Los Angeles
The drive into Los Angeles was smooth, we came in on the Friday of July 4th weekend and the miles and miles of standstill traffic were coming out of the city rather than towards it. We left Vegas as the temperature was rising over 110 degrees and I braced myself for a hot, sunny California weekend. As we pulled into Manhattan Beach, where my friend Rebbie lives, we got out of the car and were blown away. The temperature had dropped to 65 degrees and we got lungfuls of the fresh sea breeze – what a welcome surprise!
This was my first visit to LA and I absolutely loved it. Way more than I was anticipating. Obviously visiting a dear friend I hadn’t seen in so long and having her show us around was a major plus. There was just never a shortage of things to do and see, we could barely scrape the surface. On Alex’s list was visiting a classic Jewish deli, which was delicious. We also took advantage of Rebbie’s kitchen and whipped up a few delicious meals. Had a picnic at a popup concert. A big highlight for both of us was our ‘film day’ where we went to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and took a tour at Paramount Pictures where we saw TV sets and walked around fake city street scenes. So cool! Alex also geeked out over some Star Trek props 🙂
Rebbie and I capped off our long overdue hang time with something I have been wanting to do for a long time – workout at an indoor climbing gym.
California Coast
After a lovely long weekend in LA, we hit the road. Without much of a plan other than to drive north, we set off along the Pacific Coast Highway. We wanted windy roads with views! Wish granted. The following few days were spent driving along the coast, pulling out at all of the scenic viewpoints, and taking way more photos than we know what to do with. It was just so beautiful and seemed to get more breathtaking the further we drove. We camped along the way and it was the first time I camped with an ocean view.
Redwoods
We took a short detour off of the coastal highway to explore the Avenue of the Giants – a 31 mile stretch of road lined with massive redwood trees. We stopped for lunch on a downed giant and did a short hike to admire the size of these monsters.
Oregon
Shortly after our redwoods experienced, we entered into Oregon and continued along the Pacific Coast Highway. The views continued to be spectacular and the coast got much rockier – like, massive rocks and cliffs. We kept noticing huge rocks along the beaches that were white on top and down the sides. We slowly realized they were just absolutely covered in years of bird shit – huh! We refer to them fondly as poop rocks.
Oregon also introduced me to tide pools. When the tide is low, the pools of water that are left behind in the rocky shore offer a fascinating look into the ocean ecosystem. Starfish, crabs, anemones, barnacles, and so much more. We loved exploring them!
Washington
Finally we entered Washington, the last state on our Pacific Coast adventure. Besides enjoying more beautiful coastal views, we spent our time in Washington at the Olympic National Park. We got in early and found an amazing campsite right on the river. We enjoyed a day of reading, exploring, and Alex even took a dip in the ice cold waters 🙂
I love selfies and I couldn’t help but snap them at every available moment along the coast. Enjoy my Pacific Coast Selfie movie as I did everything I could to get Alex to smile for the camera 🙂
Wandering Between Meals 
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