On the way to Monterey!

Our first day on the road found us settling in at the Elk’s Lodge in Santa Barbara, which is actually in Goleta in case you were curious. They have about 20 full hookup sites and the lodge is absolutely beautiful and extra-large, double-huge. Getting to Santa Barbara, however, was a bitch! We had to go through Los Angeles traffic. We started to hit traffic around the 405. People were cutting in and out without signaling, following too closely and were just totally rude drivers. I hate driving through L.A. When we got to LAX, the traffic slowed from “creep and crawl” to “stop, stay stopped and then inch ahead”. People were cutting in and out without signaling, following too closely and were just totally rude drivers. I hate driving through L.A. At the cutoff to Hwy. 101, we just stayed in our lane and gritted our teeth. People were still cutting in and out without signaling, following too closely and were just totally rude drivers. I hate driving through L.A. It wasn’t until we got somewhere around Thousand Oaks that the traffic start lightening up and I could start driving somewhat normally again. Even Gizmo barked at a couple of cars. Good dog! I hate driving through L.A.

Once we got to the Elk’s Lodge in Santa Barbara, we got set up, romped Gizmo and took off for Buellton to check out the RV park where we will be staying in October. We also checked out some restaurants and got some local info at the Visitor’s Center. After a quick stop at Albertson’s for some needed supplies, we headed home for a refreshing cup of coffee, a more refreshing shower, dinner and an early dive into bed. Tomorrow…San Luis Obispo to see my sister.

Tuesday morning, October 4th – We got off about 9:30 (after I rousted Gizmo from the driver’s seat)

and arrived at the Elk’s Lodge in San Luis Obispo about an hour later. It was a beautiful drive on a four-lane divided road that meandered through cattle and wine country and right along the coast. We saw some otters swimming around the kelp beds and some deer mixed in amongst the cattle. Again, I leered at them! After checking in and setting up, I put in a call to my sister and then made lunch while we waited for her to arrive. She showed up right at noon. After all the hugs and “Howdy’s” , we took off to pre-run some of the trip.

We headed north and stopped at Hearst Castle to check out the RV parking situation. All fine…no problems here. We again headed north and stopped at the Vista Point lookout and the Elephant seal rookery just south of the Piedras Blancas lighthouse.

There were about 75 critters lying on the beach in all modes of sunbathing, covering up with sand, playful sparring and posing for photographs. The males get to 16’ in length and can weigh more than 5,000 pounds. They typically dive between 1000-2000 feet to feed but can dive to over 5,000 feet. WOW!

We then turned south and stopped at the world famous town of Harmony, California.

The town of Harmony

Harmony, population 18, is famous for being the town that was put up for sale on Ebay. Remember that? The town has about eight buildings and one 100-yard long main street. After visiting Harmony, we stopped at Cambria to buy some pies for dinner and then did a drive-through of Cayucos before returning to our rig to get ready for dinner. Gizmo started doing back flips when he saw us. He wanted OUT! He got a nice long romp. We then cleaned up and headed for my sister’s house for dinner. Tonight we are having Seafood Pie with a pound (each) of shrimp, scallops and crab and a Caesar salad. Tomorrow I will diet (Dive into everything tasty!).

OH NO!!!! TRAGEDY HAS STRUCK!!! Gizmo has fleas!!! I kept telling him to watch where he walked and who he struck up a friendship with. I think this RV lot behind the Elk’s Lodge is like a flea factory. It’s all dirt and weeds and backs up to heavy brush and trees. We are going out today to sightsee and meander. One of our stops now will be to pick us some flea shampoo and/or anti-flea medicine for the Giz. Another stop will (hopefully) be the See Canyon Winery just down the road. I picked up a case of an absolutely outstanding Chardonnay a few years back. Maybe I’ll luck out again.

The stop at PetCo was successful! We left with a good flea spray that kills fleas and their eggs for up to a month. Good! The only good flea is a dead flea! After several mini-stops for various and sundry items, we wound up at a Mexican restaurant where we shared a red snapper burrito. Delicious!

Returning home, we de-fleaed Gizmo. He wasn’t thrilled with the whole thing. I tried to convince him it was for his own good but he was more interested in getting a treat than listening to me. I then made a suggestion that we go to the winery. Claudia said no! I called for a vote. Gizmo voted to go. Valentino voted to go. I voted to go. Claudia voted NOT to go. The vote was three to one to go. We didn’t go!

Since we were outvoted, I prepped the rig to leave tomorrow morning. I filled the fresh water tank and got the key to the dump station. Since five o’clock was approaching and our chores were done, we took off to the lodge for a toddy and some power relaxing. Our stay here in San Luis has been fun. Tomorrow…Monterey!

Today is tomorrow and we are here in Monterey at the Elk’s Lodge. We drove Highway 1 and survived. Actually, the only BAD part of the road was a 10 to 15-mile section around Ragged Point. There were a couple of 5 MPH curves where we were over the centerline and you had to do it when there was no oncoming traffic. Luckily, traffic was light and, with my extraordinary driving skills, we had no problems. The route from Morro Bay to Monterey was about 123 miles and took us three hours and forty minutes without stopping, except to let traffic pass.

After settling in, we visited the Visitor’s Center, loaded up on brochures and maps, did a little sightseeing, returned to the rig and poured a nice cool adult beverage. Life is good! We have decided to stay here for just one night. Tomorrow we head for the area of Yosemite. Where we stay will be decided later tonight over (probably) several glasses of wine.