J & Mom's road trip in search of food, music, and the left coast - or - 3,000 miles of barbecue

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About this blog

We made it - here we are at Big Dean's on Muscle Beach in Santa Monica again. (Winkie has to start spending her birthdays in more upscale places.) Julia is settled into her dorm at UCLA and busy reconnecting with friends.

We quickly had to void the 'no interstate' rule (this is a big country), but managed to eat only in local restaurants/diners/cafes/dives. We found friendly people wherever we went, who shared their opinions, hopes and dreams with us.

After 3,700 miles, mom and daughter are still speaking, and amicably. We also gained some surprising new insights about each other.

• 1

  Day 1: Departure   Charlottesville, VA on Sep 9, 2005 10 pictures 1 comment
• 2

  Day 2: Monticello, Blue Ridge Pkwy, Natural Bridge   Salem, VA on Sep 10, 2005 11 pictures 0 comments
• 3

  Day 3: Driving to the Great Smoky Mountains   Gatlinburg, TN on Sep 11, 2005 7 pictures 0 comments
• 4

  Day 4: The Great Smokies and Heading to Nashville   Nashville, TN on Sep 12, 2005 9 pictures 0 comments
• 5

  Day 5: The Hermitage and Nashville   Paducah, KY on Sep 13, 2005 10 pictures 0 comments
• 6

  Day 6: Driving galore and 3 states   St. Louis, MO on Sep 14, 2005 12 pictures 0 comments
• 7

  Rest Stop - St. Louis   St. Louis, MO on Sep 15, 2005 12 pictures 0 comments
• 8

  Day 8: Driving, driving, driving   Wichita, KS on Sep 16, 2005 7 pictures 0 comments
• 9

  Day 9: More Driving!!   La Junta, CO on Sep 17, 2005 9 pictures 0 comments
• 10

  Day 10: Into the Southwest   Albuquerque, NM on Sep 18, 2005 5 pictures 0 comments
• 11

  Day 11: Albuquerque Old Town   Albuquerque, NM on Sep 19, 2005 10 pictures 0 comments
• 12

  Day 12: Bandelier, Santa Fe, and BBQ   Albuquerque, NM on Sep 20, 2005 20 pictures 0 comments
• 13

  Day 13: Unlucky?   Flagstaff, AZ on Sep 21, 2005 9 pictures 0 comments
• 14

  Day 14: Phoenix   Phoenix, AZ on Sep 21, 2005 4 pictures 0 comments
• 15

  Day 15: Cruisin' on Down to La-La Land   Los Angeles, CA on Sep 23, 2005 4 pictures 0 comments