Sanetha's Country Lane

July 15, 2016 26th anniversary!

July 15,2016 - 6th day of vacation

Today is our 26th Wedding Anniversary. We left Marina del Rey (regretfully). It was such a pretty spot. We are driving Highway 1 up the Pacific coast. I was pretty tense in the passenger seat up this road. Man oh man it has blind curves, steep drop offs, narrow roads. All the things that make for an adventure! My husband did a wonderful job of getting us through safely! We are alive and not laying in a heap of metal at the bottom of a cliff! WOOHOO!

My husband and I are good traveling companions. We joke around. Watch license plates. I love him for the loving partner he has always been. If we get off our route he doesn't get upset. He knows I have never been here before either so we are both kind of going in the direction that seems right. Kind of like our marriage.

We traveled thru Malibu. The homes "backdoor" that faces the highway are pretty nondescript. Some even look rundown. My theory is the more rundown that entry looks, the better the home is inside. Kind of reverse psychology security. Stopped at a roadside area and watched Sea Lions on the beach. We stopped when I saw a whale's water spout out in the water. We were able look at it through binoculars. The tale fin would emerge from the water and show the shape. Might have been 3-4 together. A "pod"?

Started getting kind of late and we didn't have a room for the night (of course). We slowed down at several mom and pop motels along the way to get a glimpse of their "No vacancy" sign. One we stopped at was in such a beautiful spot on a cliff. I might have gone over and chucked the occupants out but by the time I had stood in line for restroom behind 8 people (1 stall) I had lost the will.

Most of the day has been in and out of fog. Noticed screen on truck said 59 degrees. We pull into Carmel and see...a HOTEL!!! Hotels have rooms!! Not only did it have rooms it had a RESTAURANT, ADULT BEVERAGES! The fog parted and angels sang!!!

Tomorrow on to Winchester Mystery House. My bucket list item.

Marina del Rey

Caught this thing at least 3 times! I don't learn from mistakes.

City limits Malibu, California

Non- descript entry ways in Malibu.

Malibu

And yes again--Malibu

Our screen showing 58 degrees.

Sea Lions

JULY 14, 2016

5TH day of VACAY!!!

Left Barstow, California. Can't think of any other place that had nothing photographable.

Moving on...

Los Angeles, California. OMG! Traffic! I wasn't driving but I was really an anxious back seat driver.

Our first stop in LA was the La Brea Tar Pits. Husband was really excited about this. This chicky doesn't get it. Kind of like the hoodoos... But it was weird that these tar pits are still bubbling up tar. You can stand there and watch it bubble to the surface - bloop...bloop...bloop...

This was the first time we tried the scooter. I loved it because there is a basket to hold all my purchases!

Rodeo Drive, Cartier, Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani, Beverly Hills, Wilshire Boulevard! Oh my God! These places really do exist! It's not fictional!

Then there was the nightly hunt for a room. I got on line. We wanted to stay on the beach if possible. A particular motel touted itself as being in Venice beach. The price was right. I called. Yes they had a room they would hold. No credit card needed to hold room (RED FLAG ALERT I didn't catch at the time). Checked into room. Paid for said room. Visited said room. AACK! Smelled of urine and beer in the dead end walkway! Room smelled like a bar! We got our money back and left.

Drove down to the real Venice Beach (3miles away)and walked out to the water and people watched.

Got on line. Bless the car manufacturer gods that put Wi-Fi into these new trucks. Got our room in Marina del Rey. Beautiful room with view of the volley ball players(I love summer), and the harbor. Sat on our balcony and had some adult beverages and slept really well!!

Venice Beach

All I wanna do is have some fun, till the sun comes up over

Santa Monica Boulevard.
Sheryl Crow

Rodeo

LaBrea Tar Pits

La Brea Tar Pits

40 feet of the Berlin Wall

Pay to Pee in Victorville, California

Rodeo Drive, Beverly hills

View from our patio at Marina del Rey

July 13

4th day of VACAY!!

Leaving Tropic, Utah. Drove south toward Zion National Park. Stopped at a roadside restaurant. Thunderbird restaurant. Beautiful flowers. Car models decorated the walls. A family restaurant that has been at the corner of two major highways in the area for a long time.

Zion was beautiful. Drive through the canyon and see the rock formations on both sides. AND the mile long tunnel! Better than Bryce. Bryce you must stop, get out of the car, go look over the cliff at the hoodoos.

Drove through a small corner of Arizona. Maybe enough to

say we were there?

We got to Barstow, Cal. What can I say? (I probably shouldn't speak badly). Near Mohave desert so not much to see.

Next stop LA!!

Thunderbird restaurant. Flowers and Humming birds.

Thunderbird restaurant. Model cars.

Zion National Park

Zion National Park. Mile long tunnel.

Zion National Park

Vegas. 60 MPH.

Arizona for about 20 miles.

California. Not much of a "Welcome" sign,

July 12

3rd day of VACAY!!!

Left the really neat little town of Moab, Utah. Drove along the San Rafael Reef. No services along the 110 miles. Fortunately there is "restrooms" every once in a while at viewing areas along the way.

I70 goes right through this reef. History reports that this canyon through the reef was only as wide as an arm span when they started excavating for I-70 to go through.

Didn't know that anyone over 65yrs. can get a Senior Pass to all the National Parks for 10 dollars and get in free to all the national parks!! Who knew!! Not me.

Ate lunch at CARL Jr's. Wasn't as good as I remembered.

Arrived at Bryce canyon kind of late. Funniest part was some women came up behind me while I was looking through the binoculars. I realized they were speaking another language and 2 were on one side of me and 2 were on the other side and they were taking a picture and I said "Hey let me get out of your way". "No" they said. "We all have on pink shirts". I laughed too! Beautiful area. But...I got an attitude, seen one HooDoo seen them all.

First time we have been turned down for rooms. If I had been looking at the "NO VACANCY" sign, I wouldn't have wasted my time. Found our room at Tropic, Utah. If it sounds like a little rainforest, it is not! Nice room at Bryce Canyon Inn. Good dinner last night at Rusty's Restaurant. Cool room to lay our heads. Most Important!!

July 11 Second day of VACAY!

July 11

Left Idaho Springs traveling I 70. Ate lunch at Golden Corral in Grand Junction, (Husband loves this place). I started driving. A break for husband. Arches National Park drew us off the interstate. Beautiful, haunting, statue-like rock formations. Getting late. Already 6:00 when we left Arches. We could see a town to our south. Came upon Moab, Utah. Friendly people. I think (catch me if I am wrong), but the big attraction here is ROCKS!! Climb them, collect them, decorate them, then ATV over them. Ate salad (husband) and BLT (me) at Zax. Good food, good service , great

atmosphere. Hampton Inn to lay our heads.

Love how that looks (except the wrinkley hand).

Arches (lovin this new phone)

Arches Utah

Beautiful Glenwood canyon.

Arches Utah

July 10 2016 first day of VACAY! California here we come!!

July 10

Left Wellington, Ks. 1030 am. We discussed going clear up into Nebraska and changed our collective minds. Went across Kansas on I 70 which I prefer. Made it to Denver. I 70 was closed west of Denver due to wildfire. Detoured to south and could see flames right above roadway on the brushy cliff! Called On Star to help us get around wildfire and back up to I 70. That worked beautifully! If you don't have On Star, get it. Ended up in Idaho Springs for the first night. Spent night at Argo Inn. Little Creek right out our patio doors gave us soothing babbling lullaby all night. Ate at Smoking Sides BBQ also next to the brook. Cool breeze thru the screen door this morning. Good thing because there isn't air conditioning.

Waiting for BBQ next to a babbling stream in Idaho Springs at BBQ Sides restaurant.

Could have chose to eat our BBQ down the stairs next to the stream, but then we would have to get back up the stairs, so it was really pretty to look at.

Babbling stream outside our room.

A TO-DO LIST FOR SANETHA'S COUNTRY LANE

1. ~~Weed eat garden.~~

2. Mow

3. Sweep/clean garage.

4. ~~Rake front yard~~.

5. ~~Buy chicken feed.~~

6. ~~Chop up 2 trees for firewood~~.

7. Power spray siding.

8. ~~Get fans to animals~~.

9. ~~Tear down old chicken pen~~.

10. Paint chairs.

11. Stain house.

12. ~~Fairy garden~~.

13. Paint old chicken coop.

14. Mow

15. Power wash inside of alpaca shed.

16. I think I already mentioned Mow.

17. Pick up the trash that used to be a horse shed.

18. Mow.

19. Burn lagoon.

20. Fix sagging fence.

21. Clean house.

22. Work on quilts.

I started this to-do list back in the spring. I've gotten a few things done. Still so much to do! I get a little overwhelmed. Weed eating, mowing, cleaning house never go away. When I get done mowing its time to start over.