In a fortunate coincidence, we were able to meet up with Jen’s college friend Michelle during her visit with her mother, Ruth. Ruth lives in a rural valley outside of Arroyo Grande. Huasna Valley is secluded, private, and very quiet. We enjoyed almost a week with Michelle and Ruth. Quinn had access to two giant boxes of legos and many other toys from Michelle’s childhood. The hot tub was also a big hit for him. We spent time going for walks and exploring the valley. We even visited an abandoned fruit orchard where we picked oranges and grapefruit. We met several of Ruth’s neighbors for football parties on Sunday and Monday.

Bob, one of Ruth’s neighbors, gave us a ride to a local fossil bed in his ATV.

Quinn found some great fossil shells.

The hot tub was a big hit with everyone.

Ruth and Michelle with the Sparks family in downtown Arroyo Grande

On Monday the van went into the Ford dealership for what will hopefully be the last van maintenance we’ll do before we head south to Mexico.

We reluctantly left Ruth’s Resort on Tuesday afternoon and headed south for a visit to Disneyland which we have been promising Quinn ever since we left Colorado (for the second time). We fought through LA traffic for a couple of hours before stopping at Carpenteria State Beach for quick bite to eat. Back into the traffic, we continued on the 101 southbound for a freeway tour of Hollywood. It’s neat to see all of the iconic street names that show up in movies and songs – Santa Monica Boulevard (Cheryl Crow), Ventura Boulevard (Tom Petty) and Mulholland Drive (innumerable movies).

Sunset at the beach

We checked into an RV park about a mile from Disneyland, and made it into the park by about 9 am the next day. Quinn was predictably thrilled with the experience. He was bouncing up and down almost continually the whole day as we toured some of the classic Disney rides – It’s a small world, Mr Toad, Space Mountain… The thing that Jen and I found amazing about the park is that it’s not the adrenelin, it’s more about the story. For example, the Pirates of the Caribbean water ride featured two drops, but the majority of it was a water based tour through incredibly detailed scenes from the movies along with amazing audio and visual effects with fun animatronics.

Quinn enjoyed the train rides at Disneyland most of all.

The cotton candy came in a close second.

A happy mom and son

The next day we made it a few miles further south to Laguna Beach. We spent the afternoon with Witt’s uncle Jim Sparks who treated us to an amazing Thanksgiving lunch at a seaside Mexican restaurant overlooking the beach. Witt was happy to trade turkey for a seafood enchilada and a Negro Modelo!

We camped for the evening at Moro Beach campground which is north of Laguna Beach and south of Corona del Mar. We have a view of the ocean, and the waves even drown out the noise from highway 101!

Next stop is San Diego, and if everything goes well, we should be in Mexico by the end of next week! Hooray!