Drive 2009 - Part 3

June 7 - July 13: SF to MN | July 14 - July 27: MN to TX | July 28 to August 2: TX to SF

On Tuesday July 28 we began the third part of Drive 2009, and began our journey home.

• On Tuesday July 28 we headed towards Decatur TX. Along the way we stopped in Fort Worth at the Stockyards Museum, and met Martha's childhood friend Ann and her husband Pat at the Blue Mesa restaurant. During the afternoon, Dianne, Martha and Ann went to the Cowgirls Hall of Fame Museum before heading for Ann & Pat's home in Newark. A recently-built new garage greeted us, and Pat had cold tea to refresh us as we overlooked Eagle Mountain Lake.
• Wednesday we drove to Albuquerque NM.
• Thursday July 30 we drove over Hoover Dam, and around the multitude of construction obstructions, to reach the113 degrees heat of Las Vegas. Thank goodness for air-conditioning!! Martha met her cousin Kathy at Sweet Tomatoes while Dianne kept the casinos happy. Our free/comped room at the Flamingo turned out to be an upgraded suite, and proved to be our best stay yet.
• On Friday July 31 we drove to visit Minnesota friend Donna in her and husband Ben's Santa Barbara home located at East Beach. Despite the recent demise of her mother, Donna delighted us with multiple mini-tours and taste adventures in this wonderful seaside home. For dinner we ate at the Boathouse on Hendry's Beach, and afterwards we saw the sunset at Butterfly Beach.
• On Saturday August 1 we started the day with breakfast at East Beach Grill. Then, we took Donna's advice to take the shuttle to see Stearn's Wharf, and a Shark Tour of the land and sea. In the afternoon Donna drove us to Montecito and up East Mountain Drive where the damage of the 11/13/08 Tea Fire (see online article) is still evident. A beautiful next-stop was the Santa Barbara Mission and rose garden. As if that weren't enough, Donna next drove us to see the most-photographed building in America - the SB County Courthouse. WOW! For dinner, we strolled El Paseo neighborhood, and ate at it's remarkable restaurant. Finally, we took a walk downtown, and tested (rather, tasted) Dargan's (website), Ben's favorite Irish pub. Perhaps to even things out, Donna drove us by Arnoldi's Cafe (website) for a quick game of bocce. What a delightful day!
• Sunday August 2 we had breakfast once again on the beach, and then Donna escorted us to the San Marcos Pass Road (Hwy. 154). We waved her goodbye with grateful hearts, and headed home. At 3:45 we completed our 56-day journey, having driven 7,086.6 miles, and spent $714 on gas.

Notes by Martha, Editing by Dianne