Coast to Coast

Last Sunday, I made sure to take advantage of having just about the entire day off.  I was really excited to have some time to go explore a bit.  I went out to the pool for a little while and quickly got bored so started to look up some things within driving distance that I could go check out.

First stop – Campbell’s Covered Bridge in Gowensville, South Carolina.  Built in 1909, it is now the only covered bridge that remains intact in the state. The ride out there was super pretty and luckily it was easy to find. There was just a handful of people out there. A few kids playing around in the water and a high school senior taking some photographs. Actually, I have no idea if he was a high school senior – I just like to jump to conclusions.

This would be a great place to take Senior photos now that I think of it.

Next up, Poinsett Bridge in Travellers Rest, South Carolina. The bridge was constructed in 1820 and is believed to be the oldest surviving bridge in the state. Historians believe that it was designed by Robert Mills, the architect of the Washington Monument.  Maybe one day, historians can believe that I did something great too. Thanks to technology and government tracking I’m sure there will be very clear records of anything good (or bad) that I do in the future.

The bridge was part of the State Road that connected Charleston and Columbia with the North Carolina mountain communities into Tennessee.

It is a 14 foot Gothic arch stone structure and stretches 130 feet over Little Gap Creek.

Off to my last stop… Definitely saved the best for last. Off to Jones Gap State Park to check out Rainbow Falls.  When I arrived at the park, the ranger at the gate asked if I had ever been there before and what I was looking to do.  I let him know I had not been there before and wanted to go see Rainbow Falls. He let me know where to park, told me to register, bring water with me and pay attention to my watch. He casually said, “Park your car, go about a .5 mile and you will register….then just follow the trail along the water to Rainbow Falls.” Sounds simple, right?

Boy, was I in for a surprise. The trail roundtrip is a little under 5 miles. The total elevation gain is 2,064 feet. I clearly did not do my homework.  I saw some photos on Instagram of Rainbow Falls and thought “Oooh, pretty, I want to go.” Luckily, I am in a physical state to be able to haul some serious booty up a mountain. It was kind of cool having NO idea when I would get to the top and see this…

The picture doesn’t truly capture the 150 foot falls, but hey, you can always go check it out yourself!

Nothing out of the ordinary took place Monday through Thursday and then bright and early Friday morning it was off to California for less than 48 hours. Actually, it was not bright out at all…but, we can pretend.

I flew out of Greenville for the first time, a small and very accessible airport….quick layover in Houston….then off to the beast of an airport that is LAX.  After a 15 minute ride to get my rental car, I stood in line for about 45 minutes.  I’ve never seen a rental car place so busy. Bleh. After getting my lil whip I head to make sure I could find Pure Barre Rossmoor easily (was leading a training there the next day).  By this point, I was starving. Much to my surprise there was an In N Out in the same shopping center. I just HAD to.

…when in Cali.

Then, jumped in my car, went to check in to my hotel and then headed back to PB to take class. Yes, I took class about an hour after eating In N Out. I actually, felt great. New pre-workout fuel! Kidding.

After class, I went to see the Seal Beach Pier.  I feel compelled to at least SEE the ocean at every chance I get.

Main Street in Seal Beach runs right into The Pier. Main Street has a handful of cute shops, restaurants and bars.

California wins with the palm trees. Sorry, South Carolina.

After walking around a bit and taking some pictures, I stopped to have dinner.

Apparently, I took my fortune cookie a little too literally. Special time somehow translated into opening up the Yelp app and seeing if there were any gelato or ice cream places in the area.

I stumbled upon “Creamistry” and was immediately sold when I read “Made to order Liquid Nitrogren ice cream” and that they had Nutella flavored ice cream.

They “take pride in using high quality, premium ingredients including all-natural and organic bases, over 40 flavors, and 50 mix-ins/toppings.” First you choose your size or specialty (brownie bowl, concoction, milkshake, etc.)  Then, your base:

And, finally, your “toppings and extras”. I don’t remember the last time I was so overwhelmed.  In order to prevent myself from making an awful decision I figured I would keep it simple….

Premium base (#fatkid) + Nutella ice cream + Heath pieces = Heaven on Earth

I know this sounds dramatic, but I seriously think it was the best ice cream I have ever had.

After training on Saturday, I couldn’t decide what to get for dinner so I decided to drive around for a bit.  I drove out to Huntington Beach, Sunset Beach, Seal Beach and then found myself back in Long Beach in Belmont Shore. Belmont Shore has a super cute street that is full of shops, restaurants and bars.  Most importantly, this is where Creamistry is. Every part of adult bone in my body knows that ice cream is not an option for dinner, BUT what if I NEVER had the chance to have Creamistry again. Plus, my fortune cookie told me to treat myself to a special time this weekend.

Cookie butter ice cream + Marshmallow Swirl

I heard someone say that a small was enough for two people. HA! Speak for yourself. Yes, clearly, calorie / portion wise I am sure that it might even be more than enough for two people, but there was no way I was wasting any of mine….and there was no one there to share with me. Luckily.

I had another early flight this morning to head back home.  On the plane I was flipping through the Delta magazine and this jumped out at me…

Just a friendly reminder of why I love my job so much.

I don’t know what my problem was this weekend, but this is what I had for lunch…

It was their Signature Menu item… I had to.

Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint was the closest restaurant to my gate AND they were playing amazing tunes, so it was a win win.

I need one of these.

While in there, here’s just a few of the songs that I had the pleasure of hearing…

• Janet Jackson – “Miss You Much”
• P Diddy – “I Need a Girl”
• Warren G f/ Nate Dogg – “Regulate”
• Justin Timberlake – “Summer Love”
• TLC – “Creep”
• Chris Brown – “Run It”

Since I was sitting right next to it, I could see all the songs in cue… I was squirming in my seat waiting for…

• Blackstreet – “No Diggity”
• Michael Jackson – “The Way You Make Me Feel”
• Arrested Development – ” Tennessee”
• LL Cool J – “Going Back to Cali”

and then… A waitress came up and changed it and put on “Billionaire” by Travie McCoy. I don’t know why, but I highly dislike that song and wanted to scream. I quickly got over it, but THE nerve.

I finally arrived back in Greenville.  As I was heading to baggage claim I noticed this…

BOSTON FRIENDS AND FAMILY I hope this makes you happy! I remember reading a while back that the Greenville Drive was affiliated with the Boston Red Sox, but totally forgot.  Guess that means you should come visit me, right?

I hope you all had a wonderful week and even better weekend!  To anyone that has lived, lives or visits Greenville, let me know your favorite things to do!