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Day Four, San Luis Obispo to Pismo Beach - 16 miles (0 by bike)

Route: Had we cycled, the route would have been considered easy if somewhat boring riding with a few rolling hills along medium traffic roads. We followed the Adventure Cycling route, south on Broad Street (Hwy 227) from San Luis Obispo for 11 miles, right onto Price Canyon Road for five miles into Pismo Beach.

    I'm an early riser while on tour and Jeanette's not. I awoke and made a cup of instant coffee with the in-room coffee maker while Jeanette slept. I looked out the window. I could almost smell the rain. I switched on the TV and watched the weather report. It didn't look promising, even though it wasn't raining yet.

    I went into the hostel's self serve kitchen and made myself a couple of pancakes from the already prepared batter and stalled around until Jeanette woke up at 8:30. I offered to make her a couple of pancakes but she said she wanted a real breakfast and started getting dressed. Once dressed, we loaded up the tandem and rode downtown to a recommended breakfast diner. I ordered a bagel since I had already eaten and Jeanette ordered an omelet, her favorite day starter. As we sat eating our breakfasts, the sky opened up and it started pouring.

    We finished breakfast and decided to head over to the Regional Transit office to find out what we could about the weather. I went up and Diane and her fellow employee called up the weather radar on their computers. It was solid green all the way to the west. In addition, the report predicted high winds as well as record rains. I checked possible links to get to the van from Santa Barbara to either Pismo Beach, our next destination or Lompoc, our destination for the next day. Both had connections, either by Greyhound or Amtrak.

    Jeanette and I discussed our alternatives. We decided to cycle back to the van and drive to Pismo Beach since it was really raining hard and the wind was picking up. The short four block ride soaked us with the exception of what we had covered with our raincoats. Once at the van, we loaded up bike and gear and decided to do a little shopping before we continued on. I found a large supermarket and sat in the van while Jeanette went in and purchased a list of supplies. As I sat, I saw a whirlpool of water trying to fit into one of the storm drains in the parking lot, The water was at least six inches deep as it swirled around and down into the storm grate.

    We decided to drive the route we would have ridden on the tandem. The first part of the trip out of town took us through some unexciting industrial areas and into some agricultural lands. Neither was overwhelmingly attractive, even less so in the downpour. We both agreed that we weren't going to miss much by driving this leg of the journey.

    I was surprised at the huge size of Pismo Beach. I pictured a small community nestled between the freeway and the ocean with a few blocks of beachfront. Instead we found a five city complex that extended for many miles along Hwy. 1. Our hotel was right off the freeway. We checked in and then headed for the area where we believed we'd see what we thought was, "Old Pismo Beach." We found it a few miles away, a sometimes tacky rectangular six block area of restaurants, curio and tee-shirt shops with a number of them advertising clam chowder.

    The parking lots were practically empty with the exception of palm fronds that had fallen from the trees and were strewn about the empty parking stalls. We parked the van and leaned into the wind as we walked to what appeared the penultimate chowder shop, the Splash Cafe. We both ordered creamy clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls and, once delivered, slowly slurped the soup and then devoured the bowls. We examined the murals on the walls, cartoons of clams bathing, surfing, cycling and pursuing other activities at the beach. The cafe also featured some nostalgia pictures of Pismo Beach in years past. We examined them as we exited. The hype inside the cafe stated that over 10,000 gallons of clam chowder were consumed annually in the restaurant. I found the chowder OK but not a gold medal winner. For my preferences, a few finely chopped onions would have really improved the soup.

    We spent the rest of the afternoon in the van, rocking around in the wind as we drove through the town and along the coast, looking at the angry ocean, the bending trees and the flooded streets. After cruising for a few hours, we found a book store and both bought some reading materials and headed back to our room. The storm was so intense that we decided to eat in. I drove to a supermarket and bought some cooked deli items for dinner. We finished the day under the covers, watching TV and reading.

Recommended: 

I really can't recommend our hotel, the Rose Garden Inn @ $44 or the Splash Cafe. The inn, while the right price, is about three miles from the beach and all the tourist attractions. In addition, although we reserved the room well in advance, we were given an upstairs room at the back of the hotel, overlooking a storage and junk yard. Why, I'm not exactly sure since it seemed that we were one of about ten customers in a hotel that looks to accommodate about 80-90 guests. I've seen this in the past, that internet reservations seem to be given second best accommodations. I can't understand the logic of such actions since the probability of booking in the future, given the treatment, is really slim.

As far as the Splash Cafe, I suppose that being a "tourist" demands that you have one bowl of clam chowder at this landmark cafe although neither the portion served or the quality of the soup dictates that it's a superior choice for lunch. The clam cartoons on the walls and atmosphere are worth something however and eating there does impart a feeling of community with those who have souped before!

Day Five, Pismo Beach to Lompoc - 56 miles