Farewell Trip!

Well our time in California is coming to an end. Tonight is our last night of work, and then Alabama bound we will be tomorrow morning!  But, before we ended our stay here in Sunny Cali, we had to take one last road trip, this time with some new friends, Sara and Jen. These girls are travelers on Hayley's floor, and they are super spontaneous, and oh so much fun. We had a awesome weekend with them.

Rocky beach on 17 mile drive

It all started out with Hayley and I having last Friday and Saturday nights off and us wanting to hit the coast one last time and drive down to Montery and Carmel. Well we looked and looked and looked for places to stay, but our cheap selves didn't feel like paying $90/night for a 2 star hotel. We found out you can sleep on the beach, so that was our new plan! In the mean time, Hayley talked with Sara and Jen about coming and they decided after their computer class Friday morning they would come. We napped for a few hours (as usual) got up, ate lunch, got oil changed and headed to Santa Cruz. We met up with the girls at a Ross, b/c of course Hayley and I weren't prepared and needed a blanket! Sara and Jen are campers, so they brought their two person tent and we decided we were going to find a camp ground. The third one we came to was Sunset Beach State Park. Apparently it was booked solid, but Sara and Jen got us in. They found a big group  that welcomed us to join them for the night. Little did Hayley and I know, until we started unpacking the car, that is was a boyscout troop and their dad's. That's right I said boyscout troop, 12 and 13 year boys.

camping!!!

4 people in a 2 man tent!

So Hayley and I unpacked our stuff and the cooler, while Sara and Jen set up our tent. We made pizza pies on the coals that were still hot, and then cooked some smores over the campfire. Ahh, this brought back great memories from camping with my brother and his boyscout troop when we were little. The girls taught these boys some campfire songs, and we all discussed Hayley and I being from Alabama, and Sara and Jen from Ohio. When it was time for bed, all for of us piled into the 2 person tent!! We were packed in like sardines, but at least we were warm :) Oh, I forgot to mention, we had about 10 visitors throughout the night (from beginning to end). They looked like bandits and they were stealing our food. You guessed it, raccoons. I think I only slept about 2 hours that night b/c I kept hearing them everywhere!!!!

Our Tent, and our Visitors

The next morning, we were woken up to the boys saying "Girls, time to get up. We fixed you breakfast (I almost put ya'll but we all know only us southerners say that). Eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, and fresh fruit." They also shook our tent. I had a great breakfast, and I didn't even have to cook or clean up! PERFECT :) Well we got on the road early (before the head leader of Troop 42 got there).

Sea lions!!!

Not the Gulf, but still Beautiful

We headed to Monterey to the famous 17 mile drive from Monterey to Carmel. Along the drive we saw beautiful houses, rocky beaches, and famous golf courses. I finally did something my brother hasn't done!!! We ate lunch in Carmel and then headed back to Monterey so Jen and Sara could get their car and head home (they had to work Saturday night). Hayley and I stayed in Monterey in search of the Sea lions. After witnessing about 4 weddings, going to 3 different spots, we finally found them. Totally worth it!

Our final trip in California was, I think, the most memorable one! So far, Arizona and California has brought us tons of fun and adventure, and we can't wait to see what Connecticut holds!!!!  Till next time,

~Hayley and Elizabeth~