The summer after I graduated from high school, I was fortunate enough to go on a trip to southern California. My parents gave me the trip as a graduation gift, and I would be staying with my mom's sister, my Aunt D.
I've mentioned Aunt D here before. She is quite the traveler of the family, having been to almost every continent (except Antarctica) several times, and since she lived in the Long Beach, CA area, was an EXCELLENT hostess!
My friend Mary, who has also been a subject here a few times and was pictured in my last blog entry, also lived in southern California by this time and I was able to spend some time with her on the trip.
Aunt D made sure I had the WHOLE SoCal experience! Our days were filled with activities from early morning until late at night, and it was SO much fun!
We started off with a trip up the coast. We stopped at the Santa Barbara Mission and it was really something. There are a fair amount of missions up and down the coast, and throughout my stay, we also went to the Mission de San Luis Obispo.
Santa Barbara Mission
Santa Barbara Mission
We went on to spend the night in Morro Bay, where the fog was rolling in and left the Morro Rock looking quite interesting.
The next day we went on to San Simeon, where we visited the Hearst Castle. That was amazing! At that time the 3rd floor of the castle was private and still used by the family occasionally. We all kept looking at the windows, hoping for a glimpse of "someone" but saw nothing.
This was one of the outdoor pools at the Hearst Castle. It was GORGEOUS!
Aunt D was taking a little break while touring the Hearst Castle.
We also stopped in a small Dutch town called Solvang. It was so sweet and quaint.
Over the next few weeks, we toured the Queen Mary (a famous ocean liner),
stopped by Grauman's Chinese Theatre, 
I don't even remember whose hand print I put my hand in!
shopped on Olvera Street (the birthplace of Los Angeles and home of many Mexican shops),
went to the Hollywood Bowl (over 100 steps to the top...yes, I counted them),
rode bikes along the Long Beach Marina,
Aunt D wanted me to tell people that this was the boat she was buying!
Can't you just hear the theme of Gilligan's Island?
attended a taping of One Day at a Time (with Valerie Bertinelli)
went to Knott's Berry Farm (an amusement park),
took Mary along as we went to San Diego and visited Sea World
and the San Diego Zoo.
We went to the Hollywood Wax Museum,
Universal Studios,
This is Bruce, the mechanical shark, who starred in the movie Jaws.
and of course....
DISNEYLAND!
*Cue music: It's a Small World
It was quite a trip...but as Dorothy said, "There's no place like home!"
3 comments:
That sounds like a great trip! I lived around there so I've done most of those things too.
Love those kind of trips. For my granduation (I had to wait two years till my sister graduated) gift trip we went on a 7-day cruise. I got to see Jamacia, Cartihanya (sp??), San Blas Islands, Panama Canal (not a lot of fun at that particular time). Those kids of trips one never forgets.
Looks like you will never forget either, loads of fun!
What a great graduation present -- one to last a lifetime!
Did you know that It's a small World ride came from the New York World's Fair in 1964? I was there and rode it and then saw it when they removed it to Disneyland.
You have soem great photos of your adventure!
Post a Comment