On the way there, Coty drove so I could admire all the beautiful scenery and boy do I love fall time. The leaves were some what reminiscent of multicolored butterflies, trying to fly in the wind. Once we arrived to our destination, we quickly hopped on our bikes and sped down the street. We took some random turns that landed us down a street we have never ventured before. The streets turned to old cobble stone, with random pieces sticking up like booby-traps. Down one of the streets, we locked up the bikes near a segway tour store and walked. We peeked our heads into a few different eclectic stores, some having log chairs and T-rex sculptures. Walking a bit further down the streets, a very steep broken cement staircase caught our eyes. You could tell it had been built, tended to, then patched up again over the years. Coty took some amazing shots of the area, then we were back on our bikes. Going down the hills were fine, but going back up mentioned hills.....I wanted to kill Coty. He was able to quickly push up the hills, standing out of the saddle of the bike and wiggling his little butt side to side at the pace of his pedals. Me on the other hand, I wanted to give up and walk my bike. This is where I had to make a decision: either give up and walk or stick to it and make it up the steep hill. I pushed through the intense urge to quit and made it all the way up. This may not be a big deal, but I was proud of myself for not quitting.
Once I caught my breath, we headed back to the main streets to look for somewhere to eat. We stumbled across a place called "Nacho Mamas" with a big red chili pepper on the sign and a sun painted on the building. Entering the building, we asked an employee if they had anything vegan and what there was. Her face lit up with a smile, nodded yes and she happily showed us the menu. We were seated on the upper level, in a booth and snacked on some chips and salsa while waiting for our food to be served. Coty ordered the "Happy Hippy", which is a new dish they are about to add to the menu and of course I ordered their fresh guacamole dish. I devoured that guacamole like it was my last meal, and how could I not; it had fresh chunks of avocado, veggies and was slightly spicy.
We slowly rode back to the car ( with happy and full bellies) and decided to get some groceries from Ellwood Thompsons local market. I walked in and felt like a kid in a candy store; there were so many things to look at! From all the different types of vegan food to the variety of fresh produce, I was stunned. Also, I noticed some vegan bath bombs and Coty was a sweetheart and bought me a peppermint candy cane one since I love mint things. We checked out, loaded the car, then started our trek home. Coty and I were talking on the way home and came to a thought...we didn't run into a single mean or negative person. No one hassled us, people greeted us with smiles, treated us nicely and it overall, made for a delightful day getaway. Now I am going to go make some soy mint hot chocolate and relax. If you have any places you think we would enjoy going, don't be a stranger.
