After committing a misdemeanor at the San Jose landfill, our first real stop was in Paso Robles to survey the damage from the recent earthquake. It was considerable, and everyone in town seemed to have ventured downtown to see it…

 

We arrived in San Luis Obispo and checked into our suite at the Motel 6 about 7:00. We headed downtown and dinner was at a place called Mo’s Barbecue. I was taken in by a menu item called “North Carolina Pork Shoulder”. I was not amused when they handed me a plate full of shredded random animal smothered in some sort of ketchup and molasses sauce. There was no indication that it was pork and it resembled nothing I’ve ever seen in North Carolina…

Why is that most of the country thinks barbecue is defined by the (generally nasty, ketchupy, and sweet) sauce rather than the meat? Outside my home state, I tink Memphis Minnie’s is the only place that gets it right…

After dinner, we walked around downtown a bit. It’s a nice town…

 

We had breakfast in the former Howard Johnson’s next to the Motel 6. It was too bad the original occupant wasn’t still there, and I started worrying that this wasn’t going to be a very successful vacation where food was concerned…

 

Today’s itinerary included Avila Beach, Pismo Beach, Grover Beach, and Arroyo Grande. I like Pismo; it’s more of the cheap, tacky sort of coastal town I grew up with, and not one of those pretentious California “coastal communities”…

Afterward, we headed back downtown and had lunch at a surprisingly good taqueria, the Burrito Wagon. We hit a few bookstores, one lackluster record store, and came home…

We opted for dinner in the room with Cops and Big Daddy’s Pizza…

Breakfast at McDonald’s. We were in a hurry and on a budget, and McDonald’s serves up a good breakfast anyway…

 

After checking out, we drove toward Los Osos and then to Morro Bay. Morro Bay was nice, particularly the way the smokestacks from the power plant were juxtaposed against all the nature. Nature is, after all, overrated. We walked around town, and even went to the rather small aquarium, where the sea life was, at least, frisky…

 

Then it was off to Hearst Castle. It was a Citizen Kane dream come true. Yes, I find William Randoph Hearst interesting too, but it was fun picturing Orson Wells sitting in all those big chairs. Yeah, I liked Hearst Castle…

 

 

We came home on Highway 1, which means I’ve seen all of it from Fort Bragg to Pismo Beach and from Las Cruces to El Segundo now. Which — scenic as it is — is probably enough, my love of nature being what it is(n’t) and all…

Good trip. We liked…