Deborah is reading in the bedroom in our suite here in Orange County, in another Hyatt hotel. Unlike the Long Beach one, this one is near nothing of interest. Shuttles to Disneyland or OC buses get you somewhere, but this time we have Evie to help us. I started writing after reading for a few hours and recovering from severe nausea likely caused by a cold brew coffee. Too much caffeine for me on an empty stomach, which I did not improve with a local beer, followed by a heavy lunch. Oops. I did have the heaves and was happy not to re-experience my Beef Wellington (I have always wanted to try it) in reverse (though this was a deconstructed version, it was still great and I think it counts). Deborah, unaffected by the caffeine issue, had a pork roast over potatoes and veggies. Wonderful. She was excited that she could order as-is.
I managed to start recovering with just a few bad heaves around 6ish, after being down for the afternoon. I headed to the bar, got a ginger ale, and then a bowl of minestrone soup while watching Iran vs. New Zealand tie their game in the first half for the World Cup. Deborah registered for her conference; I am the plus-one, and she attended the start-up. Later, she reheated her lunch leftovers. It was great the second time.
We slept in today and did not get started until 8ish, and did not get going until 10ish. We had cereal for breakfast and discovered that the in-room fridge is set to North Pole conditions, which froze our milk to slush and turned our strawberries into ice cubes. I adjusted it down. I made coffee, and we brought extra (we also grabbed extra at the previous Hyatt and have lots of water).
We decided on San Juan Capistrano, home to the oldest buildings in California, and traveled about 35 minutes in an Air VW the Gray during mid-morning between-games traffic. We usually check things, but we just sort of did the ad hoc and headed there. We discovered that the mission and museums were closed on Monday (as they are in nearly everywhere else), but after a bit of wandering in the EV on tiny streets, we found free four-hour parking in a park and walked to the Los Rios Historic District. It was wonderful, and we would have likely missed it had we been focused on the nearby Mission. We had coffee (where I overdid it) at Hidden House Coffee (I bought a bag to grind at home), and we walked the area built in the 1700s to the early 1800s. Wow! It was relaxing and fun. Amtrak runs through the area, and we learned of the Pacific Surfliner Train as we watched it stop and add/subtract passengers. Something to do on one of these trips!
(the original well)
An amazing (and expensive) but nearly perfect meal at Trevor’s at the Tracks followed. This is the repurposed and rebuilt rail station. Our meal was perfect, and I watched Egypt nearly beat Belgium (they tied 1-1, with Belgium scoring late).
We will be back to Capistrano, as we loved the place and could imagine living there and hopping on Amtrak to get to LA. Not likely we will see everything and buy a tiny place there, but it was excellent nonetheless. If we can fit a return in, time is always starting to run out, and find the mission worth a visit, I would then recommend it. More to come, I hope.
Deborah has a Disney Character Brunch for us on Friday. Her conference gets busy after today, and I plan to find the Regan Presidential Library, wash some clothing, and check out a few other local items TBD.
Thanks for reading!
Alohawild (Michael Wild's) Website 