Perfect Day on Mt. Diablo

Y'all, there's not much more in life that I like than a good mountain stage in a bike race and so I was super excited, and also a little nervous about volunteering at the Mt. Diablo finish on stage seven of this year's Amgen Tour of California. As it turns out, the day could not have gone smoother or better which made me a very happy cycling fan.

I woke up early (some things don't even change on vacation) and got ready for the day and checked email etc. until my dad woke up. We had to check in at our location at 12:30 and so we really didn't need to leave until about 10:30 I figured. So, while we were passing the time, I did some laundry. Thankfully and luckily, the hotel had guest laundry right across the hall from our room which worked out nicely.

We were about the last two in the building to eat breakfast I think (around 9:00) and after breakfast we waited on our last load of clothes to dry and then we headed towards the mountain around 10:00. We had received an email before leaving home that we were scheduled to work the 1:00-4:00 shift at the Juniper checkpoint, which was as high as most cars were allowed. There was only one spot higher to volunteer and that was the summit.

We checked in at each point and were given a pass for the car to move on up the mountain and we soon found Juniper. We parked and went to the check in table and were told we were supposed to be down the mountain to which I quickly replied that the email we received said to check in at Juniper and that I was not going down the mountain. So, the lady checked us in, gave us our shirts and hats and we checked with the volunteer coordinator at 12:30 and he allowed us to stay. We were handling parking which was the easiest peasiest job there was. The road closed at 2:00 so we really only had to work about an hour and handled very few cars in that time.

The race came through about 3:30 and it was super exciting. Of course, my dad expected to see an hour of racing and we saw about five minutes total, but that's how it goes in bike racing and to me it was great, great fun! Once the riders reached the summit, they had to bike down the mountain to get to the team buses which were below our location at Juniper. I was watching all the cyclists (professional and just average Joes) zoom down the mountain when a rider asked me a question, I looked up and my heart started pounding and I just wanted to ask for a photo, but I didn't because I was a volunteer. It was Jens Voight, AKA The Big Diesel Engine, and he wanted to know where the team buses were. My reply - "they're down the hill". His reply, "Thank you." It was such a magical moment. Actually, I'm amazed I could even find words.

I recognized some of the other riders as they came down when it wasn't so crowded and yelled a few names and got some waves. My dad and I decided to leave about 4:30 and on the way down the mountain who did we encounter but Dore Holte! I snapped a photo really quick with my phone and I will treasure the moment forever. It was the best day ever on the mountain!

The traverse down the mountain was not bad at all. In fact, there was hardly any car traffic and we were down in about 45 minutes. We ate dinner at a Greek restaurant and I had the chicken kabobs which were very good. My dad chose the dolmades which were disgusting. The bread was good and so was the salad. He just made a bad choice for his entree. He said he would never choose that again. I can't say that I blame him.

We were back at the hotel by 6:30, our earliest hotel arrival so far and we spent the evening blogging (me), emailing, checking Twitter, playing games on the computer and generally speaking doing a whole lot of nothing. It is vacation, after all and you're supposed to relax on vacation. I did do one more load of laundry which got us all caught up to that point.

On Sunday we will depart for Santa Rosa to watch the final stage of the race come in and check out the awards ceremony. Then we will make our departure for San Fransisco where we will be until Tuesday.

 Dore Holte, people!

Whale Watching and a Long, Long Drive

Friday morning we woke up and packed up. It was our final morning in Los Angeles and it was time to move on. After eating breakfast we went an hour south to Newport Beach to go whale watching. Yes, south was out of our way, but it was an enjoyable experience and we are both glad we did it.

We were scheduled for the 10:00 a.m. whale watching tour and we arrived in Newport Beach around 9:30. We checked in and pared the car and we were soon off on our excursion. The boat ride was for a little over two hours and was a really nice time. We did not see any whales, but we saw hundreds of dolphins. We also came across some sea lions out sunning on a buoy and we saw birds of all sorts, dolphins and sea lions feasting on a group of anchovies. That was extremely fascinating. The boat was also equipped with a snack bar and I was able to enjoy a Diet Coke and some freshly popped popcorn.

We arrived back at the harbor about 12:30 or so and discovered that while we were away the town had woken up. When we left there was no one around and when we returned there was a lot of hustle and bustle. A lot of people, it seemed, were there to catch the boat to Catalina Island for perhaps the weekend. We made a stop by Balboa Candy and bought some salt water taffy that was/is divine. It is probably the best I have ever had. Strangely enough, the girl working there was home for the summer and attends Auburn - small world.

We went back to the car and drove a few blocks away to the Crab Cooker where we had lunch. The food was really good. I had crab cakes and my dad had shrimp and scallops. The waitress was nice and had been to various parts of Alabama before. In addition to her and the girl from Auburn, we have also come across a girl that went to school at Alabama A&M and a lady that lives in Hazel Green.

After eating lunch, we headed north since we had about a six hour drive ahead of us. About three and a half hours in to our journey we were running low on gas and after passing multiple gas stations, my dad finally pulled over in the middle of nowhere and the gas was $4.79 a gallon. We only got a few gallons and then filled up later on down the road where it was a bargain of $4.29 a gallon. This should make all Alabamians thankful for $3.23 a gallon.

We made it to Livermore around 8:00 p.m. and checked in to the hotel and then went for an In And Out Burger which is the popular thing here in California. The burgers were okay, but no better than Wendy's or Steak and Shake for example. The only difference I can tell is that they have 1000 Island dressing on them, which is weird, but not disgusting.

After a quick stop by Wal-Mart, we were back at the hotel and I went to bed. I was pretty darn exhausted. Today (Saturday) is the big finish on Mt. Diablo for the Tour of California. We will be leaving in another couple of hours to head up the mountain where we are scheduled to volunteer a 1-4 shift. We are hoping we are scheduled to be on the course because if not, then they can count us out. Hopefully it will be a fun day.

A Day At Warner Brothers and a Stop at the Rose Bowl

I’m happy to report that Thursday went a lot better for me. I managed to keep all manner of food in my stomach and that was a huge improvement over the day before.

Thursday morning we got up around 7:00 and meandered about trying not to be in too big of a hurry about things. We made reservations for the Warner Brothers Studio tour at 11:45, ate some breakfast and headed out. We left the hotel around 10:00 and went to Pasadena and got a glimpse of the Rose Bowl. Unfortunately you couldn’t go past the gates, which has been the case since September 11. We did walk around and take a few photos. The weather was exceptionally nice and overcast and there was a breeze and chill in the air so it was rather nice walking outside.

After looking around at the Rose Bowl, we went over to Burbank to take the Warner Brothers Studio tour. It was a very enjoyable experience. Everyone that we encountered was very nice. We saw a lot of the back lots that are used for scenes in various movies and television shows. We also were able to walk on the set of The Mentalist and The Big Bang Theory since both of these shows have wrapped for the season.

We also got to tour a Warner Brothers museum which had a lot of great costumes inside. The entire second floor was devoted to only Harry Potter memorabilia and it was fantastic. Unfortunately you couldn’t take photos inside. They also had the sorting hat and a guy who worked there put it on your head and the hat told you what house you would go to. I went to Slytherin and y’all, I’ve never been so disappointed. However, after listening for a while, the hat was on repeat and repeated the same sequence of sorting so there’s that consolation at least.

We were also able to look at and take pictures of a lot of cars that were used in films. The car from Gran Torino with Clint Eastwood was there as well as the Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo, the General Lee, the Weasley’s flying car from the Harry Potter movie and also three Batmobiles and the Two Bat Tumblers and the Motorcyle from Dark Knight Rises. All the cars (with exception of the Weasley’s flying car) are drivable and the Tumblers go around 230 miles per hour!

We were also able to visit Central Perk from Friends – you remember the coffee shop downstairs on the show. They still have it set up for people to visit. Did you know that each of the principal cast members still receives $24 million annually from the show being in syndication and Warner Brothers makes $1 billion a year! That is crazy! The tour guide told us even someone that had three lines on the show makes about $6,000 a year. Wish I had about three lines on one of those episodes!

The tour was really great and lasted about two and a half hours. We both really enjoyed it and I would definitely recommend it if you are going to Los Angeles for a visit.

After the tour, we grabbed a bite to eat at the Café on the Warner Brothers property. The food was quite good and reasonably priced and was much easier than driving around trying to find somewhere to eat.

Once we were finished eating, we drove from the tour parking over to the parking for The Ellen Show and then checked in for the show. We had guaranteed tickets so we knew we would be getting in which was very exciting. We checked in and had to wait for about an hour or so before we were escorted across the street and into the studio. The Ellen Show was an absolute blast. No, she did not give either of us a car like we were hoping but there was a fantastic surprise for one guest and the end of the show brought tears to all eyes. I’m not sure if they will cut it out or not because of time constraints. I’ve set my DVR to record the episode which will be on this coming Monday, May 20; maybe we will see ourselves in the audience at the very least. The guest was Ed Helms from The Hangover III and The Office. It was truly a lot of fun and a very enjoyable experience.

When The Ellen Show was over, we headed back to the hotel but first made a stop for a two-liter caffeine free Diet Coke and some snacks. Neither of us was very hungry and so we just got a few munchies in case we needed something before the night was out.

On Friday we are going to take a whale watching tour and then head north the Livermore which is where the Tour of California will start from on Saturday. We will be volunteering at the end of the stage on Mt. Diablo and I’m hoping it will be a fun experience.

Until next time, so long from LA!

It Didn't Exactly Go As Planned

Well, my plan was to put up a post when I got in last night; but y’all the day definitely did not go as planned and I’m about to tell you all about it.

I woke up Wednesday morning not feeling so great, my stomach was a little queasy and I was a little concerned. I went ahead and got ready for the day and we went downstairs for breakfast. I didn’t eat very much and then bought a Sprite before we headed out for the day. We went to Hollywood and walked around at the Hollywood Walk of Fame and also the Grauman’s Chinese Theater and then we went on a tour of Hollywood and Beverly Hills.

The tour was in an open top van that seated 15. I was on one side of a row, my dad in the middle and a guy from Austria on the other side of him. The tour was full and the sun was bright. When the sun wasn’t hidden by a cloud it was rather warm in fact. I don’t know if it was my queasy stomach alone or if it was that in combination with the hot sun, the zig-zagging around at crazy speeds or what, but about halfway through the tour I knew I was going to lose my breakfast.

Sure enough, as we were driving down some busy road in Beverly Hills, I had to lean over the side of the van and let it all go, probably hitting some $300,000 car in the process. Thankfully some kind Canadians from Toronto (I’m always being saved by Canadians from Toronto) had some cold towels and a water that they generously gave to my dad to give to me.

I managed to make it through the rest of the tour as I felt much better afterwards. Once the tour was over, I went to a CVS to get a Diet Coke, a hairbrush and some gum. I then met my dad at the car and we headed over to Burbank for the filming of the Jay Leno Show. I wasn’t sure how it would go for me, but I was going to give it my best.

On the way my dad got a hot dog to hold him over until dinner, but I still wasn’t up for eating so I took a pass. We finally found the parking lot after much bopping and weaving through the streets of Burbank and then lined up with the rest of the folks waiting. We made it in to the final holding area around 2:00 and heard they were going to start letting people in about 3:00. It was also about 3:00 that I thought whatever contents left in my stomach might come up again and so I ran to a trash can and some nice lady found a security guard for me. He found a chair for me to sit down and one of the workers at the show brought me out some cold paper towels and a 7-Up. Side note – they had cold water and lemonade while in line which I thought was super nice.

I sat in the chair as they started letting people in and the folks at Leno checked on me periodically. They didn’t want me to have to run out puking during the show I guess. Thankfully I felt some better and we made it in to the show, but just barely. I think we were two of the last maybe 10 people who got in.

The show was a lot of fun to watch and if I had been feeling better I think I would have enjoyed it immensely. The taping lasted about an hour and 15 minutes. The guests were Usher, Ken Offerman and the band The Pyramids.

After the show was over we drove back to the hotel in rush hour traffic. I guess it took us about 30 minutes to get back, maybe 40. I came on in to the hotel, but my dad went to get some dinner. I had an extremely high fever and chills and my arms looked like lobsters from the exposure to the sun earlier in the day. About 7:45 I got concerned about my dad because he had gone out to eat around 6:00 and I figured he would have been back. I called him and he was lost. I looked at the map and told him where we was and that he needed to turn around and apparently he passed the street to the hotel once again. Long story short, he finally made it back a little before 9:00.

I managed to get some sleep throughout the night which was a blessing. So far today I am feeling a little better and we will soon go down and give breakfast a try. We are doing a Warner Brothers studio tour today at 11:45 and then we are attending the taping of The Ellen Show this afternoon. I’m looking forward to a fun day and praying that my stomach holds its contents.

We Are West

Well, folks, we have safely arrived in Los Angeles, and I have now seen the Pacific Ocean and gone as far west as I have ever been in my life. So far, we are off to a good start,

My dad stopped by my house around 5:10 Tuesday morning and picked me and my luggage up. We drove to Nashville, ate breakfast at the Waffle House, and then drove to the Holiday Inn by the airport where we paid to park our car for the next couple of weeks. We were then driven to the airport and soon after we checked in.

We made it through check-in okay, although it was a little concerning at first as my dad did not bring with him the card which he used to purchase our tickets; but I had our Delta Sky Miles numbers in a saved email and was able to get our boarding passes printed and our bags checked.
We then headed for the gates, but had to stand aside for a few minutes because my dad had lost his ID.

Well, he had not really lost it, but couldn't remember where he had put it after he showed it to the lady at the ticket counter. Finally he found it and then I took control of the IDs and the boarding passes for fear they may be lost again. We then headed towards the security area where you send your bags (and your body for that matter) through the scanners. My dad, however, did not empty his pockets or take off his belt. You would have thought it was his first ever time flying on a plane.

We finally made it through all the checkpoints and to the gate. The flight to Minneapolis was uneventful and we had about an hour and a half layover before the flight to LA. On the flight to LA we were treated to a viewing of "The Great and Powerful Oz" and can I just say I'm so glad that I did not spend money on it while it was in the theater. I thought it was terrible.

We arrived in LA about 3:30 Pacific time and easily got our luggage and our rental car. We had some issues with the Garmin but finally it began working and we made our way to Venice Beach where we walked the seashore for about an hour and just enjoyed the views.

As we were leaving Venice Beach, we once again could not get the Garmin to work (and as I type it is still failing us); we did, however, find a place to eat dinner which is always at the top of the agenda. We ate at a restaurant called Killer Shrimp and the food wasn't too shabby.

I ended up using the Google Maps Ap on my phone to direct us to the hotel and it looks like my phone is going to serve as our GPS as well. At least we won't be lost, or at least we hope we won't. We arrived at the hotel around 8:30p.m.  and it is now, as I type, 9:17p.m. , or 11:17 p.m. at home and I have been up since 3:30 a.m. and needless to say, I am worn slap out as I have been awake for almost 20 hours.

Tomorrow we will attend the taping of the Jay Leno show, and I'm sure we will do something else interesting before that. In the meantime, enjoy some photos from our Venice Beach outing this afternoon.

California Dreamin'

Well, the time has come for mine and my dad's 2013 California getaway. We left Huntsville around 5:00 a.m. and headed for Nashville to catch our flight. After a layover in Minneapolis (yes, weird, I know), we should be landing in Los Angeles around 3:30 Pacific time, or 5:30 Central. In other words, we are in for about a 12-hour travel day.

It's been a troubling and stressful year for us and we are both really looking forward to the break from our "real" lives. I'll be updating the blog from the road as often as possible - hopefully once a day.
I will go ahead and tell you that we have tickets for the Jay Leno show this Wednesday, May 15, so you may want to tune in that evening and see if you can catch a glimpse of us in the audience (doubtful).

On Thursday, May 16, we will be attending a taping of The Ellen Show. At this time we do not know when the show will be aired - we will find out the day of the taping. Once I find out I will be sure and post it here on the blog in case you want to tune in for that episode. I'm sure she will hook us up with one or two cars while we are there, or not.

Friday we will be driving up north and I'm really not sure what is on the agenda. Over the weekend we will be at the Tour of California bike race and in fact are volunteering at one of the stages. Monday, May 20 we are attending a Giants baseball game and on Friday, May 24 we are ziplining in the Redwoods. As for the days in between, I again have no idea what's in store for us as my dad has planned out the week and we haven't really discussed it. Whatever it is, I'm sure it will be fun.

I look forward to telling you all about it and sharing a few photos along the way. In the meantime, I ask for your prayers that we will have a safe trip and that this time away will revive our weary souls.

Book Review: Simply Delicious Amish Cooking

As you may or may not know, I love to cook and so when I saw that Booksneeze was offering "Simply Delicious Amish Cooking" for bloggers to review, I immediately jumped on the opportunity and ordered my copy the moment it became available. I was anxious to see what types of recipes would be offered and was also looking forward to reading a little about the Amish people of Sarasota, Florida. The author, you see, is a member of this Amish community and until I read a preview of the book I didn't even know there were Amish people in Sarasota. 

The book was compiled by Sherry Gore, a member of the Amish community in Sarasota. She opens the book with an introduction describing how it was she came to write the cookbook. She also describes "What Makes Amish Cooking So Special" and also tells us a bit about who the Amish and Mennonite people are. Ms. Gore then provides the reader with a brief description of the Pinecraft Community of Amish people in Sarasota. 

After providing the reader with this lovely introduction, the recipes begin. The following sections are included in the book: Breads and Rolls, Breakfast, Appetizers and Beverages, Soups and Salads, Vegetables and Side Dishes, Meat and Main Dishes, Seafood, Cookies and Bars, Pies, Cakes and Frostings, Desserts, and finally This and That. Each recipe contains simple ingredients and easy to follow instructions, which is the essence of Amish cooking. The recipes are not only from the Amish people of the Sarasota, but also included are recipes from Amish people in other communities as well. Scattered amongst the recipes are stories from Amish people which are related to the recipes in the book. 

The book is very well put together with over 300 recipes your family is sure to enjoy. The book is spiral bound making it very easy to lay open when cooking. "Simply Delicious Amish Cooking" is very similar to a cookbook you may receive from your own church congregation and would be a great addition to any cookbook lover's collection.