Sorry for the delay here.. it's been quite a busy week since returning from our trip. It was not the greatest feeling leaving warm and exciting Las Vegas for chilly and mundane Indiana. Our last two days were enjoyable, but as we came to realize, you can't truly do Vegas on a budget. It just doesn't work that way. Prime example number 1: our dinner immediately following our arrival, which I will get to soon enough.
After a very sluggish morning that required a few Excedrin, we gave ourselves a bit more time to rest up by staying until the Pens game was over at 2:00. Unfortunately, that was practically over half way through the second period. They were playing sloppy as hell. Once everything was packed, we said our "thank yous" and "goodbyes" and reluctantly headed back out on the road. We were Vegas bound again. The first hour or so was mildly entertaining, as we wound through grassy hills, once again, and drove over secluded lakes.
Not a single dock or boat access
After driving through the first 40 miles section of hills, we were back into a large valley of farms, orange groves and little Mexican villages. To keep ourselves entertained, we made fun of every song playing on one of those "Today's Hits!" radio stations.. you know, the ones that play the same 20 crappy songs repeatedly for weeks, until hearing one of them again makes you want to punch out your window. I seriously don't understand the hype of mainstream music, sometimes. I mean, Avril Lavigne's new single, the one we really got a kick out of, is basically about how she just wants to be a floozy; a far cry from her "Skater Boy" days. Anyways, we continued through the valley looking for the San Andreas fault line, which we somehow missed. Figured there would have been at least a sign, let alone a gigantic crease across the soil. Another set of small hills laid between us and the desolate desert of the southwest and in those hills, the largest concentration of windmills I have ever seen:
Made you dizzy if you looked at them for too long
Practically stacked on top of each other
We entered the Mojave Desert area, where all gas was >$4.00 per gallon, just as the sun set. Thank goodness we had filled up already. The rest of the drive was spent staring into the uninhabited blackness, until the lights of Las Vegas peaked their glistening head around from the hills.
Now here's where we get to that pathetic excuse of a meal. We ended our first night pretty early by Vegas standards, so around 1 am. We arrived a little exhausted from being on the road again, so for dinner we went bargain hunting next door to the hotel, at a place called Ellis Island Brewery. The main attraction: a $7.99 10 oz. steak dinner. Let me just start off by saying that their placemats are covered with lies, mainly the large one at the bottom:
Their beer was mediocre at best, and the food was.. not even sure horrendous would cover how bad the food was. My steak was charred beyond being edible on half of it and it was under-seasoned. The green beans were a bit chewy and the baked potato was, well, a baked potato. It's hard to screw that one up. Now, Dan's meal was so bad that he didn't take more than a few bites. His "Fried Chicken" was a flattened, over-breaded slab of chicken that came out dry and doused in out-of-the-can gravy. His mixed vegetables were, as we put it, "a Jolly Green Giant Veggie Medley". The volcano of mashed potatoes looked like it would solidify if left untouched much longer. You get what you pay for. Lesson learned.
Our agenda was quite full the following day. The foodie in me was excited about our plans to eat at two of the restaurants from the Man vs. Food episode shot in Vegas. Our first stop was Hash House A Go-Go. We waited for about 40 minutes to be seated, mainly due to the praises of the people around us also waiting. Our stomachs continued to grumble as we anxiously awaited. The constant views of waiters balancing outrageously large and delicious looking plates of food probably didn't help either. Just as we were about to give up, we were seated.. outside in the beautiful weather, nonetheless. Sure glad we stuck around, too. The shining sun called for a large Bloody Mary.. about the healthiest way you can incorporate booze into a drink. Of course, I followed this by ordering their signature Sage Fried Chicken and Waffles. Judging by the multiple plates I saw exit the kitchen as we waited, I knew I would not be consuming this meal in one sitting. I was still shocked at the size of this eclectic dish when it was placed in front of me with a loud thud, further illustrating the size of this monster meal. The four Belgian waffles were studded with a strip of bacon, then topped with two pieces of sage fried chicken, covered in fried leeks and surrounded with a maple syrup reduction.. all of this held together by a large steak knife. The portion was the largest I have ever seen, and yet, it still managed to pull-off an impressive presentation. It was not elegant by any means; more a Salvador Dali-like culinary masterpiece for the everyday food junkie. The taste was unique, as well. The sage fried chicken was unlike any fried chicken I've ever had.. probably because I've never had fried chicken whose main spice component is sage, which is much more floral and earthy than the traditional seasoning. The waffles were 1) studded with bacon, and 2) light and sweet, both of which were a surprise. The crispy leeks added to the texture of the whole dish and the maple syrup reduction brought a roasted/caramelized note without weighing it down. Can you tell I'm becoming quite the foodie?
The only way I enjoy vodka
Have never had anything like it
After resting off our meal in the hotel room for a bit, we ventured out to the Strip once again, this time in search for a $5 minimum Blackjack or Let It Ride table. After grabbing the best drink deal in Vegas, in my opinion (the Spanish Steps Lemonade at the Bicardi booth outside of Caesar's Palace.. $8.50 for 24 oz of knockout power), we ventured southward and finally found a table at Excalibur. I stayed here with my Dad on my first visit last January and won a about $300. This time around, not so lucky. I played only 12 hands of Let It Ride, winning only one hand and losing $51 in about 30 minutes.
I need some sun
We continued on back up the strip, stopping for a ride on the roller coaster at New York, New York. Fun, yes, but not worth the $14 fee if you have been to Cedar Point as many times as I have. We decided that we would stick to the strip for dinner and chose the Cabo Wabo Cantina due to it's prime location and outside seating.
From our seats
After some moderately good Tex-Mex food and quality people watching on Las Vegas Boulevard, made it back to the hotel for some more affordable gambling.. not that that makes any sense, especially since we lost money there, too. Despite hitting five blackjacks in maybe 30 minutes, I still stepped away from the table down $20. We capped the night off with another walk up the strip, trying to dodge the slightly depressing realization that we would be home again tomorrow.
MGM Grand
The fountain show at the Bellagio
After checking out of the hotel and returning the rental (such a relief to return it undamaged after 1700 miles of driving), we arrived at the terminal 4.5 hours before our flight. Lesson of the day: you can't check your bags until 4 hours before your flight. After making it through security, we spent the next 4 hours posted up at a charging station on our computers and grabbing a quick lunch. Our gate location allowed us one last view of Las Vegas before boarding the plane.. we were heading home.
The first morning in Lompoc was accompanied by a well-balanced mix of nervousness and excitement. I didn't feel near as focused going into my meetings at UCSB as I did my meetings at Utah. I felt more confident, but something was still a little off.. like I had a feeling that the meetings weren't going to go as well; a pretty accurate feeling considering how well things went at Utah. I took my time getting ready, hoping that I could find some focus. My pace switched to frantic when I realized that it took 50 minutes to get to Santa Barbara, not 30 minutes. Naturally, I realized this at 11:15 and my meeting was scheduled for noon. I quickly gathered everything I needed, including a change of clothes for the beach, and jumped in the car. To add to the frustration, I forgot my sunglasses at the apartment. (I just purchased these sunglasses, some Ray-Ban Wayfarers, for the trip and am in love with them)As much as that annoyed me, it gave me the realization that I was ready for the meetings when I found it more frustrating to be without my sunglasses than being late. About 10 minutes into the drive, I opened my laptop bag to get something, can't remember what now, and the day turned around completely. There were my forgotten sunglasses. Score! Now, I sat back, took in the warm breeze blowing through the open windows, and just.. relaxed.
The drive to Santa Barbara was a thing of beauty. The first half cut through the grassy hills, covered with grazing cattle and the occasional swaying tree. I thought, no wonder those commercials always said that "happy cows come from California." It's hard not to be happy with that landscape. Sorry, I have to inject a bit of humor here:
The last half of the drive followed the coast; talk about relaxing. Aside from the oil platforms, which I had no idea existed that close to the Cali coast, the view was spectacular. The winds came roaring off the hillside towards the ocean, bringing a smell that reminded me of Spring (my favorite season). Oh yeah, I forgot it's practically Spring year-round out here.
We arrived at UCSB about 20 minutes late. Thankfully, I made a call ahead, encountering a very rude secretary in the process, to let them know I would be late. Not a good first impression, but I guess that makes us even. Walking through the campus, I immediately noticed how differently it was set up compared to Ball State's campus. While there were multiple large buildings, most of them were just for laboratories and offices. The classrooms were accessible from outside, separate from the other buildings. Can't keep those Californians away from the sun too long. The amount of students using bikes and skateboards to get to class damn near outnumbered the number of students walking to class, another extreme difference from Ball State. Students at Ball State, at least those traveling by foot, always seem to get annoyed with people on bikes. Taking a skateboard to class is such a rarity that I can't even draw a comparison.
I found my first office, where I was meeting with Dr. Mike Goodchild, a professor regarded as one of the most cited geographers in the last few decades. A bit intimidating? Yeah, maybe a little, but I approached it with the utmost confidence. Goodchild was a very laid-back, well-spoken man, with a sophisticated, yet humble demeanor. Our conversation lasted about 30 minutes, about half the time spent at each of my meetings at Utah. About midway through the conversation, while discussing where our interests aligned, he informed me that he was not taking on any graduate students because he has decided to retire come June 2012. Noticing that I seemed slightly defeated, he suggested multiple professors that I should talk to while I'm here, shortly followed by telling me that 2 of them were actually out of the country at the moment. Well, that sure helps me a lot. I thanked him for his time and headed straight for another prof's office, Dr. Clarke. He didn't know I was coming, but he was kind enough to offer me some of his time. Low and behold, though, he hadn't even seen my application. I sold myself as best as I could and inquired about their selection process. To little surprise, they were well along in the process. In fact, the department had already invited their top choices out to Santa Barbara for an open house the weekend prior. Dr. Clarke proceeded to tell me that, with two professors not accepting any students for the coming year, spots were more limited. Also, they had received numerous applicants from top universities in China, Vietnam, and South Korea, many of which had perfect test scores. Go figure. As I made my way back out of the building, I had a feeling that it would be the only time I'd be doing so. Not that I'm giving up on the UCSB dream, but I sensed that I wasn't as desired there as I was at Utah. The vibe from the somewhat segregated department seemed a little off-putting, as well. I mulled it over for a few minutes as I wandered aimlessly through campus, and then simply moved it to the back of my mind and focused my attention on the rest of my trip. Now entering beach mode..
After a quick wardrobe change (including shorts for the first time this trip!), we made our way to the pier in Santa Barbara. We had been craving seafood for a while, so headed to a place called Brophy Bros., which overlooked the marina and sat next to the local yacht club. Dan had the crab legs, while I ordered the Garlic Baked Clams.
The marina
Garlic Baked Clams
These things were delicious. Not overloaded with garlic, with a hidden surprise of crispy bacon and accompanied with a fresh squeeze of lemon juice; these things were perfect. My only complaint was that there were only 6 of these bad boys to consume.. man, I wish I could get oysters like this back in Indiana. I washed it down with a cold local beer that seems to be popular out here (and tasty, too), the Firestone-Walker DBA.
After our lunch, we wandered around the marina for a bit before heading to the beach.
About to hit up the beach
On the beach
Finally, I would get the chance to put my feet in the Pacific Ocean for the first time. The sand was thick and cool to the touch, but still induced the euphoric feeling of freedom. As expected (thanks to my many climatology courses that covered ocean currents), the water had an icy crispness to it that sent chills of joy up my body. Naturally, I was sure to document the experience:
Please ignore the paleness of my feet
You can't tell me that doesn't just make you say, "Ahhh."
I waded in the water to the level of about halfway up my calves, ignoring the goosebumps that were forming and just taking it all in. Another item to scratch up off my bucket list.
We left the beach and headed back to Lompoc (yes, I got to enjoy the scenic drive, once again) to meet up with Ricky, Katie and Mike and head out for a bit. We walked a few blocks away from the apartment to a place in town called The Red Zone, where two girls, in the Air Force with Ricky and Mike, met up with us. Now about this restaurant.. the decor looked like the owner went to one of those sports memorabilia stores in the mall and bought everything that was on clearance. That's the only way I can describe it. It was quite comical, actually, looking at sports items on the wall, that ranged from some Kobe photos (which makes sense) to pennants of midwest collegiate teams and a photo of Mike Ditka. We enjoyed the typical bar food as the Lakers-Heat game wrapped up. I honestly would have been fine if the roof collapsed on that game. Being a Celtics fan, I have a pure hatred for the Lakers and, more recently, the Miami Heat.
When we got back to the apartment, one of the girls who had joined us for dinner had the brilliant idea to use Ricky's money, which he willingly gave her, to buy Just Dance 2 for the Wii. I was stunned that we were about to play this game. I'll stop at saying that somewhere out there, there is video evidence of Dan and I in a dance battle in Ricky's living room. Needless to say, that was short-lived. We had gone back to bowling for a while when I looked at my updated Twitter feed. There I noticed multiple tweets mentioning an earthquake that had just happened off the coast of Japan, originally estimated at an 8.8 magnitude. We quickly switch the TV to MSNBC, just in time to catch a live feed of the tsunami crashing inland, sweeping away cars and entire villages in the process. It really was shocking to watch. The entire time, all I could think about was if that had happened here, in California. Just on the other side of the Pacific Plate. We watched on for another hour, as update after update kept pouring in. I was the last one to go to bed, so I was still awake when I noticed that Lompoc had been place under a Tsunami Warning. I couldn't believe my eyes. Just as I noticed this, I received two texts from friends telling me the same thing (thanks for looking out, by the way). As I finally fell asleep, all I could wonder was, "I wonder how large it will be" and "damn, tomorrow is our beach day, I sure hope they aren't closed."
Day 2
We awoke to the news of 11 foot tsunami waves in Hawaii and 7 foot waves to our north in Pismo Beach. Knowing that the beaches were going to be closed, at least for the morning, we slept in for the first time in the whole trip. Dan and I spent most of the around Lompoc, grabbing lunch and waiting for the night to arrive. We had big plans for the night: Ricky's band was playing a show at the Velvet Jones in Santa Barbara, a pretty legit venue. We arrived "with the band" at the back of the venue and helped them unload. Their band, Primal Tribe, was the second to play, which was a nice change from the screamo band that played first. I didn't realize how many photos and videos I took of their set until the next morning (Jager might have had something to do with that). I'll post a few pictures and a video just so you get a taste:
All-in-all, it was a fantastic end to our stay in So Cal.
We awoke Tuesday morning to about 6 inches of thick, wet snow all over the ground and cars. Naturally, we don't have a snow brush, so we had to rely on other tools to clear it off the car.. by that I mean a plastic bag, the large drinkin' cup from the strip in Vegas, and the hotel's snow shovel.
Dan utilizing the plastic bag
Once we got about 5 miles outside the city, the snowfall diminished completely and the sky cleared up. This time around, we could actually see the Great Salt Lake.
Great Salt Lake from I-80
I can tell you right now, this drive was stunning. Much more than either of us expected. We both assumed the drive would be dominated by flat, desert conditions until we reached California. Instead, we were surrounded by an ever-changing landscape. There were constantly snow-topped mountains mixed with brush-speckled desert. We even passed along the southern extent of the Bonneville Salt Flats. As we pushed westward, the desert was replaced with grassy hills and yet, the jagged mountains still peaked their heads in the distance.
Still 10+ hours of driving ahead. Notice the reflection of the road in my sunglasses.
Bonneville Salt Flats are in that direction.
The "Tree" of Utah.. yeah, I don't know.
A lot of road ahead.
Interesting filter touch
New favorite picture of the trip.
Dan continued to master the drive until I took over (for the first time of the trip) in Reno, just in time to drive through the Sierra Nevada mountains and Lake Tahoe area. This 2-hour section of driving was covered with steep grade changes, towering snow along the road, and beautiful scenery.
Entering the Sierra Nevada Mountains
Some of the snow still towering along the roads
Just outside of Sacramento, Dan took back over. The stretch from Sacramento to Vallejo was probably the most boring stretch of driving we've had this trip, although the constantly increasing temperature was a nice touch. As we carved our way through Vallejo and Oakland, I began to sit up in anticipation of seeing San Francisco for the first time. All around us were hills littered with colorful houses across from hills of cookie-cutter houses with no yards. It reminded me of the introduction of one of my favorite primetime television shows (I will use a version that is much less annoying than the original):
We caught glimpses of the city as we inched closer, but didn't get a great view until we crossed the Bay Bridge. From here, you could see the city, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Alcatraz. It was amazing.
The Bay Bridge
The amazing view
We reached our shady hotel (the dirtiest of the trip, so far) in the middle of San Francisco way ahead of schedule, so we were able to relax for a bit before venturing out to explore the city. Our first stop was the Mission District to grab some Mission-style burritos and see the Mission Delores.
Mission Delores
More filter fun
After our monstrous, but delicious burritos, we wandered down Valencia to see more of the district, only to turn around and head to the Lower Haight area to grab some beers. We stopped in at a place called Toronado, a bar that I had heard during my beer geek stage as being the "Mecca of Beer Bars". Honestly, I will give it points for a good atmosphere, but the Heorot in Muncie has a much greater selection. After a beer there, we headed back to our hotel.. 16 blocks away.. on foot. Bad idea, maybe, but it was an enjoyable walk. We ventured past the "Painted Ladies", which are better known as the houses from the opening segment of Full House.
Hey, Full House!
We eventually made it back to the room, where we passed out pretty quickly. Not a bad idea, considering the full schedule we had laid out for the morning.
Chapter 2: The California Coastal Highway
Crashing hard the night before allowed us to wake up early and tackle the long sightseeing list before heading out to Santa Barbara. I was very happy to get out of our smelly hotel, with its cigarette buds on the floor and shag-carpeted elevator.
See, shag elevator
First stop on the agenda: find a killer breakfast place. Being the foodie that I am, equipped with multiple restaurant finding apps on my iPhone, I picked out a place on . Washington Square called Mama’s. Name like that pretty much screams good breakfast. The numerous reviews praising its breakfast goodness, from French toast to eggs benedict done in a multitude of ways, and #5 rating out of some 3000 restaurants on TripAdvisor helped with the decision, of course. Many reviews mentioned the line that often forms down the block, as the restaurant only seats 40 people or so. We found a parking garage nearby and walked through the square, full of old Korean men and women centering their chi, or something like that. To our surprise, there was no line out the door. Upon entering, a hostess/door man informs us to order our food at the counter and then seat ourselves at one of the few remaining free tables. As we scoured over the menu, which hung over the counter and open kitchen, I was constantly distracted by the speed and efficiency of the chef and his 2 sous chefs. Unfortunately, what I wanted, the Dungeness Crab Benedict, was only served on weekend mornings. Instead, I was forced to devour this delicious creation:
So delicious.
The Swedish Cinnamon French Toast w/ Fresh Seasonal Berries. It was light and not overly sweet, a task that most French toast dishes fail to accomplish. The homemade jam at the table was delicious, as well. The best part: that plate of food was only $9, an impressive feat for being such a popular restaurant in a large city. Dan was right, though, when he mentioned that we should have ordered some bacon, too. Some saltiness would’ve worked well with all that sweetness. With a strong breakfast in us, we headed down to the Fisherman’s Wharf, about 8 blocks to the north; another stop to scratch off the list. Honestly, it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. I was expecting multiple markets selling fresh seafood and full of vendors selling a multitude of fish cooked various ways. Nope. Maybe we went to the wrong part of the Wharf because I saw none of that. We did see one row of vendors selling the same small menu of seafood with no customers.
Trolley just south of the Wharf
Alcatraz
Golden Gate Bridge
Multiple vendors, no customers
Some ships in the Wharf
After walking the various piers, where we enjoyed the views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz and practiced our knot-tying skills on exhibits meant for children half our age, we stopped at Ghirardelli Square to buy some chocolate. Our next stop on the agenda was Buena Vista Café, a small restaurant across the street from the Hyde Street trolley turnaround. I saw an episode of Best Thing I Ever Ate on the Food Network (my second favorite channel, behind ESPN) a few months back where Tyler Florence recommended the Irish Coffee at Buena Vista Café. Coffee + Whiskey + fresh cream. Sounds perfect. It was pretty neat to see made right in front of us by our, no doubt, Irish bartender. (Not my video below)
Irish Coffee
Hyde Street Turnaround
Our stiff coffee was followed by another item on my bucket list: riding the Hyde Street trolley. I managed to record our short, mostly uphill jaunt from the Wharf to the well-known Lombard Street.. you know, that pointlessly curvy, brick road amongst a city of straight roads. It was just as touristy as I had expected, but definitely worth the stop. It offers a good view of the city’s hilly landscape from the top. It’s also pretty interesting to watch families in large Astro vans try to navigate.
Looking up from the bottom of Lombard Street
Looking down Lombard Street
Enjoying the view
Posing in the trolley
Dan doing the same
After snapping a few pictures with my iPhone and then a few of some elderly British tourists with their Nikon DSLR (pure camera envy), we headed back towards the car to begin our trek out of the city. One thing we noticed while in San Fran is that Dan and I seemed to be the only American tourists around. We were constantly around people speaking German or broken English.. not complaining, just thought I would point that out.
The next part of our trip was what I was looking forward to the most: driving down the California Coastal Highway. Let me just tell you this, it didn’t disappoint. The road literally followed the contour of the coast, offering spectacular views of the untouched beaches below and the jagged coastline ahead. It was every bit as beautiful as I was expecting. The highway offers plenty of places to pull over and enjoy the view, which we took advantage of multiple times. For the first time, I got to hear the peaceful sounds of the Pacific Ocean crashing against the Cliffside.
One of the first views of the Pacific
I could never get sick of that
Lighthouse along the way
Quite the drop-off to the beach
Just an incredible view of the coastline, looking south
We stayed on the Coastal Highway until Santa Cruz, where we picked up the 101 instead. It would’ve been amazing to take the 1 along the coast all the way to Santa Barbara, but it also would have taken 9 or so hours, versus 6 hours taking the 101 the rest of the way. The remainder of the drive was covered with grassy hills and scattered farms, growing anything from artichokes to citrus.
We got off the highway just outside of Lompoc, where we are staying with Dan’s buddy, Ricky, and enjoyed the drive on a ridiculously curvy road that took us over the hills into Lompoc. We came out on the city-side of the hills as the sun was setting, which made for quite the scene. It was an incredible view for someone who is used to coming into cities in the Midwest. I would have snapped some photos, but I was too busy holding onto the “oh-shit handles” as Dan careened our car through the curves in sport mode.
We arrived to Ricky’s apartment safely and had a tasty chicken pot pie dinner; thanks to the girlfriend for that one. The rest of the night was filled with Wii Resort Sports and beers. Not having any long drives on the agenda for the next few days is a relaxing feeling.
