Although Dale and I are homebodies extraordinaire and don’t have a big travel Jones, we’ve decided to make more of an effort to scoot around California. Overnight road trips are a low-stress and relatively inexpensive way to escape the routine and enjoy local pleasures … and we don’t have to get a cat sitter.
No matter where you live, I suspect there are fun things to do and beautiful places to see within just a few hour’s drive. We love the ocean and had a craving for oysters, so we drove 2.5 hours to Tomales Bay, which is oyster heaven. Hotels aren’t cheap, but if you shop around, one night doesn’t break the bank.
We had oysters on the half shell and Bloody Mary’s for lunch at a bayside restaurant along the way. After checking into the hotel early, we hiked down to the water and just absorbed the scenery. Read for awhile in the room and then got ready for dinner. Oysters on the half shell for an appetizer, followed by fried oysters! Fresh and delicious and exactly what we came for.
Here’s the weird thing about us. Camping or hotel, it doesn’t matter, we don’t hang around in the morning. You’d think, well, we’re there, we should stay and lap up more of the bounty. But for us, it’s up and out. We didn’t even stop for breakfast. We were home before 10 a.m. The kitty was happy to see us!
What a great little trip. Not everyone wants to be on-the-go all the time. The overnighter is kind of a perfect getaway for those of us who don’t care to travel all that much or worry about leaving our pets.
My kind of traveling!
Easy peasy!
That sounds like fun. I’ve never had an oyster, it seems slimy or slippery or something. Maybe fried, I’d try it:) I’m not sure we’ve been to Tomales Bay. We usually go up to Bodega Bay and there is a great little hole in the wall fish shack with the best chowder and crab sandwiches.
We use to leave our cats for a few nights locked in the house and they were fine.
Now our 2 cats are too old and need care so someone has to stay behind, usually my daughter.
Yes, oysters are kind of slippery. A fresh one should not taste slimy. Bodega Bay is just north of Tomales Bay — they’re practically the same place. We’d get a cat sitter for more than one night. Our fur baby is spoiled.
We take day trips around Iowa. A couple years ago, it was to try out all the tenderloin winners. Since Tim’s still working, we don’t have much flexibility. Most of our overnighters are when visiting the grandkids. We’ve talked about visiting a town with a big cross stitch store and a stop for lunch on the way, maybe next week. He’s so good to me. ❤️
I love the idea of visiting the tenderloin winners! If I travel with my sister, we have to visit all the quilt stores.
Arizona also has many quirkly little artsy towns within driving distance and plentiful airbnbs in all of them! Mexican beaches are just 4 hours away,California 5-6 hours. But just taking short trips right here in our own state is very enjoyable!! We’ll be visiting a historic hotel from the Railroad era, in Winslow,Arizona,soon.
I didn’t realize Mexican beaches were that close! How great is that? I remember going through Winslow many years ago. I always think of the Eagles song.