JB's Warehouse & Curio Emporium

My last day in California proved to be the only one during the trip where I made a major miscalculation in terms of distance. The goal was to drive from Ukiah to Coos Bay, Oregon, where I prebooked a room at a casino (it seemed the best option when scouting hotels online). All I had to do was drive back to the coast and be on my merry way northward. Miscalculation #1: the amount of time required to drive to the coast. The highways between Ukiah and Mendocino are scenic (see above for a shot from California 128), but their winding nature took longer than anticipated—just over an hour to the ocean. Once I arrived, I wandered into Mendocino, which was in the midst of Heritage Days . Despite hordes of people, I couldn’t resist the lure of the landscape, even as I couldn’t shake Talk to Me of Mendocino out of my head. It's always important to know where you won't find yogurt in an unfamiliar town. Mendocino was a magnet for unusual vehicles adornments that day... ...

After departing Morro Bay, I continued north along Highway 1, now bearing the name "Cabrillo Highway". Based on an ad I had seen on the local tourism cable channel, I made a sidetrip out of Cambria to check out some local fruit preserves. i was greeted by a noisy peacock, who I think was trying to say "pick the cherry!" If this day of the trip had been an episode of The Polka Dot Door , I would have been told to "get ready, get set for animal day." North of Cambria I pulled off at a lookout, partly to snap shots of the ocean, partly to finish a delicious pork torta sandwich I picked up at a bakery in town. As soon as I hopped out of the car, a torrent of these critters dashed over. I tossed them the bits that had fallen out of the sandwich, which caused their sad eyes to quickly vanish. Now I had to make sure I didn't run over any while leaving the lot (no chipmunks/squirrels/whatever they are were harmed in the making of this post). Nort...

Leaving Los Angeles was a breeze, as I ventured up Sepulveda one last time to hook up with Highway 1 and make my way to the coast. The drive along Pacific Coast Highway up to Oxnard was relaxing, except for the joyous experience of filling up the car. The first station I stopped at in Malibu had six out of eight pumps out of service, and the only unoccupied one was in no mood to put gas into the Grand Marquis. For my second attempt at a Shell up the highway, I tried using a credit card at the pump. No dice - the pump asked for a zip code and refused to skip that step. Cue walk to the cashier. Back at the pump, it took some time and effort to position the nozzle into the tank, thanks to the cumbersome anti-fume covers mandated by state law. Cue a moment or two of muttered obscenities. This is Point Mugu, one of the scenic spots on the Pacific Coast Highway. As you can see, the skies were grey. The sun decided it wanted to stay further inland. At Oxnard, I pulled into a tourist i...