CALIFORNIA LONG 2 SUMMARY

Day 1 - In sptite of some iffy winter weather conditions, we made it safely over the Rocky Mountains. We celebrated with tasters at Edgewater (Kannah Creek) Brewery in Grand Junction, then traversed snowy Utah and spent the night in Cedar City.

Day 2 - It was a mere 9 degrees as we set out in the morning. We enjoyed brief stops at Silver Reef (the only place in the US where silver was discovered in sandstone) and the world's largest Chevron gas station (in Jean, Nevada) with its collection of oddities, and eventually arrived in Orange, California, where it was a beautiful 70 degrees.

Day 3 - We spent the day with my sister... taking the ferry to Balboa Island, walking the pier, enjoying the beach, cruising the Newport views, strolling around Laguna Beach, and having a fabulous lunch at The Cliff, overlooking the ocean. Of course, chocolate cake was involved.

Day 4 - We had an absolutely gorgeous morning at Crystal Cove, with its historic beach houses, beautiful shore and some delicious beignets! The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent catching up with various college and family friends.

Day 5 - Priorities of the day involved washing the dog (much to her dismay, although she DID get a carrot as a reward afterwards... crazy California dogs!) and more socializing.

Day 6 - Scott and I began our drive north. Our first stop was Santa Barbara. As we wandered among the shops along State Street, we came upon Night Lizard Brewing Company. Along with some tasters, we also got a personalized tour of the brewing area. We then walked to the end of Stearn's Wharf, with its charming shops and lovely views. At the county courthouse, we climbed the El Mirador bell tower for spectacular views of the city. After a visit to the old mission, we continued on to Solvang (or Little Denmark) with some more tasters at Solvang Brewing Company. We couldn't resist feeding the ostriches and emus at Ostrichland on our way out of town. As chance would have it, we passed right by Firestone Walker Brewing (with absolutely sensational beers!) on our way up to Pismo Beach, where we spent the night.

Day 7 - We went to the Monarch Butterfly Grove, but the little insects were still asleep. We made a brief stop at the big rock in Morro Bay, then wandered our way up the coast. We took a tour of Hearst Castle (near San Simeon). What an incredible, breathtaking place! There were even wild zebras on the property! Just a short ways up the coast was the Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery. Hundreds upon hundreds of these massive animals lounged on the shore, making a huge amount of noise! We took the scenic, coastal drive up past Big Sur into Monterey, where we grabbed some absolutely scrumptious tasters (such as a blueberry sour ale and a chocolate stout with chilies) at Fieldwork.

Day 8 - In Santa Cruz, we viewed the Alton lighthouse, cruised along West Cliff Drive and admired the surfers, overlooked Natural Bridge State Beach, and wandered along the boardwalk with its massive amusement park. After some lunch and tasters at Seabright Brewery, we headed up to Big Basin Redwood State Park and took a stroll at the feet of these beautiful giants. In San Jose, we took a break at the Rosicrucian gardens and grabbed a few tasters at Floodcraft Brewery, then went up to Vallejo for the night.

Day 9 - We drove up to Santa Rosa where we met with friends for both breakfast and lunch... and of course beer at Russian River Brewing. We arrived in Sacramento in the afternoon with enough time to visit Sutter's Fort and the old boardwalk part of town by the river.

Day 10 - Today began our long drive home. Instead of a direct shot, we meandered a bit and took Route 50 through Nevada... known as the "loneliest road in America." We spent the night in Delta, Utah.

Day 11 - The final stretch home to Boulder, Colorado! Fortunately the weather was with us.