Playboy Mansion … CHECK

"A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds"

-Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

"Knowing the right people helps too."

-Me (1978-)

Before I begin, I have to thank Miguel Lopez for getting me a credential to go to the Strikeforce MMA fight at the Playboy Mansion. I know I would not have been able to get in otherwise.

Many that read this are in the newspaper business. And I know that it sucks being in the business right now. However, I was taught you could find stories that could take you places you wouldn't ordinarily get into. Well, I didn't cover this event, but I wrote about it online in a work blog.

Ah, a trip to the Playboy Mansion. It sounds like a fantasy. Well on this Saturday, it was a reality.

Now there is no parking at the Playboy Mansion, so Miguel and I had to park at UCLA and take a shuttle over. Driving up to the mansion was scenic, but you knew you were there when you saw a sign that said "Playmates at play."

Awesome!

However, it's not as hedonistic as the sign would lead you to believe. People are dressed at all times; well at least for this fight they were. By the way, people paid $1,000 for a ticket to this event, so Miguel and I saved $2,000.

The best way I could describe most of the women who came to this fight is what a former columnist at my old paper said when he covered a boxing match at the Playboy Mansion – championship abundance. Honestly, some of it was sad because its all these women had.

Miguel and I had time to walk around the grounds before the fights were set to begin. We went into the world famous grotto and that was nice and relaxing, if you like steamed rooms. After that, we walked to the mini bird zoo. I say mini because I had to duck down a lot. Apparently, Hugh Hefner is 5-5. I'd never seen some of the birds in there. I hardly took any pictures because I would have needed a flash and some of these birds looked pissed.

I also said hi to one of my heroes from my hero list on myspace, Bas Rutten. I highly recommend watching that video.

There was no entry into the house, so don't ask.

The reason why we were there, the MMA fights, was nothing special. They have some good talent at Strikeforce, but still have a way to go before catching the UFC.

I did see two members from the cast of "My Name is Earl" sitting behind me: Jamie Pressly and Ethan Suplee. From what I saw, they were nice people. Anyone who wanted a picture with them, they posed with. They weren't upset when someone didn't know how to work a camera.

I took more photos after the fight, but Miguel and I had seen enough. The only sober people left were the reporters and it was getting stupid. Besides, Hef had already turned in before the fights had ended. He must have had more pressing business.

I have family and friends that travel the world to experience places and people. I hardly travel so I have to make do with where I am. And to be honest, I'm almost done with experiencing everything Southern California has to offer after tonight.

My work on Leno

Well I finally made it to national television for the second time, in a way. The first time, it was my arm that was broadcast from coast-to-coast and beyond as I was covering the breaking story of Kobe Bryant being arrested for rape. A heard of reporters were interviewing Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis and my arm was holding a tape recorder. (If you care to see my arm, consult ESPN Classic for replays of Kobe Bryant being arrested as a top story in the 25-year history of ESPN.)

This time it is my work that made the television. Yes, my work was featured on "The Tonight Show" as part of their weekly "Headlines" segment. As you can see, I have Mother Teresa as a sports bettor.

Well our long-winded sports columnist Doug Krikorian has a weekly, personal minimum 45-inch rant about everything under the sun. There are some times he will write 70 inches, which my friend Feenstra pointed out to me, is way taller than him.

In these columns that coincidentally deal little with sports, he also gets four mug shots (tiny photos of someone's face) and they are always in an order he wants them. We've mugged a chicken once because he wanted it that way. And usually the first person he wants is someone we never have on file, I'm willing to bet it is one of his friends.

Well on this column led off about sports bettors he wanted some local degenerate, and I wasn't going to waste an hour looking for a jackass I know I'm not going to find. So, I went to the next one in line. It's standard except on this day it was Mother Teresa.

So, my designed page was on Leno.

Day 9: Long Beach (The end)

Thanks to a noon check out I was able to take my time in the morning. I checked out at 11:30 a.m. and headed to the nearby mission called La Purísima Concepción, or The Pure Conception for you non-Spanish speakers. This mission was reconstructed in the 1930s.

Most of what I know about missions is what I learned in 4th grade history lessons, like most school kids from the State of California. The park ranger gave me a quick rundown of things to see here as I paid for parking. He ended the conversation by saying, "Once you cross one of the two wooden bridges, you'll be in 1821." I crossed a bridge to see sprinklers running in a pasture area. I doubt Franciscan missionaries or the Native Americans would have mastered water irrigation that well.

I thought I would spend at most an hour there, but I was there for more than two. There was much to see and much to think about. The first place I visited (I didn't have a map of the complex, I just went were I wanted) was the mission cemetery. There were no markers so I wondered about the people who were buried here and where they were from.

The church was also stirring. It was big and cool inside. I was in there by myself and could hear the echoes of my steps.

The mission also showed other types of working and living conditions from soldiers to the natives. There really was more than I expected to see and if I had more time, I probably would have seen it or gone down more trails.

I left here to go to Jamala Beach. It was 14 of the twistiest (if that is a word) miles away from PCH. It took about 20 minutes to get there when I realized you had to pay to get in. So I immediately drove back.

As I drove down PCH, I found out that California Highway 1 actually ends when it meets up with the U.S. Highway 101 south of Buellton. I found this weird because PCH in Long Beach is CA-1. A few miles later I saw a turnout for CA-1, which puzzled me even more.

Anyway, I kept on PCH through Oxnard to Point Magu where I made my last stop of this trip. I got out and looked at the beach and the waves crashing against the rocks. I could have also sworn to see dolphins, but it could've been seals, which I did see.

I got off of PCH at the California Incline in Santa Monica, had dinner with friends and then came home by way of the freeways. Then I decided to get on PCH on more time and got off the 110 onto PCH next to San Pedro and drove west. In little time, I was in Long Beach and turned for home.

Over the past couple of days I have been lucky enough to drive and spend the past week seeing family, friends and things I ordinarily wouldn't have seen. I estimate that I took more than 1,200 pictures.

I strongly recommend this drive to anyone who is thinking about it. I would do this drive again. The only thing I would change is to have company.

And finally, for those of you who have been reading these blogs, thanks. I hope it wasn't boring in any way.

Miles traveled today: 205

Miles traveled total: 1,278

Day 8: Lompoc

I backtracked a little today, 6 miles, to get to Hearst Castle. The media mogul William Randolph Hurst (who, a legend as it, told his photographers during the Spanish-American War: "You provide the pictures, I'll provide the war.") built the castle in the foothills overlooking the San Simeon Pier.

The castle is now owned by the State of California and the tour costs about $25, but I decided to pass. Besides, I had visions of me yelling out when I got up to the castle "Where's Patty, I am the rebirth of the Symbionese Liberation Army!" I don't think they would have found that funny as me.

I drove down the road a bit to Cambria to look around mostly. I did find the greatest title to a child's book and I want to know why I am just now finding out about this.

Driving into the Morro Bay area you can't help but notice Morro Rock. There are two different theories about how this rock came to be: It was either a volcano that petrified or liquid hot magma (said like Dr. Evil) pooled at that location and erosion formed the rock. Either way, the damn rock is huge.

I followed that by going to Morro Bay State Park. There is a museum there that costs $2. It's interactive and fun.

Less than 20 minutes away is another state park, Montaña del Oro. It's bigger and has access to the beach in a couple of places. You drive through a forest of dry trees and hope that a forest fire never finds this place. My second stop at this park was a beach were there where cliffs on the left and a rocky area on the right with a pebble beach in the middle. The rocks were like shingles that were part on land and part in the ocean. The rocks were also home to small water life including hermit crabs.

On my way to Lompoc – pronounced LOM-poke – I drove through San Luis Obispo and Guadalupe. I found Guadalupe more interesting since it was town that needed the highway more than SLO. Guadalupe had murals on building, one was a map showing you where you were on the coast and a chart showing you how far cities are away from there. I wish I had taken a picture of it.

I am sort of getting tired from the driving and checked in to my hotel early. The Quality Inn here is being renovated and I am experiencing high definition television for the first time and 25 inches of it. Everything else just looks like crap now.

I get a late checkout on my return to Long Beach. With the noon checkout time, I am going to make the most of it. After checkout, I am going to the local mission, La Purisima. I would have gone today, but I got there as they closed down. I am also going to go to a few beaches between here and Santa Monica where I am going to get dinner with a friend, and it will be the first time I talk to someone in person with a familiar face since Tuesday.

Miles traveled today: 131

Miles traveled total: 1,073