California Dreamin'

We left Woodland Hills around 10am and headed to the Paramount Ranch.

It's a former movie set where hundreds of Western movies and TV shows (like Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman) have been filmed. It's now a National Park Service property open to the public.http://www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/paramountranch.htm

We toured the buildings of the town, and found some movie people setting up to shoot a new movie later this summer.

You can read more about the movie here:
http://www.thewrap.com/lifetime-orders-original-movie-about-manson-family-murders/

Sam found the jail quite "captivating".

We also saw some horseback tours riding through the trails where John Wayne and others had ridden before.

Then we headed on through Malibu Canyon and down to Malibu Beach. It's amazing how the million dollar beach houses are suspended over the beach on tiny wooden posts.

We tried the water and it was just as cold as yesterday's at Santa Monica beach.

We drove back to the Malibu Pier area and got some beautiful views of the "town" and the fabulous homes built in the hills above the Bay.

Next we drove up Route 1, the Pacific Coast Highway, enjoying some spectacular scenery where the mountains meet the sea. It's very different from our coast and even from the Costa Rica shoreline, which is lush, humid, and riddled with waterfalls. This part of California is dry, rocky and windy, partly due to the 3-year drought they are suffering.

The climate is really enjoyable, however. There are virtually no bugs, and the lack of humidity makes 68 degree air very comfortable. We don't perspire as much even when we're hiking in the 80 degree afternoon.

We got lunch at a gourmet market

before entering the National Seashore and some interesting rock formations,

as well as lots of agriculture. In the space of 50 miles we saw tomatoes, lemons, strawberries, soybeans, grapes and oranges being grown and harvested.

We arrived in San Luis Obispo and our hotel around 6pm and went to a great restaurant called Big Sky Country.

Then we visited Bubblegum Alley, whose name about says it all. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubblegum_Alley

We ended the night at the Sunset Drive In theater https://www.facebook.com/sunsetdriveinand saw the new movie Inside Out. We all loved it!

Tomorrow its on to Monterey and Seaside CA, with some stops at State Parks, beaches, and Big Sur. Surf's Up!