Once it warms up we head out on the bicycles around Big Bear Lake. Beautiful views, though hard pedaling as we knock off the rust and salt from our bicycles that accumulated from the surf’s mist along the shore.

Back at the RV we grab lunch and hop on the motorcycle to go scout out the cabin. Easy enough to find and only a few miles away.

Then we head back home and hike up a trail into the mountains. It joins the PCT and we hike along the famous trail until it’s covered by snow – which would quickly soak through my running shoes. Ashley’s pretty intrigued by the trail, so it was great to spend a few steps on it.

 

Headed out after a quick breakfast, aiming for a nearby Target to pass a bit of time before heading up into the mountains. The cabin isn’t available till Thursday, so we have two days to travel about 40 miles.

On the way to Target a motorcycle cop pulled us over for running a red light. It was very much yellow. But you can’t argue with an officer and you even if you get the ticket overturned you still have to pay the court fees. Quite the racket the system has going. Going to see about getting it dismissed, but still frustrating.

We head on up into the mountains and look for a place in the forest to spend a couple of nights. After two 20-point turns out of private-gated roads we give up and head to Big Bear. Both of the ranger stations are closed (resulting in another 20-point turn), as is their backup, the Discovery Center. So we circle around the lake to the Visitors Center, who recommends a couple of campgrounds. We end up doing another 20-point turn trying one of their recommendations, and give up, heading to the other option. It’s a nice campground and we’re happy to be settled in.

We packed up and headed out of town. Dropped off a thank you note for Jake and Jennie, along with surprise cookies.

Stopped for propane, which caught us in traffic in L.A. Blech… Found a WalMart to pick up groceries and spend the night.

For ease of, well, everything, we decided to spend one more night here at the ocean. After some delicious coffee and breakfast, Jake, Jennie and Griffin came and picked us up and we all headed out for a hike. Started at the same trailhead as on Wednesday, but stayed along the fire road this time, granting us fabulous views out over town and the ocean. Delightful chats while we hiked – Griffin seemed happy as long as we were moving but once we stood for a few moments he would start to fuss.

Back at the car we debated about food plans – late lunch now or clean up and regroup later for supper? Ultimately we decided to head straight out and went into Santa Barbara for the Ralston’s favorite Mexican, Los Agaves. They certainly didn’t over-sell it! We sampled 5 of the 8 available salsas, passing the hottest ones, and they were all delicious! Likewise, the food was amazing! (The Ceviche definitely took the cake, even above the fish/shrimp tacos.)

Stuffed, we found ourselves back at their house for some more time visiting. As the day started to wind down, we began saying our “see ya later”s. Jennie took Ashley and our borrowed snow gear (board, jackets, boots, etc) to the RV in the car while I followed along on the motorcycle. We packed everything away and prepped for tomorrow’s departure.

Jake surprised us with some fresh coffee beans from Handlebar Coffee Roasters yesterday afternoon so this morning we brewed a cup of each to sample. Both delicious (though we both like the Guatemala better).

Jennie picked up Ashley and they headed off to yoga. Jake swung by to pick me up – we spotted some dolphins playing in the surf and Griffin enjoyed watching them. We stopped for breakfast, though Griff was far more interested in playing than sitting still so we could eat. So off to the park we went. He loved the slide, and we took turns supporting him as he slid down. The look on his face was priceless – such a huge smile!

Next to the park is a brewery and we stopped in for a drink – they have a play room so Griffin was able to check out all of the toys. One of the walls was a chalkboard, so I drew a picture of a tree. I think that Jake and I enjoyed the toy cars as much as Griffin did, if not more. 😀

By now the girls were back at the house so we went over and met them. Jake had a couple of meetings to attend to, so he had to rush off. We ate lunch, got ready for the evening’s double-date, and hung out. Theresa and Jake both arrived – Jake got ready and Theresa got Griffin.

The four of us headed to Santa Barbara to Arigato, their favorite sushi restaurant. Ashley hasn’t had sushi since she was a young teenager and I’ve never tried it, so we’re very excited. And we weren’t disappointed! The seaweed was strong, but everything else was delicious and we loved it all! We’ll definitely be enjoying sushi more in the future.

After eating we walked down State Street, the main strip in Santa Barbara. Explored through a candy shop – there were candies we’ve never heard of before as well as classics that we haven’t had since we were little kiddos. How much fun! Jake bought some “nuclear waste sours” and we had an endurance contest to see who could last the longest. All of us won (or lost) as the marketing was far stronger than the sour taste.

We finally headed back to the car and, since we had to make a quick stop at an ATM, swung into an artisan ice cream parlor for some dessert. Wow, was everything delicious!

Fully stuffed, they dropped us off at the RV and headed home. We settled into bed and were soon asleep to the sound of the surf.

Lazy morning – compared coffee making methods – aeropress is stronger than pour-over. Then headed into Carpinteria to the Lucky Llama for a breakfast bowl. Sprinkled on us on the way back to the RV, didn’t leave quite early enough.

Spent a bunch of the day reading. Nice, relaxing afternoon. Motorcycled in to meet Jake and Jennie – we walked down to BrewLab where Fire&Wine had their pizza oven set up. Ordered some of their fire-grilled pizzas and sat around chatting. Delicious!

Back at the house we sat and chatted with Jake while Jennie put Griffin to bed. Delightful conversation on quite diverse topics. He also did his best to get us to go stay for a week in Big Bear, CA. He’s got a week-long stay at a cabin there and it won’t be used by anyone else before the opportunity expires. If it’s open this upcoming week I think we’ll do it. We love cabins, it’s a new location and is apparently beautiful.

Finally, Jake offered to give us a ride home (I think he just wanted to see the RV, finally) so he toured our house when he dropped us off.

Up early (well, right on time instead of hitting snooze) and headed for the harbor. Pulled into the parking lot with plenty of time to spare. We noticed a car in the parking lot with the Switchback Kids magnet on the side door, which made us act like giddy fans who ran into a star. They were busy packing and we didn’t want to interrupt them.

Once on the ferry we went over to say hi – we’d run into them in Capital Reef in Utah and afterward looked them up online. They’ve taken a year off and are visiting all of the National Parks, so we were able to have quite an enjoyable discussion about pursuing similar goals (though on a separate time-line). How fun! Hopefully we’ll be able to meet up over the next couple of months, as we’re going to be travelling in the same direction.

Stopped on the ridge for lunch and then it’s time to head back down the trail to meet up with the boat. As much as we want to stay longer, we don’t want to miss our ride back to the mainland. Watch a fox watching us come down the trail – he wanders off as we get closer. Another is spotted on the ridge parallel to ours.

Less exciting, but inspiring, we a park ranger is along the trail. That’s a job we’d love to have, and what a fabulous setting to work in!

We get back to the visitors center and the boat is not yet in sight, so we pause for an afternoon coffee. Boil water in our backpacking stove, brew using our drip cone, and sip the last few drops just as the boat pulls in. Perfect timing!

The ferry ride was quite enjoyable, not just because of the delightful visit we had. With a nice, sunny day the water was sparkling blue and beautiful. A couple of gray whales were spotted, as was a Stella seal – huge in comparison to the California Seals – and a few random dolphins were playing in the water nearby as well. A couple of swells splashed up and got us, even on the upper deck. So glad I had on my rain jacket! We passed by Anacapa Island and pulled into Scorpion Bay on Santa Cruz Island – the pier was damaged last year in a storm so we were skiffed in to shore, 6 at a time. Though it took longer, we landed safe and dry on the beach.

A quick loop through the campground to fill up our water bottles, where we paused to check out one of the Island Foxes that only live on the Channel Islands, lying on the path’s edge. Then a quick loop on up to Cavern Point to check out the views. We took a quick break for a snack before heading up the Scorpoin Canyon trail to the Montañon Ridge. What fabulous views! We’re definitely kicking ourselves for not spending the night… Blue oceans, beautiful beaches, fabulous vistas of the rolling mountain ridge, and still more trails to explore!

We’re definitely going to have to return and visit another trip.

 

 

Back on the ferry, we enjoyed the trip back to town. The seals were still laying on the bouy, enjoying the sun. Back on the motorcycle, we headed home to change. Once comfortable we didn’t feel like heading back out (Jennie and Jake recommended a great-sounding place there in Ventura) so we grilled up the pork chops that we’d thawed out but not yet cooked and had a delicious meal at home.

Watched Griffin in the morning, then went and re-upped our spot for the RV. Since we were there, seemed like a good time to dump tanks and refill fresh water for the next few days. Once everything was done and we were back in our spot, it was time to head out for a hike.

Jennie had recommended a trail with beautiful views that was nearby, so we headed that way. Would have been really easy to overlook this spot without specific directions, but quickly found a parking place for the motorcycle and headed up the trail. What a beautiful trek up the mountain through the woods. We really do love being in the woods, hearing running water nearby, with greenery. Desert and beach scenery are pretty, but they just doesn’t speak to us like the forest and the mountains do.

We followed the trail up to the top of the mountains, stopped and had lunch, and then headed back down. Didn’t quite make it in time as we’d intended… Ashley didn’t make it back to join Jennie at the Pilates class in the afternoon.

 

Showers and packed up to move back to the RV, then ran and dropped everything off in the borrowed car.

Back at the house, Jake made it home – much to everyone’s delight! Griffin was thrilled to see him, absolutely. A little bit of play before supper was finished, then some delicious pasta. After eating, while playing, Griff took his first unassisted steps! Horray!

When it was bath time we headed on home with plans of getting together Friday evening.

After watching Griffin in the morning we hopped on the motorcycle and stopped at the RV for a few minutes. Then on into Ventura to check out the Channel Islands National Park visitors center. They had a nice little island garden and fun sculptures representing animals (current and past). We chatted with the rangers, watched the video and then stopped next door to reserve seats on a tour for Thursday morning.

Then time to head north and check out a suggested road up over the mountains. Fun ride, beautiful scenery – overlooking the valley and also over the ocean out to the Channel Islands.

Back to the house to play with Griffin, catch up on some journal entries, and supper time.

In the morning we watch Griffin and help prepare breakfasts before Jennie heads out for the day. Ashley lays Griff down for his morning nap and Theresa arrives – she and I talk for a bit. Hopefully I’ve convinced her to go and explore the parks in the nearby area – camping doesn’t have to be as hard as she first thought, and day hikes would be greatly enjoyed by her son.

Ready for the day, we walk downtown to the Lucky Llama, a highly-recommended coffee shop to sample a brew and a breakfast bowl. Delicious!

We detour down a side street toward the ocean, but the chilly breeze sends us heading home. It’s not too long before we notice rain heading our way, so we duck into a local shop to pass a bit of time and let the rain pass us by. Great timing, as it rained a few minutes after we headed inside. Once that let up we headed back to the house.

I ran back to the RV to pick up a couple of items and the asparagus from the fridge for supper. Ashley puts together supper, I catch up on journaling and scheduling emails for the month. Jennie spends quality time with Griffin.