When Mark and I first moved to California, I was looking forward to doing some drives around this big state. And we've been lucky. Going up to Tahoe for a summer weekend, out to Yosemite for hiking and even down to San Diego for the beach and SeaWorld. (Our favorite vacations have been to Hunewill for a week of horseback riding. If you ever get a chance, it is absolutely the best place I've been where the horses seem the happiest, out in the fields at night and working during the day.)
But two of the more interesting ways I've gotten to see some great places have been through my Team in Training runs with my good friend Vanessa and Jessica's soccer tournaments.
One of things I most enjoyed about Team in Training was the fact that we didn't do all of our weekend runs in the same place. They were scattered all over (within a 30 minute drive anyway) and it gave me a chance to see some of the coolest places in the Bay Area, up close and personal and mostly unspoiled. So with runs every where from Golden Gate Park to Crystal Springs down to Santa Cruz, I was able to really get into some of the beautiful areas.
With Jessica's soccer tournaments, we've had some 3-4 hour drives to some out of the way places, each with their own charm. This last tournament was in Visalia, CA. In the San Joaquin Valley, you won't miss it as you're driving. The cow smell hits you first. Not that I minded too much - I love dairy! But what I found interesting was the busy downtown, which we hit on both Friday and Saturday night. Just in time on Friday to catch a bit of the Blues and Brews outside with some live bands after dinner. There is a great little antique store (with the owner's pet bird talking to you!) where Jess and I tried on some really old, cool hats. As we left on Sunday, it struck me again as we passed through miles and miles of dairy farms, orchards and produce growers how easy it is to think of California as San Francisco, LA and Silicon Valley, forgetting that this state leads in production of milk for the whole country.
Recent Comments