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Published: November 4th 2009
Well a long journey to the first lighthouse and a stop en route to get some supply’s , we have had enough of pasta chicken dinners, so get some minced beef for Bolognese, deodorant, they only have lady’s stick’s here, not spray’s! When I asked a lady about it she said it would be nice, so there is a marketing opportunity for the big companies out there! Also we had enough of paying for internet and as everywhere has free wifi (and everyone travels with a netbook), we decided that it would be cheaper to get our own! Good so far!
Travelling up the Highway 1 at a nice even pace after dark, we get over taken at high speed by a surfer dude in a beetle! Then there appears to be lots of people in the road a couple of cars and a motorcycle on the other carriageway and a pick-up on our side with torches, Liam prepares for super hero first aider mode then we see it’s a deer been hit by a car. Liam states he hasn’t done that course and we drive past. We see our surfer friend several miles later having a chat with the
local constabulary! (Highway Patrol for the uninitiated).
Anyway, I nearly miss the turning, thank god for Liam’s sharp eye’s! We check in at a lovely place, shame it is the smallest lighthouse in the world! Nice people were on reception and we got taken to our box! We went into the kitchen and cooked up a storm, the few people that were their mentioned that it smelt lovely, I am sure it is all of the garlic that we used! We cooked so much that we could not eat it all! Luckily we booked in for two nights, so we set a portion aside!
Up at a decent hour, as the hostel is closed between 11am and 3.30pm. Loaded up with sandwiches and a full bladder of water we head off for a little walk, 4 or 5 hours later we come back from an amazing walk to the beginning of Half moon bay! We walked all the way to the military base and found we could not go in, so came back. Charlotte was very brave and walked along the very edge of the cliff quite a lot!!
Little bit of a sleep and we are
off again, to the next light house that is a lot closer. Today is a lazy day!, on no, off again, my mistake! We arrive quicker than expected, had a good look around then checked in with the manager Jeff who looks like the love child of Weird Al, Howard Stern and Jerry Sadowitz. (Yes they’re real people Google them!), who is possibly the most laid back man in California, we also book 30 min’s in the hot tub. We pick the right time as we get to see the sunset on the horizon and were looking forward to the film they were showing that night, the original Frankenstein & the bride of Frankenstein!
Unfortunately the DVD never showed up! They put on journey to the centre or the earth, which was of no interest to us, so we tried to chill out between the screaming, and incessant jabbering of the owners kid. Mind you it was better than the overcrowded lounge in the next block. Finally, it stopped playing chess with one of its imaginary friends (this kid needs help!) and went off to play computer games with its brother……..Peace!
Up and onto the next hostel, after
we found out the one in Cambria was full we booked into a very empty one in a little college town of San Luis Obispo, we travelled along Highway 1 and had a couple of stops along the way. Some places that are crazy like Santa Cruz (where they filmed The Lost Boys) the home of surfing (we parked by another lighthouse) they were setting up for a surf competition next week. We go along the boardwalk and see all the shops, restaurants and more sea lions at the end, as well as mad people dressed up as cats, Spiderman and Scooby doo (Halloween!).
Then some that were very quiet like Carmel by the sea which had designer stores and some sand that was so fine that it was like builders dust! The views were amazing, crazy dogs crapping and heading straight for the sea (their own version of toilet paper) and the surf was a little shady, but getting there!
Well, we arrived at the hostel and popped out for a little supper at the local “big sky café” voted top place to eat by the local college students. Steaks all around and away with all of
the strange Halloweeness!! We were lucky, they were mostly students in the area, so they were off out a lot later than we were! My god I needed some sleep & in the comfortable bed I found at that hostel, sleep was what I did do!
The clocks went back an hour this morning, so we had a little bit more of a lay in, a quick coffee and we are off and away. 208 miles today, to get to Santa Monica, where we hope to score a hostel for the night!
Some lovely scenery all the way along the coastal road, although I am doing all of the driving, I am so glad we have chosen this route (especially when Liam has to look down off of the edge of the road to the cliff's below and I just have to look at the road!).
As soon as I get fed up of the windy road, we get a straight one, it is great! We pushed on through and saw some lovely views from the road, not stopping until we get to a turning in Malibu and a little place called Paradise cove. We thought that
we would look and see if we fancied lunch there, but found that the road forced us into a paid for car park, well, we had to go in and get lunch. They gave us a flashing, vibrating lobster and said it would be an hour of so wait, so we when and sat on the beach catching a few ray’s until the lobster went off!
Mmmm! Giant Shrimp Cocktail (prawn to you & me!) for starters, and cheese burger to share for main course, then the biggest slice of chocolate cake for pudding. We had a little bit each, then had to call for a box to take away the rest! I think it may last the rest of the holiday!
The sun started disappearing around the cove as we sat eating. Funny learning the history of the place. It turns out that it is used for many films, but the owner brought it in the 50’s. His kids had an ideal upbringing on the beach there, until Dad suddenly sold up. Both son’s went off and done well, before both finding wife’s and having a family and settling down. They were lucky enough to be able
My new house on the beach!
in a little cove we discovered on the walk.to buy it back again and are now bringing up their own kids, the way that they were brought up!
On to Santa Monica and the HI is full, other than a family room at 90 dollars, too much! So somehow we make our way back to West Hollywood and the Banana bungalow in a small private room (bigger than Liam’s Chalet back at Pontins) which have a room for us for the next five nights! Woo hoo!
Chill out for a bit, then Liam head’s out to find some wine: meeting a couple of vagrants who claimed I was the tallest person they had ever seen, and pointed me in the direction of their mother, the vagrant at the local petrol station(it appears to be a tramp in the US you must have a shopping trolley). I find some wine in the nearby pharmacy (yes, I know!).
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Little Charlotte
non-member comment
WOWWW!!
Hello!! Hope everything is goin okay and your havin such a fab time indeed!! Well i must say by the photos it does look as tho you are!! haha But im mostly jealous of that ..... CHOCOLATE CAKE!! Please send me some in the post!! :D Sorry i havent been in touch much ...just got internet back up and running! Well keep me posted as i love sharing your journey from rainy Sheffield!! Keep safe, lots of love and snogs xxxxxxx :D xxxxxxxx