Route 66 to Alaska: Astounding Beauty

Happy Memorial Day!

We left Ventura, (yes on the highway), at about 8:30. We stopped for breakfast at Pete's Breakfast House. We read the reviews that said it was a great place. We weren't surprised when we drove up to see a line up outside. The hostess told us we were early enough to beat the crowd. She said that they served over 6000 people for breakfast the day before. It was incredible and we even got a few tips on where to go on our trip.

We left with fog and 57 degrees but the beauty of the coast shines through anyway. We have been astounded to see hundreds of motor homes and campers lining the road along the beach. It is legal to camp in designated areas on the roadside. I get that people want to see the beauty of the ocean; that's why we're here, but we are riding along all alone, not with hundreds of strangers all in one concentrated place. To each their own.

We stopped at a rest area to stretch our legs. I was admiring the beauty around us and snapped this picture. As I turned to walk away, we were greeted by 3 people complimenting my bike. We struck up a conversation and were surprised to be introduced to Jefferson Starship.

That's right, we were chasing White Rabbits and looking for Someone to Love. My bike introduces me to the most amazing people. Pictured with us are Chris Smith and David Frieburg. Thanks to Chris' wife for snapping the photo! Guys, I didn't tell you we are listening to Sirius/XM , 60s on 6. Shortly after we drove away, we very much enjoyed listening to, Don't you want somebody to love. Perfect timing! By the way, we'll be in San Francisco in a couple of days just in case you need a rhythm guitar player to add to the group; I do have the right hair color. Great meeting you today. Thanks for the photo! Or perhaps, you would rather break out your bike with sidecar and ride along up to Alaska with us.

As we were driving by amazingly large farms, we came across these workers working hard in the field. I guess they don't get the Holiday off. There are two tractors hooked together traveling very slowly. Notice that there are no drivers on the tractors. And these guys are actually picking garbage. It is a vegetable known as broccoli. As we drove surrounded by these vast farms, I realized that this is where a lot of the food we eat comes from.

As we rode into Pismo Beach, we saw this diner and knew we had to stop. We needed an Ice Tea fix for the day. The atmosphere inside was great. These two old cars were actual cars used by Amtrak and taken out of service in 1978. One was a diner car and the other a lounge. I found the information on their website interesting if you are so inclined.

http://rockandrolldiner.com/info

And a short drive later we are at our destination for the evening. Captain's Cove Country Inn right on the Pacific. This is an awesome room and comes complete with a garage. David greeted us and let us know that there is a hospitality basket in our room complete with bananas and pastries. He even told us about a great Restaurant a short walk away that has great seafood, called the Sea Chest Oyster Bar and Seafood Restaurant. I shall be putting down a few oysters later this evening!

http://www.seachestrestaurant.com/about/