Could Monday be topped? I'm not sure I can answer that until several years from now.
Tuesday morning, we checked out of our hotel and began our journey in the Borrego up the Pacific Coast Highway (aka California Route 1).
We started out by heading to Santa Monica for some breakfast. I was still dreaming of your ghost when we arrived at Cora's, a small breakfast place a couple blocks from the beach with an outdoor seating area covered from the sun by vines and leaves and such.
Tuesday morning, we checked out of our hotel and began our journey in the Borrego up the Pacific Coast Highway (aka California Route 1).
We started out by heading to Santa Monica for some breakfast. I was still dreaming of your ghost when we arrived at Cora's, a small breakfast place a couple blocks from the beach with an outdoor seating area covered from the sun by vines and leaves and such.
Jester and I were seated at a four-person table. As soon as she sat down, Jester noticed that several tables away was John Slattery – the silver-haired actor who plays Roger Sterling on Mad Men. Jester was noticeably geeked. Unfortunately, my back was to him, and I didn't want to be a gawker, so I kept to myself by playing jacks on the table while Jester inconspicuously stared.
A short while later, before our food had arrived, the waiter asked us if he could move us to a two-person table, as a group of four had just arrived and there was only a two-seater available. We agreed, and we ended up at the table right behind Slattery. Jessie's chair was back-to-back with his. Meanwhile, I heard a familiar voice from the other side of his table. I looked up to see Tate Donovan. Now I was geeked.
As you know, Tate Donovan played Jimmy Cooper on The OC. As I mentioned before, Slattery plays Roger Sterling on Mad Men. Roger Sterling. Jimmy Cooper. Sterling Cooper. For those of you unfamiliar with Mad Man, Sterling Cooper is the name of the advertising firm around which the show is based. It's all beginning to make sense. Mad Men is the prequel to The OC. McG, you magnificent bastard. This also explains why Mischa Barton was at The Troubadour the night before – scouting bands to play at The Bait Shop.
Energized, Jester and I headed down to the beach and then to Santa Monica Pier, where I had some of the worst chocolate-and-vanilla swirl soft-serve ice cream I've ever eaten. Then we hopped into the Borrego to begin our road trip.
We flew through Malibu, which I would describe as a nice little beach community, although I hear the chief of police is a real reactionary. From there, we went through the forgettable Oxnard and some other towns, until reaching Santa Barbara. Here are a couple random pictures of the drive. Mountains are interesting. 
Our guidebook suggested a taco stand in Santa Barbara called Super Rica, and it did not disappoint. I had one with chorizo and cheese that might be the best taco I've ever had.
We then headed to the Santa Barbara Mission, which has been there for at least a dozen years or so. It was pretty cool. Here are some pictures.
I always try to visit college campuses when I go places, so, much to Jester's chagrin, we stopped by UC Santa Barbara. The t-shirt selection in the campus bookstore was disappointing. You would think that with a unique mascot such as the Gaucho, they would have more shirts with the logo on it. I left empty-handed, unless you count an angry wife as "handed."
From there, we stayed on Route 1 through Lompoc. While it does have an awesome name, there is no reason to stay on Route 1 when it splits from 101 around Gaviota. Both routes are inland, so there's not much to see, and 101 is faster. You can stay on 101 until Pismo, where it meets back up with Route 1, presumably near a beach where Donny surfed -- Donny who loved bowling.
Our next stop was San Luis Obispo, which I've always had a strange fixation with, thanks to The Price Is Right. Growing up, and even into college, I remember seeing many TPIR episodes where Bob would ask the contestant where he or she went to college, and the response was "Cal Poly San Luis Obispo!!!" What a long name for a college, I thought. Needless to say, I had to stop at the university bookstore to get a t-shirt – and I did.
San Luis Obispo itself is a quaint town, with a pretty cool little downtown area with many bars, restaurants, and shops. It was chillier than I expected it would be. Had we not had time constraints, I definitely would have liked to stroll around a little longer.
But alas, it was not meant to be. From San Luis Obispo, we headed to Cambria, which is where we were staying that night. We rolled in about an hour before sunset. Our hotel -- the Best Western Fireside Inn -- was on Moonstone Beach Drive, right across the street from the ocean.
A short while later, before our food had arrived, the waiter asked us if he could move us to a two-person table, as a group of four had just arrived and there was only a two-seater available. We agreed, and we ended up at the table right behind Slattery. Jessie's chair was back-to-back with his. Meanwhile, I heard a familiar voice from the other side of his table. I looked up to see Tate Donovan. Now I was geeked.
As you know, Tate Donovan played Jimmy Cooper on The OC. As I mentioned before, Slattery plays Roger Sterling on Mad Men. Roger Sterling. Jimmy Cooper. Sterling Cooper. For those of you unfamiliar with Mad Man, Sterling Cooper is the name of the advertising firm around which the show is based. It's all beginning to make sense. Mad Men is the prequel to The OC. McG, you magnificent bastard. This also explains why Mischa Barton was at The Troubadour the night before – scouting bands to play at The Bait Shop.
Energized, Jester and I headed down to the beach and then to Santa Monica Pier, where I had some of the worst chocolate-and-vanilla swirl soft-serve ice cream I've ever eaten. Then we hopped into the Borrego to begin our road trip.
We flew through Malibu, which I would describe as a nice little beach community, although I hear the chief of police is a real reactionary. From there, we went through the forgettable Oxnard and some other towns, until reaching Santa Barbara. Here are a couple random pictures of the drive. Mountains are interesting. Our guidebook suggested a taco stand in Santa Barbara called Super Rica, and it did not disappoint. I had one with chorizo and cheese that might be the best taco I've ever had.We then headed to the Santa Barbara Mission, which has been there for at least a dozen years or so. It was pretty cool. Here are some pictures.I always try to visit college campuses when I go places, so, much to Jester's chagrin, we stopped by UC Santa Barbara. The t-shirt selection in the campus bookstore was disappointing. You would think that with a unique mascot such as the Gaucho, they would have more shirts with the logo on it. I left empty-handed, unless you count an angry wife as "handed."
From there, we stayed on Route 1 through Lompoc. While it does have an awesome name, there is no reason to stay on Route 1 when it splits from 101 around Gaviota. Both routes are inland, so there's not much to see, and 101 is faster. You can stay on 101 until Pismo, where it meets back up with Route 1, presumably near a beach where Donny surfed -- Donny who loved bowling.
Our next stop was San Luis Obispo, which I've always had a strange fixation with, thanks to The Price Is Right. Growing up, and even into college, I remember seeing many TPIR episodes where Bob would ask the contestant where he or she went to college, and the response was "Cal Poly San Luis Obispo!!!" What a long name for a college, I thought. Needless to say, I had to stop at the university bookstore to get a t-shirt – and I did.
San Luis Obispo itself is a quaint town, with a pretty cool little downtown area with many bars, restaurants, and shops. It was chillier than I expected it would be. Had we not had time constraints, I definitely would have liked to stroll around a little longer.
But alas, it was not meant to be. From San Luis Obispo, we headed to Cambria, which is where we were staying that night. We rolled in about an hour before sunset. Our hotel -- the Best Western Fireside Inn -- was on Moonstone Beach Drive, right across the street from the ocean.
Upon our arrival, we changed into warmer clothes, and then headed to the rocky shore across the way. There are boardwalk trails along the coast there, and several spots where you can walk right down to the water.What was awesome about this was that there were a ton of seals on the rocks in this one cove, and you could pretty much get within ten feet of them, depending on how good you are at jumping to and from wet rocks. Signs indicated that you are not to pick up the seals. I found this amusing, as most seals outweigh me, and I have no idea where I'd take one once I picked it up anyway. Here are some pictures of seals and such.
I found that seals also respond well to those who can imitate their barking.After taunting the seals and watching the sun set, we headed down the road to have dinner at the Sea Chest, which was a good cash-only seafood place on Moonstone Beach Drive. After the meal, we walked back to the hotel, encountered a drunk man who was angry with local law enforcement, and then hit the sack.
Coming in Part 4: castles, cliffs, and near tragedy
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