterey (our place of rest for the night).
The next morning we headed down for our mystery breakfast. It was a small piece of banana nut bread (pretty good), some weird meat, 2 strawberries, and a tiny slice of some kind of potato egg casserole. Oh yeah and two champagne glasses of orange juice. Needless to say on our way to the Whale watching tour, we hit up McDonald's. So on to our whale watching tour. We went out on the Princess Monterey Whale Watching Tours, and we did exactly what the name says: watched some whales, along with some other sea life. On our way out of the harbor into the Monterey Bay we found hundreds and hundreds of sea lions! Once we got out to the open water, out came the whales. Humpback whales to be exact! It was soo incredibly neat! Lots of amazing pictures!!! Lastly we saw hundreds of dolphins, swimming right up next to our boat! We had an awesome time! Check one more thing off our bucket list (not sure if it was on there, but now it is). Once back to the shore, we headed back to get the car and get back on the road!
