If Nan’s visit set the tone for my Thoughtful Travel Adventure, then Emmett’s visit set the Gold Standard for my daily routine.
The thing about EJD’s job is that it’s completely unpredictable. One second, his schedule is totally booked and then the next, it’s wide open. So I went ahead and planned this trip assuming he couldn’t make it, because at the time, he couldn’t. Turns out, when the trip finally came, he still couldn’t join me. And then a small window of opportunity opened and he booked a last-minute flight to San Fran. Five minutes after I dropped Nan off at the airport, I picked up Emmett. I had him from 1:45 p.m. on Saturday until 8:00 p.m. on Sunday. In addition to sleeping and eating, this is what happened in those 30 hours:
A Full-moon Kayak – another “to do” on my list has been to kayak under a full moon.
It was a beautiful evening for a kayak…the wind was virtually non-existent, the temp was mild, and the swells were easy-rolling fun.
While we started out under somewhat clear skies and saw a lovely sunset, the marine layer moved in and the full moon was obscured…until a half hour after we got off the water! But that didn’t matter. It was so fun being out on the ocean at twilight and then in the harbor with all its twinkly lights, quietly gliding through the water between boats and being trailed by a harbor seal.
Tidepooling at the FMR – Emmett was just as impressed with the FMR as I was and we had a blast together! It was another day of great discoveries and fun, fun, fun!!
Breakfast on The Lawn and a nap on The Hammock – More on this later
Hiking Purisima Creek Redwood Land Preserve – There was a large possibility that the weather along the coast would be cold and wet and just too much for me to bear for an entire week so I had identified some inland hikes that I could do to escape the dreary June Gloom that is typical for this time of year. The weather ended up being unseasonably sunny and warm so I didn’t need the inland hikes as an escape and could approach them more as a destination. After a morning of tidepooling, Emmett and I drove to the top of the Purisima Creek Redwood Land Preserve and hiked the North Ridge and Whittemore Gulch Trails.
Lunch on The Lawn – More on this later
Hiking along the Moss Beach Land Preserve Bluffs – This is the same trail that Nan and I took the day before and I was happy to see that Emmett enjoyed it as much as we did.
Dinner on The Lawn – More on this later
Emmett not only brought Southern California weather to Moss Beach (the second he stepped foot in Moss Beach, the fog disappeared, the sun came out, and clear skies dominated…and it stayed that way until the morning I headed back to LA!), his visit also helped me see how I wanted the next five days to play out. Thus, my routine for the rest of my Thoughtful Travel Adventure was established:
- Up at 5:45 a.m.
- Tidepooling at FMR for at least three hours
- Breakfast and journaling back at the cottage
- Six- to seven-mile hike
- Lunch and hammock nap back at cottage
- Moss Beach bluff hike
- Dinner at the cottage
- Dessert, journal, and sunset by the outdoor fire pit at the cottage
- Plan for the next day
- Bed by 9:30 p.m.
After Emmett flew back to LA Sunday night, I was technically solo the rest of the trip…and yet never once would I feel alone. Perhaps the joy and comfort and warmth that came from great visits with Nan and Emmett kept me company. Maybe there were just too many exciting things going on that distracted me. Or perhaps that feeling of being “filled up” had already begun. It’s hard to believe, but over the next five days, my Thoughtful Travel Adventure would only get better and better.