Trip Up Hwy 1 Day 2

Mark and I left San Luis Obispo, Ca on our way further north. Our next stop Moro Bay. The Bay is filled with fishing boats of all sizes bring in their catches of Halibut, Swordfish,Rock-fish and Albacore. The most amazing sight that greeted us as we enter the Bay was Moro Rock (One of the six volcanic plugs that line the coast, also known as the Six Sisters) Along the base of the rock are areas that you can go to and view the different wildlife that make this area their home. One of the smallest is the Rock Squirrel. These little guys are afraid of nothing and are several generations in of knowing that people will be more than happy to feed them. My favorite was seeing the Bay Otters. I honestly had no idea that they were as big as they were. We were told that the males can be as big as 4 1/2 feet long from nose to tail and weigh up to 65 pounds. They are still really cute, but now I don't think I want one as a pet. They spend most of their mornings feeding on clams, mussels, starfish and just about anything they can find. Once they are nice and full this is how we found them. They literately float. Too cute. We next traveled to Piedras Blancas in the southern range of Big Sur, near San Simeon. There we were told we would find a large herd of Elephant seals. They are far from being as cute as the sea-lion, but were still so amazing to see. They are massive and moving on the sand looked difficult for most, but in the water they were as agile as their smaller cousins. None of our stops were planned so the fun part was really just seeing something and going "OOOOO pull over." Ragged Rock is a beautiful stop with unbelievable views. We arrived at our next night accommodation mid afternoon. Still in time to enjoy the area. We stayed at Fernwood Resort under the Redwoods. Mark found out that there was a great hiking trail up the mountain behind the resort. See, I said Mark found this out, had I found out, I would have kept this information to myself. That was okay though, until I found out it was 2 1/4 miles up and 2 1/4 miles down. The most fabulous part of the hike was being under these HUGE Redwood trees. That's not quite true... the best part is that I made it to the top, without having a coronary. This was the view once we got to the top. I am taking the picture while trying to get my heart beat out of my ears and back into my chest. This was the first and last part of the hike. I love this golden field. We got back to our room and got ready to go eat dinner. We decided to try a place we saw on our way in. If you are ever in Big Sur, treat yourself to a meal at Deetjen. This is an unassuming restaurant built in 1937 and hasn't changed that much since then. Zagat's has Deetjen's rated as a top rated eating establishment. I so agree. Well that was day two and it was packed. I'm going to bed and I am sore and full and happy.

The Trip Up The 1 ..... Day 1

Started out this morning from Marina del Rey, Ca around 9 am and drove north up the HWY 1 toward Malibu. The ocean was the deepest shades of green today, it might have been due to the over cast that we started out with. The sun came out slowly as we headed north. We drove to Oxnard, just south of Santa Barbra. We were looking for a restaurant that we had seen on Food Network's Diner's Drive-Ins and Dives (Guy Feity's Triple D). Long story short. We arrived just before the diner a place called "The Kitchen" was to open so we went into a few shops on the same street. As we spoke to some of the locals and were told if we really wanted to have an experience we should go to Ocotlan Restaurant. We told that it's not fancy (and it wasn't), there are no menus ( and there weren't) and it is very authentic (boy was that an understatement) We were greeted by a young high school student (off for the summer) who was the only one who spoke English. mark ordered the Chicken Mole and I ordered Chicken Enchiladas. Both were very good. Mark said it was the best Mole he had had since his mission in San Jose. We continued our trip to our first stop for the evening in San Luis Obispo or as everything around there is marked "SLO" . We drove through beautiful vineyard country and the amazing agriculture growing on both sides of the road. I almost had a fit when I saw a sign that said "7 Avocados for $1.00) Then again they were growing on both sides of the road. We saw Kale, Cabbage, Spinach and of course strawberries. We are staying at a really beautiful place " San Luis Creek B&B " Our room looks out onto a treed area with a wonderful creek right outside our window. After checking in, we walked 15 down to the downtown area. So cute. In the middle of town was a sweet little park where they had "Concert in the Park" and trails and bridges and the creek that runs through the town. We started looking for something to eat and with so many places we finally decided on Italian. We found a great place called "Momma's Meatballs". We felt assured that we had a good place when we walked in and heard two chef speaking Italian and the smells were were more encouragement. Mamma's makes their own pasta, breads and desserts. Mark had a Beet Salad and Pasta Fagioli and I had a House Salad with homemade Balsamic with a main dish of Linguini Fradiavolo. The topper of the meal was the most delicious Creme Brule' EVER. If you are ever in SLO .... GO TO MOMMA"S. Going to bed listening to the creek ..... More tomorrow.

Chicken Cilantro Lime Soup

Chicken Cilantro Lime Soup 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon chili powder 2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 3/4-inch pieces 5 cups canned low-salt chicken broth 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels 1 cup chopped seeded tomatoes 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro sprigs, tied together with kitchen string. 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1/4 cup fresh lime juice Sour cream

Happy Father's Day Daddy ... You are missed

In Our Hearts © Rose de Leon We thought of you with love today, But that is nothing new. We thought about you yesterday. And days before that too. We think of you in silence. We often speak your name. Now all we have is memories. And your picture in a frame. Your memory is our keepsake. With which we’ll never part. God has you in his keeping. We have you in our heart. I miss you Daddy.

Elder Matt Krantz

Here's catching everyone up on Elder Krantz. Matt is now in the mountain of Zaragoza Guatemala. Right now it their rainy season and he is very thankful for the heavy rain boots he brought with him. Matt has recently been made into a trainer. He has his first trainee from Peru. He is loving the new challenge and knows how important this is for a new missionary. When Matt first got to the mission field his first two companions were ready to finish their missions and were about to go home. He wants this to be great for both of them. When Matt got to the area there had not been a baptism in a few years and the work was tougher than normal. In the 2 months he's been there they have had 1 baptism and are looking forward to another baptism in a couple of weeks. I get an email from him every week and he sounds so good. This is an incredible experience for our entire family and I'm sure we're all going to do some growing from it. Especially Matt. The beautiful mountain area Matt is serving in. Just some of the sites he gets to see on their one day off a week.

Mark's Father's Day Request

Cream Cheese Chicken Chilli (in a Slow Cooker) 1 can black beans 1 can corn, undrained 1 can Rotel, undrained 1 package ranch dressing mix 1 tsp cumin 1 Tbsp chili powder 1 tsp onion powder 1 8 oz package light cream cheese 2 chicken breasts Drain and rinse black beans. Place chicken at bottom of pot, then pour out whole can of corn (undrained), rotel, and black beans. Top with seasonings and ranch mix. Stir together. Place cream cheese on top. Cover with lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir cream cheese into chili. Use 2 forks to shred chicken. Stir together and serve.

Here's The Best Breakfast Casserole

Cinnamon French Toast Bake (Adapted from the Best of the Pillsbury Bake-Off Cookbook) 1/4 cup melted butter 2 cans refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing 5 eggs 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 cup chopped pecans 3/4 cup maple syrup 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 2. Pour the melted butter into an ungreased 13x9 glass baking dish. Separate both cans of refrigerated cinnamon buns into 16 cinnamon buns, setting the icing aside. Then cut each cinnamon bun into 8 pieces and place the pieces on top of the butter in the baking dish. 3. In a medium bowl beat the eggs. Then beat in the heavy whipping cream, cinnamon, and vanilla until they are well blended. Then gently pour over the cinnamon bun pieces. Sprinkle the top with the pecans and then drizzle with the maple syrup. 4. Bake for 20 to 28 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 15 minutes. 5. Microwave the icing on medium (50%) for 10-15 seconds or until it is thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle the icing over the top of the French Toast Bake. Serve with additional syrup if desired