Archive for June 2012

¡Viva Espana!

We’re writing this with no Internet, in Microsoft Word, from the seventh story of our apartment. Below us the people of Tenerife are going crazy, feverishly waving flags, hanging out of their cars while honking their horns, yelling, screaming, taking their clothes off… Spain just beat Portugal in the Semi-Finals of Euro2012 and despite it being after midnight on a Wednesday the city of Puerto de la Cruz is in full celebration!

Fast-forward a few hours: Today began with a slow lull. Knowing that in just a few hours we would be taking off for an island paradise made sleeping Tuesday night impossible, turning us into zombies. We woke at 4:30AM, hoping to give ourselves enough time to catch the tube to Victoria Station, then on to the Gatwick Express, and finally to Gatwick Airport where we could board our 10AM flight to Madrid. As most world travelers know, days of travel rarely go entirely according to plan. There always seems to be something that goes wrong, gets forgotten, or makes the journey “extra special,” we are no exception to this rule – especially today. Needless to say we were both exhausted from lack of sleep, and had difficulty with even the simplest of tasks – reading signs, checking tickets, looking at flight numbers, answering simple questions, keeping track of our items, etc. On top of all that we were flying into a non-English speaking country; Megan’s Spanish is NONEXISTENT, and Kyle throws on an accent, but his words are useless at best (he basically speaks English with a “wannabe” Rico Suave twist).




Our first hang-up was in London when the man at the AirEuropa ticket check-in couldn’t find our flight, despite having confirmation numbers, Passports and credit cards. Eventually he was corrected by a colleague, which saved Megan from tears thinking she had done something wrong, like managed to book us on a flight that didn’t exist. Our next shortcoming was the inability to recognize the time change from London to Madrid, which shortened our layover time from what we believed to be an hour and a half to HALF an hour. Couple that with the primitive layout of the Madrid Airport, their non-functioning bus system, a barely English speaking “siesta” bound staff, and finally, Kyle getting stopped at security because of his suitcase frame (putting us on the later bus route), almost taking another bus to the wrong terminal, trying to get on the wrong plane due to misinformation; we were destined to miss our flight. Luckily, we had youth on our side as we picked up our bags and sprinted through the airport, arriving at the right place seconds before the gate closed. The flight to Tenerife was way more relaxed; a plane full of people vacation bound makes for a pleasant atmosphere! Arrival in Tenerife and the journey to Puerto de la Cruz was fairly seamless.




Next obstacle, hopping off a bus on a street you can’t pronounce, in a place you’ve never been with people that can’t speak your language… what a nightmare! We had a few names and addresses written down, but with Kyle’s broken ‘Spanglish” we couldn’t manage to locate our contact to pick up keys… as luck would have it, smiles and hand gestures once again managed to get us back on track. We finally located our contact, Mikel, got the keys to our apartment, which were in a bakery shop two doors down from his office – and acquired in a drug deal type transaction. About an hour later we dropped our bags and headed out in search of basic necessities and WiFi (not available in our apartment).

During our exploratory journey we ended up getting sidetracked and roped into watching the Spain vs Portugal match in a public square on the patio of a Spanish-German tapas bar. Needless to say, we still have no Internet or cell phone. We did however manage to buy a pre-paid Spanish SIM card for our British phone… that still needs to be “unlocked” to work… OOPS! But of course, these are the things that we love about traveling; getting ourselves into situations that makes us think on our feet and force us to acquire new skills… Can’t wait to see what awaits us on our first whole day on the island!

Xo,
M&K

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La Gelatiera Artisan Gelato

Whenever we're having a rough day we turn to food - usually sugary, fatty, greasy delicious comfort food. Kyle calls this "eating our feelings," and it works beautifully until the guilt sets in. Then we're upset, and we feel guilty; but still, we indulge.

Prior to the "Passport Fiasco," was the MacBook hangup. Megan, feeling guilty as ever decided that she needed something sweet to curb to the pain of killing Kyle's computer. Ice cream would do the trick! However, Kyle turned ice cream into gelato, and we were off feverishly scouting Covent Garden to further fuel our addiction.

We came to a cute little shop - La Gelatiera. Walking in the place smelled orgasmic, like fresh waffle cones and sugary heaven. Not to mention it was cute as a button, with homemade cakes, muffins, biscuits, and merengues covering the counters. As well as a selection of milkshakes, tea, and Italian coffees. But it was the large case of gelato filled with intricate flavors like "Cheshire Cheese and Blackcurrant," "Morogoro Stracciatella from Tanzania", and "Chocolate Sorbet Chili" that really sold us on this place! Valeria, the sweet counter girl let us each taste two flavors. Kyle chose to abstain from the gelato eating because of his job in Nice the next day... that decision lasted for about half a second after he tasted the "Honey-Rosemary and Orange Zest" gelato.






We both chose to have two scoops, it was just too good to say no! Megan had one scoop of "Sicilian Almond Vegan Sorbet" (part of the Slow Food UK Movement), and a scoop of "Milk Chocolate." Kyle *indulged in one scoop of "Basil and Chili" and one scoop of "Pear-Yogurt Parmesan Cheese." We sat and enjoyed our amazing treats, the great atmosphere, and the awesome smells. Valeria was even kind enough to bring us another taste of the Flavor of the Day, "Vanilla from Mananara" - another Slow Food UK flavor... and another amazing tasting one as well! We would recommend that anyone hanging around Covent Garden for the day stop in and try this scrumptious place - you will not be disappointed! :)

XO,
M&K

Location: 27 New Row, London, Greater London WC2N 4LA, UK
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Roughly +43° 42' 41.32", +7° 18' 44.01"

I'm writing this from 38,000 feet above France on a British Airways flight. I've got a splitting headache from one to many Stellas last night and I only got a few hours of sleep in before my return to London.



Why my job is AWSOME:
Shooting on location has always been my favorite thing to do. There's nothing better than receiving an email detailing all of your travel arrangements, and knowing that all you have to do is show up. My job is to fly to a location, make some new friends, and get my picture taken, be wined and dined, and then fly out again. I woke up in France the morning after the passport fiasco, and headed downstairs an amazing continental breakfast (minus the part where I was served lunch meat)! After breakfast we crammed the eleven-person crew, and all their gear into a van and sped off to an unknown location.

Imagine rolling up to the gates of a sprawling £25 million ($40 million) home, perched atop the French Alps, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. A five-story mansion built into a mountain, expansive terraces and a rooftop deck looking out towards the water, tons of exposed rock throughout, a wine cellar built into the foundation, a cave entrance that leads to an elevator (straight out of a Batman movie) and an infinity edge pool that spills into the sky. This massive house was worthy of a king, and I was told royalty has rented it on numerous occasions. The crews mentioned the owner only stays here a few times a year because he has an even larger home in Monaco... MUST BE NICE!













My new “mate” Dylan and I proceeded to get lost in the house, so much to explore. Dylan and I were the two male models in the shoot – we also worked with three other girls. The shoot ended up lasting 12-hours, which is pretty standard for on location jobs. All of the gear (clothing, photo equipment, food, tables, chairs, etc.) has to be hauled in, then packed up again immediately after. The client was incredible to work with. We spent the day lounging by the pool getting to know one another while the photographer, Tom, and his assistants set everything up. After the final shot, we all packed up and headed upstairs to one of the many decks and were treated to wine and sushi on the terrace. I was munching on salmon sashimi, sipping pinot noir and gazing out over the ocean watching a cruise ship depart.



















After we finished eating we crammed back in the van and headed to the hotel for a quick wardrobe change before heading out to meet the crew for drinks. Not knowing if or when I would return to Nice, I chose to make a night of it! Many of the bars in Nice close at 2AM, but Dylan and I weren’t finished yet, we grabbed a few insomniac crewmembers (luckily one of them spoke French) and the four of us walked for about 20 minutes. After interrogating some of the locals, we found a skanky little nightclub spinning old outdated music. What a nightmare! For some deranged reason a pint of Stella cost €10, but we didn’t care, we were just happy to be served. Two or three rounds later everyone stumbled back to the hotel.















Back to London for thirty-six more hours of gloomy weather before Megan and I jet off to Tenerife. I know… it’s a rough life, that’s why I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone!

Coming to you live from Seat B, Row 15,
Kyle

Location: Nice, France
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The Passport Fiasco

We decided the best way to tell you this story was to include both versions:


Her Story

Days of scheduled travel always seem to go one of two ways: impeccably, or disastrously.

Let’s start with the only known fact of the day:
Kyle has to be on an international flight from Heathrow to Nice, FR at 8:40PM

Here's a recap of our day... I wasn’t able to get to sleep until 5 o’ clock in the morning, thank you, Netflix! When I finally got up at 11, Kyle was gone, off to his casting somewhere in White City. I took his laptop upstairs to the community kitchen, watched some more Netflix and had my breakfast. Afterwards I went back to my room to shower and get ready for the day – Kyle and I had planned to go to the Victoria & Albert Museum, before he left for Nice. After my shower I preceded to turn on Spotify (music website) while I blow-dried my hair… however, the MacBook was unresponsive – I plugged it in to the charger, hoping for it to turn on. After a few minutes of different maneuvers it appeared that the laptop had indeed died.

Horrified at the idea of killing Kyle’s new MacBook I grabbed my phone and called the Apple Service Center. After a solid twenty minutes of troubleshooting, the phone tech recommended I take it to an Apple Store with a Genius Bar to get it fixed – problem was, the next available appointment in my area was at a store an hour away… on June 24! I hung up the phone distraught as Kyle walked in from his casting. I confessed to him that the laptop had ceased to live, and it was possibly my fault. My only idea for trying to get it fixed before we leave for Tenerife on the 28 was to take it to the Apple Store in Covent Garden and beg for them to look at it – luckily, he wasn’t upset, and agreed to skip the museum for a trip to the Apple Store.

We got to the Apple Store around 1:30, and waited for about three hours before we heard a word about the state of the computer… Could it be fixed? Would Kyle have to buy another new computer? Did we have to spend the next two months without a laptop (I left my computer in the States, and opted to take my iPad)… Each minute I grew more and more anxious about the computer, and Kyle and I getting home in time for him to finish packing and get prepared for his flight to Nice.

At a quarter to five the technician came back with the laptop, it was a minor problem – the guy fixed it under warranty, no more worries! All we had to do now was get back to the flat and get Kyle packed and to the airport, under the pressure of a slight time constraint. As luck would have it, Kyle was out the door and on the tube by 5:30 – unfortunately he had to take the Heathrow Express from Paddington (slightly more expensive, but a huge time saver) because of the computer set back. After seeing him off at Belsize Park I returned to the flat to relax after a somewhat stressful day of thinking I had ruined the computer.

…Two hours later, as I laid down to catch up on my missed sleep from the night before, my cell phone rang – it was Kyle, from Heathrow!… However, he didn’t call to tell me he was all set and ready to board the plane, instead I heard his stressed voice “jump in a taxi, NOW, and meet me at Paddington Station. Bring my Passport – I forgot it and need it – PLEASE HURRY!” First thought to cross my mind was that I am out of money and can only take the tube! I grabbed Kyle’s Passport, RAN to Belsize Park, hopped on the first train, and preceded to go as fast as I could to meet him at Paddington Station where he had just taken the Heathrow Express BACK. Forty minutes later we were able to meet up – I threw his the Passport as he ran back towards the Express train once again bound for Heathrow Airport.

The time was 8:05pm.

As I solemnly walked back to the tube, I knew there was no way he could make an international flight that left at 8:40 – the trek from Paddington Station to Heathrow Airport via the Express train alone was 20 minutes, plus walking time, security checks, etc. As my tube car left Paddington Station headed back to Belsize Park I got a text, it was Kyle – he wanted me to call British Airways and let them know he would be late, hopefully they would hold the doors for him. I hopped off the tube at the next exit in Edgeware. I called the airline but my London cell phone was out of minutes and needed to be “topped-up.” REALLY?!?!

This was it… The worst day ever since getting to London! First I thought I had killed his computer, we spent the whole day trying to fix it, and now a missed flight – FOR A JOB! When I got off the tube at Belsize Park it was 8:53, I called Kyle one last time, hoping he wouldn’t pick up because the flight had departed, but unfortunately after two rings I heard “Hi Babe…”

I knew he had missed his flight… but for some strange reason though the tone in his voice was upbeat! Apparently the pilot on his flight was 30-minutes late. Kyle made the flight!!! AND to top it off, the Heathrow Express had credited him tickets for traveling back and forth!!!

This was amazing! Despite all the obstacles we had to overcome today, everything turned out for the best! Traveling at the VERY last minute is SO stressful. Worrying about packing, Passports and being the last to board the plane on an international flight can be tough, but somehow luck is always on our side :)



and

His Story

Lesson One: Prioritize your Packing list

Walking out the door of my flat, fingers clutched tight to my suitcase handle I walk briskly toward the Belsize park tube station. Megan, being as adorable as only she can be, accompanied me to steal a last minute kiss before my flight to Nice.

Thoughts rush through my head...Did I grab everything? ...Did I give myself enough time to get there?... Are there any flaws in my route to the airport?... Belsize Park to Kings Cross, Kings Cross to Paddington, Heathrow Express to terminal 5 and British Airlines flight 530 to Nice, France... It sounded pretty solid to me.

Upon arriving at Paddington station I walked up to a ticket machine marked - Heathrow Express, and purchased a ticket for 19 pounds. I climbed aboard as I always have, placed my small suitcase neatly on the middle shelf of the luggage rack and found a seemingly cozy seat nearby as I yawned...Long day after the issue with my MacBook this morning, which had to be taken in to the Apple store and repaired. (I'll let Megan tell that story) I proceeded to take a short mental nap, knowing that everything was in order. Fifteen minutes later I was jolted awake by the sudden deceleration of the train, I had reached the first stop, Heathrow terminals one, two and three. THEN IT HIT ME, I slowly opened top zipper on my luggage and asked myself "Kyle where is your passport"? I felt around as if it were some kind of bad dream. In an instant I leapt off the train and sprinted across the platform to the other side. I somehow managed to forget my passport, of all things, back at my flat, all the way in Camden...

I'M GOING TO MISS MY FLIGHT!!! Jumping on the next train back to Paddington I frantically dialed Megan’s cell number praying she would answer. When she finally did, after three or four no answer calls, which I blame on underground reception, she sounded very happy to hear from me. My call meant that I got safely to the airport and that I made my flight on time. The trembling tone in my voice told her otherwise. I told her what happened and asked her if there was anyway she could meet me back at Paddington. She agreed and sped off the phone. That was the longest right back to the train station I've ever been on. The fifteen minute trip back felt like hours...Am I going to miss my flight?... Would the client be understanding?... Could this possibly ruin my relationship with the client, forfeiting my money and gouging my professional reputation? Upon my arrival I still had to wait twenty scary minutes for Megan to arrive. Shamefully I walked over and purchase another 19 pound train ticket to Heathrow. The passport hand off was laser sharp and precise, as though we were in an Olympic relay race. Luckily my suitcase has backpack straps and a hip belt; I strapped it on and sprinted toward the next available train.

Arriving at Heathrow with only 25 minutes to spare before the departure of an international flight is moronic. The gentleman at the counter laughed at me when he pulled up my information. "You've missed your flight,” he chuckled and rolled his eyes. Upon pulling up my information he saw that my flight was delayed twenty minutes and made a brief phone call. "I'll let you go through this time" he said, "but you better run.”

I made my flight with moments to spare learning a valuable lesson...You can't travel anywhere without a passport. Make sure that's the FIRST thing you pack!




Xo,
M&K

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Pimm's in my cup, I lift you UP!



Pimms from Traveling In The Moment on Vimeo.



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Why We Love SPAM!...



Okay, we lied... not that kind of SPAM, email "spam."

Every now and then it's a good idea to click on the spam email box, just to see what kind of garbage we're collecting... mostly travel offers, promos, and discounts on trips. Yesterday evening an email from TravelZoo popped up in the spam folder, it was on cruises. Discounts for the 2012-2013 cruise year for Alaskan cruises, Caribbean cruises, Mediterranean cruises... Naturally curiosity led us to see what Mediterranean offers were available. Wouldn't you know, there is a 12-Day Grand Mediterranean Norwegian Cruise on their ship "Spirit," scheduled to leave the port of BARCELONA on August 2. Coincidence that we will be in Barcelona at that same time?!

We joked about it for a second, and then crunched some numbers... Shortening our AirBnB stay in Barcelona would save us almost $600. Deducting that from the total price of a 12-day cruise (which is already half off) actually SAVES US MONEY! The only down side is it leaves Barcelona, and finishes in Venice, Italy... bummer we now have to find a room in Venice for the night!

First thing this morning we decided to: adjust our stay in Barcelona from 19 days to six, book the Grand Mediterranean cruise, change our EasyJet flight to take us from Venice to London instead of Barcelona, and book an AirBnB room in Venice for the night. Here is our cruise itinerary (click to expand):



Xo,
M&K

IMG_0379.MOV from Traveling In The Moment on Vimeo.

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A Brief Heart Attack

Kyle's currently shooting a job for Men's Health Magazine right now off Broadwick Street in SoHo, so I'm taking the time to share with you about my day - and my mild heart attack...

Today began great, I woke up feeling better than I have the past few days, coughing much less and not so "stuffy." Together Kyle and I took the tube to Leicester Square and walked towards SoHo where he had a 2PM job. During our walk he got a call from Leesa, his agent at Premier. She asked him his thoughts on France?... Apparently Kyle booked a job shooting an alcohol commercial in Nice, France. It shoots this Friday - Saturday!!! Looks like we're headed to Nice, I hear it's nice :)

To celebrate his booking we had "conveyor-belt" style sushi at a place called Yo!Sushi, for lunch. Afterwards he dropped me off at a pub around the corner from his job so I could wait out the four hour shoot and get some research done for our next post. I sat for about an hour, enjoyed a pint of Guinness and searched for WiFi. Turning up short I settled on reading Fifty Shades Darker (my current book series obsession) and finished my pint. After that I proceeded to browse the amazing shopping on Carnaby Street... I have avoided shopping for clothes so far because the conversion rate makes things more pricey but I figured with the job today, and the job in Nice, £15 wasn't too much for some cute shirts that I can wear on Tenerife!

As I proceeded to hand the girl my shirts at the checkout I got an email:


From: Kyle Ledeboer
Date: June 18 2012 14:59
Subject: Fwd: You have a message from Pepe during June 28, 2012 - July 13, 2012 Studio-Loft with nice views!!
To: megangonzales89@gmail.com

GET ON AIR BNB ASAP AND LETS FIND A NEW FLAT LOVE
PRIORITY ONE

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Airbnb
Date: Monday, June 18, 2012
Subject: You have a message from Pepe during June 28, 2012 - July 13, 2012 - Studio-Loft with nice views !!
To: kyleledeboer@gmail.com

Hello Kyle,

The requested dates, 28 de Junio - 13 de Julio de 2012, are unavailable. I'm so sorry for the delay Kyle, I've been out for some days and without internet access. Unfortunately it's not available. Thanks for your interest and for your time. Hope you find a good place to stay. If you need some help just ask!

Regards,
Pepe.


MY HEART SANK.

After all the hard work planning and booking, the apartment we had in Tenerife for a month was GONE!... The girl at the checkout even asked me if everything was "okay." I guess it was written all over my face, I have a serious problem. Trains booked, flights booked, buses booked... how can it be that all of a sudden after charging my credit card and "Accepting" my offer for the apartment that Pepe just changes his mind?! I had to get to a WiFi connection FAST and find a new place for us to stay in Tenerife. I practically ran to the Shakespeare's Head, it's a Taylor Walker (chain of London pubs), where I knew I could access internet. Browsing AirBnB once again was becoming stressful, less than half of the properties visible last Thursday were still available. As I searched and came up empty handed I simultaneously typed a letter to Mr. Pepe, about to reprimand him for first accepting, and then declining our apartment offer. I collected his contact information from my email...

But wait, MY email. The reservation was booked through MY AirBnB account! Obviously he would email Kyle telling him the room was off the market - someone named Megan had already booked it!!! I could feel the knots in my stomach coming undone, whew... tag-teaming apartment searching can have it's upsides, and clearly it's downsides. So as it turns out, we DO have a place to stay in Tenerife :) Here are some pictures Pepe took from him apartment, the place we will be staying from June 27th through July 26th.





Traveling can be stressful, not knowing who to trust and not knowing your final destination is sometimes scary. Having faith in people and believing everything will be okay can get you through!

Yours Truly,
Megan

Location: Shakespeare's Head, Carnaby St, City of Westminster, W1F, UK
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SO "In The Moment"

As you know, we have a tendency to do things at the drop of a hat, or "IN THE MOMENT." Today we looked at each other and decided that London is starting to really burn a hole in the pocket-book! [Kyle's agency informed him that during the Olympics, the local market would slow, castings would cease, and it would end up being much harder to book work with a few more million people in town.] After crunching the numbers, we realized that we could make our money go much further if we left town. As of right now, we're spending entirely too much for way too little.



Solution! In a three hour time frame, drink an entire bottle of wine, throw back a few pints, and feverishly begin stalking AirBnB, Kayak, and SkyScanner. Compose a list of places we would like to go based on flight and rent expenses and have a "proper" vacation :)


Options:

  • Milan

  • Barcelona

  • Tenerife

  • Ibiza

  • Malta

  • Morocco

  • Holland

  • Winning out based on rent pricing were Tenerife (IMAGES) and Barcelona, both places we can habla Espanol - and enjoy better weather! Flights were also pretty cheap, on average $125 per person, per flight.












    The New Plan:
    Leave Camden on June 27th early in the morning. Head to Victoria station and catch the Gatwick Express train to the airport. Fly Air Europa, layover in Madrid, arrive Tenerife North, take a bus to our new place in Puerto de la Cruz (thanks AirBnB) and enjoy warm weather and black sand beaches for an entire month! 


    With our sun soaked skin, and our hair full of sand, leave Tenerife and catch a Vueling flight to Barcelona. There we will be staying with Elsa in another AirBnB location for the remainder of our Spanish expedition. Due to the fact we couldn't change our Virgin Atlantic flights back to the US, we will fly EasyJet to Gatwick one last time, stay a night at the airport and head back to the US on August 16th.


    Xo,
    M&K

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    Throwback Thursdays!

    Traveling has defined so much of our relationship, as well as who we are as individuals. We have tons of pictures and stories from past trips. We thought it would be fun to do "Throwback Thursdays" to share with you the fun we've had over the years! For our first Throwback post we would like to highlight a real "in the moment" trip, San Diego-Los Angeles-Big Bear in January 2011. Yes, it spontaneously unfolded into a triple destination vacation and all in under 48 hours!

    Bored from winter break, and dreading the five months of student teaching that was ahead of her - Megan decided spur of the moment that she was packing up the car and heading out SOMEWHERE, ANYWHERE... When it came to packing we knew we had to prepare ourselves for anything, which literally meant cram your beach, snow and upscale attire all in one bag. As luck would have it, Megan was driving and she decided on California, more specifically San Diego! We took the I-10 South toward Tucson, hopped on Interstate 8 from there and off we went into the desert. :)

    Highlights of the drive included Kyle's first time seeing the sand dunes between AZ and CA, our close call with being stopped at the border, and eating enough Goldfish crackers to feed an entire pre-school! Our first stop in San Diego was Seaport Village - Megan wanted to cruise the gift shops and sip craft beer on the pier. After that we headed over to the Gas Lamp Quarter to have a quick peek around the bars and restaurants - unfortunately nothing caught our eye so we headed to Old Town San Diego FOR TACO TUESDAY!!! So of course in our true silly style we purchased Mexican inspired "serape" Baja Hoodies to help us get in the mood. We ransacked every restaurant and taco stand we could find. After we were bloated we bought salt water taffy, and continued walking around. We got to an area Kyle deemed "familiar," claiming he had once eaten excellent sushi there with his friend Barrett... and somehow we cleared room in our stomaches for sake bombers and sushi rolls at Harney Sushi.




    The next morning we headed out to the Birch Aquarium, and as luck would have it no one was there, we ran around like we owned the place! Later that afternoon we found ourselves back on the road again (Pacific Coast Highway) in hopes of meeting up with our friend "Daddy Kyle" who is a Navy Medic in Encinitas, but all we found was crappy burritos and consignment shops. Back on the PCH we stopped in Laguna Beach to watch the sunset, there we played in tide pools and took pictures. Megan's PinkBerry addiction led us to a mall somewhere in Orange County, and a trip across the Long Beach bridge left us spending the night at Barrett's place in Sherman Oaks.








    Early Thursday morning we headed home... Until Kyle got a call from his good friend Haley, who invited us to come up to Big Bear for the weekend to hangout with her friends and boyfriend! Megan jumped on Hotels.com and booked a room in a lodge/log cabin. After a lengthy trip up the mountain we spent the night in Big Bear, CA - a town that time forgot. Unfortunately we didn't snowboard while there, but we did spend a great night hanging out with good friends... here's to playing beer pong in the snow, and yes, the mountains are always blue! Friday morning we headed home, and of course Kyle wanted to take the path less traveled, which took us down the backside of the mountain and toward Ninety-Nine Palms, and on the North side of Joshua Tree National Forest (if you've ever been to Joshua Tree, you know that there are no "Joshua Trees"), and there wasn't much to see on the North side of the park either. Megan strongly believes that is where the government hides UFOs and alien activity ;)






    Overall the trip was amazing! The driving was intense, and it was a lot to do in four days - but we are professionals! We always recommend taking short driving trips when possible, you never know where the road might lead you.



    Xo,
    M&K



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    Header image:Arizona Roadtrip Sunset, By: Kyle Ledeboer
    Images and text are the property of Traveling in the Moment and may not be duplicated or used without their expressed written consent.