After dropping Kaitlyn and the kids off at the airport, Rick and I headed north of Santa Barbara to a little town called Solvang. My sister, MaryEllen had told me that her family likes to visit that little town, and so we decided we would go check it out. It was so cute and we could have stayed longer, but we were there long enough to peruse some shops, get some Danish bakery items and have a great dinner. This would be a recommendable place to stay for a night or two, but we had reserved a room further north at San Luis Obispo. The drive there was so beautiful as we passed many vineyards and wineries. Thankfully we had decided to bring the BMW for the convertible views and boy was it beautiful!
The next morning we got up and went to the San Luis Obispo Ward. It was a great ward with a lot of elderly people in it. I just love attending church all over the world! The spirit is always felt with people from all walks of life serving and sharing in their own wards and branches. I love how the Gospel brings us together each week no matter where we are:)
We had packed a sandwich lunch for our drive up Highway One. A sister at church had recommended that we stop at at the William Randolph Hearst Park for our lunch and that we not miss the elephant seals close by that beach. There were many families there playing at the beach and a few families having picnics. We found an empty table and enjoyed the sunshine and food:)
Just after lunch driving north we saw the sign for the elephant seal beach. At first we saw just a few seals to the left of where we parked and enjoyed watching them, but then we walked to the right of where we parked, and...Holy Cow! the beach was covered with these massive animals. We stayed watching them for about an hour in total and just were amazed at their behaviors. They wanted to be alone but couldn't stand to be away from the other seals. It was quite hilarious watching the sparring and moving from one place to another. Many of the seals would not be content and were constantly trying to find a better spot on the beach. Well, the elephant seals were definitely a highlight of the day.
Next we drove further up highway one. This really is the reason that we brought the convertible. I had seen a documentary suggesting that this was one of the most beautiful drives in the country, and I really wanted to see it. And we did! The top down the whole way! We drove through fog, sunshine, over bridges, and by some beautiful beaches and views. It took us all afternoon but what a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon!
We arrived that night at the Courtyard in Salinas ready to be out of the car. We enjoyed a nice peaceful rest and then got up the next morning ready for Carmel. I had been to Carmel many years ago with Lynn and Mare. For a long time I have been wanting to take a sister's trip there, but we just have never made it. I knew that when we were planning to drive up Highway One we would not want to miss Carmel.
We started out at the chamber of commerce to find what to do in the few hours we had. We talked of renting some bikes but decided to just foot it around the area. We found a great little cafe where we had SUCH a good lunch. We sat outside and just enjoyed eating and people watching. Next we perused the shops and even stopped at a Thomas Kincaid gallery. I came very close to buying a small print but decided against it. The shopkeeper gave Rick a nice calendar because he helped her move a couple of heavy paintings around. Score! Before we left Carmel we stopped at a Dutch Door donut shop where they make the donuts fresh right there in front of you. It was a nice sweet treat! Here is a picture drop of Carmel. I loved the quaint cottage homes around the area. So cute! Before leaving we drove past the beach. Oh my goodness was it beautiful!
After leaving we drove North to South San Francisco where we were staying for the night. We got checked into our hotel and then made our way to the downtown area to hop aboard a boat for a sunset cruise past Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. My goodness it was very chilly, but we enjoyed the cruise and the wonderful views it afforded. Thankfully we had bought some sweatshirts in Carmel because Northern California and Southern California do not have the same temperatures!
The next morning we talked of renting some bikes to ride across the famous bridge but it was just too darn cold. Instead we decided to walk around Chinatown for a bit.
We stopped for an appetizer of Potstickers. Then walked through a few shops. I was able to find a kimono on clearance in just my size at a shop called Kim+Ono. A great find!
Next we drove a few blocks over to have a full-on lunch in Little Italy. We shared a Calzone and it did not dissapoint! The food was fabulous and then of course we had to have some gelato before we left:)
That afternoon we had an appointment at the Oakland Temple to do sealings. We made our way over the Bay Bridge and found the beautiful temple. It was recently remodeled then re-dedicated in 2019. To me it looks very much like the ancient Angor Wat Cambodian Temple. Something unique about the Oakland temple are the raised gardens on the second floor of the temple. In the back you can see San Francisco and the bridges in the distance. Pretty cool. The inside was very beautiful as well. This was the first of three temples we visited on this trip.
The next morning we left the Bay Area and headed in the direction of Lake Tahoe where we were going to spend a couple of nights. We stopped in Sacramento to visit the temple there. We did initiatory work individually and then met up in the Celestial Room. Not gonna lie, I started crying when I walked into that room. It was so beautiful I could not control myself! What a special moment! My goodness, I love the feelings of peace in the temples. I needed that.
After grabbing some lunch at Jimmy John's we drove the hour drive up to Lake Tahoe. After arriving at our motel (and it was a motel in every meaning of the word) we hopped into the pool....well, really the hot tub. It was a little chilly for the pool but the hot tub was just right.
We had made reservations at the Riva Grill next to the beach and enjoyed a nice romantic dinner.
I had decided in my mind that I was ready to get home so I mentioned it to Rick and he felt ready as well. We talked over the fact that it would be a long day and I was worried about my hip hurting in driving that far but we decided to go for it. We knew we wanted to get to the Reno Temple the next morning so when I woke up I started looking for times for endowment sessions. Low and behold the last session of the morning was going to be at 10AM. It was 8:30 and Rick was out exercising and we were an hour away from Reno! Luckily they had an initiatory session available at 10:30 and so I made us an appointment hoping that we could get showered, packed, and left on time to make it. We got left right away eating a continental breakfast in the car and made it just in time. It was a beautiful drive out of the Sierra Nevadas into the Reno area. The Reno temple is very small but is a great blessing to those in the area. We loved our time there. Rick and I determined that with the temples opening back up to full capacity we will try to get back on track of attending ten new temples each year. We are more than half way through 2022 so hopefully we can make this happen! Here is a picture of the Reno Temple.
From there we headed across the desert to get home. We enjoyed good conversation and reading of some heroic war stories. We stopped in Wendover for some delicious Mexican Food and then made the last hour and a half drive before pulling into our driveway. It was a long time to be away so that made it all the better walking into my CLEAN house! It was a wonderful trip and we made some great memories!
