12-14-13 - Old Friends in Los Angeles

We happened upon a Marine Educational center on the University of California Santa Cruz campus, and paid $6 to see the display. There were small leopard sharks in a tank. I touched one and it felt like sandpaper wrapped around jello. It didn't seem terribly impressed, and the volunteer told me he slept all day and became active at night. They had a really cool exhibit on Elephant Seals, and a massive reproduction of a female grey whale skeleton outside.

At dawn, we ride!!

After a long stint on the beautiful Highway 1 coastal route, we had to make our way to Los Angeles. Neither of us were terribly excited for the city, but it was on our way to San Diego and were planning to visit the Getty Museum, a famous art museum in the area. I had been very excited to see this, and couldn't wait to get there. When we pulled up to the gate the security guard took one look at us, and said "Sorry, no dogs." The only parking available was in a parking garage, and we couldn't leave him in the car. He went on to tell us if we left Jax in the car on the street, it was likely someone would come along and break the window to "liberate" him from the heat.

I was furious and disappointed. I'd been looking forward to the museum since we left, and now we couldn't go. I understand the concern of dogs in vehicles suffering from heat exhaustion. However, it was 60 degrees out and our van has a built in fan and window shades. I only wish I could catch some "liberator" in the act and liberate their brain from their head.

On a related note, the entire state of California thus far has been the most dog-unfriendly place I've ever visited. Everywhere you go, from public places to remote locations, "NO DOG" signs are posted with abandon. Even leashed dogs can get a $250 ticket simply for walking along a beach. For me personally, this unwelcoming attitude put a real damper on my view of California as a whole. In Washington State, it's rare to unheard of to not be allowed to bring your dog along on a walk or hike, and there are more offleash friendly areas than I could possibly count.

With our plans of the Getty dashed, we decided to try and find a dog park to let Jax out to play. Astonishingly, in a city of 4 million people, there was one dog park within 30 miles. To me this is absolutely insane. Between the dog-hate and the insanity of rush hour traffic, we began to get discouraged.

We took a walk along the infamous Venice Beach, but the sun was setting and all the vendors were packing up. A man rolled in circles inside of a giant steel hula hoop, accompanied by a mandolin and guitar. A small group loudly made plans to buy some cocaine in the immediate future. A lone man sat with his Mac laptop and a microphone, singing reggae style Christmas carols to no one.

Disheartened by the culture and smog, we finally found our way at the doorstep of two old family friends, Dean and Judy. They were exactly the break we needed to regain our faith in humanity! Even though we hadn't seen each other in 15 years, they welcomed Dave and I with open arms and unquestioning hospitality. We caught up on life, and Dean, who spent several years on the island of Samoa, taught us a few words in Samoan.

The next morning we went out for breakfast on a pier and watched paddleboarders slowly move around the harbor, closely followed by swarms of tiny fish.

I'm so thankful to Dean and Judy for their hospitality and welcoming us into their home! We headed South to San Diego, and today we'll be seeing an old friend, and our Southward trip ends.

East we go!