Best Seat In The House: BACKBLOG: Jan 2012 Trip to the Rose Bowl

Note: As part of my 2013 resolutions, I'll be compiling a BackBlog of all the trips my Husband and I took in 2012.

I know that I'll be shunned for this by some, but I'm not a fan of roadtrips. Some people have this idea that they'll get in a car, tunes blaring and laugh and smile their way to their destination miles and miles away, while seeing amazing sights and having great adventures. Here is what I have found is more the case: You get in the car, excited for the place your going, listen to your music, chat with your companion(s) and then, as soon as the 3 hour mark hits, you're bored out of your mind, wishing that you were there, already. Maybe it's just me. :) If the final destination is over three hours away one way, you'll see me on Kayak.com looking for flights. For serious.

Husband is of the ilk mentioned previously. Something about the open road calls to him-- and that's fine for me, as long as it's not TOO long of a drive. Which brings me to our longest roadtrip of 2012 (well, it actually started Dec 31st, 2011). He had just, that year, sold his 1998 Mustang GT (the car that pretty much sealed the deal for him being a candidate for my serious boyfriend :)), and bought a 2004 BMW M3, which is as fancy as it sounds. Naturally, he was still looking for every excuse to drive it, and we hadn't really had a chance to take it on any long trips yet. So, and ONLY because plane flights were too pricey by then for even me to consider it, we took to HWY 101 to have a "roadtrip" down to ~~crazy town~~ Los Angeles, to watch our beloved Oregon Ducks play Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl.

Those of you who have been on Interstate 5 know that it is not the made for a scenic roadtrip. But, HWY 101 is. So, that morning, we followed it down, wandering our way from Fremont to the first of our destinations, San Luis Obispo. By then it was lunchtime, and not wanting to weigh ourselves down with heavy food, we Yelped a sandwich shop called High Street Deli that was kind of out of the way. It was actually in the middle of a very residential neighborhood. But, the sandwiches were huge, and delicious, and we left feeling like we had conquered a SLO landmark.

We then strolled downtown to Bubblegum Alley, which has been featured in many travel channels if you're into such things. It's literally a narrow, outdoor passageway with millions of wads of chewed gum lining the walls. It'd be gross if it wasn't so intriguing. On the other side of the alley, you'll find downtown SLO, which is as cute and tourist-trappy as you can get. We wandered in and out of the shops, took in the local sights, and then hit the road again for Solvang, our next stop.

I had been to Solvang many a time, as it was a nice stopping point for my family on the way to or from Disneyland. But since this was Husband's first time down 101, I really wanted to share the odd little town with him. For those who don't know, Solvang is a little Danish (as in Danes from Denmark) town randomly placed close to halfway in between LA and San Fran. They have old style architecture, bakeries and a antique store on every corner. It's really like stepping into another land. I love every minute of it. Husband, was perhaps not so enamored, and although he enjoyed another chance to stretch his legs, take in Danish culture and visit the shops, it was getting dark and he was anxious to hit the road.

My cousin, very conveniently, lives in Torrance, California, which was only a quick jaunt away from where we needed to go to get to Pasadena and the Rose Bowl (aka, UCLA's football stadium). We made our way down to her house, and promptly got our "New Years Eve" on, by heading to the Bowling Alley and bar where her and her husband worked. We had a blast-- it was one of the most fun New Years Eve's I've ever had. We bowled, danced to loud music, sipped amazing drinks and even did a round of Shania Twain Karaoke. Husband and I both slept until about 1 pm the next day, and that night we went to dinner with my cousin and had some amazing fish in Redondo Beach.

January 2nd, we were on our way to Pasadena. We missed the Rose Parade, but were happy to arrive at the stadium early and take in all the splendor of a big Bowl Game. The Ducks ended up winning in an exciting shootout that had me watching through my hands several times, but I couldn't think of a better way to end our last day down south.

It was then that the trip dragged to a close, as we both had to be back that night because of work the next morning. I think we got back to Fremont near 1:00 am that night, and were so completely exhausted that I wished we had spent the ungodly amount of money to have flown out after the game. But, Husband had his roadtrip, and I secretly hoped it was enough to satisfy him for a long, long while. :) Cheers to 2012, indeed.