Road Trips

They are the one time in my life when I can do something slightly by the seat of my pants. I always have a destination, but I always leave myself extra travel time to meander and explore. I just recently found out the birth father I never knew was really nomadic, so perhaps that is where I get my love of wandering. I have done two trips this year. The first was to Eugene, OR. I gave myself plenty of extra travel time so I could stop and have lunch at a rest stop somewhere, and pull off the beaten path if I saw something that looked interesting. Well, in Redding, CA I saw a sign for the Sundial Bridge. I adore architecture so I pulled off the road and am glad I did. It it is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

Of course, while walking across it I almost slipped and fell because I have the coordination of a blind wombat, but aside from that it was a great view, and a very worthwhile stop. As I got back in to the car and was driving away I almost crashed as I saw this.

I absolutely love the work of Louis Kahn, and this building totally reminded me of him. I love stark, concrete, simple, and beautiful. For some reason this type of design reminds me of what Howard Roark would've done. I pulled off the road and just looked at it for a while. I didn't go in because I still had places up the road I may need to pull over and stop at!

I had booked a room at a place I've been wanting to stay for years, on the way up to Eugene. It's a motel made up entirely of treehouses. I stayed in Serendipitree. You can see pictures of it here: http://www.treehouses.com/treehouse/treesort/prclst.html

There was a pretty good windstorm the night I stayed so I was rocking back and forth all night long. Lucky I don't get seasick. In the morning the owner asked how my night had been. I guess usually when the weather is like that they'll wake up to folks asleep on the couches in the lobby. I told him I had been scared at first, but then figured the place had been there for years and I was fine. Now, if I'd been the person in the treehouse 30 feet off the ground, my ass would've probably been on that couch in the lobby.

My second trip was to San Diego. I stopped in LA to stay with an old high school buddy. We went out to eat at a fancy restaurant. We (sort of) dined with Adam Sandler and Emmy Rossum. I mean, they weren't at our table but that's just semantics right? The next morning we went for a hike above the polo fields featured in many films, including Pretty Woman. Shut up! I have a weakness in my heart for Pretty Woman.

San Diego was beautiful and I got to explore while my friend I was staying with was at work. I ate a lot of yummy food, and didn't once see the beach. You see, beaches have sand. Momma doesn't do sand. I spent a lot of time laying around watching movies on her laptop. It was exactly what a vacation to me should be: laying around and relaxing.

On the way back home I stopped in Anaheim to stay with another good friend. We went out to dinner and gossiped about men and had a great ol' time. I noticed while I was with her how diverse my lady friends are. I have some who are 25, and this friend was 50. I just love genuine, good people. If you put all my friends in one room you would wonder what we all have in common, that keeps us together. It's a great and varied group of individuals. I hope I remain in good health for many years to come, because my best road trip may still be out there.

This year I'm doing a small one to stay at a beautiful home built in to the side of a mountain in Santa Cruz. This weekend I'm taking the boyfriend to San Francisco 'cause he's only been to Fisherman's Wharf. I get to show him the non-touristy side of SF that I have grown to love. I'm looking forward to it, and so is he.