M to M

Last nights heavy fog meant the fireworks were pretty much just big bangs in the dark, i'm sure they would have been good as there were 20 minutes of banging but speaking to locals wonder just how many fog free nights there are here. At least we got a local 3 piece blues band "The Deakins" as entertainment, can't complain as they did a great "Little Red Rooster" as well as many other classics. Having come here worried all i'd hear was rap have been very happy to have been proved wrong (car radio reception is rubbish so my solitary cd is getting hit hard - yep yet another album i know backwards - but when i do fluke a station its pretty much a Gold clone so good while it lasts). Interestingly the main radio ads are for the California State Fair in a fortnight with Bob Dylan, Aerosmith & Stevie Nicks as the main acts (just how much would that be worth for a ticket back home?), the other main ones being for Kevin Costner singing (i'm serious it is the actor his career must have made a bad wrong turn) at the local Indian Casino. Anyway that's me wandered off subject, really needed that heater last night (summer by the bay ??) and again when i awoke the mist had rolled back in (doubt it actually left). By the time i left -10:30 - the temperature had climbed to 60 (15) and visibility still terrible a shame as this next part would be the US answer to the Great Ocean Road. San Simeon i couldnt resist my first chance to get out the car and walk along the beach, wild, windswept and too misty for a decent picture. Next stop had to be the 124 roomed Randolph Hearst castle of the same (until now say San Simeon to me and my first thought is the WA pacer of the early 80's winner of his first 31? starts, my second thought would be an expensive block of apartments of similar vintage in Golden Four Drive Tugun) . Considering the number of houses i had inspected of late it was easy to resist paying $24 to inspect one not in my price range so was happy to view at a distance and watch the film of it. Back on hwy 1 and more sea glimpses through the mist and then a "must see" the Elephant Seal colony, massive beasts moulting, fighting and generally being seals (apparently not quite as big as ours). From then on awesome scenery as we approached Big Sur but a combination of that damn mist, insufficient places to turn off and view and heavy tourist traffic meant i didnt quite get satisfaction. By Monterey my back had had enough of my drivers seat (the Corolla isn't a bad car to drive but the last 3 days 100 to 200 miles is all the back could comfortably handle), so simply followed the traffic off the freeway till eventually i stumbled upon a cheapish motel. Spent the next 5 hours walking around the place north to the imagitively named town of Seaside and then all the way into the centre of town via the beach. Great surf, good wide sand but still struggling to hit 60 temperaturewise or a metre visibilitywise !. Heaps of historic buildings but of course the one that attracts my attention has the sign "Chinese All you can eat $6.99" .