Saturday we had a blast on our first official day trip. We started out an hour later than planned (beauty will not be rushed) and made our way up the coast in what turned out to be a wonderful ride. It added a little more to the drive time, but was worth it just to enjoy the scenery and get a chance to talk.

We finally arrived at Solvang a little after 12 noon and started to wander around the streets. Half a dozen tour buses pulled up and small groups of Japanese tourists piled out, snapping pictures at all the buildings and chatting politely to each other. The first impression of this little town is 'hokey'. Then 'touristy'. After peeking through a few shops filled with the best junk that money could buy I was about to call it a day, but knew Jake wanted to see more. As we walked around to more of the shops I wondered what it would be like to live in a place like this. It was the ultimate tourist-driven town. Every shop was filled with glass baubles and little Danish themed nicknacks. Then we arrived at the food section. Yummy deserts that we didn't get and overly priced meals that we also didn't get. Finally Jake found a decent priced cafe called Mandarin Touch and we started to enjoy the atmosphere. I even got to see the Clydesdale horses I remembered from so long ago.

The town is worth a visit just to see. You need to come with an open mind and just enjoy it for what it is: A touristy spot with nice people to guide you along the way. Everything is kept clean and freshly painted. The public toilets are everywhere and kept clean and stocked. The town maybe a tourist trap, but it's a well done tourist trap. I'm glad we went.

On the way home I started feeling... sad. The day was only halfway over and I just didn't want to go back to our normal routine: Computer or TV. Three O'Clock seems to be the most frustrating times for me on the weekends. It's almost too late to go most places and yet worth it just to get out. I looked at the clock and saw the time. I sighed. Jake asked what was wrong and I told him I still wanted to hit Santa Barbara... even if it was to just go on the beach. I admit being the fussiest person... so this was a last ditch effort to just prolong going to our crappy little apartment. He agreed and my mood lightened.

We arrived at the beach around four and parked next to a skating spot. Dips and curves that made me cringe were being treated as ramps by kids that came up to my hip. We oohed and ahhhed all the tricks they did and groaned when a few ate concrete in front of us. A couple of guys sat at the side with Skating Monitor on their shirts and listened to their MP3 players. Every once in a while one would call a kid over and hand them a helmet. They were always polite and the kids seemed to have a good repore with them. We ventured on, taking pictures of all the beautiful sites and walked along the beach. I asked a few people if they were locals and what restaurants were good. Everyone seemed to be tourists or new in town. We ended up eating at a restaurant back on Stearns Wharf. After choking on the *nice* restaurant menu ($34 for some sort of lobster dish) we ambled up to the bar/cheap restaurant called Longboard's Beach Bar and Grill on the upper level. There we had a delicious casual meal (the chicken strips are to die for) and drank some alcohol (I had two glasses of wine, he had some beer) while watching the boats and birds glide across the ocean. When the sun finally got close to setting we rushed out to snap a couple of photos. It was a wonderful day that I didn't want to end. I thought about getting a hotel room but figured we'd wait a paycheck (or two) and look for a few more spots to hit while there.

It feels so good to finally be able to travel around. I felt like we were falling into a horrible routine of just being together instead of enjoying each other. Saturday was a much needed shot of relationship 'couplism' time that was long overdo. Sometimes just being together isn't enough. You can be in the same room and still be miles apart. I look forward to venturing farther and traveling more. Yay for couplism!