We certainly saw a lot of sights during our weekish-long vacation and every single sight was documented not once, not twice, but seven times over, all from slightly different angles and with slightly different poses. Of course we would immediately swap our cameras to look at each other's photos and of course we relived the magic on an almost nightly basis via Borough's laptop. There is a good chance we spent more time looking at the digitalized version of California than at the real thing.

In spite of this technological crutch, we managed to get a lot out of the trip. Your average tourist, when confronted by a famous monument or sightseeing landmark, will stare at it slack jawed for a few moments, take some horribly typical photos and look for the gift shop and/or bathroom. Team Misfits perform these average tourist duties with much glee and great gusto. In many cases, our exuberance and admitted silliness even pushed us beyond the call of duty. We took mounds of typical and atypical photos! We terrorized the gift shops without buying anything! And we took countless bathrooms breaks thanks to Evilo's fear of being stranded without a bathroom!

Hollywood: Ah, Hollywood. The tannest, blondest and perkiest place on Earth. Being the sensible computer scientists and engineers that we were, we didn't really have much connection with the glitzy hustle and bustle of Hollywood. However, that did not stop us from purchasing an $8.65 USD "Hollywood Star Map" that plotted all the famous people's houses in cartoon-like fashion. Again, being the sensible computer scientists and engineers that we were, we embarked on the Hollywood Star Drive after dinner. In the evening. When it was dark. And we couldn't see anything. Did I mention it was in the evening and it was dark and we couldn't see anything? No matter, for we were Team Misfits on a mission to outperform your average tourist! First stop was Bob Barker's house. What a rush! Our very first gawking opportunity! Huh, it looks just like a regular house. NEXT! We drove by a plethora of stars' homes, including Ben Stiller's and Madonna's, but most of them were understandably shrouded in security and mystery.

Los Angeles: There were times when we did fall back into the boring stereotypical tourist mold. We visited the Getty Center, one of LA's top destinations (even though the locals couldn't tell us how to get there and we weren't even sure they knew what we were talking about. Getty Center? Huh?), where we followed all the paths and walkways obediently. We gawked where we were supposed to gawk, sat and admired where we were supposed to sit and admire, and behaved, overall, very properly touristy. I did make one mistake though - I unwittingly stepped too close to a fountain and caused one of the security guards to have a heart attack: "Where do you think you're going?! You can't walk past that barrier! ��eyes bulge, foam specks fly from mouth, guttural noises�� Hnnhuunnnggghhh!!" The Getty Center architecture was amazing and the views of LA were smogtastically breathtaking. My favorite parts were the Stick 'n Twig Flower Towers, Rooftop Cactus Garden and Terrace with Soaring Cubical Stone Roof Thing. Admission was free even though parking was not. Huh. On our way out, we took full advantage of the complimentary umbrellas and pranced and danced and Mary Poppins-ed our way down the huge hill back to the minivan.

Lompoc: It was Eyebrows' idea from the get-go to visit Lompoc (pronounced lom-poke, not lom-pock), a town known for its fields upon fields of beautiful flowers. We accordingly added it to The Non Plan so we could indulge in some wholesome flower frolicking. Upon arrival, I was much disturbed to find Lompoc a seemingly dusty, dreary and deserted sort of place with nary a flower in sight. The good citizens of Lompoc were no more useful than their Los Angeles counterparts, and no one could tell us where to go to find the flower fields.

We eventually found some brochures at the (closed) tourist center and began driving past bare dusty field after bare dusty field. It never crossed my mind that we wouldn't find any flowers because, as previously mentioned, the entire trip was all meant to be. Sure enough, we soon came across a huge field bursting with color. We all hopped out of the minivan and dove right in. There weren't any paths or stepping stones, but the plants were growing just far enough apart so we could leap from one patch of bare soil to another without trampling anything. Ron the Happy Bishop took to the flowers like a fish to the water. Not only was his prancing, flouncing and cavorting the most joyous and carefree, but he also taught the rest of us the best angle at which to prance, flounce and cavort in order to be perfectly camera-friendly. Little did we know that this patch of flowers would turn out to be one of the most memorable and photographed sightseeing events of the trip!

Morro Bay: We went to Morro Bay for the dual purposes of visiting The Giant Chessboard and The Egg Rock. First off, we had a heckuva time finding The Giant Chessboard. The arrow pointed one way at one end of the short street and it pointed the other way at the other end of the street. So we knew it was somewhere in between, but we couldn't quite pinpoint exactly where. How anticlimactic it was when we finally did find it! Each square was barely larger than one square foot and it looked like a patio in someone's backyard. Conclusion? Giant Chessboard - not so giant.

Your average sightseer would have pooh-poohed the chessboard at this point and turned his attention to the next item on the list. But not us. No, we all hopped out of the vehicle and re-enacted a checkmate. Ron the Happy Bishop was what else but the bishop, and a happy one at that.

Having had our way with the chessboard, we next went in search of The Egg Rock. It wasn't so hard to find, but again, the actual sight did not match the description. It looked like a random pile of rocks without any eggish characteristics. Conclusion? The Egg Rock - not so egg-like.

Borough decided to race back and forth over the treacherously rocky break wall at the bottom of The Egg Rock just to see if he could do it. The rest of us watched his progress with much interest because we wanted to see him wipe out! Oops, what I meant to say was that we watched his progress with much interest because we admired his amazing speed and sense of balance. Yes, that's it. And since he did not wipe out, Borough will henceforth be referred to as Borough the Speedy Gonzales Gazelle. Note that the other tourists we encountered were very average and could hardly be bothered to even climb up onto the break wall.

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park: We spent so long flower frolicking and making the most of Tiny Chessboards and Non-Egg-like Rocks, that there wasn't much time left to see the waterfall at Julia Pfeiffer Park before sunset. The ordinary mundane tourist would have called it a day and been satisfied just driving straight to the hotel, but no, not us. "Julia Pfeiffer Park (waterfall)" was on The Non Plan and we'd be damned if we weren't going to stick to The Non Plan (well, Rob the Travel Nazi would be damned...the rest of us were just happily and unconsciously following his Travel Nazi-ing). We drove in a most maniacal manner to the Park, bolted out of the minivan and dashed madly along the dusty path past startled tourists (why weren't they at their hotels?). Success! We made it to the waterfall lookout point mere minutes before the sun set and proceeded to take copious numbers of photos as was our custom. Seeing the sun set was another item on our Non Plan, so we actually managed to kill two birds with one stone. Go go Travel Nazi-ism!

For the record, the waterfall was pretty enough by itself - the thin stream of water poured gracefully out over the rocky cliff onto the beach and was absorbed into the lapping ocean water. Coupled with the warm dreamy colors of the sunset, the waterfall was just that much more magnificent.

Pebble Beach: The 17-mile enjoyably scenic drive at Pebble Beach was an exhausting place to be a gusty and gleeful above-average tourist because there were 21 Points of Interest (PoI). Twenty-one! Team Misfits rose to the occasion, however, by stopping at each PoI to form human-shaped numbers corresponding with that particular PoI. We started to get so good at it that there was talk of simulating different font effects such as italics and shadow. Of course we took a bazillion pictures of our numbered selves.

For a bunch of city-folk who grew up in landlocked Alberta, it was mesmerizing to watch the ocean in action at PoI #6: The Restless Sea (Visitor Guide: From this vista point, take note of the unique offshore turbulence generated by the submerged terrain off Point Joe.). At PoI #10: Bird Rock (Visitor Guide: This stately landmark is home to countless shorebirds and groups of harbor seals and sea lions.), we all took turns at the telescope trying to take photos of a large poop-encrusted rock. At PoI #12: Spyglass Hill Golf Course (Visitor Guide: Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., this notorious golf course takes its name from the classic tale Treasure Island, whose author, Robert Louis Stevenson, was inspired by the wonders of the peninsula's forest and sea.), Evilo really outdid herself by going to the bathroom not once, but TWICE within a ten-minute span. The Lone Cypress at PoI #16: The Lone Cypress (Visitor Guide: As one of California's most enduring landmarks, The Lone Cypress has prevailed on its rocky perch for over 250 years. This icon of fortitude has inspired many and is revered as the eternal symbol of Pebble Beach Company.) was a sad and lonely-looking tree supported by a number of heavy cables.

Admittedly, we all breathed a sigh of relief when we finally reached PoI #21: Pebble Beach Equestrian Center (Visitor Guide: Guided horseback trail rides, riding lessons, boarding, and numerous major West Coast equestrian events are held here annually.). It's hard work crawling in and out from the third row of a minivan 21 times!

Point Lobos State Reserve and Big Basin Redwoods State Park: We took advantage of the great Californian outdoors via state parks and reserves. The Point Lobos State Reserve, advertised as the crown jewel of California's state park system, had a number of trails to choose from. We went on the Sea Lion Point and Sand Hill trails, where we spent a considerable amount of time watching the ocean water crash up against the rocks (Visitor Guide: The Devil's Cauldron between Sea Lion Point and Sea Lion Rocks is often a churning display of ocean power. Remain at a safe distance.). Borough the Speedy Gonzales Gazelle seemed to especially like this trail, and took oodles of photos at The Devil's Cauldron. At the Bird Island Trail, we stopped at China Cove to play in the sand and take pictures of ourselves playing in the sand (Visitor Guide: China Cove's sparkling jade-green waters are framed by hanging Cliffside gardens.).

Point Lobos had a permeating wild and free feeling to it. Maybe that's what prompted Rob the Travel Nazi to wander off the trail, at one point, and sit in a most daring manner on the edge of a drop-off in spite of his fear of heights and drop-offs. Me, I loved the different colors of vegetation, and I admit to stealing a few long stalks of straw things to use as decoration back home. It sure was a hassle getting them home without crushing them, but well worth the effort.

The Redwood Loop Trail was the part of the trip Evilo was looking forward to the most. Not only did this trail showcase the tallest measured tree in the park (Mother Tree), but it also had the two trees with the largest circumferences (Father Tree and Santa Clara Tree (17-ft diameter!)). Now if you'll recall, Evilo didn't give a rat's buttock about Tall Trees. Nono, she was only interested in Big Trees. Happily, the Father and Santa Clara Trees qualified as "Big" in Evilo's books, so we encouraged her to get up close and personal with them while secretly videotaping. "There's a non-wimpy tree you can Hug, Evilo!" ��Evilo hugs the non-wimpy tree�� "Kick up your leg!" "I'm not kicking my leg up!" "Do it!" ��Evilo kicks up her leg�� "Okay now throw your head back and look like you really mean it!" Another tree of note was the Chimney Tree - a redwood that was hollow from bottom to top due to a fire, but was still growing and healing. We went inside the Chimney and took lots of pictures looking up, so many of the photos included views up other peoples' noses. Such elite photography skills! Chalk up another win for Team Misfits!

San Francisco: We toned down the tourist flamboyancy once we reached San Francisco for whatever reason, but that didn't stop us from taking in as much of the city as we could. We walked the Stanford campus feeling decidedly old, wise and mature among all the bright-eyed bushy-tailed students. We meandered in and around Fisherman's Wharf, Pier I, Union Square and Lombard St. We enjoyed the morning sunshine at the Palace of Fine Arts (where we found a 1 GB memory card - alas, there were no photos or adventures recorded on it) and we braved the chilly nighttime winds at The Golden Gate bridge (where we took many blurry photos of the bridge and of each other).

The atmosphere, the food, the buildings, the nightlife...we only had small glimpses of San Francisco from a visitor's point of view, but I loved it. I would have liked to spend more time at Sausalito and I also wanted to see the Haight-Ashbury district, but these things were not on The Non Plan and Rob the Travel Nazi likely would have popped a vein at the mere thought of a deviation. No doubt he was already reeling from other Non Plan inconsistencies - none of the non-females ever did make it to the Alcatraz:

Summary: I am writing this recap almost two years after the fact, so I'm sure there are things I've forgotten and left out. But considering I've managed to fill four pages (Times New Roman, 12 point, 1 inch margins) with just a macro overview of all the things we saw, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that we sure managed to pack in a lot of things on this trip. I hereby declare Team Misfits as Super Supreme Tourists and will henceforth refer to ourselves as such.

As a further testimony to Team Misfits the Super Supreme Tourists' exemplary skills, we ended up with so many photos that I couldn't fit all of them all onto one CD - and two of our cameras weren't even digital!