Road Trip – mmm-yoso

Road Trip – Seaside Gardens and Zookers Restaurant (Carpinteria)

August 15, 2026 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Beer, Dog Friendly, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County, Travel

On the way back from Summerland, I decided to make one more stop. The Missus is really into Her plants these days….and I had read about Seaside Botanical Gardens right outside Carpinteria. Yes, it’s a nursery and plant shop….however, it spans three-and-a-half acres featuring plants from various regions around the world.

It’s also dog friendly……and plants are separated by region. The folks working here are so very knowledgeable.

It was so relaxing and yet overwhelming at the same time…….it just went to point out how little we know!

We’ll be stopping here whenever we’re in the area!

Seaside Gardens
3700 Via Real #3050
Carpinteria, CA 93013

When we got back to the downtown area, we decided to do some shopping…..the Missus had fun with some of the thrift stores….some of which had fun items…..

And no….that’s not a “real” goldfish!

Walking down Carpinteria Avenue we passed this huge tree.

This is the Wardholme Torrey Pine, standing at 126 feet tall, it is the largest Torrey Pine in the world!

After a short respite in our room, we decided to head on out for dinner. I had chosen a place a short walk away, named Zookers. Located in the Casitas Shopping Center, Zookers also has a meat and seafood market…so I thought the food might not be too bad.

Plus, they had a large patio area…perfect for JJ!

Service outside was a bit slow….we noticed this for others who sat al fresco as well. Very nice and friendly folks though. The Missus enjoyed Her glass of a White Blend from Paso Robles and I got a Island Brewing Blond, made locally in Carpinteria, fairly clean and refreshing, with a hint of hops.

We ordered one starter and an “entree” salad.

First up were the Duck Confit Tacos ($22).

Man, this was not very good. The tortillas were waxy-mass produced stuff. The duck “confit” was dry and chewy; really lacking in flavor as well. Not enough cheese to have an affect on the tacos as well.

What was good was the Dry Aged Rib Eye Steak Salad ($33). I think I need to put salad in quotes since the only representative “garden green” in this was the very crisp and refreshing Romain Lettuce. It was quite good and we were told it’s locally grown.

The rib eye, while a bit overdone for our requested medium rare was very tender in spite of the looks! It was perfectly seasoned and man, it was so beefy and earthy.

Since Zookers had a meat market; in spite of the Missus’s reservations, I wanted to order some red meat and I’m glad we did! This was our favorite meal in Carpinteria and nowadays, the Missus will order a steak now and then! It was a nice way to end our little road trip.

Zookers Restaurant
5404 Carpinteria Ave. (in the Casitas Plaza Shopping Center)
Carpinteria, CA 93013

Breakfast was provided by the hotel. And the next morning, before checking out I took JJ for a short walk where he managed to meet a “cousin”, named Louie…..who it turned out was also staying at the same hotel!

It was a rather short, but fun road trip…..the 11th week took in 2025! Crazy, huh?

Road Trip – Carpinteria Bluffs Trail, Tar Pits Park, Feast: The Cafe at Field + Fort (Summerland)

August 14, 2026 mmm-yoso Road Trip, Sandwiches, Santa Barbara County, Travel

We slept in a bit during our one full day in Carpinteria. At around 7ish we decided to head on out. Like I mentioned in my previous post, we were staying about three quarters of a mile from downtown Carpinteria. On this morning we decided to do sort of a loop……we headed down what we thought was the strangely named Dump Road. At the end of the road is a lovely view of the ocean and the Carpinteria Bluffs Trail. Turns out that there was an actual garbage dump here until the mid-1950’s! Before that there was Asphalt Mining done.

I know….you look at this and think “what the heck”?

Well, Carpinteria is home to natural asphalt seeps….otherwise known as tar pits. Earning the name Carpinteria Tar Pits. One of five asphalt lakes in the world and second in size to the La Brea Tar Pits!

We could see traces of it during our walk along the trail and also in Tar Pits Park.

Though we weren’t going to do any intense “hunting” for tar…..

Use of the tar goes back to pre-European times as the Chumash people, some of the original inhabitants of the area had many uses for tar.

We kept walking along the trail, finally coming to a parking lot, road, then an RV Park…all along the shoreline.

We crossed over Carpinteria State Beach which ended at Linden Avenue which we consider “main street” of the town. We then headed up to Carpinteria Avenue passing all the little businesses…most of them closed at this time, along the way.

I was sad to note that one of the few businesses that I had heard about in Carpinteria, Robitaille’s Fine Candies had closed at the end of 2024.

We made our way back to our room freshened up for a bit and then headed out. I know of a few people whose family had property or would always go to Summerland during the winter. So, I thought it would be interesting to take the drive up there. We took the short drive up and parked on Lillie Avenue. The street is full of little boutiques, shops, and some charming buildings.

The Missus enjoyed stopping in and doing some shopping. Things seemed quite mellow, if a bit gentrified.

We decided to stop at Field + Fort and have lunch at the Cafe there named Feast. Field + Fort had some pretty upscale and expensive stuffs to sell…..it was fun to browse and of course, the Missus got JJ some stuffs from here.

The Cafe is right next door. The Missus looked over the menu and had a seat with JJ…..

While I went in to order.

The menu seemed quite “hipster – upscale” in offerings……

Anyway, I ordered a sandwich and one of the salads from the very nice young lady and we sat…and waited…and waited….20 minutes in, the Missus went and did more shopping….She came back out and I was still waiting. 45 minutes later our order was ready.

The Broccolini and Romesco Sandwich ($16) sounded interesting.

This place loves their pickled onions…the actual salad was our favorite thing about this…though the bread….a simple levain was nicely toasted, though it really lacked the flavor of a decent sourdough.

The “crispy” broccolini was just roasted and while slightly crunchy not crispy…and there were two stalks lying in the middle of the bread for the whole sandwich. This was more like and arugula, crisp broccoli leaf sandwich with a overly sour Romesco sauce.

The Missus does enjoy Her cauliflower; so we got the Roasted Cauliflower Salad ($15).

This was fine, though the cauliflower seasoning was on the bitter side. It’s like something I could make at home.

Well, the food Feast was nothing to go out of the way for. Things looked pretty simply put together so that 45 minute wait? But at least it wasn’t a overly heavy lunch! And the Missus enjoyed shopping at Field + Fort.

Feast: The Cafe at Field + Fort
2580 Lillie Ave.
Summerland, CA 93067

We headed back to the car. And there was one more stop I wanted to make on the way back to Carpinteria!

Road Trip – Hayashi Vegetable Stand (Oceano) and Rincon Brewery (Carpinteria)

August 13, 2026 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Gastropub, Markets & Grocers, Paso Robles/Cambria/San Luis Obispo County, Pubs and Pub Grub, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County, Travel

Since we had decided to stop at the Pismo State Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove on the way to our next destination, I decided to head south in Highway 1 instead of the 101. There was one place I had always wanted to check out; Hayashi Vegetable Stand in Oceano.

It’s a nice and fairly busy shop…with an interesting variety of items for sale…not only fruits and vegetables.

We ended up getting some of our favorite almonds here…..it was even cheaper than what we pay for them in Paso Robles and some other stuff!

I think we’ll make this a regular stop when we’re back in the area.

Hayashi Vegetable Stand
2876 Cienaga St.
Oceano, CA 93445

Back on Highway 1, we just had to stop here in Arroyo Grande….just because….you can see why, right?

From here we got back on the 101 South. Our destination for two nights was the town of Carpinteria, which was just South of Santa Barbara and Summerland. It was recommended to me by one of the folks who often goes to Bay Hill Tavern.

We settled into our accommodations which were a bit out of the downtown area. After settling in, we took a nice 30 minute stroll to the end of Linden Street…basically the main street of the town and got a view of the lovely sunset at Carpinteria City Beach.

We strolled back up Linden to Carpinteria Avenue to our dinner destination. The same fella’ also recommended Rincon Brewery for simple pub grub.

Which had an abundance of al fresco seating…and was dog friendly….

The service was pretty slow….I basically had to go inside to place our orders and such. Still, we enjoyed our brews.

The Missus got the Cetacean Rice Lager, which was quite refreshing, while I got the Dos Arboles Pilsner which was perhaps a bit too light for my taste.

Since it was early, we got two Happy Hour items…one of which was recommended.

We started with the Potato Skins.

These were really dry, the bacon hard, and super salty.

And the Crispy Cauliflower ($9.25) which the fella had also recommended.

These decently spicy, though the “panko” breading really wasn’t too crisp. At least the cauliflower were on the tender side.

Overall, pretty basic pub grub. Which was pretty much all we needed on this evening.

Rincon Brewery
5065 Carpinteria Ave.
Carpinteria, CA 93013

We took a nice leisurely stroll back to our room. We even saw this cat sleeping in the window of one of the businesses on the way back!

We’d have a full day in the area ahead of us!

Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip – Revisiting Blue Moon Over Avila and Checking Out Some Other Places

August 1, 2026 mmm-yoso Dog Friendly, French Restaurants, Paso Robles/Cambria/San Luis Obispo County, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County, Travel

After hitting up some of our favorite places the day before, then spending the night in Solvang we headed up the 101 to a stop that we had enjoyed a few months before; Avila Beach.

On the way up, we stopped in Los Alamos. The Missus had always enjoyed shopping at Los Alamos Gallery.

As there were always things that She never knew She needed!

Los Alamos Gallery
515 Bell St.
Los Alamos, CA 93440

Still running a bit early, we made a stop in Pismo Beach, so that the little “crazy guy” could run around on the beach.

With a stick he found of course.

We got to Avila Beach and was able to score an early check in.

And after taking a break, we went to our favorite restaurant in Avila Beach; Blue Moon Over Avila.

Which is open all the way thru from 1130am….so we did a late lunch-early dinner kind of thing. The place is totally dog friendly and we got seats at the rail so we could see what was happening on Front Street.

Since we had a fridge, we ordered more food than we needed.

Like this huge Charcuterie Board.

Nothing fancy mind you; but quite satisfying; I enjoyed that cheese that seemed like Manchego which was nice and milky. We saved a good amount of this to have as an evening snack.

We also got the Beef Bourguignon, which was just as good as on our last visit.

Not overly “winey”, it was quite savory, with the mushrooms adding the perfect earthiness, the lardons saltiness. We saved some of this for later as well.

And I was glad to know that our favorite item from our previous visit; the Croque Monsieur was just as delici-yoso!

That perfectly crisp layer of Gruyere makes this for us. It’s a bit milky-savory, with a hint of what seems like sweetness.

Buttery Bechamel, rosemary ham, and a nice yeasty sourdough completes the set. Man, I wish this place was in San Diego. Totally our favorite Croque Monsieur!

Blue Moon Over Avila
460 Front St.
Avila Beach, CA 93424

Sadly, my favorite stop for a local brew, Locals Taproom was closed because it was a Tuesday, but because it was early in the week; all the kids from SLO and other visitors weren’t around. So it made a nice afternoon; then evening stroll really nice.

Of course we took a walk down the pier with J.

This little town of about 1,600 is quite mellow during days like this. And JJ even met a “cousin”!

We then headed on back to the hotel…relaxed. They had a free wine tasting during the evening which the Missus enjoyed. I had also gone to the little market and got myself a brew to have with the leftover Beef Bourguignon. We enjoyed a nice night of sleep and of course JJ got me up at 430am!

The beach is open to pups before 10am and after 5pm daily. So once the sun was up, we took JJ for some fun on the shore.

And there’s always something “new” to notice!

Our accommodations serves breakfast which is nice. We checked out and then headed back South.

We made a couple of stops on the way to our final destination for the road trip. Since this was in early December, I decided to stop at the Pismo State Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove. Which is a well known migration spot for Monarch Butterflies between November and February.

There were a couple of people on the trail…two folks with major camera gear. But unfortunately we saw maybe 4-5 Monarchs.

I read that there’s been a 90% drop in the Monarch Butterfly population in recent years. So sad…..

We took a short stroll around the Meadow Creek area.

Before heading back to the car and our final destination….we were actually taking a bit of a longer route since there was a place I wanted to stop at!

Stay tuned and thanks for stopping by!

Where on the road were we?

July 22, 2026 mmm-yoso Road Trip, Sierra Nevada, California, Travel

Well, we’ve just done our sixth (!) road trip of the year! Go figure….this is actually a sort of a repeat of one we did a couple of months back and also a few times last year. We headed back home early, totally expecting the usual 6-7 hour drive….unfortunately, the Rock Fire closed the I-395 South right past Bishop for a couple of hours this morning; leaving us sitting and waiting. I had totally expected to get home and do a short post on a place in San Diego…..but, well it was not be….as I’m kinda beat.

So, I’m just gonna do one of the “where on the road” posts!

Like I mentioned earlier; these places have become regular stops for the Missus, who loves the hiking and paddleboarding…and now JJ, who loves the hiking and wouldn’t you know, the lakes and swimming! Remember last year, when I “taught” JJ to swim the way I did “back home”? Well, guess what? JJ remembers the lake and needs no prompting to jump right in now!

And of course, there are the hikes.

Not too many choices around here….and there’s a lack of dog friendly dining choices as well….so we packed quite a bit of food to prep and did takeout for other meals.

We spent four nights here….and JJ did two swims at the lake everyday!

Our next stop was only for two nights…..on an interesting note; we were here for the Reggae Festival weekend again!

And since our last trip here; thanks to “FOYs” Karen and Kenneth, we have two new dining “stops” which we ate at again during our two days here.

And of course we did the hikes…..

And took in the views!

All in all, a busy six nights! And after that 9+ hour drive home….well, it’s time for something simple to eat in the warm weather we’re having here and then catching up on things!

So, we’ll see you tomorrow for another SD post!

Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip – Revisits to Industrial Eats (Buellton), Vaquero Bar, and Good Seed Coffee Boutique (Solvang)

July 17, 2026 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Caffeine Fix, Cocktails, Pubs and Pub Grub, Road Trip, Sandwiches, Santa Barbara County, Travel

For our last road trip of 2025, we chose to spend most of our time in a city in Santa Barbara County that we had never visited before. We also decided to visit some of our “favorite” places to dine and drink on the way there as well.

So naturally, the Missus wanted to have lunch at Industrial Eats. Which I’ve posted on several times already! We arrived in time for lunch and along with the Missus’s favorite, the Smoked Duck Salad, She wanted to try something new; so I finally had a chance to try the Reuben, the salami is made inhouse, which interested me.

The salad, with a simple vinaigrette, was as good as ever.

The Reuben was quite large.

It had a bit too much cheese for my taste; the sauerkraut was crisp and assertively sour, though a bit too salty. Which combined with the generous portion of somewhat chewy pastrami really made this a sodium bomb.

Still, not a bad sandwich….though a bit too much for lunch for me!

Industrial Eats
181 Industrial Way
Buellton, CA 93427

I’ve mentioned how much JJ enjoys Solvang before……so, we decided to stay the night before heading further North. It was a Sunday, so things were a bit hectic.

But we enjoyed walking around the town.

The Missus got to do some shopping.

And JJ….well, got to do JJ things.

We settled into our usual accommodations. When it came time for dinner, I wanted to try a place we had been to twice, but only for drinks, Vaquero Bar. The bar is attached to Coast Range Restaurant and on my last visit I found out that the bar features the same menu as the restaurant! So, I figured since it’s dog friendly and quite relaxed that we’d have dinner there.

I had a Medicine Man, a version of a mule that had both Tequila and Mezcal. Nice and stiff!

The Missus had a glass of wine.

We ordered two appetizers which proved to be enough for dinner. Starting with the Crispy Pork Belly.

This was interesting as the Gochujang Sauce had a sweetness to it. Came to find out that they actually put Coca-Cola in the sauce! The pork belly was more chewy than crispy by the time it got to our table.

We also got the Bone Marrow, which was quite good and a rather large portion to boot!

Nice fatty-rich bone marrow, tempered by a not overly sweet marmalade, with grilled bread. That pickled shallot vinaigrette would make for a heck of a salad dressing, but was a bit too much for the marrow.

We enjoyed this meal and it seems we’d finally found a place we enjoy having dinner at in Solvang!

Vaquero Bar (In Coast Range Restaurant)
1635 Mission Dr.
Solvang, CA 93463

Weekday mornings in Solvang is usually nice and relaxed. This morning was no different.

We took JJ for a nice walk, where he even made a “friend”.

We had enjoyed the coffee at Good Seed Coffee Boutique on a previous visit and decided to drop back in.

Even though the shop sits right on the corner of Atterdag and the 246 it’s easy to miss.

It was very quiet and mellow on our visit.

The Missus enjoyed Her latte.

And I found the cold brew quite refreshing.

Looking over the breakfast offerings; I decided on the Pesto Bagel with Tomato and Balsamic Reduction…this was quite good. The Mozzarella added a meaty-mild milkiness, the savory nuttiness of the pesto, and the acidity of the tomato. The bagel had been toasted and was nice and crisp.

Good Seed Coffee Boutique
1607 Mission Dr.
Solvang, CA 93463

Well, it looks like we’ve found our coffee place in Solvang as well!

And after hamming in up a bit more……

We headed back to our room to relax a bit, then pack up, and headed on out……

To our next stop…..to a small beach town where we had enjoyed a nice dinner on a previous visit.

The clock was ticking!!

Road Trip – Raven Hill Bagels, Idyllwild Nature Center, Atomic Cow Revisited, and Lumber Mill Bar & Grill

July 3, 2026 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Diner, Dog Friendly, Road Trip, Sandwiches, Travel

On our last visit to Idyllwild many businesses were closed. We were here on Tuesday and Wednesday so that seemed odd. It’s during our meal at Ferro that our wonderful Server explained that weekends are the busy times for Idyllwild, so many businesses use Tuesday and Wednesday as their weekend so to speak. So, I took that into consideration when planning this road trip. We were visiting on a Sunday and Monday, leaving on Tuesday morning. So, all of the businesses seemed open during our visit.

That made the short walk from our accommodation to Raven Hill Bagels so easy to grab some breakfast and coffee. The shop is indeed closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

It’s a small shop with some outdoor seating. You order at the counter….it’s basically a deli and then take your food.

There were some tables outside and the Missus waited with JJ.

A simple order, two Americanos, and a Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Bagel Sandwich ($13), with Avocado ($2).

I chose a Jalapeno and Cheese Bagel, which was fairly dense, but tasty.

It would have been on the saltier side; but I added avocado which was a nice buffer. This was also quite large….I saved half for the next morning’s breakfast.

I also noted that the shop also sells various cheeses and deli meats by the pound as well.

Raven Hill Bagels
54440 North Circle Dr. Unit A
Idyllwild-Pine Cove, CA 92549

Heading back to the Fireside Inn, we got into the car and headed up to the Idyllwild Nature Center.

There are several easy trails here and also ample parking on this day. We took the super easy Idyllwild Park Trail.

There was some interesting signage along the way with some interesting things to see; like these Bedrock Mortars used by the Cahuilla, the Indigenous People who settled in the area.

There were also some nice views along the way.

Which JJ enjoyed.

It was a nice way to spend a few hours.

Back in town, we parked at our cottage and walked down North Circle Drive, stopping at what is probably the Missus’s favorite shop in the town, Idyllwild Gardens.

Though this time the Missus resisted the urge to buy a bunch of stuffs!

Idyllwild Gardens
54385 North Circle Dr.
Idyllwild, CA 92549

Our stop for lunch would be where we had what was our favorite meal on our previous visit….yes, it was at Atomic Cow.

The Missus and JJ hung out on the patio and I went in to order.

This time the Missus also wanted to try the Chili Cheese Fries. Which turned we turned out to not really enjoy.

Soggy dry fries…really weak, but salty chili, and gooey, but tasteless cheese.

On a positive note, we enjoyed the item that was our favorite on our last visit.

Yes, it was the Cubano, which had Kalua Pork as one of the ingredients. Nicely toasted bread, nicely melted provolone cheese, pickles helping to cut the richness of the tender, smoky, porky, but not overly salty “Kalua pork”.

I’m glad we still enjoyed this. We had also learned that the sandwiches are pretty large here, so one plus a side is more than enough for our lunch. In fact, we needed a nap after this.

Atomic Cow
54200 North Circle Dr.
Idyllwild-Pine Cove, CA 92549

We then had our afternoon “break” before heading back out to grab an early dinner and headed down North Circle Drive. It was nice to be here when most places were open. Right next to the Mountain Paws Pet Supply store was this lovely Gallery – Gift Shop.

The owner was super friendly and the Missus ended buying some small “stuffs” as gifts for folks.

Artspresso Art Gallery
54380 North Circle Dr.
Idyllwild-Pine Cove, CA 92549

We kept heading on down the road and before you knew it, we had reached the Market, where North Circle Drive meets the 243…….

Right across the street was this place, called the Lumbermill.

Which had a patio, so we decided to head on in. We were led to the patio….which we really didn’t take to.

But the stools at the rail seemed nice and the place had a pleasant view of the street.

Looking at the condiments provided, you just kinda knew this was one of those burger-sandwich family diner – bar kind of places. And the menu, with burgers, burritos, nachos, hot dogs, sandwiches and such confirmed things. With this in mind, I went simple with regards to my cerveza….

And we just ordered two apps for dinner….which we were happy about since the portions were pretty large.

We got the boneless wings ($16.95).

Which looked over-sauced. It was pleasantly crunchy, the Buffalo sauce was on the sour-puckery side, but it did go rather well with the Blue Cheese Dressing. The really nice Server told us that they make their own dressing inhouse.

Of course, I just had to try some Cheese Curds ($15.95).

A bit too gooey with the batter not crisp enough…the menu said Wisconsin White Cheddar, but I really couldn’t make out any of the cheddar “sharpness”. Of course, it’s probably mass distributed young cheddar. I wasn’t expecting what I’d get at say………..The Old Fashioned in Madison, but it was still mediocre.

Still, not a terrible meal. JJ got treated nicely’ they brought a bowl of water for him. Service was welcoming….very nice folks working here. And it was enough food for our dinner.

Lumber Mill Bar & Grill
25985 CA-243 #243
Idyllwild-Pine Cove, CA 92549

It closed up a nice short stay in Idyllwild for us.

Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip – The Castle Rock Trail (Big Bear), Idyllwild Farmers Market, and Dinner at Idyllwild Brewpub (again)

July 2, 2026 mmm-yoso Dog Friendly, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Pubs and Pub Grub, Road Trip, San Bernadino County, CA, Temecula/Idyllwild/Palm Springs - Riverside, CA, Travel

On our way out of Big Bear, the Missus decided She wanted to do another hike. So we headed west to the Castle Rock Trail. Because of the weekend crowd, we headed up early. It was a fairly easy trail, just 3 miles round trip.

Love the rock formations and the fall colors….something we really don’t get here in San Diego.

And of course; JJ had a blast as well.

Then we headed off to our next stop. The Missus wanted to stay in Idyllwild again. Because it was a Sunday, folks we headed out of Big Bear so it took us almost three hours to get to Idyllwild, which wasn’t too busy.

We parked near Village Center and the Missus did some shopping.

I had also heard that there’s a Farmers Market near the Town Hall on Sundays so we headed on over and did some browsing.

Idyllwild Farmers Market
25925 Cedar St.
Idyllwild, CA 92549
Sunday from 9am – 2pm

We headed back down North Circle Drive to the car…..there are some really charming buildings and houses in Idyllwild.

When it happened! Remember how I mentioned that the Mayor of Idyllwild was a dog named Max? Well guess what….we ran into Max and his entourage meeting his constituents. So, we finally got to meet Max!

Which was kinda interesting as apparently Max doesn’t like other pooches so he went after JJ! He did go after me….well, after my back pocket as he sniffed out my package of treats. I cracked up….Max was looking for a bribe while trying to get rid of the competition! He really is a politician!

Meanwhile, I got my access code to our little cottage up the street….we’d stayed at the same place on our previous visit, so JJ felt right at home!

We had a nice little nap.

When dinner time arrived; we just decided to head on back to the Idyllwild Brewpub.

After you head on down that stairway……

There’s a nice covered patio.

This time I went with the red ale with nice almost sweetish tones and was very easy to drink.

The Missus decided on the Crispy Sprouts.

Which were actually not bad. Fairly crisp, not mushy as many versions are. Kind of light in terms of flavor though.

I was curious about the “243 Dog”……which was a quite elongated kinda chewy hot dog, but was pleasantly savory..

The beer cheese was quite mild and not milky enough, the sweet caramelized onions were kind of a shock, but did add some additional flavor. The bacon aioli wasn’t really necessary in my opinion as it made things get soggy faster. The fires were typical thin style and on the drier side.

This was an ok dinner…..it met expectations.

And JJ was treated quite well too.

Idyllwild Brewpub
54423 Village Center Dr.
Idyllwild, CA 92549

We had a nice stroll before settling in……

And we’d do a bit more exploring the following day!

Road Trip – Himalayan Restaurant, Sister My Sister Bake Shop, Alpine Pedal Path Trail, and Boulder Bay Park (Big Bear)

June 26, 2026 mmm-yoso Bakery, Indian Restaurants, Nepalese/Himalayan Food, Road Trip, San Bernadino County, CA, Travel

I really enjoyed the view of Big Bear Lake from our patio at the Marina Riviera.

I found it so serene and relaxing.

We soon headed on out, stopping at Sister My Sister Bake Shop for some coffee and for something small for breakfast.

It’s a cute little bakery, designed for takeout.

Looking for something more savory, I got the Bacon Cheddar Chive Scone ($5.25) to go.

Sister My Sister Bake Shop
40191 Big Bear Blvd.
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315

We then back tracked thru downtown Big Bear, crossing the lake on the Stanfield Cutoff, finding parking alongside the Alpine Pedal Path. Which was on the opposite side of the lake from where we were staying. We sat on one of the benches and enjoyed the view.

While I had my hefty, dense scone.

I enjoyed the fact that the scone, even though quite dense, wasn’t overly dry.

Once finished, we set off on the paved path. I know it was somewhat too easy for the Missus, but I really enjoyed the view.

And the round trip was 5.3 miles. Enough for a nice morning.

Eventually, you end up around some campgrounds and a forested area.

And at the Big Bear Solar Observatory, which we could see from our hotel across the lake, we turned around and headed back.

We drove back to the Marina Riviera, parked and decided to look for a place to have an early lunch.

For some reason, She was attracted to Himalayan Restaurant, which had a back patio that’s dog friendly.

So, we got a table. The gentleman who served us was very friendly. And when he found out that we were from San Diego, he told us that he used to work at Himalayan Cuisine in La Mesa! Which is why we ended up visiting upon returning to San Diego.

The Missus saw several dishes that appealed to Her, starting with the Rogan Josh.

Man, that lamb was so tender, but still gamey enough to enjoy. We loved the complex spices and earthy tones and it did have a bit of heat to it.

We also got the Okra dish….which seemed like a version of Bhindi Masala. This actually had some decent spice as well.

We enjoyed the “neba neba” of the okra, which even presented a bit of sweetness; the acidity of the tomatoes, and the pungent and earthy tones from the spices.

Both dishes went well with the crisp, but tender naan.

And we even had some rice….nice and fragrant, fulfilling our carbs for the rest of the week!

The Missus really enjoyed this meal….and now has a favorite restaurant in Big Bear!

Himalayan Restaurant
672 Pine Knot Ave.
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315

After a short respite, we decided to check out a place I’d read about right on Big Bear Lake with a kind of iconic view, Boulder Bay Park. So we drive on over and in spite of the tiny lot there was quite a bit of parking available. Everything is nicely maintained, grassy areas, with a paved walkway meandering thru the park.

If one ignores the buildings across the street and on the east side of the cove, it makes for a lovely scene.

I was told that sunset was prime time here for photographers, though there was a group taking wedding photos. It was a nice little stop.

As we were leaving the park, there was a line of cars waiting to get in….and traffic back into Big Bear was crazy. Well, it seemed like the weekend had just hit!

We parked at the hotel and walked back up Pine Knot Avenue….but man, things were really hopping. Later we walked back up looking for some places to have dinner, but things were just too crowded. We headed back to the Marina Riviera and just decided to grab a small bite and have some drinks. After all, we still had a $25 credit for food and drink for the evening.

Man, the place was hopping.

While there was seating at the bar, all other tables were taken.

But then Kinzey and then the wonderful woman who I believe is the chef at this location, Jenn saw us. Both of them had been so wonderful, accommodating, and friendly during our stay, so naturally, in spite of the discount, we tipped well. And they also loved JJ! So, perhaps he’s earning his keep? Anyway, they told us to hold on a for a minute and put together a table for us! Amazing!

So, we had a nice light dinner and cocktails at De la Nonna.

At the end of our meal, Kinzey gave me her business card saying to text her if we’re headed up and she’ll give us info on what is going on!

Well, I know where we’re staying and eating when we get back to Big Bear, right?

De la Nonna Big Bear (In the Hotel Marina Riviera)
40770 Big Bear Blvd.
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315

The next morning we headed out and traffic was pretty crazy….so note to self, even on random fall weekends….things are busy in Big Bear….I’ll need to plan a bit better next time!

Road Trip – Jasper’s Barbeque, The Copper Q, Grays Peak Trail, Big Bear Lake Farmers Market, and Back to De la Nonna(Big Bear)

June 13, 2026 mmm-yoso BBQ, Caffeine Fix, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Italian Restaurants, Road Trip, San Bernadino County, CA, Travel

The Missus really wanted to get going on our first full day in Big Bear. But first, I needed some caffeine. Right up the street in the Village is The Copper Q, a coffee shop, and while hours are kind of seasonal, it was open on this morning, just a short walk from where we were staying. And they had outdoor seating.

The Americano was decent.

The Copper Q
645 Pine Knot Ave.
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315

Then we headed off for our hike. The Missus had chosen Grays Peak Trail, which was on the opposite side of the lake near Fawnskin. We had gotten there early and easily found parking. The trail starts close to the parking….

It was pretty steep at the beginning.

With almost a 1,200 foot elevation gain and 7 miles out and back.

This was back at the end of October, but there were still patches of snow.

Which JJ enjoyed!

Some lovely rock formations as well.

I was of course pretty tired after this.

Though JJ enjoyed himself.

Also of note is that Grays Peak has been closed so far this year, until July 1st because bald eagles are nesting! Awesome!

We got back to our accommodations, showered, and then headed into the Village for lunch. We had noticed a BBQ restaurant during our previous walks up Pine Knot Avenue that seemed to have a lot of outdoor seating named Jasper’s Barbecue.

So we headed over and decided to have lunch there.

We were seated…the folks working were very nice.

After looking over the menu, we decided on the 2 Meat Combo with a half rack of ribs and hot links as our meats, with cornbread and chicharrones as our side ($41) to share. It was more than enough food for the both of us.

This was basically a non-starter for us. The hot links had decent flavor, nice paprika smokiness, perhaps a bit too salty, but for some reason were really chewy. The ribs lacked smokiness and didn’t even have smoke ring, was really tough, and the sauce kinda tasted like Sweet Baby Ray’s? A bit too sweet for us. As was the cornbread.

The only item we really enjoyed were the fresh fried chicharrones…nice and lightly crunchy. Perfectly seasoned.

Well, I guess we can cross Jaspers off the “list”.

Jasper’s Barbeque
607 Pine Knot Ave.
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315

We headed back to the Marina Riviera for a short break. When we awoke, the Missus wanted to “do something”. I didn’t feel like driving. I had read that there’s a small Farmers Market on Fridays from April thru October on Big Bear Lake, at Ski Beach Park. It was about 3/4 of a mile from where we were staying to we decided to stroll on over.

You actually take Big Bear Boulevard, then turn left down Knight Avenue to the parking lot of Ski Beach. It’s a cute little farmers market in the parking lot.

The Missus did end up buying some lotion and other stuffs from one of the stands.

Big Bear Lake Farmers Market
41216 Park Ave.
Big Bear Lake, California 92315
From April thru October

We had a nice walk back as well.

When dinner time arrived…well, since it was Friday, places were getting kind of busy! When dinner came around, we decided to just have something light at De la Nonna, located in the Marina Riviera. The staff there were so very nice and Kinzey remembered JJ from the night before! We had a $25 discount on food and drinks every evening, so we decided to just avail ourselves of that.