Changing My Scenery For This Next Season

Just completed a drive from Phoenix to Malibu, then up the pacific coastline and finally into Salem, Oregon. 6 full days of new sights and experiences! My normal route is from Phoenix thru Nevada. 21 hours or less - 2 days of mostly boring nothingness, one night in a seedy motel where the dogs bark endlessly. Just like most of my life, I was on a schedule racing to a destination without enjoying the ride.

There were the real life downers: LA traffic still sucks! The highest gas prices ever - $6.00+ per gallon. The pet charges at hotels were ridiculous. People driving under the speed limit were annoying. A horrible accident in Malibu caused a detour from the planned coastal route. After 2 years of lockdown, these things were minor blips in a trip I am so glad I took.

This trip was conceived, lightly planned and approached with an overarching idea: to experience everything possible - casually, relaxed and with an open mind. Some important ingredients: have a willing traveling companion and an American Express card! It helps to make a loose plan with hotel reservations and destinations to take a day off the drive every other day.

Oh the things we saw!!! The first night in Ventura we went off the beaten path and found a recommended brewery called Topa Topa. The setting outside was just so inviting. We sat under a full moon and did a flight. The second day we drove along the Santa Barbara coast and up to Solvang (were the movie Sideways was based). It was magical being there before the crowds! Drove to a lunch spot just south of Pismo Beach, then up the coast thru Big Sur and into Carmel.

It was mostly cloudy in Carmel - but there were no complaints here! We had deer outside our hotel room. And a Cemetary where the residence seemed happy to be because there were no disturbance from them. This was a two day stop. We had a lovely dinner by the ocean. The next day we drove the 17 mile drive thru Pebble Beach - breathtaking! We found Thomas Kinkade’s Studio in the Garden - something I have wanted to do since the 1990s. And, of course, we found wine rooms! My travel pal posed for a pic in a bathtub and hopped right out. I tried to follow her lead - but my knees got confused and my exit was more awkward. And this was the beginning of guilt-buying. I had 5 bottles of wine shipped to Oregon. Keep in mind I was bringing 2 cases of wine from Phoenix in the car.

The next day we drove to the Golden Gate Bridge and walked around - then back in the car to Sonoma. Visited a dog-friendly Bartholomew Vineyards and Wendy got to wear a muzzle! She was humiliated 😥. Did a tasting and ordered more wine. Went into town and tasted more wine. Our pourer wore a man bun that actually looked good on him. Too much wine? This was another 2 night stop - Napa the next day.

And this is where a little more planning could have been helpful. You can Google pet-friendly vineyards. And you can Google affordable wine tastings (rumors of $60-$125 tasting fees per person - that’s 4-5 Oz of wine each!). clearly I was not on top of my game - I never Googled cheap tasting fees and dog friendly vineyards together. Our first stop was an hour north - Alexander Valley Vineyards and their wine cave. (NO tasting fees!!!) Tasted and bought more wine. Wonderful! Then we sort of just wandered and found a place for lunch, another vineyard where they raise endurance horses ($60 tasting fees $ bought more wine). Next went into town and found another tasting room.

The next morning we started the trek thru the Redwoods. The smell of the pines, the country roads with the ocean on one side. Stopped at a tree you can drive thru and a dozen or more tree carvings. Had the best BLT on a green picnic table in the tall pines. Checked into a hotel that was right on the water and a lighthouse close enough to walk to. It was freezing there and the wind was wicked.

The next day was the final push into Oregon. Thank goodness for Starbucks! Small towns, rugged coastlines, and bodies that want to get out of the car! Travel pal, dogs and me!!! We fantasized about food we had as children and sounded good - like anything on white bread with chips (a discussion had a few days when lunch was past 2:30 pm). While driving, my co-pilot placed a grocery order so we could make sloppy joes, chips, carrot sticks and dip for dinner. We pick up groceries, make food and drink a lot more wine and watched a funny movie. It was Heaven!

The next morning we are off to a great breakfast joint, a waterfall to hike, a yineyard close to my house and a brewery even closer. It was a full day.

On the drive home from the airport on day 8, dropping said co-pilot to return to the business and family she loves, I was thinking of how blessed I am. I have a few true friends who are there for anything and everything. I have an amazing family that I will continue to be more present for and help make boatloads of memories with. I have this wild (totally overgrown) backyard here in Oregon that I just can’t get enough of. I have time and a ton of travel pics to concentrate on for my art. There are so many really interesting, friendly, gracious people to meet and listen to their stories and passions. All of this and more are part of my shifting mindset, clearing the way to manifest even more goodness. I am thankful. I am grateful. I am blessed.

Going forward, I will look for opportunities to change my scenery - on a walk through the neighborhood, or on a patio watching a hummingbird or dragonfly. It really can be that simple! And simple is so good.

Do you have a story of changing your scenery? A travel tale? A Thelma and Louise trip? I would love to hear it!!!