California Dreamin'

While the majority of my lab is down partying and getting appendectomies in Bolivia, I decided to plan out a week long vacation to visit the family up in Portland followed by the rekindling of the friendship with a long lost pal of mine, Scott Moll. Scott and I were friends throughout our Freshman year in the dorms (until he decided to transfer away from Oregon), however we've done a surprisingly good job at remaining close through social media and text message. As recently as July 2nd, Scott sent a text asking me to come down California, to which I responded "For how long?" I hadn't much better to do, and escaping the work place for a few days to spend some time in Santa Barbara sounded like a perfect idea. We both decided that 5 days would be enough (Wednesday through Sunday), and I booked the tickets a month in advance.


Fast forward to the day of the flight; I arrive at the Burbank Airport at 9:20 am. Scott, however, arrives at the Burbank Airport at 10:50 am. So we're off to a rough start (turns out he slept in) but that's ok, I was just glad to see a close friend of mine for the first time in 3 years. 

"What's the plan?" I ask Scott. Scott shrugs his shoulders; turns out we don't really have one. 

"Well, alright then, I'm good with whatever." 

We get on the freeway headed north in the direction of Santa Barbara, only to take a (rather surprising) exit to head to Simi Valley, California; a suburban sprawl of a city with very little if anything entertaining to do. It turns out that this is where Scott is currently living (not Santa Barbara as I had previously thought), and this is where I'd be staying for my trip. Another minor miscommunication, but I thought  "that's ok, we're only 40 minutes away from the beach. This can still be fun." Scott drops me off at his house only to have to leave for work for the rest of the day (until 7 pm)... kind of lame, but I remain cautiously optimistic. As the day wore on and I was trapped alone in his house, optimism turned in to boredom which turned in to a little annoyance. But I figured Thursday would be better, as we've had a month to plan this out. 

Turns out I was wrong. Once Scott returned that night, I asked what the plan for Thursday was; working between 8 am and 7 pm, and leave me in his house without a car or anyway to get anywhere. This was the plan for Friday too. I don't have anyway or how to get to eat lunch, and the plan is to leave me in a house for almost 12 hours by myself. This is when I realize I have to leave, and leave I did.
The Thursday morning sun rose, and with it came a plan to escape Simi Valley (mind you with no car or anything but clothes in my backpack). I walked around the neighborhood and asked an old woman how to get to the coast if I had nothing but my feet for transportation. Turns out there was an Amtrak Station only 2 miles from where I was staying, so I packed my bags and walked through the California Valley; determined to restore the adventurous vacation I previously thought I was going to have. I boarded a train to Ventura, California with no idea or care of where I was staying that night, but it was better than being in a vegetative state in a house that felt more like a prison than anything. Scott also failed to mention how or what I was supposed to have for breakfast/lunch, he had 3 other roommates of which I didn't want to steal any of their food. I survived solely on delicious Milano cookies until 2 pm; my arrival in Ventura. 

Breakfast and Lunch

Leaving turned out to be the greatest decision of the trip, as Ventura was actually a magnificent town. Great coffee, great views, a hotel for relatively cheap being 2 blocks away from the coast (109 a night), and everyone was friendly. The weather was lovely, I walked around the entire town and had nothing to complain about. I probably walked upwards of 13 miles on Thursday; all in the spirit of adventure. 

My surprisingly cheap hotel room

The entire town

Filming for some tv show was happening on the beach

But no, the adventure didn't stop there. I originally set out on this trip to intending to see Santa Barbara, and by golly I was going to see it. The next day, I packed up my backpack and did the whole thing over again; this time boarding the train for Santa Barbara. I called around for a hotel while I was on the train, and booked a super crappy one for cheap in Goleta, CA, which was only 5 miles away from SB by public bus.

My savior

Friday night accomidations

Friday was spent nearly all day out and about along the streets and coast of Santa Barbara, ending with dinner and a movie (Brave, I'd give it a B-). Santa Barbara is also a great town, although much more touristy than Ventura, with more spoiled 17-year-olds than I've ever seen in my life. The sun, coast and atmosphere sure was welcoming. 

I called my Aunt on Friday (she's located in Pasadena) and asked her what she was up to ; turns out she was not only free, but also that she was going to the same airport at the same time that my flight was to fly out of to head home. This was a beautiful coincidence. I spent another half day in SB before boarding the train down to Los Angeles and taking the metro over to Pasadena, where I spent a day and a half relaxing with my Aunt.

Overall, it was one of the most adventurous trips I have ever taken, mostly because I had no idea where I was going to sleep the night I was traveling. And I must say, Scott really had a shit plan for me to come in... I'm still not quite sure why he told me to stay for 5 days when there was clearly nothing to do and nearly no way to entertain myself. Because of this, I was able to spend a significant amount of time being completely independent of everything and realize how well off I'm doing on my own. I would not have been able to do this even a year ago with as much confidence as I had. Living in the real world has really affected the way I look at things, and it showed on this trip.

I definitely don't regret making the trip out. It was fun, unique, and beautiful at the same time. I wish I could have spent more time with Scott, but he really dropped the ball on this one. I have no hard feelings, and I'd still say hi to him in the future, but odds of me visiting again are 0.