A mixed day!

Our second visit to the Bay View Inn (Morro Bay) proved less satisfactory than our previous stay. First, the ceiling fan was less than adequate, as a substitute for air-con (a 'first world' problem!); and second, at 5:00 am we were awakened to the sound of a dripping noise ...... from water coming through the ceiling! Since no-one appeared to be around, I walked to the haystack rock in the early sunshine and witnessed hundreds of pelicans and terns feeding in the harbour. (The terns dive-bomb the water to catch their prey!) Of course there was also the odd harbour seal and otter, too.

Pat and I ate breakfast at the Bakery and returned to the Bay View, to Skype Jenny and then desert the sinking ship! We headed South on the freeway, making an interim stop in San Louis Obispo, the  lovely old Spanish town, in which there is a Mission dating back to 1772. We meandered the downtown area, calling in shops and having a coffee in Peets, before resuming our journey.

We travelled through some beautiful scenery, passing wine and olive groves and rolling hills, arriving in Santa Barbara at 1:00 pm, to check-in at the Casa Del Mar Inn ...... a neat Spanish-style motel where the rooms face a neat inner courtyard. (We also managed to bag one of the limited free undercover parking spaces!) With time on our hands we took a stroll along the nearby beach front which with its pier, pristine sandy beach,  and palm trees, invokes images of how we'd imagined Santa Monica Beach (LA) to be. We then took-in State Street, calling for a drink at the famous Joe's Cafe ....... a really cool place! Having had enough heat for one day, we headed back to the hotel where I struggled (successfully!) to encourage my notebook to talk to the hotel's wifi network! (We are staying close to the Brewhouse, where craft beers and great food are apparently to be found, and odd people! ...... reminds me of  Santa Fe!) Mr Chuck Berry provides today's number with his rendition of ; 'Mabeline':