Updates on California

We spent a couple of days driving from Sacramento to Santa Ana, where we stayed with my Aunt Jan. Now we have moved further south to San Diego where we are visiting my sister and her boyfriend. Here are some highlights of the trip down here.

BERKLEY, CA
I didn't have high hopes for Berkley, and we probably would've skipped it, if not for my friend Michele currently going to graduate school there. Michele and I worked together as Literacy Specialists at the Teach For America Institute this past summer, and she was also a teacher in Phoenix. We were able to meet up for lunch, and Michele led us to this Japanese vegan restaurant, where we extravagently dined on a variety of noodle bowls and sushi rolls, finishing up with chocolate cake and fried bananas. It was outstanding. We didn't linger in Berkley, as we were eager to get out of the expensive and urban San Francisco area before nightfall so we could camp someplace cheap. I also didn't get a chance to see the Alice Waters inspired Edible Schoolyard, which was sort of my equivalent of Mark's driving through a tree dream. I wasn't too disappointed however, because now that Jamie and Trisha live out here, I'm sure we'll be back through the area.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA
We really didn't give this city the attention it deserves, but we did spend some time in the nature preserve that sits just north of the city on the coast, as well as stopping at vista that overlooks the Golden Gate Bridge. When we left Sacramento that morning, it had been about 90 degrees with no clouds in sight, but of course, as we drove out towards the coast and over the mountains we descended into some thick cloud cover. It was actually pretty sunny when we took this picture, but the wind was incredibly strong, and I learned, definitively, that my Denali fleece jacket is NOT windproof.

HIGHWAY 101 and 1
Despite warnings, we exited S.F. about 4:30 pm and hit absolutely no traffic on the way out...guess not too many people commute via the Pacific Coastal Highway. We spent the next two days traveling slowly down the coast, pausing frequently to get out of the car and take in the scenery. At night we camped in state parks near the beach, listening to the waves and feel the heavy coastal fog roll in. We spent one night just south of Santa Cruz and one night in Pismo. The last leg of the trip took us away from the coast and through downtown LA, which was the fastest, although if you know LA traffic, not all that fast, way to my Aunt Jan's house.