California is More than I Expected

When we planned our trip to California, the purpose was to see friends and loved ones.  We have done that and are having a great time.  But we are also seeing the sights of California, so it is much more than I expected.

On our trip from Shafter to Temecula, we stopped by Pasadena and saw the Rose Bowl.

Temecula is about an hour from San Diego and is a rapidly growing community.  Because it had its roots in the late 1800's, it was a wild West town.  Here Tom and I are exploring Old Town Temecula.

Dave and Jan Moorhead took us down to San Diego.  Here I am putting my feet into the Pacific Ocean on Coronado Island.

We toured the aircraft carrier, Midway and learned a great deal about life on board ship.  Jan and Dave are great fun and up for any adventure we could think up.

On Thursday we took a trip across the mountains to San Juan Capistrano.  I had always heard about the shallows that return there every spring but I learned it is much more than that.  There is a series of 21 missions established by Catholic missionary priests starting in the 1600's.  Each mission was one day's walk from the previous mission.  San Juan Capistrano was awe inspiring.   The gardens and buildings are beautiful.

The trip from Temecula to San Juan Capistrano was across the Orgeta Mountain Hwy.  We twisted and turned our way.  Dave handled the turns with skill and made it seem easy but it had to be hard to wind around the mountain.

We left the wonderful hospitality of the Moorhead's this morning.  This is their pool which overlooks a golf course and the mountains.

We planned our first stop after leaving Temecula to be a Danish village north of Los Angeles but it was raining hard so we stopped in Burbank for an inside tour.  We toured the NBC studios and saw the sets of Days of Our Lives and the Tonight Show.  We sat in the audience seats but didn't see any celebrities.  There wasn't much going on there today.  But great fun.

We then began driving north up the Pacific coast.  The scenery was wonderful.  Pacific Ocean on one side and mountains on the other.

Dave Moorhead, Sr. had recommended a spot for dinner and we found it.  Great American Fish Company in Morro Bay.  We had a dockside table and celebrated Valentine's Day with this treat.

This week has been one great experience followed by another.  Then add in our dear friends that we have been able to spend time with.  It has been a week of memories that will last a lifetime.