Back up the coast

It's January 3, it's 9:00 am, and I've just dropped off coffee with my wife before I hit the road. I'm still deciding on the route as I hit the 405 and roll into the valley in record time. I have to go to San Luis Obispo before heading home, so I take the 101. and head for Ventura.

10:00- Ventura
11:00- Santa Barbara

11:30- Just outside of Los Osos, and I decide it's time for lunch. I pull into the college town of San Luis Obispo and park in front of this place.

 

Side Note - Weird California
I have a fondness for the odd, the weird, and the obscure. The "weird" series of books is a guilty pleasure for me. So when I have time on my various trips to visit strange locations, I do. More about Bubble Gum Alley can be found here.
Since Weird California is an obvious one, I keep a copy of it in the bus and use it to redirect some of my drives.
I'll be posting more about the side trips soon. In the meantime, feel free to waste your afternoon here.


I am visiting a friend in Los Osos, home of Go Westy, so I stop by his place first, and their place next. There is nothing that I need, I'm afraid that Go Westy has provided me with cool camping gear all too well. So I look around the lot and admire the perfect vehicles.

The back of Go Westy has a pile of buses that are no longer drivable. They are carefully labeled and are giving up their parts so that others may remain on the road. There is something about that idea that is part Zen, and part Wall-E.

And I've decided to take the slow road, and head through Morro Bay, Cambria, San Simeon,

and I stop to look at the Elephant Seals.

This squirrel was as interested as I was.

It's time to put those shocks and that steering box to the test. I head towards Monterey and stop occasionally to smell the sea, the cypress, and the sage.

I'm just outside of Post Ranch Inn and the sun is reminding me why I took this road.

Yes, one hand on the wheel, one on the camera, and my head facing the wrong direction on a twisty road. Don't try this at home.

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2011 was a rough year that ended poorly. I took this road trip to spend time with my wife in L.A. and to regain perspective. There is nothing like a long slow drive to focus the mind on wider aspirations. So here I am, January 3, reminding myself what it is all about, and that it is all so beautiful.

Enjoy the ride, don't forget to stop and admire the scenery.