This morning we woke later than normal and had a breakfast of leftovers in our hotel room. We then drove to Pismo Beach to explore the area. It didn’t take us too long to realize that it was a bit too busy for us so we grabbed some coffee and headed north up US-101. We got off the highway in San Luis Obispo and drove around the town for a few minutes. It was too busy to stop and investigate further but we decided that the next time that we are down this way, we will visit here instead of Arroyo Grande.
We continued up US-101 until just south of Salinas. We got off the highway and drove through the hamlet of Spreckels – an agricultural area dominated by Andy Boy Produce. Just west of Spreckels we found a small market called Corral Market & Deli. It was listed on the Food Network website, but there was no reference as to what show it was featured on. Regardless, we thought it would be a perfect place to grab a bite to eat. Mum got an artichoke and mushroom salad and I got a Cuban sandwich – they were both divine.
After our quick bite, we jumped back on the highway and before long, we were stuck in traffic in the exact same spot as we were on Friday. I’m not sure if this is a regular place for accidents and/or traffic jams, but I will remember in future to allow some extra time to get through the area. One bonus of being stuck in traffic was being able to take a picture (through the windshield) of one of the bells that occur on both sides of the highway. We researched them when we got to the hotel and found that they mark the El Camino Real which is a historic trail that links California’s missions from San Diego to Sonoma.
We arrived in San Jose and found our hotel with ease. We chilled at the hotel for a couple of hours before we headed to dinner at Chili’s. I decided to go outside my comfort zone and order something that came with avocado pieces on top. I needn’t have worried as the single piece that I had was smaller than my fingernail – I guess I will have to order avocado again to say that I have tried it.
We returned to the hotel and Mum chilled in the room doing her cryptics while I talked to Hubby on the phone. We then did our wiki-research and turned in for the night.
Tomorrow we will be heading to Santa Rosa – continuing straight up US-101 and over the Golden Gate Bridge.
Thank you for reading and I will talk to you soon.
L
