Thursday, April 30, 2009

NORTH TO...WELL NOT QUITE ALASKA

Today in day three.5 of our journey we ventured onto the freeways again and surprisingly it was a relative ely easy task, getting us north of Los Angeles in just over an hour. We were kinda free-driving, aiming for San Simeon, which as at four pm, we haven’t actually got there...but we hav e had a bit of an adventure. First we drove to Santa Monica, thinking we might stop and dabble our feet in the Pacific – at least this side of the Pacific, but you had to pay $6.00 for the priviledge of parking on the pure white ‘contoured’ sand. We tried to find a place to park to ‘rethink’ the strategy and then were promptly asked to ‘move on’. We had parked in a valet parking spot for a posh restaurant, and were made to back up. Oopsie. So around several blocks we drove, glad that our ‘sense of direction’ kinda worked. and then it was back on the Pacific Coast Highway, heading north. Next came the houses of Malibu, and the rich and famous. Gosh these houses are jammed packed together. But the sad thing is that the general public can barely get a view of the beach and the only state access i saw to the beach it certainly wasn’t the golden sands of Malibu. So i wonder if there is a beach for the rich and a beach for the rest of us plebs.
We again took a rather circuitous route, read that as took several wrong turns. But we stopped at Oxnard which was interesting in that my uncle’s sister lives there but i don’t have her address. Had our first experience of Wal-Mart – the girls ecstatic with the prices of clothes that they JUST HAD to buy something. Sadly one of our wrong turns came next, but it took us instead on the freeway onto some absolutely lovely country roads. The one interesting thing I’ve noticed today is the changing scenery. From LA to Malibu was the coastal wealthy, lovely gardens, homes, palm trees, the large gates securing properties. In north of Oxnard it changed to horticultural which was interesting in that the surrounding landscape seemed quite harsh and dry. Acres and acres and acres of crops. Then we ‘diverged’ and headed towards Ojai and lovely winding roads, really lush green and pretty. And now we’re ensconced again in our Motel 6 by a freeway! i.e. Noisy. But cheap, and we’re about 5 miles south of Santa Barbara. We’ve driven a lot longer today than expected but i think some of it although unplanned is really worth it. Pretty and easier driving that’s for sure.
No pictures today, but wud love to hear from readers if you’re ‘seeing’ what’ i’m seeing LOL

Catch u tomorrow
Jane

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