That’s the song by Randy Newman, popular in the 80’s. Except, I don’t love L.A. In fact, I pretty much dislike L.A. The heavy smog, the traffic, and the general disdain for other humans that I thought I would encounter were certainly experienced. Self-fulfilling prophesy? Perhaps. But I know I have little desire to come back to this area.
Our day started early in Anaheim with orange juice from fruit Karen picked herself this very morning. Doesn’t get any fresher than that. We packed up and headed to Santa Monica Pier to met up with our friend, Jason. Should have been about a 50 minute drive.
Then L.A. kicked in. Somehow, at 9:45am on a Sunday, 7 lanes of traffic still came to almost a dead stop. No accident, no rationale, just too many people I suppose. We did find a spot just south of the pier and had a nice visit with Jason. We walked along the beach and to the end of the pier, which was wonderful. Thank you so much for meeting us at that tourist trap!
Our next stop was at Channel Islands National Park, and we chose the route along the Pacific Coast Highway, opting for scenery over expedience. We certainly got scenery, and also some horrific traffic through Malibu. A small landslide (cue Stevie Nicks) had closed the right-hand lane just north of Sunset Boulevard, causing the extensive delays. But the super friendly other drivers made everything so much better (sarcasm).
Once we finally passed Malibu, the traffic and the countryside opened up and things were much more beautiful. The PCH is a lovely route to take, especially once you are away from the heavily congested areas.
We made a stop at the Channel Islands visitor center near Ventura (not enough time for a boat tour to the islands on this trip) and then made our way north to our home for the next two nights – Faria Beach. To say that we are on the beach is an understatement. Behind Livvy, there is just a short area of rocks leading directly into the Pacific surf. It is a spectacular view, and we will both sleep well listening to the surf all night.
Tomorrow is a lazy day here at Faria. We plan on doing a lot of stitching and reading, watching the tide roll in and out, and enjoying “Sex on the Beach”. Maybe the drink as well, but who knows. Until tomorrow!
Leave a Reply