16 December, 1999
Oooooh-Baby! What a great day!
After spending two nights with our good pal Doug (and his wonderful parents) in Pasadena we headed north on Hwy 101 to Pismo Beach (took about 3.3 hours). Driving on the freeway was a treat- smoooooth ride from the OME suspension and we actually have some pickup for passing even at 65- a totally new experience. Steve also thinks that the headers made Sandy quieter but Jocelyn thinks that maybe it is just a lower pitch noise and not really quieter. One thing for sure- the lack of exhaust leak is pretty darn cool.
So we went to Pismo Beach to play on the dunes and WOW! was that fun! 
There are an immense number of dunes to play on but we only stayed near the "front"- 
within a half-mile of the water- because we were alone and if something had happened nobody would have known where we were if we were back too far. There were two other trucks out there for a little while but one of 'em kept getting stuck so I guess they decided to leave.
Sandy drove like a champ. We got a few pictures of us jumping a dune- 
Jocelyn actually took a couple of runs at the dune and caught some air both times- at least 2 wheels off the ground, maybe 3 or 4- very impressive considering that she also screamed most of the way (and smiled, especially after the jumps). That's not to say that Steve didn't have a few puckered-up moments- backing down off of a dune that he couldn't quite drive up (not once, but 3 times) was a little scary for the novice dune-driver. All in all it was a really good learning experience for us.
Only used the airlocker once (ok, used it two or three times- only needed it once) and the traction difference was pretty darn impressive. Glad to have it aboard.
No winching, no running into anything with the bullbar… but then again we figure that's a good thing.
The only down side to the whole day was that when we went to air-up the tires we discovered that the air-chuck doesn't seem to really work so…. we borrowed air from 
Angelo's Towing to air up, then stopped at a Napa to get a new chuck- one that works this time. It was quicker to use the shop's air anyway as it was certainly faster than our compressor would have been- but Steve was a little bummed that we didn't get to play with all of our new toys.
Oh- did we mention the fantastic weather? The day was perfect. Clear and warm and so darn sunny it hurt your eyes to look at the water. As much as we were both hoping for some real winter before driving off to the tropics- it is hard to find a complaint with 70 degree days at the beach in December.
We've added some new info about upgrades to the ride page with a picture or two so feel free to check it out.
We also threw together a quick'n'easy page with more pics of Pismo you can find it here.
19 December, 1999
Spent yesterday getting Red-Cross certified for CPR and First Aid. We acted as though we aren't together to better assimilate into the class and to not depend on each other to learn. Kinda fun!
During our lunch break in the parking lot, Steve decided to work on the broken choke cable and we had more people ask us if we needed AAA -- we forget that not everyone works on their automobile every chance they get.
Beebee spent the evening wrapping presents while Steve reconnected the CB and ran a line from the compressor to the front bumper and added a quick disconnect. Sounds like Beebee got the easy job huh? There were lots and lots of gifts. Really. Not buying it? We didn't think so.
Steve's off to Hollister Hills, a 4-wheeling area designed like a ski resort with rated runs and such. We'll have a full report for you later on what it's like.
23 December, 1999
Steve had a blast at Hollister Hills the other day. We apologize for not having any pics, but he was alone and didn't get a chance to ask anyone else to snap any shots. The good news is that he is out there again today with our friend Keith Studley -- and yes, that's his real name. So there should be some great shots to put up.
We spent Sunday having "xmas dinner" with J's fam. 
Monday was beautiful. We started out having coffee down in Capitola and enjoying a fantastic view of Monterey Bay, then off to lunch on Aldo's deck (even though the restaurant was closed) with J's Dad and Greta, then ran on the beach, then finished off the day by watching a fantastic sunset just south of The Cove in Santa Cruz. 
Then we headed over to Kate's (J's best friend) where we made dinner, drank wine and talked until the wee hours.
On Wednesday, Beebee and her sisters baked cookies all day and her little neice and nephew helped out with the decorating. Oh yeah, and that Steve guy, he was out doing silly stuff like putting the LightForce lights on Sandy … (pics coming soon)
25 December, 1999
family gathered 'roundwith paper all over the ground
two hours of opening presents
to see what santa had left us
electronics and books
things small enough for truck crannies and nooks
then with the morning passed
we waited for more family -- at last!
little ones brimming with joy
and finally dinner, oh boy!
with good food in our tummies
we settled down with nog and sweet yummies
and thanked the heavens and stars
for such a great family as ours.
26 December, 1999
With all the fam still around, we headed out to Carmel by the Sea and to one of the neatest beaches in all of California -- that's in our opinion of course. 
The sand is nearly white and forms this huge hill about 50 feet high that levels off just a little ways from the water. This makes for great lounging and a bird's eye view of the waves and surfers. This is the most popular tourist beach in Carmel, but hardly ever crowded, as Carmel is tucked in with fog 90 percent of the year. 
But today it was maybe 72 degrees, warm and barely breezy. The crazy older brothers, who didn't just move here from So Cal, went boogie boarding in the nasty-cold water and got pummelled by the huge waves.
In the evening Steve spent a good chunk of time with his best friend from high school while Beebee stayed home and spent some QT with her mom.