holiday road trip.

So, I wanted to tell you a little about the road trip I took over Christmas. My sister and her husband and daughter recently relocated to San Jose from Providence, and I've been looking forward to taking languorous road trips up the 1 highway with my dog, stopping at as many places as I can. This was to be the inaugural trip.

Of course, it did not go as planned.

After a late start, our first stop was Malibu. I had to try out the Breakfast Burrito at Lily's that I've heard so much about. Afterwards, Isabel and I hit our tried-and-true favorite spot--Lechuza Beach.

The tide was the highest I've ever seen it, covering every inch of beach. We walked south a little ways and found a pocket of sand. I set down my bag and turned to find my Isabel had made friends with a sea lion (or is it a sea otter?)! It was quite a sight--they both seemed happy to meet each other.

We played for a little bit, the neighborhood yellow lab Luke came down to say hi, and then we were back on the road.

Unfortunately, the PCH was shut down at the Ventura County line, so we had to turn back and cut across the mountains to the 101. That, combined with lots of traffic into Santa Barbara, slowed us down.

We stopped for lunch, a walk and coffee in Santa Barbara. I happened to spot a lovely taco joint, Taqueria Pastorcito. They did not serve chips, but they did have an amazing salsa bar which included Tlatonile, a lightly burning sesame seed concoction (like a Mexican tahini), and a wonderful veggie burrito.

Two burritos down, and we still had dinner to go.

Since it was already 3 p.m., by the time we left Santa Barbara and we only had a couple hours of daylight left, I decided to take the most direct route to San Jose and Wazed it. It veered me off the 101 and on the 154 through the westernmost tip of the Los Padres Forest--which is gigantic. An unexpected and breathtaking detour that once again reminded me that most of California is rural and gorgeous.

The rest of drive was dark and mostly uneventful--San Luis Obispo was sweet, and I'd like to explore it more in the future. I wish I had taken some pics.

I finally made it to San Jose by 8 p.m., and we had a lovely Christmas.

Despite the fact that it was in the 30s at night, the citrus trees still bloomed.

West San Jose featured many lit up houses, and it was fun to walk the dogs and check them all out.

 
My sister's cinnamon rolls--sugar, butter, eggs (and cinnamon) literally melted in my mouth. 

We spend the day after Christmas on the beach in Santa Cruz. It was lots of fun.

 
On the way home, I considered taking Highway 1 again and going through Big Sur, but I opted for the quicker route down the 5. Again, I was reminded how vast and rural most of California is. The ride was calm and uneventful, except for two highlights:

1. The San Luis Reservoir, which was breathtaking.

And 2. Just outside of Bakersfield, there's a rest stop area with an Indian restaurant featuring many vegan options and mostly Indians eating there. I kid you not. It's a godsend out in a middle-of-nowhere sea of fast food, gas stations and motels. I highly recommend it.

To recap: my drive didn't go as planned, the holiday was lovely, and I'm looking forward to more road trips up to the Bay Area an exploring this astoundingly beautiful state.