Then again, maybe not

After I posted yesterday I started actually researching the trip to San Simeon from LA and discovered that it's a lot more difficult than I initially thought. I had remembered it being just north of SB, but it's in fact 150 miles up the coast. And we'll be driving up from LA, so it's 250 miles north of LA. That's at least $50 in gas just to get there, plus another $50 to get back to LA on Sunday, plus the cost of the tour ($24 each), plus we'd have to leave LA at oh-dark-thirty to get up there in time to take a two hour tour and drive back down to SB in time to do anything.

I walked home with a heavy heart yesterday afternoon, and told Dan the bad news. He immediately said, "OK, not this trip." And I felt really bad, because we'll be closer to San Simeon than we've been in years, but won't be able to afford (either time or money) the trip. Wah.

So instead, I need to come up with some other ideas for adventures to have in and around the LA/SB area (or just slightly north of SB, but not 150 miles north). Anyone in the Southern CA area have any suggestions? Wineries, places of interest, the best place to see marine mammals? I know very little about the stretch between LA and SB, having only driven it once in the dark in January 2003. Any suggestions welcome.