Friday, December 4, 2009

Golden State Trilogy: Part II





The drive from Napa to LA was spectacular, save for the food. Our unusual accommodations in Big Sur was the highlight of this part of the trip: we stayed at Treebones Resort, in a yurt. A yurt is bassically a big round tent, but with a wood lattice frame under the tarps, making if firm. Remember those gates that our parents used to use to keep children and pets away from the staircases? Wood lattice that pulls in and out like an accordian? Like that. These particular yurts had wood beam ceilings, leading up to a plexiglas dome in the center of the ceiling so that you can see the stars at night. They were spotlessly clean, well appointed with electricity, a sink , colourful quilts, french doors and hardwood floors. The deck outside the yurt had two adirondack chairs, looking out at an amazing ocean vista. Pretty awesome.

We decided to skip out on our reservations at Pacifics Edge, a restaurant in Carmel that is supposed to be top-notch. But we were so happy to be at Treebones after a couple hundred miles of driving, that getting in the car for another long drive to the restaurant was a tough sell. Instead, we headed into the main lodge for the meal of the evening: bbq chicken and vegetables with brown rice. It was a great homestyle cooked meal, we brought a bottle of wine, found a cozy table by the fireplace and played scrabble all night. Perfect night & my favorite of all the fancy hotels and places we stayed on the entire trip.













On the famous drive down highway 1, be on the lookout for some breathtaking vistas. I saw these beautiful cows on the side of the road, with the ocean and mountains behind them. We pulled over and I got some great shots (but again, not many people freak over cows and animals the way I do). We did the Pebble Beach 17 mile drive, it was okay, but there's something not so "nature" like about diving through a golf course in a procession of cars and getting out with 200 other people taking pictures takes away from the beauty. There were a lot of other beautiful sights I preferred throughout the drive (like cows). Also not to be missed- we took a great hike through the redwoods in the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, up to a waterfall- so awesome.





Then there's Nepenthe. This restaurant right off highway 1 in Big Sur came highly recommended by lots of people we spoke to. I can confidently report that the only thing it has going is the view. But the view from our rental convertible was good enough that we could have skipped Nepenthe. The food is really the pits, my chicken sandwich with aging creamy cole slaw on the side was a $17.50 disaster. The view is amazing, but be prepared to wait with all the other 150 tourists for the 7 seats facing the ocean- We did, and it sucked.

Santa Barbara is beautiful. I don't remember the food- but we rented bikes and drove them all around town, and the hotel was great. Feel free to email me for hotel info.

That's it for part II, stay tuned for Part III, all about eating in LA...

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