HOORAY!

 Marianne had her last treatment! All went well, and it seems Cancer Bitch has gone to hell where she belongs! So, what do we do? WE ROAD TRIP! 

It was gonna be 98 here in Monrovia, so an escape plan was needed. And, just for giggles, I was looking on Hotels.com (our go to site for finding places to stay--it's easy to navigate and when we had to cancel our plans for France, we had no problems!) and found the Silver Surf in San Simeon, CA for under $100--in JULY no less! So, off we went. 

Didn't leave at the usual 0'Dark-Thirty--we had plans to meet long time friends Dudley and Julie at their campsite on the coast at Rincon. Didn't think they'd want visitors at the butt-crack of dawn. 

Naturally, we stopped first for breakfast in Ventura, at the Busy Bee, one of our go-to breakfast stops. Excellent as usual. Here's a tip. Since covid, Ventura had made Main St. a pedestrians only street, so you can't park in front of the restaurant. Getting off the 101 at California (and we naturally took CA126 to avoid Da Valley) turn right instead of going straight up the hill. Turn left at the next signal (Chestnut) and continue past Main. There's a public parking lot just north of Main and in front of the Ventura Courthouse. It's perfect for early morning, but will get full up as the day goes on. Just walk down the hill to the Busy Bee. 

Ah, coffee!

WAFFLES! 

After great waffles, we trudged back up said hill (oof) and off to Rincon. Dudley had left us a spot to park and we had a great time catching up. We hadn't had a chance to see them in FAR TOO LONG! 

Rincon

Yers Truly, Marianne, Julie and "Le Quack" 

From there, along PCH (and memories of it being 101--and driving the TR3 along it to Carpinteria and getting splashed by the surf!) back to the 101. We were hoping to stop at the Gaviota Rest Stop, but it's STILL CLOSED! Come on CalTrans, we NEED that pit stop! 

We passed on going to Bob's Well Bread in Los Alamos (they're closed of Wed/Thurs), so we kept jetting up to Morro Bay and Giovanni's Fish Market. Their BBQ oysters in garlic butter are FANTASTIC! Marianne had their equally good clam chowder. Add GARLIC fries and a glass of 805, and what more could you want? 

You takin' a photo of ME? Again? 

AH!! OYSTERS! 

From there we cruised up CA1 to our digs in San Simeon. 

The Silver Surf is a nice place. Dating from the heyday of Motels, it's been nicely maintained and features an indoor pool and spa (no, we didn't use them--afraid someone would think a pair of sea-elephants had waddled over from the Friends of the Sea Elephant place across the highway) and rooms that are neat and clean. What more do you really want? One nit to pick, however. They have succumbed to that ridiculous trend of having beds that are so high off the ground that even I need a step stool to get in! All 5'2" of Marianne has the devil of a time with it. Luckily, she remembered that she had said step stool in the truck of the Honda for just that reason. No worries.

At my Birthday Party the previous week, Dear Daughter Meaghan had given me (well, US) a bottle of Champers! Naturally, being a celebratory Road Trip, we brought it along! 

Kinda average

But first, dinner. We walked next door to the Big Sur Restaurant for a very average plate of fish and chips. The Gordon Fisherman seemed to be the source. At least the host was VERY friendly. Ah well, you can't have everything. 

Back at our digs, we popped the cork to Marianne's initial misgivings. The Treatments had really screwed with her appetite and she "just wasn't sure" she'd be able to handle the bubbly. Half a glass later, however, it was "POUR ME SOME MORE! THIS IS GREAT!" 

WHOOPPEEE! 

So we finished to bottle while watching the last episode of "Line of Duty" (great show on Acorn. Incredibly tense cop show. The Brits REALLY do those well). 

Next morning it was up---slowly--and off for breakfast further up the coast to Ragged Point. 

But first a warning. CA1 is again closed as they are AGAIN trying to fix the landslide damage. This time near Lucia. So, you can't take CA1 to Monterey...AGAIN. SIGH.

The benefit is that, especially at 8AM, there's no traffic. Setting the Honda in Sport Mode, I was really hauling the mail...even in the fog. That section of CA1 is one of the most delightful roads to drive. Long steady sweepers, a few whoop-ti-doos, great Esses, and a few tight spots to keep you honest. No, I didn't hit 100 (like we had one time slipstreaming an Aston Martin DB4 Dropped on the old Iron Bottom driving the TR--he was a bit upset I was hanging with him!) but...Anyway, an incredible drive. 

Ragged Point is a great Inn on the coast. It's also REALLY expensive to stay (double the cost of the Silver Surf!) but the breakfast there is fantastic. Again with the waffle. Marianne opted for Crunchy French Toast. And it cost about the same as breakfast at the Busy Bee. 

Great View! 

More Waffles! 

Heading for home, we stopped in Cambria for a cruise through some antiques stores, a pee, then up over CA46 to the 101.

Needing another break, and knowing the rest areas were STILL closed, we hit Solvang for a lunch of pastries and a quick nap. 

Marianne thought she could help with the driving (she hadn't done ANY during her battle--too much fatigue) and she did a great job, all the way to Carpinteria. Another pee break, then home via CA118 and the 210. 

So, a great Victory Road Trip. And a huge thanks for the VERY kind folks at USC Keck/Norris. We've NEVER had a medical experience with the king of kindness and empathy ALL these people showed. An I mean ALL. Not only the doctors and nurses, but the office staff and right down to the janitorial folk. It was amazing. 

The REAL HERO of all this is, of course, Marianne, my BEST FRIEND and Navigatrix For Life. What a (as one friend from the old Iron Bottom dubbed her) BAD ASS WOMAN! 

Now, let's start plotting next summer's make up trip to France!