Pismo Beach & Santa Barbara

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We finished off the breakfast bars for breakfast and packed our bags to move on for the 2nd last time. We drove the short distance down to take a closer look at Morro Rock. It was an overcast (foggy?) morning and there was a chill in the wind again. We took a few photos from the roadside, then ventured down to the waterside to get a better view.

To our surprise, a sea lion emerged from the water just a few feet below us! It was catching fish for breakfast, with an eager gallery of gulls floating on the water around it. I'm not sure whether the sea lion had to surface to actually eat the fish, or whether it was just playing with the birds, but it seemed to be a game where the birds would all but snatch the fish out of the seal lion's mouth! Every so often the sea lion would surface and the half-eaten fish would fly out of its mouth, to be pounced on by several gulls.

Turns out there wasn't one, but at least 5 or 6 sea lions in the immediate area. A few were catching fish and playing the same game, others were simply floating on their sides in the gentle current, occasionally submerging and re-emerging a minute or so later. We were joined on the wharf by some rather large and curious gulls, who ventured within a few feet until they realised that we had no food for them.

Time to head off down the coast again. Next stop, Pismo Beach, where Karina wants to do some shopping at the Polo Ralph Loren factory outlet centre. I drop her off and arrange to meet her in 90 mins.

Deciding to see what's around Pismo beach, I head off in a direction that looks like it might have some more shops. That quickly proves to be incorrect. In fact, wherever I go I seem to end up on a freeway ramp. Frustrated, I give up and head for the post office to post my Fry's Corsair USB drive rebate form.

I try some random driving again, this time I end up heading for the beach. Turns out it's not a very interesting part of the beach, a few miles down from the main pier. No shops, nothing but a restaurant and a car park. I take a few pictures looking towards the pier and head back to the car. My strategy is to head along the beachfront as well as I can, and this time I do end up at the main pier. I take a short wander down through the shops and out onto the pier itself. It's a windy day, and although the sun is shining occasionally, I still need long sleeves. There's a few "stand up paddle" surfers out in the smallish surf, which is interesting to watch. I'll have to give that a go some time.

It's getting close to lunchime but I'm not sure how much more shopping Karina wants to do - I'm getting rather hungry so I opt for a fresh cinammon roll in a store I noticed on the way in. They also have a Pacman/Galaga Anniversay machine but it's out of order.

I'm a few minutes late meeting Karina but am surprised she has finished her shopping! She bought some clothes for work and some casual wear and is rather chuffed at the bargains she managed to score. I take her word on it.

Time for lunch, so we head back to the pier on the recommendation of a local supermarket employee. We settle on a busy fish 'n' chip shop - Karina gets a burger and I calamri and chips. I think we were both pleased with our choices.

Time to head for Santa Barbara. Highway 1 winds through nothing but farmland now so we ask the GPS for the quickest way. On arrival we head for the harbour foreshore and find a free 90 min parking spot. After wandering along the marina it opens out onto a beach, with a bit of a "Santa Monica/Venice" vibe happening - or at least it would be if there were more people.

It's a very pleasant stroll to Stearn's Wharf, which we walk out to the end of. There's a bunch of pelicans rather intent on a number of fishermen on the wharf, and it soon becomes apparent why. The fish seem to be jumping onto the hooks, and every few minutes someone is reeling in 3 or 4 fish at a time! The small ones are thrown to the pelicans, and a very short frenzy ensues.

The pelicans allow us to get within a few feet, and there's one in particular who is almost asking for our help, no more than 2 feet away. Sadly, we see why - it has a fish hook embedded in its foot. There's nothing we can do, although Karina takes down a phone number of the local wildlife care centre and rings tomorrow morning.

We're about to leave, and suddenly there's excitement on the wharf! A fisherman has caught something big, and he doesn't know what it is. A battle ensues as his quarry leads him 10 or 20 metres up the pier. Eventually he reels it in to reveal that it's a leopard shark! With some help with a net he lands it - 4 feet long and thrashing about on the deck. Everyone with a camera strives to get a photo as the proud fisherman basks in his 15 seconds of fame!

Our time is almost up in the carpark so we head back at a slightly brisker pace to the other end of the harbour, snapping a few last photos of the harbour and the surrounding hills.

Straight back to where it all began 3 weeks ago - Holiday Inn Express in Hollywood. By now we feel like locals, and after checking in head straight down to the Great American Steak & Potato Company for dinner. It's _so_ good to eat fresh food again!

We opt for a last wander through select souvenir shops along Hollywood Walk Of Fame - and find nothing at all - ignoring pretty much everything and everyone around us. We've seen it all before! :P The souvenirs seem even cheaper and tackier this time 'round. It's like walking into a $2 shop, except everything has 'LA', 'California' or 'Hollywood' stamped on it. There's really _nothing_ worth buying in any of them.

In our room we pack our bags for the plane trip home. We're way under weight, except for our carry-ons, which are packed with breakables and souvenirs we don't want crushed in the baggage hold. Most of the weight is actually books - I have about 8 kg of them in my bag!!!

Time for bed.

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