Pacific Coast Adventure: Day 5 Drive to Santa Barbara

Yesterday was another day full of driving, singing as loud as I can, and dancing in the driver's seat. Windows down, hair blowing in the wind, and the further south I go the warmer the air becoming.

My goal for this trip was to drive along the Pacific Coast Highway. Highway 1. That was my only plan, with the exception of bungee jumping and a jazz festival. So once I left San Francisco at 5am I started toward Highway 1. Now part of the fun comes with not having an address so I can't just entirely Google Maps it. I looked at the map and figured out kind of where I needed to go, plus I thankfully know North, South, East, and West so it's not horrible trying to figure out how to get around. I eventually made it to Highway 1 and was greeted by the sunrise. The sun began to light up the sky before it even reached above the mountaintops on my left. It was illuminating he ocean to my right, and you need to stop and just breathe in the fresh air and enjoy what you are seeing.

Then I got back on the road and headed to Carmel, a really cute town that I got to through a scenic detour! When I got there I was surrounded des my shops and restaurants. It was a very touristy town and I was able to find a homemade bakery for breakfast. As I was leaving I followed the signs for Highway 1, looking forward to continuing my adventure. Well a few miles down the road there was this large flashing sign that said "Closure ahead, No Detours". So there went that plan! I turned around and headed north. Before I got back to Carmel I made a right hand turn and just sort of winged it! I found myself on Highway 101 with mountains and fields on both sides. I pulled over and went to see how long it would take to get to Santa Barbara, my next stop. I also felt the need to check my email for some reason and saw that I had an email from the jazz festival reminding me I would need to pick up my ticket by 6pm at will call. Good thing I checked! So I figured I could continue and try to find Highway 1 again and still have time to get my tickets. As I was driving, I saw another sign for Highway 1 and was then driving through vineyards and wineries! It is incredible how you can go from one landscape to the next here in mere minutes.

I stopped at Pismo Beach, a coastal town for lunch. While I was eating I booked a hostel for the night and then headed straight to Santa Barbara. I picked up my ticket, which is a wristband, and then went to the hostel. When I arrived at my Hostel I thought I was at the wrong place. It was the nicest hostel I had ever been to! The rooms were immaculate and the staff was so professional. They had a pool and a gorgeous kitchen! The bedrooms were well decorated and clean and each had their own bathroom. This hostel cost about $20/$30 more than the other hostels I've stayed at, but it was well worth the price and still cheaper than a hotel.

I showered and got cleaned up and ready for the jazz festival. I threw on a white, short, flowy sundress and some sandals and headed to the festival. This festival is different than all the other ones I've been to. Normally, there is one large venue with multiple stages or a full day of artists on one stage. This festival had a few different venues with different artists playing at each. I guess they are trying to support the area and local artists. It’s really a very cool idea. Plus it's a fun way for me to meet people.

At the Sandbox, the first location I saw a performer who was more R&B than jazz, but he admitted it saying he had been trying to get on a concert series with the host and they finally gave him this chance. Then I went to another bar, Seven Bar, which was right across the street from my hostel and had drink specials for the festival attendees. They had a strawberry lemonade which is pretty much my weakness so I was happy!

I was sitting at the bar alone, drinking my strawberry lemonade, eating my baked Mac n cheese, and just enjoying the jazz music when a guy put an almost full beer on the counter and said he was done. He wasn't talking to me, but I just looked at him and said, "You're really gonna leave an almost full beer? That's pretty much against the law." He laughed and then a few of his other friends came up and started busting his chops because he wasn't ready to leave yet and some of them wanted to go. One of his friends looked at me and asked me if I stopped him. I said no, he still had beer he needed to drink and then he just blurt out, "Are you single?" I actually started to laugh and told him I was. I appreciated his being so blunt and upfront! He then turned to one of his friends and turned back to me and said, "This is single Alex." I couldn't not laugh! I held out my hand to single Alex and introduced myself as single Rachael. If you ever need a conversation starter, that definitely does it! It makes the night and conversation a lot better knowing if people or single or not. We talked a bunch and got to know each other a bit. Single Alex is a chef that works for a company who owns a restaurant by where I work. No one ever knows what I'm talking about when I try to tell them where I'm from, so it was kinda cool. After a while single Alex and I exchanged phone numbers and were both on our way. Maybe I'll see him tonight? Maybe I won't? But it was nice talking while it lasted.