Spring Break

I'm writing this entry from a hotel in Arcata, CA, home of Humboldt State (supposedly the most pot-addled student body in the country - a supposition which has been confirmed over and over again as we meet and observe people in the area... and by the consistently long lines at the Taco Bell). It's the last night of our spring break trip, which has been spent mostly in California. We left on Friday morning, and drove literally all day to Berkeley. We spent the next day hanging out with Mark's friends in Berkeley and drinking wine, and spent Sunday in San Francisco. I made Mark drive across the Golden Gate Bridge, and he took me to Crissy Field, and a beach on the west coast, where we saw the sun set over the pacific ocean. Abbey also played in sand for what seemed like the very first time. She would very cautiously step across it, but then would take off and stop to dig intensely. Mark coaxed her to walk towards the ocean as the waves rolled out, but as they rolled back in, Abbey barked ferociously at them! It was adorable. Monday was spent driving from Palo Alto (where we had stayed with David Long) to Pismo Beach via "The 1" aka the Pacific Coast Highway. We stopped in Santa Cruz to visit our friend Eva, went through agricultural Salinas, then Monterey and Carmel. Then- Big Sur. I don't even have anything to write about it, other than it was amazing. It's indescribable and should be seen by everyone.

The next day, we spent the morning at the beach, explored nearby San Luis Obispo, and went wine tasting in Paso Robles. Wednesday was more of the same, and we drove back up to Palo Alto that evening. On the way we went through the "Artichoke Capital of the World" where I got a four pound jar of marinated artichoke hearts to make Amerigo's artichoke dip that I frequently crave. Thursday found us back in San Francisco, Berkeley, and then on the way to Sonoma for more wine tasting. We were actually more impressed by Healdsburg than Sonoma, although both were essentially mission-style versions of Canton, Mississippi, down to the types of stores around. And last night, we made it to Arcata.

Today we saw some giant coast redwoods, and again, there's little I can say about them but "wow." They're truly awe-inspiring, and the only negative about today's trip was that Abbey was not allowed on the trails, and it was raining heavily, so we didn't get to spend as much time exploring as I would have like. Oh, and I was about 40 feet from a herd of elk. That rocked.

Anyway, tomorrow is the long haul back to Seattle, and then right into my busy quarter. I'd better get some sleep.