'Mon Shots

Always playing Pokemon GO, and part of it is taking pictures. Sometimes they're pretty good. One of the places we end up going a lot is the entrance to the Southwest Museum on the next street over. The entrance goes straight back into the hillside, and used to feature some very cool dioramas on the way in, then it has an old style elevator with the accordion door, and the shaft going straight through the rock, up to the museum on the top. Anyway, there's a gym there, and for most of the time I've been playing, it's almost always dominated by my team, so we go there often to put a 'Mon in the gym.

It's got great architecture, so it makes a great backdrop for getting your buddy out for a picture. This is right after I got my shiny Qwilfish to best buddy, right before I evolved it to Overquil.

While we were on our Catalina vacation last year, I had my 4 star Absol as my buddy. I had enough mega energy to mega evolve it, and making it your buddy after mega evolving gives you more mega energy, so that's been the impetus for several of my buddies. Anyway, we'd gone on a route while we were waiting to board, and there's the ghost ship Queen Mary in the background. Actually the same place that the first picture of the vacation post was from!!!

Also on that trip, if you don't have the AR function turned on, they've started having more detailed backgrounds that mimic the area. While we were there, this was one of the land and sea backgrounds, complete with animated waves.

Another vacation, another 4-star mega evolvable buddy!!! This time it was a Gengar, at the Cabazon Dinosaurs!!!

And yet another vacation picture, this time in Ventura, with my shiny Feebas, right after I'd gotten it to best buddy!!! As was the case with the Quilfish, this is another 'Mon you need to adventure with before you can evolve it. I evolved it into Milotec shortly after this. In both cases, I could have evolved them earlier, but I always get 'em to best buddy, so you get to see where the badge ends up before the evolving.

I think this was from our '22 Catalina vacation, when they were having Fashion Week. The younger caught the shiny costumed Absol, and made him his buddy. He has a naming convention for his buddies where he names them after food items, and this is named Cherry Jam. I love the look of this picture where he's on the pier. On a later Fashion Week, I finally caught a shiny costumed Absol of my own. Named him Marley, on account of Jammin', get it???

I think this was from the same vacation, my Palkia on the steps going up in our normal hotel, the Hotel Atwater. I'd made mention when we were there in '23 there were only 2 routes, and I'd submitted mine, Old Ben's Beach Walk. The one that wasn't straight back into the canyon at the back of Avalon was from the central plaza to the Casino, and the reception was always flaky right when you get close to the Casino. The route I submitted goes from a park as you're coming from the wharf (that has a statue of Old Ben, a sea lion that would greet tourist and was a local fixture in the early days) along Crescent street, to one of the places that are over the water on the way towards the Casino, but not to where the reception goes out. It has a Leaping Tuna statue as a stop, and the end point of the route. The text I put for the route is “Show Ben some respect! (and some of that tasty tasty tuna!) and months after the trip, it was approved. On our most recent visit, one of the nights I hadn't done a route yet for the day, and it was getting close to midnight. I asked the guys if they wanted to go with me to do it (bonus, it's only a short distance from our lodging to the park) and they both declined. I went on my own, finished it before midnight (which was my goal), and waited a few minutes until it was after, and did it in reverse!!!

And also from last year's vacation, another AR picture. Here's another thing it does, changes the lighting as the sun is setting, which is what I was getting the picture of. Then the Whismur attacks!!!

The Early Season Vacation

As appears to have become my custom, I took a week vacation in April. I didn't have anything in particular in mind when scheduling the time, but knew I'd find something. From a couple of years ago, my younger son had enjoyed the trip to Ventura, with the shot up to Solvang, so that's what we did for the first couple of days!!!

Once we got there, and checked into our lodging (also the same as last time, once again per my son's endorsement), we headed over to the restaurant we'd been past while walking around the harbor where they'd had the live music last time. I had called before we went, to see if they'd have a band during our time there. As I thought, nope, it's a weekend thing.

The place is called Margarita Villa (see what they did there???), and it's upstairs, with an indoor area, and outdoor patios to the front and back. We popped in, and the inside was pretty loud and echo-y, bad acoustics, so we opted to eat outside. Turns out, they're refurbishing the back patio where we'd heard the music last time, and for now when they do have the live band, they are inside. I can't imagine.

After we ate, the boy and I crossed the street to the beach, to check it out. I think the tide was out, and it had made a pretty dramatic, over 3 foot, drop off in the sand near the shore!!!

While we were walking along, we came across some shark or ray egg cases!!! (At least, I'm fairly sure that's what these were!!!)

We walked down a bit, to the breakwater area.

I'm pretty sure it wasn't the same area as where we had walked last time, and there were two rock jettys not far apart, which looked to have been designed to make a surfing area!!!

There were a lot of surfers out there. The surf wasn't huge, but it was OK, and better there than on the open beach. It was overcast most of the time we were in Ventura.

As we came back, and there was a shot of the calm harbor.

They added the new “I ♥ The Sea” illuminated selfie sign.

Last time we were there, the fire pit wasn't going, but it was this time!!! If we had been waiting long, it would have been a good place to hang out. Or, if we were sitting, listening to the live music, like last time!!!

The next day, we managed to get going in time to make it up to Solvang early enough to get in on the æbleskivers. First thing we did was find a place and get some.

They had an æbleskiver pan for their doorstop!!!

Afterwards, we wandered around, bought souvenirs and took in the sights. My son wanted to grow some tulips, and we were looking around for some, or some bulbs. We didn't find any, but we were near the visitors center, and they suggested going to the Ace Hardware, not far over, and checking there. They had them, and a bit after we got back, we picked up a couple of box planters and soil, and they're in there. Perhaps an update, if they come up. There seems to be a local critter that'll dig 'em up!!!

When my wife was talking to my mom prior to the trip, my mom told her about an ostrich farm in the area. I looked it up, and it was just a little past the main tourist area in Solvang, and an actual alternate way to get back to the 101 to head back!!!

We stopped in, and got bowls of ostrich chow, and fed those bad boys!!!

We didn't stay there that long at all, but it was something different, and pretty fun and cool!!!

Mid-week, the boy had a dentist's appointment that had been rescheduled twice already, with my wife's surgery and recovery, so we headed back for that, and a little breather in between.

The next day, the boy and I went to Knott's Berry Farm!!! They are having the Boysenberry Festival, but we didn't get in on any of that. It's been a while since I've been there, and there was a new coaster, Hang Time, that I've been wanting to go on.

It wasn't busy at all when we arrived, right after it opened, and we headed over and got on with almost no wait!!! It features a 95° first drop, and it takes you to the top of the hill, and holds you where you can't see the track for a few seconds, then drops you, and goes through several inversions. Great coaster!!! Oh, and there was my current Pokemon GO buddy, an Eevee with a flower crown, that I evolved into a Sylveon once he was to best buddy level.

We went on it twice, then the Coast Rider in the same area. One of the best there, the Accelerator, was closed, as was the classic log ride, and the entire Fiesta Village area. Got on the Silver Bullet and Ghost Rider before the lines started getting long.

We were in line for the Pony Express, and it broke down, so we crossed over to Calico River Rapids, formerly Bigfoot Rapids, which had probably the longest line of any ride we went on. I got fairly soaked, and the boy got slightly damp.

Went on Knott's Beary Tales, which has been redone yet again, and is a jelly-shooter 3D ride now, it was pretty low-key fun. Other low-key classics we went on were the Calico mine train, on the back side of the log ride mountain, and the train.

The train was changed up for the off season, instead of the steam locomotive with several cars, they had swapped in “The Galloping Goose”, an engine with the front end that looks like it's from a vintage car, followed by a single passenger car. Indeed, they said it's powered by a Cummings 4 cylinder diesel.

The last day, we went out for lunch to a sushi place that we've been frequenting, along with my son's friend. We got some ice cream afterwards, and then went to the movies.

We went to see Dungeons and Dragons, it was pretty good!!!

Ventura Shore

Welcome to what is probably the final post for our vacation!!! Mostly about the locale where we stayed for the last part.

This was the view from the hotel we stayed at, right on the Ventura harbor. It's from the gap between the two buildings. Our room was facing the fields, not the ocean, on the top floor. Probably worked out better, because in the morning, sea lions start barking.

After we went out to eat at the barbecue place the first night, we drove over to the Ventura pier as it was getting dark.

The view was great!!!

The moon was almost full...

I had my Pokemon Go going, there were stops all the way out!!! Several of the creatures, not many of them water types!!!

The next night, the boy & I went on a walk around the harbor to the ocean side.

On the way back, there was a restruant that had a live band doing country western standards on the upper level patio. We hung out and listened to them play for a few songs from the seating by the harbor, then their time was up for the night.

And there's that jacket we bought!!!

& there's a heron we came upon. He flew off, squaking noisily.

The next morning, we were on the outside patio having breakfast, and the sea lions were carrying on.

Turned out they were just a bit down from the hotel, on the dock between two empty slips!!!

The were quite active... except for this one!!!