Free Falling!

Ahhhhhhhh! What a surprise! 

The morning began with our goodbyes to the Flemings. We hit the road early because we had a 'BBQ' in Santa Barbara with a friend. When Jensen asked Jess for the address, she gave her an address in Lompok.... Jensen looked worried, and explained to Jess that Lombok is not a place you want to go for a BBQ. A bit later, Jensen ruined her own surprise by googling the address and finding out the location was actually a skydiving place! Jess had made up the BBQ to get Jensen to Lompok to take her skydiving! She was ecstatic and surprised. Not only had Jess gotten her a skydive, she had gotten her one at 18,000ft, the highest possible tandem jump! 

She even had to wear an oxygen mask on the plane--90 seconds of free fall! It was one of the most amazing experiences of her life. She had a great tandem partner that took her spinning and did awesome maneuvers. She could not wipe the smile off of her face. Thank you Jess :) 

After that rush we headed to Los Olivos for lunch and had delicious sandwiches. We stopped to see cute miniature horses. 

After that we headed to a winery in Solvang to visit Jensen's old friend, Casey. We had a tasting in a wine library; it was nice to get out of the sun. 

The drive to Casey's house in Santa Barbara was beautiful. We had to stop to admire the view and listen to some great music. 

Our bodies are beginning to wear out, so we opted out of a big night and instead had a nice dinner followed by a cuddle with the house puppies :)

Fun Times with the Flemings

SLO is so cute! Such a great vibe and we can't get enough of the sun! We had a SLO start this morning due to our big night out. We had some lunch around 1pm and then had to make a quick stop at the bar we were at the night before so Jess could pick up her credit card!

On route to the bar we passed bubblegum alley. It was so gross and had a funky smell to it. Kinda looked really cool tho. 

When we arrived at the bar the bartender refused to give my card to me unless I purchased a drink! So we both had a breakfast shot. Irish maple whiskey with an oj chaser and bacon. Quite good actually. The movie was relaxing. We saw Don Jon. 

That night we had the Fleming family together for dinner. Diane cooked us a fabulous dinner! Eggplant parm and a strawberry walnut salad. We enjoyed a couple of the six bottles of wine purchased at the winery the day before. 

We had a wonderful night. There was lots of laughing and inappropriate story telling. 

This is Jess writing. I want to tell all who are reading that I have a surprise planned  for Jensen... It's going to be bad ass, she will freak! Tune in tomorrow to see what she has to say about it :)

SLOing it Down...

Apologies to our swarm of followers who have been on the edge of thier seats waiting for the next post. We have been very busy in San Luis Obispo. We have been gifted with the most beautiful weather since our arrival. 

On the first day we went hiking up Bishop's Peak. A mammoth up hill hike involving some rock climbing.. Okay so it wasn't that advanced but it proved to be a little bit of a challenge. 

The view was beyond amazing we could see the whole town, an ant's village below us. It was very rewarding getting to the top. 

Unfortunately Jess did not have appropriate footwear to be rock climbing up a mountain. So around the time we arrived at the top she had a few blisters forming. Eventually she ditched the shoes and continued barefoot to the bottom! 

That evening we attended girls night out at a local winery. It was very entertaining. We indulged in tasty wine and the ladies swapped stories. 

After quick outfit change due to the temperature drop, we headed to the local farmer's market with Chase and Yulia. It was bustling with activity. We had a few drinks at the local pub then home to sleep it off.

Then next morning we hit up Firestone for a late brunch. The food was insane. Steak salad and a tri tip sando to split between us. On our agenda that afternoon was wine tasting in paso Robles. First stop was Daou, a beautiful winery on top of a hill. We sipped on a glass of wine while we enjoyed the rolling hills. Next up Le Cuvier, a much smaller winery, and we opted for a tasting and pairing session. It was fantastic and ultimately they won Mark and Diane over and they became members.

The sun was beaming the wine was flowing. Our tummies were rumbling.

The four of us went out for dinner to the Pony Club. A fancy wine bar with great ambiance and live music. The conversation was golden, we had such a nice evening with the parents. 

Strolling around Paso we stumbled across this mini house. A prop for when Santa makes his yearly visits.

We also got frisky with some display of vegetables... may have been something in the wine. 

Mr. Fleming dropped us in downtown SLO via their way home and we continued the party at a few local bars.  The camera was forgotten at this point along with any thoughts of an early night... 

Ooooohtaah...

Early to bed, early to rise. Feeling very good having slept in a motel and not on the side of the road. It was a short drive to Zion National Park. We stopped at deep creek coffee for a light snack before entering the park. We met very some interesting locals, super friendly folk.

The park was great! It was similar to some of what we have seen but a Lot larger!! We drove a loop around the park stopping for photos along the way.

When we ended up near the start we parked the car and walked to the 'shuttle only' area. We caught a shuttle into the canyons and got off at the visitors lodge.

From there we took a mellow hike into the valley in search if the Emerald Pools. 

The walk was very enjoyable and not too strenuous as our legs were still a little shaky from our mountain biking.

The Emerald Pools were not entirely what we had expected but lovely never the less. There was a subtle waterfall coming from pools higher up, it was very cool. Unfortunately upon arriving back to our car we were yelled at and given a parking ticket by the park warden. Apparently we were parked in the road obstructing traffic... Bit extreme we thought. Feeling like we had seen some of the most spectacular scenery on offer in the last week we decided to skip Bryce and the $30 fee (better spent on parking tickets). We began our final long distance drive to California! 

Again we passed through Arizona, just for a minute. The hills and rocks disappeared turning back into flat desert.

For those of you who read about "Big Red" our stray retriever friend; we were also wondering how he was coping. We called the shelter and were given the wonderful news. He has been adopted!! He is very happy at his new home.

Again we passed through Nevada and Las Vegas... Tempted as we were we did not stop. We thought about spending one night but agreed it would probably abruptly end out trip. The driving continues...

Just outside of California Jess became very restless. Jensen came to the conclusion that she might be 'hangry' (Angry due to hungriness). With little food options Jensen bought her a happy meal from the infamous Maccas. This kept her quiet for a bit and she was very pleased with her toy. It just so happened to be a Wizard of Oz themed meal. Fitting as we were in Kansas a week ago.

Welcome back to California!!!... Least exciting state sign so far! The trips not finished yet though. The central coast of California is the destination. Time for Jess to meet Miss Jensen's parents :)

Close Call in Utah

Tuesday morning was gorgeous! It began with a 12 mile bike ride around the lake with Phillip. 

The sun was shining after Monday morning's blizzard! The air was crisp and the sky was so blue.

It was difficult at first, as the air was extremely thin and it was only our second time exercising this month. But we did it! And boy was it fun and beautiful. 

Phillip kicked our butts. Partially because Jensen stopped every 50ft to take a photo. 

Jess looked extra cool in her sweatshirt and vest. Her ears were freezing so she had to wear the hood. 

We had to move on earlier then we would have liked but we still have a few places to stop before home. We left the mountains and began driving towards Utah. The landscape changed a lot.

Our first Utah stop was Arches National Park, very close to where that guy (played by James Franco) was trapped for 127 hours and had to cut his own arm off. It really had us thinking about what it would have been like! 

The rock formations were stunning.

We made it before sundown, which was pretty important. The sun on the rocks had them glowing a light copper red.

Beautiful vast landscapes. 

And beautiful colors. 

Back on the road, we wanted to cover some more ground before stoppping to sleep somewhere. Our trip was extended as we stopped on the side of the road for Jensen to say hi to Lightening McQueen. 

And a few more times for her to take sunset panoramas. 

It was all worth it as this was probably the most amazing sunset of the trip. 

Stretching across the horizon and out over the valley. The open space with sillouettes of flat top mountains. The colors were unreal! 

Shortly after sundown we realized we needed to get gas fairly soon. As we came to this revelation, we saw a 'no service for 100 miles' sign. Thanks for the warning Utah!!! Jensen reassured Jess that the car could make it far enough, even though she was mildly panicking in her head. After a few big hills and a few less dots on the dash, we began praying and wishing upon stars. 40 miles down,  in the middle of nowhere, we decided to take our shot at a little town 10 miles off the 70, Emery. It took us further into the middle of nowhere down a dirt road increasing our stress levels. We made it!!! Below is our tribute to Randy's Gas Station. 

Finally in our motel room we can rest easy. 

Paws for Thought

We had a lazy Sunday morning. Once we all woke and dressed, we cruised to downtown Castle Rock. We stopped at a popular breakfast restaurant that had a lot of history. We satisfied our tummies with a dynamite meal. Jensen sneakily disappeared to the 'loo' but really shouted everyone brunch! Thank you Jensen :) That was the second time we were spoiled that morning! Earlier that morning while strolling through some art galleries, Sharon surprised us with a gift! Beautiful wooden candle holders. They were made from local pine wood that was naturally dyed by beetles, a token to remember our trip.

Our afternoon plans had us very excited. We were on our way to visit 'The Wild Animal Sanctuary'. A nonprofit organization that rescues and relocates neglected exotic animals. They are cared for in a spacious facility where they can live out their lives as they should. It was very informative and infuriating to read and hear about the different animals stories and journeys to the sanctuary. 

They had lions...

And tigers...

And bears... OH MY!! 

Lions and tigers and bears Oh My! But seriously they did. Along with 17 different species including foxes, wolves, bobcats and lots more. 

We had such a great time! The animals all looked so happy and had so much space to feel free. It was much more enjoyable and less invasive then a zoo or animal attraction. Jess now wants to open a sanctuary... One thing at a time.

We had a low key evening involving a homemade pizza cook off. We had some quality ingredients allowing us to get very creative! Jensen's pizza won, closely followed by Sharon's. They were all very tasty! 

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end. We said out goodbyes :( Rick gave Jess a parting gift, a 3 year expired, never opened, jar of marmite!! Gifted to them years earlier by her parents! Haha! Jensen said goodbye to one of the four cats that forced her to be on anti-allergy medication for the duration of our stay. She became quite attached, from a distance, to the thugs!   

Early the next morning we left for Frisco, CO. On the way we stopped in Conifer to look around Phillip and Katherine's luxurious new house in the hills! They were not quite moved in, so we would be staying in a condo in Frisco. We continued our journey via Breckenridge, a ski town. We were not at all prepared for what awaited us! Turns out that very morning was the first blizzard of the season! In September!! We had not packed for these temperatures.

The scenery was jaw dropping. The leaves were changing, beautiful oranges, reds and yellows among the crisp green pines. Snow capped mountains were the typical backdrop! We found a nice coffee shop to warm ourselves and soak it in.

Phillip took us for a drive that evening around the lake and up to the mountains. Just a few snaps of what we saw..

Oooohhhh....

Ahhhhhhhh....

We drove right up to the top of one of the mountains, the Loveland pass. 11 thousand feet in elevation. That's where we found the snow!

Jess and Phillip made a lovely foreground  for this scene. :) It got late and Phillip was determined to feed us. He was confident that although we had travelled some of the most well known BBQ states, eaten at some of the most famous places in these states, found the best review... We had not yet tried the best ribs...

He was right....