The Price Is Right: Lightning strikes twice!

Day One in Los Angeles started out like all work days...traffic jams on the freeways! I left my pit stop in Newbury Park and traveled east on U.S. Hwy 101. It's one of the major routes taken by commuters to connect to other highways. But, I didn't have to be anyplace at a certain time, so the stop and go traffic didn't bother me much.

My first destination of the day was just a quick photo shoot...of the original Brady Bunch house! For the past three weeks, HGTV has broadcast A Very Brady Renovation. The network purchased the original house in the series, which was really only used for the front exterior shots. This limited series showcases the renovation of the home to recreate the INTERIOR of the house like it was shown in The Brady Bunch. To make things interesting, the original cast who played the Brady kids assist in the renovation. When I got to the house, there was a fence blocking view of the front yard. I could still see enough of the structure to take some pics, including the new REAL front window...the original house just had a fake window facade.

Mission accomplished, it was time for an early lunch. I got to Pink's Hotdogs as soon as it opened at 9:30 am. I bought my usual two chili dogs with mustard and onions...one to eat immediately, the other for a future meal. And, as usual, it was delicious!

And now, for the main attraction... The Price Is Right! I can't believe it's really been over seven years since the first time I attended the show taping. That experience went pretty well...I got on camera because the lady a couple seats away from me got picked to "Come on down!"  I arrived at CBS Television City around 11:45 am...and was there for SIX HOURS!

It takes a long time to process the 300 people attending the show taping. Go through security (bag check, metal detector), wait, get a number and release form, wait, get a name tag and check in with ticket, wait, get your photo taken (I didn't buy one since I got one last time), wait, get a brief interview with a show producer, wait, go through a second security check (check in phone or camera; didn't have either), wait, then FINALLY file into the building and into the studio.

If you know the show, people are called down to contestants row to make an initial bid on an item to win a chance to get on stage and win even bigger prizes. I kid you not...the second person called down was a young guy SITTING RIGHT NEXT TO ME! Which means, I got on camera...AGAIN! Unlike the last show I attended, though, he didn't spin his way into the Showcase Showdown. Midway through the show, there was a special celebrity guest appearance. I won't give it away and spoil the little surprise. You can watch today's episode yourself on December 16th, as will I. I'm interested to see just how many times you can see me in the audience! 

I didn't leave the CBS building till around 6:45 pm, but I wasn't about to drive to my hotel without picking up my favorite Brazilian grill for dinner! I loaded up a take-out container from their self serve buffet, then added their grilled meats. And, yes, it was delicious! And, no, I didn't eat the whole thing! It will make a great future meal or two.

Tomorrow, will be museum day! I'll be revisiting two museums that I haven't seen in a few years, mainly because of their special exhibits. I love museums! The fun just goes on and on...

Who's noisier? Humans or animals?

I had a less than peaceful evening last night at what I thought was an excellent hotel. There I was, relaxing in my room, watching television when I heard shouting up and down my hallway, and slamming doors. After about an hour of this, I opened my door and saw an extremely intoxicated man and his wife, talking about their wasted daughters. But, the man himself could barely stand, he was so drunk! I called the front desk and the guy I talked to was rather dismissive, saying they would be kicked out at 11:30 pm. Well, not only did no one shut them up, it was STILL noisy when that time arrived! I ended up closing the bedroom door...I was staying in a suite...just so I didn't hear it anymore! To make matters worse, the clock radio in the bedroom woke me up at 6:00 am...and I didn't set it! When I checked out this morning and told the lady at the front desk about my noisy neighbors. She said there is supposed to be a security person on duty to deal with situations like that. Well, they didn't do their job! At least the hot breakfast was decent...pancakes and BACON!

Despite my negative hotel experience, I was looking forward to a pleasant day seeing some animals. My first stop was Ostrichland USA in Solvang, CA. I had visited this place in the past, and the attraction is feeding the ostriches and emus. I was not the only one who enjoyed the experience. When I left, a lot of people started showing up to feed the birds.

Yep, I fed the bad boys AND girls! I don't have any pics of myself feeding them because you literally have to hold the pan of alfalfa pellets with both hands. They are very voracious and aggressive eaters...the emus are a bit more timid and gentler.

I spent the afternoon at the Santa Barbara Zoo, my last visit being about five years ago. As expected...and it being a Sunday...the place was full of families. This zoo is not very big, but they have some nice animals. They also had a pretty decent cactus garden!

Masai Giraffe 

 Slender-tailed Meerkat

 Western Lowland Gorilla

Well, I'm spending the night just outside of Los Angeles. I'll be in the city for just a couple of days. Luck was not with me, and I wasn't able to get more than one live show ticket. But, the taping I will be attending tomorrow is a popular one...a show EVERYONE knows! I don't anticipate I will be asked to "Come on down!," but you never know...

Point Lobos: Pelican city

After a pleasant overnight stay in Santa Cruz, I drove to my main destination of the day, the picturesque Point Lobos State Reserve. I parked my car at the picnic area lot, then made my way to the trail overlooking Sand Hill Cove. This is the view that greeted me.

I found myself taking picture after picture...the ocean scenery was just so beautiful! When the sun finally peeked out through the clouds, the views were even better!

The dark distant rocky island offshore in the third photo above was the hangout for the resident California sea lions. Even from shore, you could hear their barking calls.

While I was snapping pics of the sea lions, I noticed several brown pelicans in the water. I thought that was cool and took photos of them, too. Little did I know that there were more pelicans on the rocks below the park's cypress grove...a LOT more pelicans! It was a pelican community!

After a leisurely lunch in the picnic area, I continued my drive down Hwy 1. Back in 2017, the road was closed due to a massive mudslide near Big Sur. It was only about two months ago that the highway was finally reopened to traffic. The best FREE attraction is in San Simeon...the elephant seals! Northern elephant seals to be exact. When I got to the viewing area, there were quite a few people there. And, there were also quite a few elephant seals...only females and juveniles, though.

For the next few days, I'll be taking a break from nature and rejoining the urban world. What I'm really looking forward to, though, is some good eats when I get to Los Angeles!

Freeways and a flat top

After avoiding big cities during my road trip so far, today I was jolted back to reality. I left my pit stop in the sleepy town of Monte Rio, CA and headed east to Santa Rosa. As I joined other vehicles traveling along U.S. Hwy 101, I immediately got caught in rush hour traffic. I almost immediately exited because I had an important task...car wash! My car had accumulated a layer of dust and sea spray salt. I found a nice express wash and in no time, my Outback was clean! I really only had one destination for the day...the USS Hornet in Alameda.

Now, I last visited this ship museum back in 2008, so I won't get into the particulars. You can read a little about this famous aircraft carrier here in my previous blog post. Since I only posted one photo before, I'll make up for it now. I've included the original quarantine trailer that the Apollo 11 astronauts had to stay in after they got back from the moon. There was also a unmanned space capsule that proved to NASA that water landings were preferable to those on land. In addition, there were some aircraft on display in the hanger deck.

I walked the flight deck, but decided not to tour the island...that's what they call the command center that towers over the deck. I had taken that tour during my previous visit.

I did walk through the second deck again, though. That's where the crew basically lives while on the ship. I thought about ghosts, but didn't see or hear anything. That sailor mannequin in the mail room did startle me, though!

The highlight of my visit to the Hornet was the newer Japanese-American exhibit on board the ship. It was primarily about the 442nd Regiment who fought bravely and gallantly during WWII and the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) volunteers were invaluable as Japanese translators. I chatted with a Japanese-American docent about my age, discussing the exhibit and our family experiences during the war.  Tomorrow, it's back to the coast...the central coast of California. I'll be revisiting a park I haven't been to in about six years and continue down Hwy 1.

Rough waters and winding roads

What a difference a day makes! I'm posting this a day late due to agonizingly slow internet at last night's hotel. Hard to load pics when...you can't load pics! But, I'm back to civilization, so to speak, and I'm also back in business...I have fast internet! Yesterday morning, I spent my time walking the Bluff Trail at Mendocino Headlands State Park. As I entered the park grounds, I immediately noticed it was popular with the locals. There were quite a few people walking the trails and along the road. I only hiked part of the Bluff Trail, but it gave me more than enough ocean views.

The seas were rough and the waves big as they pounded the rocky shore. It was pretty impressive, although the bird life didn't seem to think so. The gull was chilling and the black oystercatcher was just looking for breakfast. I noticed some unidentified dark objects congregated in the water at the surf line. Sea lions?

Afterward, I was going to visit another state beach park, but when I got there, it wasn't much. I decided to just continue down the road to fill up gas in the next good sized town. Somehow, I ended up going down the wrong highway, and before I knew it, I was WAY off course. To rectify this mistake, my GPS took me on a winding, bumpy road all the way back to Hwy 1. I felt a lot better driving on the RIGHT road, although it was also pretty curvy.  My afternoon destination was Fort Ross State Historic Park near Jenner, CA.

This fort was established in 1812 by Russian fur traders...the southern most of its type in North America, the rest being up in Alaska. The Russians recruited native tribal members to work with them, so it truly became a Russian-American settlement. While I was at the park, there was an educational program in session where children can reenact the life of a fort settler. Cute!

One week on the road, and the fun is just getting started! I'll be in the Los Angeles area in just a few days and I have at least one live show taping lined up. The weather has been beautiful...I hope it continues!