On what had turned out to be a 16 week ‘Go Big or Go Home’ trip, it was time to do the Going Home bit. After Grants Pass in Oregon, we eked out our last few weeks of the trip on the California coast, with a week in Santa Cruz and a week in Santa Barbara, before finally heading home to Santa Clarita.

What a wet write off of a weekend driving down to Santa Cruz.

Wet leaving Oregon. Wet arriving in California. Wet before, after and in between.

Santa Cruz:

In the run up to Halloween, the fun NextSpace coworking office was full on decked up
My coworkers on video calls had no idea 😆 🕷

As the weather transitioned to more of what we expected from California, we made the most of the waning after-work light to enjoy a brief sunset walk along the bluffs.

Wilder Ranch State Park

Other pleasant evenings gave us an opportunity to enjoy al fresco cooking and dining at the BaseCamp, it felt a long time since we’d been able to do that. I was well chuffed to find both Wholefoods and Trader Joe’s supermarkets within spitting distance of NextSpace (after what seemed like an eternity of sub-par grocery stores!). And for pre-dinner snacks, I was still working my way through the Canadian salt and vinegar crisps stash.

A sheltered spot at Santa Cruz Harbor RV Park

In keeping with our trend of bumping into friends and work colleagues, we met up with one of Darren’s Twilio buddies for a lighthouse promenade and beach walk.

As the light faded, I realized I hadn’t even taken a pic of our motley crew

As luck would have it, our penultimate week coincided with the reintroduction of Flex Fridays, meaning I got to take Friday off work. Which meant a sunrise walk and an opportunity to explore a bit more of Santa Cruz.

More lighthouse pictures – but a different lighthouse! And sunrise instead of sunset.
Surf cool
Surfers out and about doing what surfers do
Surfer statue. I think the wig and sailor hat were an afterthought.
Pigeons on their morning break, having a chin-wag
Pier art. Ooh, maybe they have otters round here somewhere?
No otters but the barking sea lions were a treat to see and hear
Baby sea lion smooching with mum

The Weekend:

The driving distances from one place to the next seemed tiny down here after Alaska. Getting to our next destination was measured in hours, not days. However, the rugged coastal drive down Big Sur, one of the coolest highways in California, is notoriously slow and winding with lots of scenic viewpoint distractions and hikes along the way. It’s been a few years since we’ve done the drive and we had the time, so why not.

* Stock photo of Big Sur – just to give you an idea
Um ok, that’ll be why not!

Luckily, we checked on the roads before committing to the Big Sur drive. All that rain in last week’s storms had caused erosion and landslides, putting paid to any through trips. Plan B it is then.

We didn’t actually have a Plan B, so we pulled in for coffee and biscuits and a little chill out in the BaseCamp. Out came the phones, and while Darren was diligently doing some Google research, I had a quick skive on Facebook. I did a double take when I saw a FB post from our good friends Brian and Lindsay. They were in Monterey for the weekend celebrating Brian’s birthday. And we were about 10 miles from Monterey. Not days or even hours away, we were like right there.

A few frantic back and forth messages of the “No way?” “Way!” variety later, and we’d arranged to meet up for brunch. Yet another of those bizarre yet fortuitous meet ups – and we got to wish Brian a happy birthday in person. Cheers Brian & Lindsay, so great to see you!

With Big Sur out of the question, we headed inland and down the alternative 101 route. The wineland area of Paso Robles was just a few hours south, and we set our sights on nearby Tin City, a little huddle of wineries and other artisanal outlets, including gelato (ice cream), cider and Barrelhouse Brewing.

Santa Barbara:

Santa Barbara is only an hour and a half away from home (Santa Clarita), but we’ve never spent a full week there before. Nestled in the Santa Ynez mountains overlooking the Pacific Ocean, SB is an upmarket resort destination, often referred to as the American Riviera. If you want any more indication of its poshness, Meghan and Harry live in them there Montecito foothills.

I’m going to have to do you another stock photo, because yet again we were cursed by the weather. This time the gloom and doom of thick all-encompassing fog, with occasional clearer yet overcast patches.

* Not my photo. This is what Santa Barbara looks like when you can see it.
And this is what it looked like to us. Not quite the same in the greyness.
A rare brief glimpse of the sun through that one tiny crack in the fog cloud
Foggy while we were at work too
Nice open space to work in at The Sandbox office

We did have one evening – ONE – when it was clear. Perfect for a sunset wander along the Mesa and Arroyo Burro beach.

And then it was back to this…

My mum asked me to take a picture from the pier. She’s been here before and has a bit of a soft spot for Santa Barbara, being called Barbara herself. I think she was expecting something along the lines of the stock photo above. Sorry mum, here’s what we got!

And with that, it really did feel like it was time to call it a day. Go Big or Go Home? I’m officially renaming the trip Go Big AND Go Home!

HOME! 😀