Day 5- La Brea Tar Pits

In LA, we visited the George C. Page Museum ( http://www.tarpits.org/ ) which is located at the Rancho La Brea Tar Pits. This is a world famous fossil find in the middle of Los Angeles. It was weird to see this giant black stinky pond surrounded by tall skyscrapers. In the museum, we were able to try to lift the tar and see what it was like for animals that got stuck in it. The tar was very thick and gooey. (In the pits, tar seeps up out of the ground and sometimes is covered with water. Years ago, animals had come to get a drink of the water and fell in, sank in the tar, and were preserved as bones.) The museum had a small garden where we got to see cute turtles and koi fish. We also got to see an observation room where real paleontologists work and discover new fossils. After leaving the tar pits, we headed out of the city to find a place to camp. LA was a very busy place and the drivers were crazy. We saw lots of graffiti, Hollywood stars, and interesting people. On the coast, we landed at South Carlsbad State Park.

Day 4- Ventura, CA

 Today we headed to Santa Barbara on Highway 101. This highway is also known as the Historic El Camino Real (Spanish for "The Royal Road" and in English "The King`s Highway"). Spanish missionaries established a series of religious outposts throughout  this California highway. Each post was about 30 miles apart. One could reach all of the posts on a long day`s ride on horseback (equally 600 miles). Tradition has it that the padres sprinkled mustard seeds along the trail in order to mark it with bright yellow flowers. Bells were used as the Highway`s first road signs. They were hung by shepherd`s crooks. Our plan was to go to the original Sambos that is located at the Santa Barbara beach. Years ago, our Grandpa Hackworth use to take us to this restaurant in WA. I remember that he bought Shirley Temple drinks for me and Cheri. This place is very nostalgic for us and brings back great memories. In fact, I still have the tiger mascot toy that I got from one of our visits to the restaurant. So today we were excited to visit the original place. Unfortunately when we arrived, the place was closed for the day (they close at 3pm). We took some pictures, did a little reminiscing, and took a little stroll by the beach. As we left Santa Barbara, we all decided that we were too tired to set up camp and we were really hungry. We landed in Ventura and decided to stay at a motel tonight. The front desk hostess gave us some great advise on an awesome place to eat. Nana and I got Chinese food and Papa got catfish. I also tried a fried twinkie for dessert (it was delicious and served with warm strawberry jam). We are looking forward to visiting LA tomorrow. All of us are thankful that God has kept us safe on the road.

Day 3- Gilroy, CA

After leaving the state park, we took a windy highway (US 175) towards Highway 101 to San Francisco. The road was crazy curvy and Auntie Brenda was a little bit nervous (Nana was having fun!). We did see alot vineyards with delicious looking grape clusters hanging from the vines. Papa wanted to get some grapes. We finally made it to HWY 101 and over the foggy Golden Gate Bridge into the city. The city is beautiful and it was a nice sunny day. We went to our favorite spot at Chowders on Pier 39 in Fisherman`s Wharf. Nana & I had some yummy fried zucchini and Papa ate his fish & chips. After visiting the seals and taking in the view of the bay, we headed up Telegragh Hill to the Coit Tower. At the tower, we purchased our tickets then got to ride a old rickety elevator up to the top. The elevator operator was funny and we could barely understand a word she said. The view at the top was amazing and we could see all of the city. The bathrooms at the tower were a little less amazing. They looked neat from the outside but had no toliet seat, toliet paper, or sink to wash hands (yuck!!). Nana really had to go so she braved it and used alot of hand sanitizer. After a long adventurous day, we land in Gilroy (a smaller city south of San Francisco).

Day 2- Clear Lake, CA

 On Sunday, we traveled on a smaller highway (US 20). We enjoyed seeing farm lands and buying yummy goods at the fruit stand. Papa bought a very delicious watermelon for just $2. In California, they have Bens instead of Johns. We also got some rice to bring home. On our way, we passed many paddy fields (flooded parcels of land used for growing rice) and were also able to see the farmers harvesting the rice (check out CA rice farmers info: www.calrice.org/enviroment/How+Rice+Grows.htm ). We landed at Clear Lake State Park and decided to camp for the night. The lake is the largest natural lake in California. To get there, we had to take the Soda Bay drive. It is called Soda Bay because there is carbonation at the bottom of the lake which causes bubbles to come up to the surface. On our drive, we saw wild turkey and deer. At night, Nana slept in the car. Papa and I slept in our tent under the stars and listened to the crickets & night creatures. The park had many boardwalks, bridges, and paths along the lake and around the Kelsey Creek. Papa and I enjoyed a morning walk before Nana woke up. We saw squirrels, quails, and chipmunks. It was a pleasant day and an opportunity to enjoy God`s wonderful creation.

                                                                                                                                                                       

Day 1- Oregon

We have landed in Roseburg, Oregon. Our motel is close to the Roseburg Airport and a Shari`s Diner. We have a feeling we`ve been here before. Today we have seen this Jesus truck twice (1st @ the rest area and 2nd during stop and go traffic). Nana thought it was very awesome!! Oregon definitely loves their Ducks. The highway was full of cars with banners, flags, pom poms that celebrate the green and yellow Quacks. We also crossed over the 45th parallel (throughout the U.S. the parallel is marked in many places on highways by a sign proclaiming that the location is halfway between the North Pole and the Equator), saw "Moses" on the highway, and spotted cute deer along the roadside. It is great to be on vacation and we are so blessed to have all this time to relax.

Zucchini Pickin` Time

Its harvest time and we got zucchini comin` out of ears. We have fried zucchini, made zucchini casserole, made zucchini enchiladas, and lately fried zucchini patties. Here is our recipe for zucchini patties:

Delicious Zucchini Patties
4 cups of shredded zucchini
4 eggs
2 cups of shredded cheese
1 (6oz) bag of seasoned croutons

With a rolling pin, smash croutons into crumbs. In a small bowl, beat the eggs. Then in a large bowl, stir in shredded zucchini, beaten eggs, shredded cheese, and crouton crumbs. Form patties and cook in a lightly greased frying pan.