Our goal was clear...make it to San Francisco Airport by Tuesday night at 9:20 pm to pick up Dan as he returns from his month long adventure in Spain and France. It's Monday morning and so we have a bit of time...as we discussed our plans we asked ourselves, "what do we love to do"? Yep, drive some more. The coastline drive from south of LA to Pismo Beach will be Monday's journey, and then from Pismo through Big Sur, Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay will be Tuesday's. We plan to meet Suzy for dinner near SFO and then, Lord willing, Dan will arrive on time.
We bravely endured the 63 degree, misty overcast and the very cool ocean breeze all morning with the top down. But by the time we reached Santa Monica (only 2 hours on the road) we came across a Diners, Dives and Drive in establishment...Patrick's Roadhouse...uh, yeah, we stopped and had lunch...
The burger was excellent, my green tea smoothie also hit the spot, but unphotoed, the best part of the meal was Peggy's Arnold Palmer. Some amazing flavored tea with some fresh lemonade and many free refills, which also made for a quick gas stop after lunch...
As providence would have it, stopping time was around 5pm and we were right next to the same hotel where Amy Burlingham was married. Checking in, negotiating, showing my AAA and Best Western Rewards Card, and asking nicely for their best "nice person" rate...we installed ourselves about 2 doors down from the exact room Steve and Elva were in for that weekend. Our view of the grassy outcropping where the ceremony was held is directly in front of us...a short wedge shot away. The place is known as Pelican Point...
We went for an ocean walk from the hotel to the Pismo Pier, and along the way spotted this apparent feeding frenzy just off the shore line. What a sight...thousands of Pelicans, and smaller birds flew in, and for 15 minutes went nuts, and then they all flew away. I couldn't quite capture the intensity of the action, but for us it was incredibly awesome...
From our balcony as we finished off a few crosswords and sudokus we enjoyed the sunset...with a Tobin James "Notorious" near by...
It's also hard to describe the sound volume of the seagulls and pelicans that roost on the roof of the hotel, and that wing their way with no fear right in front of your eyes...
For dinner we checked with some locals to discover that the "Cracked Crab" was their favorite spot. Triangulating with 2 other web sources, it turns out that it was also the #1 rated Pismo restaurant on Trip Advisor..so we went after the sun had fully set, around 7:45. A short wait and we were seated and supplied with our implements of destruction. These were needed as we ordered the "Pot for 2".
Okay, so this picture is a bit hard to title...I'll let the photo speak for itself.... :))) Just kidding :)))
They dump the Pot for 2 right on the table in front of you and you get to work. Corn, some potato and spicy sausage are always included, and then you select 3 additional types of shellfish: we picked Dungeness Crab, humongous shrimp and a second type of local fresh crab. They were all very yummy...
We left a few slices of potato...and 1 lemon slice...the rest went either in our bellies...
or in the dump bucket that sat on the floor. Notice the few shots where, um, Peggy missed the bucket..
We highly recommend the Cracked Crab if you find yourselves in Pismo. I'm completing the blog this morning on the patio listening to the pelicans, watching some otters romp and enjoying the cool air as Peggy sleeps. We are very excited to pick Dan up and to finally make it home!!! Vote in the survey and we'll see you soon...Blessings,
It's Wednesday. You are probably just home as I contemplate my first meetings this morning. Summer is over. But hooray for a new year.
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