Oh, how I’m missed Southern California: the weather, the beaches, Pacific Coast Highway and all the little towns along the way. It had been a while – eight or nine years. Ray and I lived in Oceanside, CA for three years (circa 2005-2008, I believe), and I’ve returned for visits when family and friends were in the area. But, I have wanted to get back to the West Coast for so long. And there were so many things that I wanted to do while here. The first was eat. There are two fast food joints that I missed while on the East Coast: Rubio’s (fish tacos) and Pick Up Stix (Americanized Asian). We crossed those two off the list pretty quickly. Other than the discontinuation of an apple eggroll desert I was obsessed with, the chains did not disappoint.
Another major thing that had to be done while here was a visit to Glen Ivy. Glen Ivy Hot Springs is my idea of Heaven. Located in Corona, California, it is a campus of day spa activities. We are talking Roman baths, mineral baths, saline baths, swimming pools, lounge pools, dry saunas, wet saunas, mud exfoliation, a grotto where minerals are painted onto the body and allowed to moisturize, fruity beverages, delicious cuisine, a spot under the trees for napping… Need I go on? I am talking about all my favorite things in one place. For $50, a person can spend a whole day there doing these things (the grotto is another $25). Of course, massages, facials, scrubs, and other spa packages can be added on, but who needs anything more than what’s already included?
My parents, sister, and Baby Wren were in town for the week, so Kim and I jumped at the chance to spend the day at Glen Ivy, our old stomping ground. You seriously feel the stress just wash away as you’re rinsing the mud from your body. You feel all the worries drip right off as you’re sitting in the sauna. You feel renewed as the green goo of minerals are soaking into your body. You leave that place feeling lighter, happier, refreshed. Best. Place. Ever.
It was great to visit Glen Ivy after all these years, and it was even better that I got to experience it again with my sister! I love that place. I think every town should have one.
Of course, I was beyond thrilled that Mama, Daddy, Kim, and Wren flew out to California to see us. I’m already trying to figure out when I’ll get to see that baby again. She is perfection.
While the family was here, we got to visit Venice Beach, Seal Beach (where we are staying), and some great shopping malls and outlets. Though I shouldn’t be buying stuff, living in an RV and all, it’s pretty hard not to when you are in the Los Angeles area and there is shopping galore. The girls also got some major pool time in at the hotel where Ya Ya, PaPa, KeKe, and Baby Wren were staying.
Also, while here, Clyde got to visit a dog beach for the first time. I’m not convinced he liked it, as he yapped his high-pitched, eardrum piercing yap the whole time we were there, and he stayed right under my feet, nearly tripping me as we walked. Scout, too old to deal with such, sat by the rocks shaking and growling (maybe we should have thought that out a little better). Huntington Beach has a great dog beach, by the way. Hundreds of dogs. The girls were pretty impressed. Aside from my embarrassing dogs and the fact that a man walked into the potty that I failed to lock, and saw me squatting over a filthy unisex toilet, it was a pretty good visit to the beach that day.
After saying ‘goodbye’ to the family a couple of days ago (I wanted to cry, but managed to refrain somehow. I think it’s because we didn’t go to the airport. A ‘goodbye’ there would have done me in), we made a detour to Long Beach to take in some views. We spent some time at Shoreline Park, letting the girls run off their energy and just strolling along…
We also got to bring the girls to the La Brea Tar Pits yesterday. This place is fascinating to me. I had visited once before, and I wanted to take the girls while in the area. Right there in Los Angeles, a major metropolitan area, sits these tar pits (natural asphalt bubbling in large pools). Tens of thousands of years ago, animals that are now extinct – like mammoths and saber-tooth cats – roamed the area. Many of those animals met their demise when they fell into the tar and could not escape. Layer upon layer of animal bones were preserved in the tar. Scientists have been excavating, cleaning, and cataloguing the fossilized bones for many years, and they still do it today. We got to visit the museum, see the tar pits, and watch a 3-D film on the animals of the Ice Age. We also watched researchers cleaning fossils, and we were able to see some of the scientists working at one of the sites.
After our visit to the Tar Pits, we stopped by the Santa Monica Pier to show the girls how cool that place is! They were most interested in getting frozen custard and then playing in the sand.
We had such a good time visiting family and spending time in Southern California. I hope the girls will remember this neck of the woods fondly, as I’ve always had a special place in my heart for it! Until next time… I hope it’s not another near-decade!
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