Day 30

Awoken early by the condensation dripping on our heads, it took us a while to emerge from our sleeping bags, which were lovely and cosy. After probably one of the most welcome warm showers either of us have ever had, we packed up the tent by stuffing it on the back seat of the car, and headed south for hopefully warmer climes.
The nice lady on reception had provided us with a guide to a ‘noodling drive’ south from Big Sur along California Hwy 1, so off we noodled down the coast, pausing to see some of the culprits of the night time noise up close on the beach (elephant seals are massive!) before stopping for lunch in Cambria - another delightful little town full of cute shops and restaurants. The one we ate in had some great quirky touches such as a ‘Hall of Mirrors’ mirror in the bathrooms, and Matthew’s clam chowder being served in a bowl made of bread (although Lynne’s turkey club sandwich was better)!
With no fixed destination in mind for tonight, our eyes (or possibly stomachs) were attracted by a description, in our noodling drive guide, of a famous farmers’ market on Thursday evenings (today!) in San Luis Obispo, during which the main street is closed off to vehicles and filled with stalls selling all kinds of good food and local produce. However, deciding we wanted to stay by the beach after cruelly being denied by the fog in Big Sur, we noodled a few miles further south to Pismo Beach, where we found a decent hotel a couple of minutes’ walk from the seafront.
After spending a lovely lazy afternoon on the beach, it was time for food once more, so back we headed to San Luis Obispo for the farmers’ market. This was great - fantastic food, gorgeous smells and a lively, bustling atmosphere complete with street musicians! We both feasted on a giant corn on the cob each (following the locals’ lead and smothering them in butter, cayenne pepper and parmesan cheese!) before Lynne treated herself to a baked potato and Matthew himself to a half rack of sticky BBQ ribs!
This should really have been the end to the evening, but arriving back at our hotel we decided to have a nightcap in the bar next door. One turned into five as we were transfixed by the mixture of genuine talent and absolute awfulness on display in the bar’s karaoke night! And then Lynne met Errol - a half Columbian, half Cherokee Indian from LA, who had arrived here 3 weeks ago for a 3 day visit! Charmed by his friendly manner and warmth on congratulating us on our marriage, we allowed him to introduce us to an acquaintance of his, Ricky - an incredibly camp, incredibly drunk man who looked like Dr Evil and had a voice like a cartoon character! Nevertheless, we accepted his invitation (or rather insistence) that we go to a party with them, which we did so via the swings on the beach. Some party! We made up half of the total number of attendees, before Erroll turned up with his extremely drunk, loud and aggressive lady friend, who proceeded to argue with him at full volume before storming off. It turned out Erroll had turned up 3 weeks ago because he was in love with her and had outstayed his welcome! This scene, coupled with Ricky’s increasingly mental behaviour, signalled it was time for us to leave, so we quickly made our excuses and escaped back to our hotel. Small town America eh? Full of screwed up people!