We wanted a hearty meal, but we didn’t want to light the stove. Remembering a good white bean-based salad we once had (with parsley and red onion), we concocted this: 1 can mixed beans, rinsed (our can had black, kidney, and pinto) ½ diced onion (we used a white one) ½ can diced tomatoes, drained (you could use fresh ones, just get rid of the extra water) 1 handful chopped [...]
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Today we’re headed into Big Sur after making our way north from San Diego. We’re pretty excited for the change of scenery and the prospect of some hot springs. After that, we’re heading into Paso Robles and looking forward to checking out the area and sampling some wine. Maybe we’ll even find some $5 bottles. Who knows? So far we’ve been pointed towards Peach Canyon, Adelaida, Daou, and J. Lohr (champ [...]
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Look at Jalama Beach on a map — it doesn’t look like much, does it? It’s just a tiny red dot, close to evil-sounding towns like Solvang and Lompoc. It’s on a sharp bend in the Californian coast, where the land had been moving west but suddenly decided to correct itself and proceed again to the north. To the north, Jalama Beach is bounded by a large air force base. To [...]
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Honestly, this town is perfect. Carpinteria (“Carp” if you’re a local) is filled with tiny beach bungalows. The downtown isn’t a bar-free pieland like in Julian. And not only are there bars, there’s a damn microbrewery. And if you’re in the middle of downtown, you can walk to the beach a couple blocks away, or hike straight to Los Padres National Forest and the mountains a few miles away (water proximity [...]
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We’ve found the best beach camping spot in California (so far): Jalama Beach (say: Ha-Llama). It’s perfect right now, their off-season. We’re one of only a handful of people camping here. There’s no cell service, no WiFi, no neighboring town, no brewery. There’s not even a Pizza Port in walking distance. This place is remote. To the north is an air force base. To the south, basically nothing. But here’s what they do [...]
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The other day, I said something about how I was tiring of craft IPA and how everybody was making the same thing anyway and implied that maybe the whole craft beer thing was a racket that I was about done with. Then I read a few of my older posts and realized that what I didn’t like about the beers I was drinking was what I didn’t like about the [...]
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Malibu is incredible. I’m not talking about the movie star homes of Malibu. I’m talking about the wild Malibu, the areas you’ll find just a few miles from the beach, nestled back in the hills, far from the petty concerns of beach condo-mansion living. Most of this land was preserved in its mostly natural state because it was purchased and used as ranches by movie business people. Malibu Creek State Park [...]
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The first mile was easy and uneventful, but as the trail narrowed, we were ambushed (apparently). Shots rang out and soon the valley was a filled with battle cries and the sounds of gunfire. The river gurgled past uncaringly, ready to receive the gallons of blood that would shortly be spilled (surely). Lisa and I barely escaped. If it wasn’t for the bravery of the stick-wielding Boy Scouts, we would [...]
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We lucked into this one, hit Long Beach at the right time (lunch) and needed a place to stop. Joe Jost’s came up on Yelp and sounded perfect – they serve only a handful of food options and offer 3 sizes of beer. The food list is dominated by the “Special” – a Polish sausage (that looks more like a hotdog) split length-wise and stuffed with a pickle spear served [...]
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Yummy, yummy San Diego, which, if you listen to 91.1 FM long enough, you’ll learn “San Diego” means whale’s vagina in German (thanks, Mr. Ferrell). Great radio stations in this town pair nicely with the great tacos. Here’s where we ate. Rubio’s Rubio’s has dethroned Chipotle as my chain Mexican purveyor of choice. These may spread everywhere because they’re delicious. They’re the self-proclaimed originators of the fish taco. Seems dubious, [...]
Read moreWe sold, donated, and stored our possessions; quit our jobs; bought a van; and are driving around North America. We'll wander around, see what's happening, and write about it here.
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