California Love

 Happy New Year Friends!

I hope that your 2024 is off to a good start. 

I had a really incredible Christmas break - one of the best! Lani, my Mom's very good friend, summer it up as "the perfect Trifecta," and that, it was!

Cayman Airways now offers a direct flight to LA, which is super convenient. In less than 6 hours, you can be standing on the edge of the Hollywood sign! (Name the song!). I flew to LA on Dec 18 and met up with my dad and sister, Kayla, who flew down from Saskatoon. Oh man, we had a good time! We rented a really cute Airbnb in Fallbrook, California, which is a little town between San Diego and LA. It was close to one of my favorite seaside towns, Oceanside, as well as Temecula, the wine valley. I loved this house! We had a huge comfy couch, a cute back yard with fruit trees, hammocks, a fire pit, and a galvanized tub for cold plunges. We spent every morning drinking hot bevvies by the fire, and evenings watching "Travels with my Father" on our big comfy couch (so appropriate for our vacation! "DADDY!")

The first activity was the Temecula wine tour, which I had previously partook in with Ev last February. When we boarded our stretch black party bus with a seemingly shy couple and a mother and daughter duo, I whispered to Kayla, "Just wait until the 2nd or 3rd winery, everyone will come out of their shell." And, as predicted, I vividly recall looking up and watching dad, Kayla and the rest of our crew hanging onto the poles whilst dancing and belting out "Gloria" (dad's selection) at the top of their lungs! It was so fun. I asked dad if he enjoyed the wines on the wine tour and he responded, "It's really just a booze cruise." Haha. Yep, I suppose it was.

Temecula Valley

Well that escalated!

I loved hanging out with my Dad and sister. We had so many laughs. They are so much fun to be around! Kayla and I good-naturedly tease our dad, he takes it, and we all have a good laugh. We often lose dad on holidays, and eventually find him...typically making a new best friend....and this one wasn't any different. Eventually we found him a local pub, saddled up at the bar with an orchard farmer, "This is my new friend, Paul!" proclaimed dad. "Please don't take Les away, we have so much to talk about!" replied new bestie, Paul. They exchanged emails (it's that what you do in your 70's?) and vowed to meet up in Mexico.

Another key moment was driving through Laguna Beach. Kayla and I religiously watched the MTV show, "Laguna Beach" in the early 2000's, so we took great enjoyment in seeking out filming locations and singing the theme song repeatedly "Let the rain fall down...." Dad didn't even flinch. He just took it all in...over and over and over again! Secretly, I think he enjoyed it. We rented a 3-man bike in Oceanside and took turns pedaling down the coast, laughing as we dodged walkers and bikes, with zero elbow room. 

Oceanside

Temecula Town

Fallbrook

After 4 days with my Dad and Sister, I hopped on a little puddle jumper to my Mom and Lenny in their dessert oasis, Rio Bend. This is retirement life at it's finest, people. First order of the day is aquacise class in the 90 degree pool, proceeded by ample Today Show coffee time, followed by golf, ending with a happy hour that spans anywhere from 3-4 hours. Bedtime is anytime after 7pm and let me tell you, I live for this schedule! I had such a nice week with my mom. We were able to do lots of Christmasy things like bake goodies for all of the neighbours, and watch our favorite Christmas movies. The highlight was definitely the golf cart carol singing. Everyone in the community decorated their golf carts (picture lights, giant blow up santas, wreaths, bells - you name it, it was there! We then drove around in our carts, stopping along the way to sing Christmas carols! After completing 2 Christmas songs, we were often rewarded with a shot. Yep, a shot - there was Bailey's, fireball, butterscotch schnapps - bottoms up!  By the end of the caroling, golf carts were colliding, reindeer ears were sideways, and Christmas tunes were out of tune. It was a blast! 

We had a near Christmas miss when Mom's oven stopped working around 7pm on Christmas Eve. Poor Lenny pulled that thing out and attempted to fix it, stating, "Maybe something will be open tomorrow for parts?" haha, on Christmas? Can we quickly beg Santa for an oven element? Luckily, Mom's friend and neighbour suggested their Traeger grill, and although Mom was initially skeptical, it was one of the best turkeys I've ever had! A Christmas miracle, indeed (Traeger, sponsor me!)

I always enjoy spending time with my mom, but it's a huge bonus if it's not after one of my surgeries! We had such a nice relaxing time, just enjoying each other's company, and having lots of laughs with Lenny and their friends. 

Once Christmas was over, I hopped back on my private jet (Southern Airways tiny Cessna), and flew back to LA, where I was reunited with my Evan! Ev had spent a really nice (much colder) Christmas with his mom, Peggy,  in Red Deer, Canada. We immediately picked up our Minnie Winnie for our Pacific Coast RV adventure!

Our first stop was Malibu, where we enjoyed a beautiful ocean view from our campsite. We then proceeded down state route 1 to Pismo Beach. Pismo Beach is a classic, no frills California beach town. The sandy beach extends for miles and a long pier jets out into the sea. We camped at the Pismo Beach State campground, at the end of river. After exploring the pier and enjoying a cocktail in Pismo Beach, we headed back to our campsite, attempted to start a fire with the wettest wood ever, and eventually gave up, falling asleep to the sound of the river behind us. 

Malibu

Pismo Beach State Park

The next day we intended to take the Pacific Coast Highway up to Big Sur; however, every time we plugged in our destination, Google maps was rerouting us. We discovered that a storm hundreds of miles out in Pacific was creating massive waves. This, paired with the high tide, was causing these waves to unprecedentedly crash onto shore, damaging part of the highway. So, unfortunately, we were unable to enjoy the full Pacific Coast experience, we were diverted and aable to reach Big Sur via the 101. 

Ev and I did this drive in our early twenties, so I recall just how magnificent Big Sur is! So, I had expectations, and luckily, those expectations were met.

Big Sur is all about the drama. Once you enter the beautiful city of Carmel, you begin the trek on the narrow, windy roads that drop hundreds of feet into the crashing surf. Not one to ever worry (ha!) I began picturing the door to our Minnie Winnie spontaneously popping open, sending me flailing into the crashing surf. Man, I love relaxing vacations 😟 Due to the storm, Ev and I were able to witness huge Mavericks - 50 foot waves that crashed into the caverns and rocks that jutted out from the coast. It was mesmerizing! Big Sur is breathtaking, and not to be missed if you are considering a California road trip. 

Our campground in Big Sur was something out of Disney's Fern Gully. Surrounded by enormous Red Wood trees and a forest bottom teeming with ferns and bubbling brooks, we quickly started a fire (this one worked!!), prepared dinner and sipped our drinks, enjoying all the smells and sounds around us. I can still smell the smoky wood burning mixed with the earthy scent of the forest. It was magical. 

Big Sur

Pacific Coast Highway

Morro Bay

Big Sur

Big Sur

Although we had pre-booked the majority of our campsites for our trip, we failed to book our last night, as we weren't entirely sure where we would be. We were struggling to find a campground near Santa Barbara, when suddenly 1 spot opened up at a place called "Jalama Beach." On the map, it appeared to be somewhat close to our destination, and the description boasted an ocean view, so we decided to go for it. 

We reluctantly said goodby to Big Sur and continued our trek back down the coast. After a few hours of driving, we came across a sign for Jalama Beach. The turn took us through cattle fields, forests, and across small creeks. With not another vehicle in sight, it honestly felt like we were heading nowhere (or to a place where strangers harvest our organs - again with the worry). I kept second guessing the directions, wondering if we had strayed off course, but signs continued to promise it was just up ahead. 

Suddenly we turned a corner and were met with a spectacular view! There, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, was a beautiful secluded beach. Mouth agape, I couldn't believe that we had found such a treasure! 

Once we checked in, we parked our Winnie up on a cliff, overlooking this beautiful beach. Our neighbours immediately began to inform us that a huge rogue wave had hit the campground the day before, destroying the first 2 rows of campgrounds and even uplifting the playground! Apparently the campground was evacuated and then reopened on the day that we arrived. I guess that's how we managed to score such a great spot. 

This site was one for the books! A small store and restaurant sat just down the hill, serving, the "world famous Jalama Burger." This little ma and pa restaurant has been open for over 40 years. This place had an incredible history - it was such great find! I also discovered one of the best sauvignon blancs I've ever tasted, from the Brander Vineyard just down the road, and Ev and I proceeded to eat our delicious burgers and sip wine by our fire - gazing at one of our favorite California views thus far!

Overall, the RV trip was awesome. Although I do enjoy a 5-star resort (with a jetted tub, please),  I must say that the RV trip is a great way to explore a lot of the state. There is nothing better than falling asleep to the sounds of crackling fires and crashing waves, and then waking up to a beautiful view while sipping a hot drink. In addition, wifi was spotty, which forced us to get off our phones, and just really enjoy each other and the nature around us. I loved this trip, and would highly recommend it to others. 

Jalama Beach

Jalama Beach

Aside: Johnknee was OK. Like his namesake from Dirty Dancing, he's a bit unpredictable at the moment. He will happily dance on a log over a river, practice "The Lift", but abandon me in a huff because he's moody or whatever.  Anyway, there were moments of good and moments of "why won't my fricken knee work," but I'm hopeful that we're heading in the right trajectory, as we all know Dirty Dancing had a happy ending. ;) 

Ok, Friends, I apologize for the long post, but I needed to document one of my best holidays  - my "Trifecta" with my nearest and dearest. 

Happy New Year! I'm excited to make some positive changes this year.