La-La Land
What a crazy week. I had only planned to stay four days in the LA area, so of course managed to squeeze a lot in. LA is so dang big! I had to be strategic about my day trips because their well-known traffic problems are no joke. It rained all morning my first day there, so I had to delay my plans several hours. That was honestly the first rain I had seen in over a month, so no complaints here. I had some fun stops planned for the day!
Fun Stop #1: The Rose Bowl!
It was so gratifying to return to the site of the BEST COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAME EVER PLAYED (go ahead, argue with me)! And though I have been privy to quite a few truly spectacular college sports events, this one surely tops them all. That iconic game, played on Jan. 4, 2006, is intertwined with fabulous memories from that entire weekend. Michael and I flew out with Maddy, almost 8, and McKamey, who just turned 4 on Jan. 3, along with besties Rick, Susana and their 6-year-old son Travis. We had four tickets to the game. But oops! What to do with the kids? My dear sweet Michael—one of the kindest, most generous people in the world—volunteered to stay back at the hotel with the littles while the rest of us went to the game. But wait—did he volunteer? Or draw the short straw? I honestly don’t remember ;-). We all wanted to go to the Rose Bowl Parade, of course, but the tickets were quite expensive. But you know how much ONE game ticket to the National Championship Game at the Rose Bowl was worth back then? About SIX tickets to the expensive parade. So yes, we traded with someone.
What a day. Watching the Rose Bowl Parade every New Year’s Day was a tradition for us that went pretty far back. We couldn’t wait to watch those iconic, flower and seed-coated floats go by, the marching bands, the dancers, the horses. Unfortunately, though, Mother Nature had something else in mind. Do you know the last time it had rained at the Rose Bowl Parade prior to 2006? 1955. Y’all, it had been 51 years since a drop fell on the parade! I mean, I like to set records, but that was not one I would’ve asked to be a part of. It was cold and raining hard the whole time. The poor kids were freezing. We cut out of there a little early to just watch the rest on the hotel tv. Not gonna lie, that was a bummer.
But then … The Game. Wow. To not only be in such a legendary stadium, but to be connected to a team playing in the national championship, and then “unexpectedly” winning it? Absolutely epic. Being a member of the UT Athletics staff definitely came with perks. But also a lot of hard work. Back then, we produced Media Guides for each sport at UT. You do know that everything is bigger in Texas, right? Well, the guide I produced with Media Relations Director and friend John Bianco the next fall was more than 500 pages! Not only to highlight the big win, but Coach Mack Brown wanted to be sure to honor every piece of our history—ever record, every honor, every letterwinner. I won’t even tell you how many tens of thousands of dollars it took just to mail those out to media, Longhorn Foundation members and recruits. I mean, it weighed like 6 pounds! I still have one, weighing down a storage tub somewhere :D.
Back to 2026 … It was great just to walk around the outside of this iconic venue, tripping down memory lane. There were more than 100,000 fewer people around this time, giving us lots of space to soak it in.
Fun Stop #2: Hollywood Hills
How could I be in LA and not go to the famous HOLLYWOOD sign? All the times I’d been in the area before, which is probably less than a dozen, I was never able to wander about and go wherever I wanted. Whether I was with teammates on a volleyball trip, or chasing my awesome daughters around, we could only do so much. So Maisie and I went to Lake Hollywood Park to get the best views of the iconic sign. It was originally erected in 1923 as a temporary ad for a local real estate development (and read “HOLLYWOODLAND” back then). “LAND” was removed in 1949, and the sign was entirely replaced in 1978 with all-steel 45-foot-tall letters.
Next, I wanted to be sure to drive segments of Mulholland Drive. The 21-mile long mostly two-lane road loosely follows the ridgeline of the eastern Santa Monica Mountains and the Hollywood Hills. The portion we took included narrow roads with tight hairpin turns and houses very close to the road. With the rain pushing us to start later in the day, we didn’t get the chance to traverse the entire length of Mulholland, but what we did drive was stupendous! We stopped at a few famous scenic overlooks, some of which offered views of the Los Angeles Basin, the San Fernando Valley, Universal City, and Downtown Los Angeles. We even took a 2.5-mile hike along one of the ridges on the Drive.
Fun Stop #3: There’s the story of a lovely lady …
Y’ALL. Maybe I should be embarrassed but, if you know me, I’m NOT. This next stop was the geekiest geekout of the trip so far. I found the address for the actual Brady Bunch House. SQUEEEEEE. Seriously! Yes, I know it was just used for opening scenes, but still. Talk about iconic. They even had a 1970s era station wagon parked out front. I.CON.IC. If you’re anywhere near my age, I’m sure you get it. Right?
Feeling like Maisie could stand to stretch her legs after all that driving around Hollywood Hills—ok, I needed to stretch mine, too :D—I asked Siri to find a dog park within walking distance of the Brady House. So we were directed to St. Barks Dog Park—what a cute name, right?—just 1.9 miles away. Perfect. We hiked through the neighborhood for a bit. It was further away than I expected (why does 1.9 miles always sound so close?). But that’s okay; like I said, we needed the steps. And I figured I could sit on a nice park bench while Maisie ran around off leash once we got there. We finally approached the entrance, only to see a locked gate. WHAT? Taking a closer look at the sign, it said “St. Bark’s Private Bark Park.” Private. Ugg. Oh, well, lesson learned! And the hike back to the truck wasn’t too bad. Except for the sketchy person who was talking to himself about half way back. No worries—we crossed the street and headed on our way through a very walkable neighborhood that the Brady House resided in.
Fun Stop #4: Burbank
By now, it was approaching time for the sun to set, but I really didn’t want to head back to our beachfront campsite in Ventura while driving straight west into the sun, nor did I want to get on a crowded freeway, so why not just go to Burbank? Afterall, it was just a couple of miles away. Perfect.
I’ve heard about Burbank though the years—most notably, perhaps, that it’s where the Johnny Carson show was filmed. A number of media and entertainment companies are headquartered or have significant production facilities there—often called the "Media Capital of the World" and only six miles northeast of Hollywood—including Warner Bros., The Walt Disney Company, Nickelodeon Animation Studio, The Burbank Studios, and Cartoon Network Studios. I suppose if I had a few extra days and a dog-sitter, I might have hung out there a little longer, but I guess it is what it is! Still making lemonade …
We found a legal place to park :D, and walked down to the main entertainment area. It was charming, quite walkable, and full of shops and restaurants, as you might expect. I decided to stop for a slice and a soda to refuel for a little more walking around. It’s just such a beautiful area! I happened to spot a Ben & Jerry’s on the corner so just HAD to stop. I mean, how could I not? Lol.
DAY TWO.
Fun Stop #5: MPSF Beach Volleyball Championships
In 2022, UT added women’s Beach Volleyball as its 21st intercollegiate sport. Now in just its third full sanctioned season, they are ranked #2 in the nation and are, at this moment, headed toward the national championship tournament. So was I thrilled to discover they would be playing in Huntington Beach while I was in the LA area? Absolutely! I’ve even done some banners and other graphics for them this season, but hadn’t seen them play in person. They were here playing for the MPSF (Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) championship. Why, you ask? Because the SEC doesn’t sponsor beach volleyball (yet), so Texas joined other elite teams like Stanford, UCLA, USC, Cal, etc., for this conference championship. I could only attend the first day of the 3-day affair (after all, Ventura is not only 90 miles from Huntington Beach, but in LA, that means a 2+-hour drive), but it was way cool watching them play and meeting some of the family members.
Fun Stop(s) #6: SoCal Beaches
After hanging out for a bit and having Maisie loved on by everyone, we headed up Hwy 1 to take in some of the better known Southern California Beaches. After cruising through Seal Beach, I decided to stop at Redondo Beach and walk around. It’s just so very pretty! We then drove through Manhattan Beach, which also was beautiful but the houses sure were stacked close together down toward the water! We mostly did a drive-by as there are only so many hours in the day, you know?
Fun Stop #7: SoFi Stadium
Oh my gosh, y’all—it may be a little weird (?), but I just LOVE football stadiums! Especially college ones, but if given the chance, I love to see pro stadiums as well. Particularly when they are considered an architectural wonder and only 5 years old! Have you heard of SoFi Stadium, or maybe even been there yourself? Home to the LA Rams AND Chargers, and site of the 2027 Super Bowl, it truly was stupendous. They put a lot of thought into the area surrounding it by utilizing beautiful native landscaping, including a lake complete with ducks, making you forget there are a ton of parking lots outside the gates. Of course we walked ALL the way around the stadium. And of course, the gates were all locked. I didn’t get lucky and find a partially-open lock this time, darn. But I did finally find an entrance where a few staffers were milling about, so naturally I had to ask the security guards if we could come in and just “sneak a peek”. He said that unfortunately, no, because they were pretty much in lock-down mode due to hosting some of the upcoming World Cup Games. Understandable.
Fun Stop #8: UCLA
Though starting to get a bit late in the day (like when did that ever stop me from continuing to explore?), it was time to head over to UCLA. (I actually had Venice Beach and Sunset Blvd on my to-visit list after SoFi, but started running out of time, so chose one of my favorite things to do—touring college campuses—and axe’d the others). We made it to the edge of campus and miraculously found a parking spot on a busy street next door. Suddenly starving, we swooped into an In-and-Out that was FULL of students and medical center staff. And I mean FULL. It was such a zoo! But also a hoot. Maisie and I needed to sit down for a minute anyway, to fuel up for our campus walkabout. We put in a couple of miles seeing a portion of the campus – the main building, some of the athletic facilities (of course), and some lecture halls. Coming upon Pauley Pavilion, I had a flashback. My team at Tennessee competed in a huge tournament involving collegiate teams from around the country before conference play started. I remember walking around campus with all my teammates between matches—the California sunshine was something to behold! Palm trees, blue skies, moderate temps, beautiful beaches … not gonna lie, but that was a little foreign to me at the time. You know what else I remember about being at Pauley Pavilion? Well, after three days of pool play, all of the teams that had competed were starting to fill the stands to watch the championship match. (And no, we were definitely not in it.) Elite players from elite teams like UCLA, Hawaii, Long Beach State, Stanford, Pepperdine, Texas. So we’re walking down the STEEP steps in the aisles of the arena, and who trips and falls? Me, of course! Was I mortified? Probably. But you know what I did? I stood up and took a bow, laughing along with everyone else.
Back to modern history … I just loved walking around campus again! The sun was beginning to set, students were all out milling about, getting excited about upcoming graduations, I’m sure. A long line of students was forming outside the gates of what looked like a big soccer field. Because I’m just so shy (NOT), I went up to the front to see what was going on … and it was a film screening, of course! I mean, we are in LA, right?
Fun Stop #9: Rodeo Drive
Will the fun ever stop? Nope, not til I’m asleep! It’s dark now, but it’s never too late to cruise Rodeo Drive, right? It almost was better that it wasn’t still daytime; the streets were mostly empty, but it was so elegantly lit and was still a sight to behold. The tall, orderly palm trees lining the boulevard were all wrapped with white lights (think off-white Christmas lights). Prada, Gucci, Valentino, Armani, Dior and Cartier looked beautiful at night. I do wish there were a few more hours in the day, so that we could have explored Two Rodeo Drive, with cobblestone walkways leading to Versace, Lanvin, Jimmy Choo and Tiffany & Co. A little out of my league, but fun to observe nonetheless!
Another long day, another 20,000 steps. Tomorrow is a day of some hard-earned rest and relaxation!
DAYS THREE & FOUR.
Fun Stop #10: Channel Islands National Park Visitor Center
We are tired. Good tired. But tired. Both of us—Maisie was just fine chillin’ all day at the campsite, as was I! Getting caught up on photos, blogging, a little work here and there, and we started feeling good. There were just two things we needed to leave the campground to do that day. The first was visiting Channel Islands National Park. Well, truth be told, the actual park is—as the name implies—a chain of islands. About a 90-minute boat ride out of Ventura, they are known for being ecologically rich islands off the Southern California coast. Anacapa Island has trails to a 1932 lighthouse and clifftop Inspiration Point. Santa Cruz Island’s many sea caves include the vast Painted Cave. Santa Rosa Island features rare Torrey pines. Thousands of seals gather at San Miguel Island’s Point Bennett. Southernmost Santa Barbara Island draws nesting seabirds. I was happy that the visitor center was on the mainland, because I was able to explore the islands through their excellent exhibits. Because taking a whole day to venture out to them, after having to find doggy day care for Maisie, just wasn’t going to be in the cards this time.
Next to the visitor center in Ventura—just a few miles from my campsite—was Ventura West Marina, filled with sailboats. So lovely. There was also a beautiful beach with volleyball nets set up, and an outrigger canoe area. Good stuff! The only other activity scheduled was a trip to Wal-Mart. When someone travels with a dog, and that someone doesn’t like leaving said dog behind, they have to find creative ways to shop. For me, and for now, that means Wal-Mart for most things, and farmer’s markets for produce!
Fun Stop #11: Ojai
It seems we may have saved the best day for last. I had no idea that the two long epic days scooting around LA would not be considered the best day; they were epic, you know? But have you ever been to Ojai? Y’ALL—during last year’s first RV road trip, I absolutely fell in love with Park City, Utah, declaring it my favorite. But now? I think it’s a tie. Ojai was just incredible, in its own small town/quant village, artsy, picturesque, super-walkable, wonderful way. Set in a valley in the Topa Topa Mountains, the city has a village-like center dotted with art galleries and New Age shops. Bordering the north, Los Padres National Forest is crisscrossed with meandering trails. We parked on one end of Ojai Avenue, then walked the length of the downtown (less than a mile), wandering through shops and gardens. After perusing the Ojai Valley Museum (they were nice enough to let Maisie in with me—a rare feat when it comes to museums!), we decided to walk two miles to Soule Park, nestled amongst the majestic Topa Topa mountain range, it is a 223-acre park offering open grasslands and mature shade trees throughout. We walked through orchards of tangerines and even passed an Arabian horse farm. So unique! We spent a good hour at the dog park, Maisie completely focused on the numerous California ground squirrels around the area. Fun fact: These little squirrels have speckled fur, shorter/not-fluffy tails, and live in underground colonies. They are highly active during the day, foraging for seeds, nuts, and fruit. Maisie stuck her nose in more than a few of those holes in the ground!
At one point, we looked over toward the entrance, and a young woman literally walked up on a horse. Wait, what? Are we still in Texas? Come to find out, Ojai is also a major horse-lover area :D. After a good laugh and a nice chat with the rider, we headed back through Soule Park Golf Course, which apparently is one of America's most highly-regarded municipal golf courses. Simply gorgeous, with lush green fairways and mountains overlooking them. Another two miles conquered, and we simply had to stop for some fish tacos! (When in Rome … ) Gaining a second wind, we decided to take on a three+-mile hike along Shelf Road Trail. Words cannot do it any justice, so I’ll have to describe it with photos.
And now it’s time to say goodbye to Southern California, and say hello to some National Parks! Stay tuned …