Somewhere around 1979/1980, when I was around 16 and my sister Anna was around 19 we rode our bikes from our home in Long Beach California to Romona in Escondido California. Our aunt and uncle lived in a retirement community in Romona, and we planned to spend a few days with them when we got there. (that's around 150 miles according to my google maps which I might remind you we did not have at the time haha)  When I think about this trip, it brings back such happy memories, but as an adult, I'm amazed that we pulled it off. We rode every morning, sun bathed every afternoon, and stayed in various hotels along the way.  (What was our mother thinking, right??!)  Well, I'm forever grateful that she trusted my big sister's discernment and sense of direction!  We were young and naive but we had our gaurdian angels watching out for us for sure and we got to Romona in three days!  We didn't wear enough sunscreen, we ran out of water several times and man it was hot! The last leg of the journey was uphill, and it was the hardest I remember working physically in my life so far. We shared a too-narrow road with cars that couldn't see us well because of the tight turns and at some point we "gave in" and called our uncle to pick us up. We were less than a mile to his house!  We did end up spending about a week there with our aunt and uncle relaxing at their pool, and with them on their boat in San Diego.  What a payoff!

I recently came across some photos of the trip, and also a photo of the highway we rode on, PCH in Laguna Beach with a red beetle parked on the side of the road.  Memories flooded my mind and I knew I'd have to paint it.  When I was 16, I think I thought I wanted to be a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader (I know).  How grateful I am that my horizons expanded and I learned to paint. (not that being a cheerleader is any less worthy of a career but I certainly wouldn't be active in that field through my 50's as I am with oil painting) This adventure, riding along the California coastline helped me appreciate the beauty of the landscape like no other.