SoCal: Day 3, The Drive

I woke up on Saturday and packed up the room and my car. I was parting with Shok and Mary - they were heading to LA for the Devils vs. Kings game, and I was heading up to Santa Barbara to meet my buddy Jeff who himself was visiting California and coming down the coast. You may remember him from the North Carolina blog entries.

With the car packed I met up with Shok for coffee before leaving. After goodbyes I headed out, filling up the car and driving out to Rte 1 (Pacific Coast Highway). I had taken the PCH from Santa Barbara to San Jose a few years ago, so I wanted to do the Anaheim to Santa Barbara leg.

The Anaheim to Los Angeles leg is NOT worth doing. It was a lot dirty little towns and just nothingness. I’m glad I did it, but I won’t do it again. Next time I’ll take the freeway up to Santa Monica and pick it up there. That’s where it gets cool.

Driving through Malibu on the Pacific Coast Highway

Santa Monica and beyond is a lot of cool little towns and beaches, and gorgeous views and vistas. I drove through Malibu which was amazing, and continued up the coast. I knew I was going to be a bit late, but it was worth it to see the scenery.

The PCH meets up with the 101 in a few places, and I would get off and continue to hug the coast to see as much of the ocean as possible on my drive. Getting close to Santa Barbara, I found myself hungry and needing a restroom. I made a pit stop and decided to try Wienerschnitzel. Not wanting to spoil any dinner or wine tasting, I just got their hotdog. It was….okay. But the bun was soggy, which is just lame and unnecessary.

Eventually, just outside of Santa Barbara I hopped onto the 101 to get up there, since there was not much more to see.

I checked into the hotel about 30 minutes before Jeff arrived, and once he got in we unloaded the cars and planned out the rest of the day.