Oh boy! Freedom at last. The dreaded danger period is over so Mommie is now more confident about taking me out on adventures. Finally, I get to go out. And what better way to celebrate my freedom than to go on a driving tour down the Central Coast. They packed my bag and off we went. I was so excited. I love riding in the car and checking out the scenery. Mommie got me a seatbelt so I would be safe during the drive.
It was quite a long drive. I kept looking out the window to see if we were at our destination. After hours of driving, our first stop was in downtown San Luis Obispo. Here I am at the Bubblegum Alley admiring the colorful gum on the walls. There were lots of people checking it out. And everyone's first reaction was curiosity followed by a big Ewww! Haha!!!
Actually it was kind of icky if you looked at it close up. Hehe! Mommie and her friends put their contribution on the walls also. I did not make a contribution coz I do not know how to chew gum and if I did handle any gum, it would probably stick to my fur.
They took me to a doggie boutique called Tails. The shopkeepers there were so nice and let me taste some of their chicken jerky. It was super yummy and I kept asking for more. There I met some plush friends among the dog beds.
I also checked out their doggie treats. Everything looked so yummy. There were so many it was hard to pick.
I bought a little green doggie bowl. I was a tad short so I could hardly reach the counter but I tried my best to peek so I could make sure they were packing the bowl I wanted. Auntie Kari gave me some pocket money so I was able to pay for it myself. Thanks Auntie Kari and Uncle Steve! They also gave me a doggie bowl years ago with little goldfish on them. We always bring it with us coz I use it for water when we are out of the house. Now I have a bowl for food as well. Goodie!
We had a meal at the Splash Cafe which was just a few minutes away from downtown. Here I am saving a table for us.
Next up, we stopped at the Madonna Inn which we saw on the freeway. Mommie remembered it from TV so we thought it would be something to check out. It was pretty outside so we took a few photos with their flowers and fountain.
That fountain water looks mighty tasty. Slurp! Or maybe I can take a dip? There was a lady there trying hard to take pictures of her daughter and she was amazed to see me happily posing for pictures.
Inside they have some neat decor. It was like a cave with lights and stuff. Mommie's friend said the boy's bathroom was neat-o. They have a sensor that turns on a waterfall when you peed. Here's a picture of the Madonna Inn's famous men's room.
After more driving, we got to Solvang. It was so pretty there. There were lots of vineyards along the way with rows and rows of grape vines.
Solvang is a quaint little Danish village. They even had windmills. I think I saw 4 of them around town. The stores and restaurants looked like they were from a fairy tale book. So cute!
Here is where we stayed. We had the lower unit so I could go to the bathroom real quick. That tree in front was my bathroom. Very convenient to get to.
We took pictures of the flowers there too. They were so pretty. They even had these giant sized roses. Some roses were almost as big as my head!
It was a long day of riding in the car, so I was so happy to get to bed. Even though I was just riding in the car and sleeping most of the day, I was pooped from all the excitement of the day. Tomorrow we'd check out what else was in town.
In the morning, we had breakfast at The Little Mermaid. They have these pancake balls called Aebleskivers. They were mighty tasty. Mommie made some before using the Pancake Puff pan she bought on the As Seen On TV store so she really wanted to try these. But these were really big balls of cake. Mommie's came out kind ufo-looking. Haha!
Here are some pictures we took around town. It was a very small town and you could pretty much walk and get anywhere in 5-10 minutes but we still took the car around so I would not have to exert any effort. It was great fun for me coz I love riding in the car and getting off to sniff around a new block.
I got to rest on these benches they had all over.
I really liked this little swing on this store's Welcome sign.
And I loved riding this giant shoe! I think they call them clogs.
The hotel even gave us free wine tasting passes for a tasting room across the street. We rested a bit at the hotel before going over. Everyone else tasted the wine, but I got to taste some yummy crackers in the tasting room. The tasting room had a TV that showed they had black and brown Labrador Retrievers at their winery but the winery was at a different location.
Beside the wine tasting room was a doggie store called Unique Bowtique. So we went to check it out. Mommie made me try these sunglasses. I did not like them at all. But a good find were these Chewgars. I bought one with my pocket money and am donating it to
Gypsy's auction.
And one of my favorite sightings were these huge horsies called Belgian draft horses. I love watching horses on TV so I was all excited to see them live. When we first spotted them, they were walking around pulling a streetcar called a Honen. I tried to run after them but I was not fast enough. Then Mommie's friend found out where they parked and I got to go see them up close. That was so cool!
We also passed by the Anderson's Split Pea Soup place before going to the Ostrich Land. The Ostrich eggs were huge! We got one so we could try how it tastes at home. The lady there said one egg is like 25 chicken eggs. And that we were gonna need a drill to open it. She had a paper with instructions on how to open it.
This ostrich was mounted on her wall. It was pretty scary looking. I was too short to get a picture taken with it.
They charged to go see or feed the ostriches so we decided to pass on that and just take some pictures of them from afar. You can click on the image to make it bigger. They have 50 ostriches in the farm and a few emus.
After that, we continued driving down to Santa Barbara. I slept on the way but woke up as soon as we got there. We drove to Stearn's Wharf. Mommie let me out of the seatbelt while we were on the wharf so I could look out the window.
It had been a long day and I could not walk anymore, so I rode my stroller around the pier. We had a snack there and watched the birds and tall ships. They fired a canon to welcome the tall ships which startled me. But the people there enjoyed it and wanted to take pictures with the canon and the pirate who lit it. We drove around State Street and had dinner at one of the restaurants there. I was so sleepy and just fell asleep in my chair. I curled up into a ball and Mommie said I looked like those fake sleeping dogs they sell at the mall. Different waiters came out to pet me and ask about me but I was just too sleepy. They even had to carry me to the car after that.
The next day, I spent the morning just hanging out at the hotel hot tub area. We just relaxed and I just lounged around and got my picture taken.
The spa looked like a perfect sized swimming pool for me.
I did not have the energy to walk around anymore so they found out another way to take me around, they took me for a bike ride. That way I could still go around but not have to walk. It was really fun. Mommie tied my leash around the front of the bike so I would not fall off the bike. It worked out pretty well. We rode the boulevard almost from end to end. There were lots of other people on bikes and lots of joggers, too.
It was a fun and relaxing way to check out the waterfront.
I even saw squirrels during my bike ride! There were so many crossing the path. After that, we just had lunch and decided to go home.
Here is a picture of some of the mountains we saw on the drive home. So beautiful! I had such a great time. I saw and sniffed so many new things. I wish I could be out on the road all the time. Although I did miss Jasper so I sought him out as soon as we got home. I dragged him around the living room coz I wanted him near me.
Also, when we got home, I had another surprise. Auntie Joanne and Maddie sent me some Bronwyn's Biscuits. There are super delicious and like us, they also help raise funds for IMHA (Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia, one of the diseases I have) research so they are doubly good.
And even more happy news. We found out that Gypsy was able to go home on Sunday. Hooray! She is recuperating at home and her brother Max is so happy to see her again. Thanks for all your well wishes for Gypsy.
