A BEACHY AFTERNOON

After the Getty Villa we stopped off at the Malibu coast. After waiting for a space to open in the parking lot for 20 minutes, it was time so soak up some beautiful scenery.

SUNDAY AT THE GETTY VILLA

After brunch and a quick stop at Best Buy for some birthday shopping, it was off to the Getty Villa with my Donna, my sister and her friends. The place is absolutely beautiful and you can't beat the price - $10 per car, though reservations are needed. I got some great landscaping ideas while I was there plus a few ideas for a pool.

SUNDAY AT THE ROCK STORE

We started Sunday with brunch at the Rock Store, a biker hangout in the Santa Monica Mountains. It might seem like an odd choice for a restaurant but the egg-white omelette with ham and tomato was great and my sister's friend, who's here visiting for the weekend, is a huge motocycle fan and wanted to check it out - plus, we got to see Jay Leno with one of his fancy cars as he stopped by.

A WEEKEND WITH MY SIS

My sister is in town for the weekend with two friends of hers so to kick things off we headed to the coast to watch the surf and the wind surfers. Sunday we're off to brunch then the Getty Villa near Santa Monica.

ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END

Sadly, we made the drive home Sunday evening. Vacation is technically over but we've got the day off together on Monday and plan to squeeze in one more ride before heading back to work Tuesday.

SUNDAY IS RACE DAY

Donna and I caught the pro men's and women's cross country race Sunday afternoon. We found a rather scenic spot to watch the race and had a blast cheering on the riders. Some really seemed to appreciate the encouragement - others were just suffering!

SATURDAY LATE AFTERNOON

After the races at the Sea Otter Classic we returned to the Monterey Coast to soak up some more scenery. We also made a short trip to a candy shop - Donna got so hopped up on sugar that she managed to get in one of my panoramic photos five times! The crash will be fun to watch :)

LET THE RACE BEGIN

Saturday afternoon we enjoyed watching the pro women's and men's short track event. Much unlike cross country races, you get to see the riders time and time again as they race multiple events around a very short loop. After that races it was time to catch up with Zap, a long-time mountain biking journalist & editor for Mountain Bike magazine.

GEORGIA GOULD ROCKS!

Donna and I were passing by the Luna team station at the Sea Otter Classic when we spotted Georgia Gould under the canopy. I was snapping a photo of her when she spotted me and offered to get a picture with Donna, who has long admired her. Not only that but she stopped to chat for a while and told Donna to email her if she ever had any racing questions. Not many pro athletes take this approach with Joe Public and it's made us admire her all the more.

COASTAL BEAUTY

Donna and I started our Saturday (after Starbucks that is) at the coast. This area is my favorite of the California Coast - I much prefer rocks and cliffs to sandy beaches.