We left Seattle yesterday morning amid the usual crowds at Seatac plus holiday parades. (See unicyclist and duck man below).
Los Angeles was 20 degrees warmer than Seattle, but at 61 degrees and cloudy, not exactly warm.
We drove up the Pacific Hwy to Ventura. Despite the sometimes heavy traffic and misty rain, the drive was lovely. Lots of beautiful ocean views with big waves and fancy houses along the ocean side of the highway in Malibu. There were also lonely houses on hilltops getting precariously close to the edge as the sides of the hill have slid away.
We checked into our hotel--Country Inn and Suites right off 101 in Ventura--walked two blocks to the Fiore Cafe where we had agnolotti di pollo e spinaci (chicken and spinach ravioli) and linguini al frutti di mare. Delizioso!
Today we went to San Jose to see the van guy about converting our van. We drove up 154 through the mountains and then up 101 to San Jose. It was rainy/foggy for much of the way (>5 hours up to San Jose). But we did see lots of mountains, farmland, and miles and miles of vineyards. And we saw four different rainbows.
The 101 follows much of the old road between the 21 missions in California: the Camino Real. There are bell markers along the road every few miles to remind you of this.
We talked to the van guy (Gary at Personalized Vans) for about two hours. He's going to work up an estimate for us. We're very excited to be one step closer to our completed van. We might be camping as early as spring break!
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