Day Five: California Trip

What is a trip to California without a visit to the beach? I'm sure it would be adequate but we decided to make our last full day in the other Sunshine State a trip to Huntington Beach. When we left the hotel the weather was nasty yet again. The dark clouds hovering over our destination did not give us a lot of hope for a nice beach day but we were committed and decided to make the best of what we were dealt. We pulled onto Main Street in Huntington Beach at 11:30 am and proceeded to do the regular tourist schtick—walking the pier, watching the locals, meandering up and down the beach looking for shells. Within an hour the weather had done a 180 and the rest of the day was sunny and cool. Chamber of Commerce weather and a welcome relief to the previous days.

We also sat on some of the stairs set up by the street and watched folks play volleyball, listen to hippies beat on drums, pet large reptiles, cruise through the art exhibits and generally enjoying the day. We ended up eating at Duke's, the seafood restaurant at the base of the Huntington Beach pier and feasted on really good seafood meals, looking out over the beach and preparing to head back home.

Once back at the hotel, we took a little time to pack our suitcases and then all met for one last session in the hot tub. We broke the rules for maximum people allowed in the tub but we deserved it on our last night. We have to leave at 6 am in the morning in order to make it to San Diego in time for our flight back to Florida. Fortunately, Kyle and crew leave at the same time so we will have one last caravan through SoCal together before we fly home. I imagine tomorrow will be a little light on words and photos but I will try to get something up to offer some closure. Check back for that tomorrow.

As usual, lots of pictures here. Home within 24 hours. Can't say I am disappointed to write that. As the saying goes, a great place to visit, but...