Honeymoon - Big Sur/Monterey Bay

Friday (10/2) we headed towards Big Sur. On the way out of Santa Barbara we decided to stop at one of the places we saved on a googlemap we made for the road trip. It was labeled Barrelworks and neither of us knew what to expect. Turns out it was the Firestone Walker barrel aging facility! We arrived before lunchtime and were the only people in the tasting room. 

Here's our bounty. Some of the bottles were selling for $90!

Another spot on our map was the Splash Cafe in Pismo Beach. They are known for their clam chowder. We expected a line, but got lucky and were able to order pretty quickly and find a table! I ordered the fried clams and Joe ordered a fish sandwich with clam chowder.

Pismo Beach:

One of the beers at Barrelworks was made with olallieberries. She mentioned Lynn's famous pies in Cambria so we made sure to stop there. The pie was DELICOUS!

The drive to Big Sur was one of the most amazing drives I've ever done. Joe even let me drive! The roads were very windy and the views were incredible. 

 

These little plants made it look like fall along the cliffsides.  I'm not sure if it's always this red color.

Of course Joe took some mustang pics :)

We tried to find a camping spot in Big Sur, but were wayyyy too late for a Friday evening. Everything was booked and people looked at us like we were crazy for hoping for an open spot.  We decided to drive a little further to Monterey Bay where we knew there were hotels. Joe did some calling around and eventually found a honeymoon suite right on the beach that was open for the night. The room included a set of binoculars.  I got up realllly early on Saturday morning and saw a group of something with fins!  It was so cool!!

Saturday morning we got breakfast delivered to our room and enjoyed the MSU game.

The beach outside our room:

We had our own private entrance from the street.

Creepin'

Next Stop:  Sonoma Coast!

Honeymoon - Santa Barbara

On Thursday (10/1) we arrived in Santa Barbara just in time for a sunset sailboat ride. There were two other groups, a captain, and first mate on our ride.  The weather was extra windy so we got to take the boat our farther than they typically do.

The ride started off calm, but we kept our seats while they situated the sails.

After awhile the crew said we could move around the boat however we wanted. Joe and I moved up to the front of the boat where it was VERY choppy. The first mate had to help me get up there because for some reason I wore a dress and it kept flying up because of all the wind! At all times we had one hand gripped to whatever we could hold onto. It was pretty scary, we were surprised how casual the whole thing was, but also loved the adventure. We kept taking selfies and pictures but waves would randomly crash up and soak us, almost making us lose our phones! Eventually we took it as a sign that we need to put our phones away and enjoy the beauty.

The sunset was very beautiful, but nothing like the ones we've seen in Colorado and also here in Arizona.

By the end of the ride we were both completely soaked!

We saw some sea lions, or seals, or something!

After the sailboat ride we had a seafood dinner at a spot right on the beach.  We sat outside and could hear waves crashing, it was very romantic.

Then we headed (in the dark) to our cabin for the night.  We stayed at a place called El Capitan Canyon.  It was recommended as a place for "glamping." They had big yurts, but we sprung for the cabin.  When we checked in, they upgraded us to a more private, king sized cabin! 

Next stop:  Monterey Bay!

Honeymoon - First Stop: San Diego

We left for our honeymoon road trip on Tuesday (9/29) and made our way to San Diego.

We stopped at a border town for some tacos. The place was called Kennedy's Tacos and it was like the subway of mexican food. We watched someone else order before ordering ourselves. Delish!

There were windmills everywhere! 

Just before getting into San Diego we stopped at Alpine Beer Company.  They only sold tasters and we learned that no one in California will fill up an unmarked growler or growler from another brewery. One of the guys who worked there told us all kinds of beer stops to make on our trip. 

Our rental in San Diego was GORGEOUS. There were tropical plants and little figurines everywhere. It was like a little apartment complex but we didn't see anyone else the whole time we were there. The location was great too. Just south of the San Diego Zoo. We walked or biked most places.

Joe found a rental company that delivered bikes! They brought us two bikes to use for 24 hours. We got in about 15 miles total!

We rode to Stone for some tasters.

 

 The bike path went along the ocean and there were parks with beaches! 

We also stopped at Pizza Port. The pizza was delicious. We felt a little out of place because the whole restaurant was filled with surfers!

 

We stayed in San Diego for two nights but didn't get to go to every place we wanted. We'll definitely be back!

We made our way up the Pacific Coast Highway and stopped in Laguna Beach for some ocean time.  Laguna is up on the hillside so to get down to the ocean you have to take looooots of steps.  I think this beach was called the 1000 steps beach.
 

Then we headed to Seal Beach for Beachwood BBQ & Brewing.  The food was AMAZING and the beer delicious too.  Mmm fried green tomatoes, blue cheese grits and brisket!

We stopped at so many random beaches that I forgot which ones this is.  Might also be Seal Beach.

Next stop:  Santa Barbara!