Day 11 :: 31 January 2007 :: Ventura to Carmel-by-the-Sea
Jenn wanted to make a stop in Solvang, because she remembered it from camping trips in her childhood. We got to Solvang, which looks like an old Dutch village. It's very pretty, but wasn't exactly what Jenn was looking for. So after getting some more souvenirs [really, it's like a sickness *g*], we headed over to Buellton, where we had lunch at Pea Soup Anderson's. If you ever find yourself staring at a can of pea soup from Pea Soup Anderson's in your supermarket, BUY IT! Seriously! OMG, this is the best pea soup I've ever had. The sandwich we had was yummy, but the soup is what I remember. We even bought a couple cans, as well as a "starter" kit to make some of their soup [among other things]. I was completely and utterly in love.
With happily sated stomachs, we continued on our way up the coast, for quite some time on the El Camino Real. We drove thru Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and San Miguel [which was just a giggle because of one of our LWM characters]. We even stopped by Pismo Beach and got some shots of the coast/ocean. We made the obligatory "left turn at Albuquerquee" jokes, too. When I saw the signs for Carmel, I had to stop. Not that it took much to convince Jenn. *g* So we watched the sunset on the beach at Carmel-by-the-Sea, and I decided that if/when we win the lottery, we'll be getting a place there for a vacation home. We ate at the Flying Fish Grill. It was kind of pricey, but it was damned good food, then spent the night at our nice motel. The only room that was left with two beds had two twin beds. Jenn was worried all night that she'd roll over and land on the floor. Me? I passed out and that was that. That motel also had one of the best showerheads I've ever had the pleasure of showering under. *hee*