Vacation 2019: Whether living or re-living, it’s all about the journey!

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When Donya and I travel, we always keep our options open right up to the last minute. The reason for this is simple: she works for American Airlines and we fly standby. We go where the wind blows…or at least where the chance of getting on the flight is in our favor.

The options usually include two places we have not been and California. California is always an option because who doesn’t want a week in a paradise of bright sunshine, blue skies, majestic mountains, a vast ocean, and breath-taking views? The current state of politics and resulting sky-rocketing cost of living – and visiting – notwithstanding, California remains a favorite destination for us. We lived there for seven years in the 80’s and early 90’s and never got over it.

A Good Start in Santa Barbara

We had never hung out in Santa Barbara, but we knew we wanted to. We found it to be everything we had heard and hoped. The quirky vibe suggested a place able to host and harbor the current trends, whether it is the hippy movement of the 60’s or the wave of Reagan-fueled patriotism of the 80’s, without losing its essence. It is a place where poverty and plenty intersect, each with less impact on the other than you might think. The homeless presence is noticeable, but the reticence of the displaced to seek a handout from a traveler is notable. On the other end of the economic spectrum, you have obvious privilege that seems devoid of pretentiousness.

Santa Barbara people are conservative-not like in L.A., where everybody wears rhinestones on their glasses to show that they own an airplane factory.
-S.J. Perelman, author

Solvang, the authentic tourist trap

Our next stop was Solvang, the Danish capital of the United States. We found it elegant, charming, authentic (we met several clerks and a waitress with heavy Danish or Swedish accents, speaking broken English and proud to be giving Americans a sampling of their homeland), and undeniably touristy.

Some tourist traps are annoying and over-the-top. Others envelop you in a fantasy, a dream from which you hope not too soon to wake. Solvang is the latter. It is beautiful and blunt. It is old world with a fresh feel. Any visit to Santa Barbara or the central coast would be enhanced by a day spent in Solvang.

How do you do, Malibu?

Well, I am not, like, 30. I am not that into raising my own chickens. (I bet my bird dogs differ on the chicken matter.) I don’t see Malibu as “off the map.”

However, if I could escape the grid, I would not mind doing so in Malibu. The beaches are beautiful. The breeze is refreshing. And despite being in Los Angeles county and only a hop-and-skip from the second most-populous city in the land, it feels remote and quaint.

Did I mention the fish and chips and clam strips at Malibu Seafood?

Peace & Pismo

When we moved to the San Joaquin Valley in 1984, it did not take long to learn how long and hot a summer day in the valley could be. Triple digits are a dime a dozen there. Consequently, we soon discovered a coastal haven where we could escape the oppressive heat and exchange it for a cool (sometimes cold, even in July or August) Pacific breeze.

Pismo Beach was where the seals barked and the sea otters played. It was where the sea gulls swooped in for a morsel of kindness. It was where fishing boats rocked on gentle waves. It was where the fare was seafood and the price was fair. It was the place of peace – a place to clear the mind, unburden the soul, and drift aimlessly into relaxation.

We found it in 2019 as we had left it 30+ years ago.

Yes sir, Big Sur!

When you leave San Luis Obispo headed north on Hwy 1 (aka, the Pacific Highway, aka The PCH), you enter Las Padres National forest where the narrow highway serpentines around mountain curves and along the edges of cliffs. If you look to the left you will find the Pacific Ocean emerging from behind the trees and hills, the sun glistening on its surface and its waves crashing against the same boulders it has relentlessly assailed for millennia.

You think you have found Heaven.

Then you enter Big Sur and you realize that was not Heaven at all. This is!

In all our travels, both stateside and abroad, I have yet to find anything to rival the views from the PCH in the Big Sur National Forest. It is like a postcard from God himself, stamped with His glory and signed with a promise, “Eye hath not seen the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.”

When I am in Big Sur, I cannot help but recite in my head a Psalm.

O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thyriches. ~Psalm 104:24

Then, sings my soul, My Savior God to Thee! How great Thou art.

Carmel, you know, By The Sea

Our seventh wedding anniversary was spent in a place more magical than Disney’s Magic Kingdom, more majestic than ten thousand royal Your Majesties, more compelling than an Agatha Christie Mystery.

Among the places that are not home, sweet home, Carmel-By-The-Sea is maybe my favorite spot on earth. That was the first and last place I ever saw a crowd gather to watch the sun set over the Pacific and then break into spontaneous applause when it at last melted into the sea. If you cannot detect God on a Carmel beach at sunset, you are a defective detective.

The architecture and the texture of the little town that is always teeming with visitors is the perfect complement to the perfect natural setting. The town that once elected Clint Eastwood mayor knows how to be elite without making the tourist feel left out.

Come as you are but don’t leave the way you came.

Vacation 2019 was, for me, all about living, reliving, reviving, and contemplating eternity. It was about cherishing the moment and sharing the experience. This is only Part One. Stay tuned.

About Post Author

Gene

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https://genestrother.com

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