View from my seat…

That was horrible. A drive that should take less than four hours took, due to accidents, road work and general volume, over six. From Santa Clarita (north of L. A., location of Six Flags/Magic Mountain theme park) all the was to San Diego, I don’t think traffic was ever at or above the speed limit for more than a couple of miles at a stretch. Worst drive of the trip so far.

On the other hand, when I left Bakersfield this morning, it was already 95, predicted to hit 105 by the afternoon. Here in San Diego at 5:00 pm its sunny and about 72.

Time to go in search of dinner and drinks (after the day I had, drinks being the priority).

Cheers!

After a very relaxing day in Bakersfield, I’m heading to San Diego, where I’ll spend the next three nights. My hotel is downtown, near Little Italy and the waterfront/cruise ship docking area.

Tomorrow, I’m going to a Padres game at Petco Park. No, the Mariners are not visiting, but it’s a chance to see a ballgame in another stadium anyway. Should be fun.

Monday I’ll probably do the standard touristy stuff – Waterfront, water taxi to Coronado, Gaslamp Quarter. I’ll also be in search of another iconic California food – San Diego fish tacos.

After nearly four weeks of travel, I’m still very much enjoying the trip. And though I’ve enjoyed every stop so far, I find myself mostly looking forward to travel days. I don’t know if it’s because I like the actual act of driving (though there is some enjoyment to be had there) or the anticipation of the next stop.

On to San Diego!

Made it to Bakersfield – it’s about 110 outside. I’m glad I don’t have to leave the hotel for dinner 🙂

I’m so glad I decided to spend a couple of nights in Monterey, it’s a lovely town. But, its time to move on.

Today, I drive from Monterey, California to Bakersfield, California. There’s not really anything that I want to do or see in Bakersfield, rather its what I call a “recharge and maintenance” stop. I’ll spend two nights at the Hilton Garden Inn, one of my favorite hotel chains. The hotel has an onsite restaurant/bar for breakfast and dinner, so I won’t have to go searching for dining options (though I’ll have to figure out Friday lunch). I also need to do laundry and the hotel has onsite self-serve laundry facilities, which always beats going to a laundromat. Friday afternoon, I’ll likely just stay in my room, maybe read a book or watch a movie. Just a day of relaxing.

This place made the news awhile back due to their policy on children. At the time, I vowed I had to eat here. Dinner was great – 1/2 Dungeness crab, a crab cake, grilled sea scallop and grilled prawns with a caramelized onion risotto 😋