Glen's Trip to California

Hey everyone,

This blog is all about my trip to California, minus the golf. If you have this address then you have already seen the golf blog. So, let's get started.

I left at 5:45 a.m., Tuesday morning with Mom and Dad, headed for Jacksonville's airport. We were greeted by a wreck on I-10 about five miles from our exit. We had to wait 50 minutes before we were moving again. Barely making it to the airport on time, I ran through the terminal and boarded my flight. I stopped in Atlanta and Los Angeles before finally arriving in Monterey at 4:00 p.m., where Aunt Jackie was waiting for me at the gate.

We packed up my gear and headed for my new home for the next 11 days. On the way, I saw the Pacific Ocean and the famous fog that sets in the afternoon. We arrived at the house and I unpacked and rested for a while. Once Uncle Dave got off of work, we went to downtown Monterey to the Tuesday night Farmer's Market. There was all sorts of fruit and vegetables all down the street. Uncle Dave had me try fried calamari (squid), and let's just say, I'm glad it was fried! It was okay, but very different. We left there and rode through the historical district and around the bay to the ocean. We saw the tamest deer I've ever seen. They just stood there while we drove by.

The next day, Aunt Jackie had my breakfast ready right when I woke up. We got in her car and drove the famous 17 Mile Drive that runs between Carmel and Pacific Grove, seeing some beautiful sights along the way. We rode through Pebble Beach, and I got to see the famous Lone Cypress, then Clint Eastwood's Mission Ranch, and Carmel Beach.

After all that, we went to the Wharf shops and Cannery Row. After shopping a while with Aunt Jackie, we went to the Monterey Aquarium. Let's just say, I ended up going there three times while I was on my trip. It was awesome!

That night, Aunt Jackie had Spencer Kennedy and his mother, Jackie, over for dinner. I had heard a lot about them and was glad to finally meet them. We had a great meal and finished it off by watching the Red Sox play on tv.

Thursday, I went back to the aquarium to look at everything again. After a couple of hours in the aquarium and spending some time on Cannery Row again, we left to go play Peter Hay golf course. My other blog tells you how good I did.

That evening for dinner, Aunt Jackie had made Brussels sprouts, and I was asked to try one. Uncle Dave laughed as I choked half of one down, only then to be followed by about a gallon of water.

Friday, Aunt Jackie and I played Monterey Pines. After that, she took me to Salinas Valley, where Uncle Dave works. I got to see his business, Incotec, and tour his facility. Then he and I drove through Salinas Valley. It's about 10 miles wide and 60 miles long, filled with thousands of acres of lettuce, grapes, celery, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, artichokes, fennel, radicchio, and flowers. It was amazing, especially for a farm child. After we left there, we went to Uncle Dave's gun club to shoot clay targets. Talk about awesome! It's hard to explain, but it is the coolest gun range I have ever seen. I shot well, but not near as good as Uncle Dave. We had a lot of fun.

Saturday, Uncle Dave was kind enough to take me to San Francisco. On the way, we saw where they store the big blimps and where the President lands when he goes to San Francisco. We passed the headquarters to Yahoo, eBay, Cisco, Intel, Oracle, Epocrates, Mcfee, Symantec, and many others. We drove to the Golden Gate Bridge and took a pile of pictures. It was so cold there! We went to Lombard street, which is the crookedest street in the nation, then saw Alcatraz. We left there and went to Pier 39 where they unload barges. Uncle Dave and I ate at Johnny Rockets and were so full we could hardly walk around. We rode a cable car all through the city. It took us to China Town, then to the Orvis store. We were beat from walking up the steep streets, so we rode the cable car back. We headed back home and I saw Candlestick, the 49ers Stadium and a few more sights. It was a great trip, and I enjoyed the time spent with Uncle Dave.

Aunt Jackie knew I liked spicy wings, so she had some Habenaro chicken wings waiting on us when we got home. They were HOT!

Sunday, we arrived a little early for church, so Uncle Dave and I walked through the Carmel Shops. We saw some neat things in all of those shops. After church, we went home to eat and then Uncle Dave and I hit some golf balls at Laguna Seca's driving range. After we finished hitting, Uncle Dave drove to the Seidel's home for a short visit. Mr. Bob and Mrs. Mar warmly welcomed me in and we sat down and talked for a while. They are extremely nice people with a beautiful home in the mountains.

Monday morning, I had my round at Poppy Hills, then afterwards Aunt Jackie took me to Big Sur. Even though it was foggy, it was still so pretty to see. The road to Big Sur runs along the Pacific coast, so I was able to see the ocean and sights, like the Bixby Bridge. We stopped at a little place where Aunt Jackie insisted that I had to go sit in a stream. So, I took off my shoes and took a step into the water. IT WAS SO COLD! I was wimping out until a lady next to me said I was a little girl.

We hiked up the mountain to a waterfall in the state park. We were in BIG redwood trees. I was amazed at the massive size of those trees. I got some beautiful pictures and had a good time with Aunt Jackie.

Tuesday morning, Aunt Jackie and I went to Sand City to go ride bicycles. We rode all through the small towns and stopped to eat at a little pizza place. They had the biggest slices of pizza we had ever seen. We couldn't finish them because we were so full and didn't know if we could ride the bikes anymore. After we sucked it up, we rode to Lovers Point in Pacific Grove, took more pictures, and headed home.

When I got home, I changed from my biker's attire of Crocs and khaki shorts to my golfers gear for a round of golf with Spencer at Spanish Bay.

Wednesday was the day of my golf lesson so I got going pretty early. After a very good lesson, I decided to go bike riding again. This time I ventured by myself. I rode from the house to the Marina, which added up to about 25 miles of bike riding for me in two days. After all that riding, I about couldn't walk! I called Aunt Jackie to tell her where I was, and she couldn't believe I went that far. She came to pick me up, putting the bike in the trunk of her car (I had to take the tires off so it would fit), and headed back home.

Needless to say, Thursday morning I almost could not walk up the stairs after my "Tour de France" ride yesterday. But I toughed it out and met up with Mr. Russ Weiss at Del Monte for a very fun round of golf and a great lunch. Mr. Russ drove me home, and Aunt Jackie and Uncle Dave took me to the Wharf again for a nice dinner on the water. We walked around the shops and went home.

Friday, I went back to the aquarium to take a few more pictures, and then walked up the road to a car show. The streets were lined with antique cars of all sorts. I took a pile of pictures and saw some really cool cars.

That afternoon, Aunt Jackie, Spencer, Ms. Jackie and I went golfing, and I had a great final round in California. I came home and started putting all my things together.

Saturday morning at 5:15 a.m., Uncle Dave took me to the airport only to find my flight had been delayed. But with quick thinking by Uncle Dave, I was rerouted from landing in Jacksonville to landing in Tallahassee at 9:00 p.m. So it all turned out just fine.

If I had to summarize my trip in one paragraph, I would say it couldn't have been any better. California is a great place for someone who is in my position. The golfing is great, the people I met are so nice, and the conditions are perfect. At the airport on Saturday morning, I was ready to see everyone at home, but not ready to leave California.

I am so grateful to everyone who made this trip possible for me. Thank you for an awesome adventure!

Hope you enjoyed,

Glen