Travel Eat Drink Like a Local

We will be empty-nesters in couple of months and see ourselves exploring distant vistas with Oakley. One thing we had wanted to do this summer was to take Oakley on a road-trip to see how he fares. Also we had always wanted to hike Yosemite. Having lived in California more than for half our lives we have never had the chance to do so. As we were planning our trip to Yosemite National Park, the first question we asked was: " Why not try this with Oakley?" Then next was, "Do they allow dogs to hike with us?" because somewhere I had read they allow only guide dogs on National Parks. It took some research and planing. The answer is, yes, with few restrictions. It didn't make sense to write it all over again. At the end of the blog post you will find two very well written blogs on the subject that helped us in planning our trip. We left on a Thursday afternoon because we wanted at least one weekday in the park. It takes only 3.5 hours from San Francisco south b...

Heading south to Santa Barbara California for few days of rejuvenation is always exciting and refreshing. Same landscape, new eyes!  Heading south on 101 is always fun and exciting!     We in general don't like staying in hotels. It's just that we feel they stick you between two walls. And another reason it better be nicer, cleaner, and tidier than your home. Unless it's all inclusive, pampered vacation we like rentals for our road trips. Also, when you have a house to yourself it's an opportunity to shop local grocery stores and farmers' markets for produce and specialty foods.    Our temporary home on Carrillo Hills  Santa Barbara for the next few days. Santa Barbara is a city we all love. The beaches, historical sites, art galleries, fantastic bars and restaurants, all in few minutes reach. We usually make it a point to research where the locals hangout and that's where we chose to have our meals, or go for hikes. Here's few fun...