Going Back to Cali

We took advantage of meeting my parents in Vegas and enjoyed a cheap night at the Rio. My total rewards are good for something, I suppose. We did some gambling and had some fun before we made the trek west to San Francisco.

Once we past Bakersfield, we were on the same route we traveled when the RV died. It was a little surreal having it back in the same area. We totally expected people to remember us from a month before and give us dirty looks. Fortunately we didn’t get any Prius birdies this time around and we picked up two guests for the San Fran game and journey back to Phoenix. Julie and Kate made it just in time and we picked both of them up at the airport in the RV. It looks a little funny but I think people are excited to get in an RV at the airport. It’s definitely more unique than a limo, especially with our rolling palace.

Candlestick was easily accessible and we set up the tailgate pretty quickly. It didn’t take long for some fellas to wander over to check out what we had going on. It definitely helps attract people when you have ladies hanging out with you. (Note to self) We had some good pong games and some brats and then headed to the stadium. We were treated with special on-field passes for pre-game activities and met a very awesome individual who hooked us up with the tickets and passes. Thanks Dave and Heather for making the trip to Candlestick that much more incredible. Everyone loved the pins and the football. The game was a knuckle biter and the 49ers pulled it off in the end. I should say that the Bears had several chances but couldn’t put it in the endzone when it counted. Glad I didn’t have Cutler on my Fantasy Team.

The next day was spent driving down the California coast from Monterey to Santa Barbara. We started with the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium and then headed south. It takes a lot longer to drive the coast in an RV, especially having to negotiate those tight 20mph turns. It was an awesome day though. The elephant seals making farting noises was one of the highlights as were the numerous vistas we stopped at. We even ran into a Navy Vet who was biking from Vancouver to San Diego then to Florida (Are you kidding me!!). He wanted a ride up the long hill but we couldn’t fit his bike in the RV. Plus we thought that might ruin his quest, however generous his offer was.

Our trip ended in Santa Barbara and we checked out some local establishments after it was decided that going to Joshua Tree National Park that night was a pipe dream. I suppose it was a little unrealistic, but it would have been neat to spend the night there. We screwed ourselves by stopping at every vista and hanging out in Monterey too long. Maybe next time.

All in all, this California trip was definitely better than the first regarding the RV. It did just fine along the coast and we are pretty excited to have it back. Onward to Arizona for our homecoming.