left coast roadtrip part five // solvang

I know I've been sharing travel photos like crazy from my trip a few months ago, and I promise this is the last installment! So after getting a good night's rest after the drive through Big Sur, we made our first Solvang stop at Ostrichland, which was easily the most hilarious part of our whole trip. It's pretty much an ostrich and emu petting zoo, except you're not allowed to pet them. But you can feed them, and ohhh, they love to be fed. It was impossible to take these photos without laughing; seeing a horde of greedy ostriches bobbing their heads furiously as they're eating out of the food bowl in my husband's hand is the best.

At first, we figured we'd each feed just a bowl or two and be done. But no, these animals gobble it up so quickly that you simply must go back for seconds, thirds, fourths, and possibly fifths. Especially when there are babies to feed. You can't forget the babies.

And then we were off to the Land of Pastries and Windmills! Solvang's Danish Village is, in a word, delightful.

And then we wandered into a random wine tasting room because we realized we were in major wine country and had yet to taste any wine....(Also, we are not wine connoisseurs by any means. But we do like drinking it.)

We did a little more walking, a little more shopping, a little more enjoying the sights, and then I told the mister we needed to stop at the Maverick Saloon just a few miles away just to check it out. It was early in the afternoon, so not too much action inside, but we enjoyed a cold beer and chatted up the bartender. And how crazy is that hordes-of-dollar-bills ceiling?

Solvang, I think I'm in love with you.

left coast roadtrip part four // big sur

Day 3. The drive down Highway 1 through Big Sur was one of the prettiest I've ever taken. Blue waters, rock cliffs, and an amazing flower field right on the water to traipse through.

The color of the ocean kind of blew me away....I wasn't expecting it to be so...blue. It was beautiful. And the mister had a grand 'ole time climbing down a semi-dangerous hill to get to the rocks below. I stayed safely put, because camera gear + sandals = heck no.

Here's a little camera + iPhone video footage that I shot as well. 

big sur from Lisa Kimberly on Vimeo.

After several of these little pit stops, we kept driving down Highway 1 and made our way to Nepenthe, which is this great restaurant tucked into the mountains with an incredible outdoor terrace to soak in the views.

Unreal. California, you keep surprising me :)