Cruising the California Coast

Vacation! It's been a long, long time since Hawaii last July, but we're finally back in vacation mode. Which means more adventures for Toby & Marg.

No trip west of Las Vegas starts without a visit to Peggy Sue's diner in Yermo. So, after leaving LV on Wednesday evening, we hit this 50's gem in the desert for a quick dinner.

Toby's Best Bet: Peggy Sue's. Get out at Ghost Town Road off of I-15, go east 1/4 mile, make a left. Order a Vanilla Coke, surrounded by every kitschy thing you can think of from the 1950s...rock 'n roll memorabilia, music photos, and a really cool gift shop (lots of great Wizard of Oz stuff I've already added to my collection).

Then, on to San Diego and our friends Linda and Becky and their cats Zin and Merlot. (Hmm, is there wine in our future? I think so.)

Thursday, the Fourth of July, was filled with small-town celebrating (Mira Mesa-style). And yes, there are still small towns around San Diego. First, a little holiday parade, where the stars were every local politician, one marching band, a fire truck, Cub Scouts and Brownies, and some military machines. The best part...the chance to cheer for every veteran who passed by.

We spent the afternoon sipping wine by the pool at the house and after a yummy dinner of tri-tip on the grill, it was off to a nearby parking lot (tailgate viewing) to watch the fireworks. By the way, compared to the 117 degree temps we were experiencing in Las Vegas, it was COLD in San Diego!

Linda, Becky, Marg freezing their butts off.

 

Friday, July 5, we did one of our favorite things...a trip to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park (formerly the Wild Animal Park) in Escondido. The springboks were quite boingy!



Marg's kid's lunch.



Baby elephant



OK, you have to check this out...they have a new, open access area with lemurs. (David, this one's for you.) One of them was completely fascinated by the taste of leather and feet. (Hey, it's a lemur.)



Curious lemur.



Licking lemur.



Marg with lemur tail?

 We expected to be disppointed at the gorilla exhibit because when we got there, they were all in their caves, but within minutes, out came the family.

Here's Dad.

And here's a pic of the kids torturing each other. C'mon, tell me the little one doesn't remind you of your most obnoxious brother!

Friday night was an event we've been waiting a lifetime to experience...Fleetwood Mac at the Viejas Arena at San Diego State. And what a concert it was! Almost 3 hours of every song you ever loved, Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham together again, celebrating the 35th anniversary of their Rumors album.



Fleetwood Mac fans.



Fleetwood Mac 2013 (John, Stevie, Mick, Lindsay)

 

A really drunk blonde who insisted on being in our picture.

Saturday, July 6, got us on the road again, headed toward Santa Monica (Note: I lived there in 1981) and a quick lunch visit with son Michael and friends. Nothing spectacular about the restaurant, but it is called Yankee Doodle and it was the 4th of July weekend...

And then, on to Solvang, a unique, Scandinavian/Danish town just north of Santa Barbara. You really do have to visit, even if just to eat breakfast pastries!

After checking in at the Royal Copenhagen Inn, we took a stroll through town and had a delightful dinner at the Red Viking Restaurant (if you enjoy personal service with a bit of personality included, this is the place to eat), where we were entertained by our wait-person, Alex, whom I found it hard to believe didn't come from New York. I told her I'd post her picture and here it is:



Alex, the Witch of Solvang



Three long days and three late nights put an early end to the evening. Tomorrow, a breakfast of aebleskivers (dough-balls with powdered sugar and raspberry sauce) awaits!