Livin' in a van, down by the... ocean.

so the day after christmas, brett and i embarked on our first real road trip.

i highly recommend it (obviously, notice this is by-far my longest blog post ever)

looking for a real good time, a chance to get closer with your friend/spouse/partner, and an opportunity to really appreciate the beautiful world we live in, comfortable beds, and clean bathrooms? try this:

step 1: rent one of these: (like the car version of a mullet - all business/driving in the front; all party in the back)

just make sure you park in a safe, quiet, dark, and inconspicuous neighborhood to sleep - we got better at this as we went along.

step 2: spend 6 days covering what should be just a 7-hour drive. pick a beautiful place. (we drove from san jose to malibu along the coast hwy.)

malibu:
big sur:

step 3: eat like kings! (or pigs)

morro bay sunshine health foods and cafe: (i couldn't stop talking about this place after, and i am now trying to decode their recipes)

pismo beach splash cafe:

santa barbara silvergreens:

step 4: get near the water! (or go ahead and get in it, if you like the ocean more than you like feeling your skin, like brett) we were lucky to be at the beach for most of the day, every day.

swimming at pismo beach:

swinging in cayucos:
sunrise in san simeon:
big sur:

brett body surfing (aka freezing his buns off) in malibu:

more malibu, i think - can't really remember, it's all starting to blur together...
foggy day at zuma beach in malibu:

pismo beach:

step 5: check out the wild life!

birds in malibu:

sea otters in morro bay:

mega-monarch butterflies: (annoying sideways video)

dolphins in malibu:

marley in the van: (okay, he's pretty much the opposite of wild, but he was a great travel companion)

step 6: check out the local scenery:

"the rock" in morro bay:

hiking in big sur:
solvang, the danish capital of america, and the most christmasy place on earth:

more big sur:

step 7: just relax!!

obviously we had a great time, but more importantly it made us really appreciative and grateful for the many things we have, and where we live.