Hike up to Calico Tanks in Red Rock Canyon. Odd, the description of the hike said nothing about the fabulous view from the top.

And then there was dinner!

Thomas Hill Organics 1

Originally uploaded by Tombrarian

As I mentioned in my previous post, I’m not a fan of long drives, so I broke my trip to Monterey into 2 days. I stayed one night in Bakersfield and then stopped for lunch the next day in Paso Robles.

I had dinner at Lengthwise Brewing Company in Bakersfield. Breakfast the next morning at Zingo’s Cafe.

Before leaving for Monterey, I visited the Bakersfield Museum of Art. The highlight for me was the ceramic work of David Furman.

On my way from Bakersfield to Monterey, I stopped in Paso Robles for lunch. Ate at Thomas Hill Organics. The picture is of my Grilled Humboldt Fog Cheese Panini with Figs, Arugula, Prosciutto and side Field Green Salad.

More pictures!

This is a map of the trip I took at the end of October 2010 to various parts of California. I drove approximately 1800 miles, which is astounding considering I don’t like driving very much. And because I don’t like driving very much, I broke it up into smaller trips.

• Left Henderson, NV on 10/21 and drove to Bakersfield, CA and stayed the night.
• Left Bakersfield on 10/22 and drove to Monterey, CA with a stop in Paso Robles for lunch. Stayed in Monterey until 10/29.
• Left Monterey and drove to Solvang, CA with a side trip to San Simeon to see the elephant seals. Spent the night in Solvang.
• Left Solvang on 10/30 and drove to Carpinteria, CA for one night.
• Drove back to Henderson on 10/31.

I should be posting more pics in the coming days.

View from the room.

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Stayed one night in Bakersfield CA on the way to Monterey. Had dinner at Lengthwise Brewing Company. Both the food and the beer were tasty if not exceptional. And they have old motorcycles behind the bar.
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Pixies 1

Originally uploaded by Tombrarian

Waited 20 years but finally got to see the Pixies live at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Overall, I loved the show. Only complaint is that it was too short. They played Doolittle straight through in its entirety. They played a number of “b-sides” and only 3 songs from all the other albums.

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This is a picture from a visit back to Philadelphia in 2007. Although there is much to appreciate about autumn in the southwest, I do get nostalgic for the colorful east coast autumns.