I would almost always agree with Eliot, but not today. Today the arrival mattered because the journey was exhausting. I traveled south on 101, 1, and finally I-5. It was recommended to me by a dear friend not to try to come south on Hwy. 1 because it would be very slow with lots of traffic lights. I opted to try it anyway because I knew I would see more, because I detest interstates, and because the whole thing with motorcycles in California scares me. So... Everything started fine this morning. The 101 had some regular going-to-work traffic but nothing too bad. One thing I like about that highway is that it mostly keeps the path of the old and historical El Camino Real (The King's Highway) which is signified by a bell hanging from a green "hook" alongside the road every mile or so. I took a picture of one, and it's posted below.
I switched to the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy. 1) in a town north of Malibu, called Oxnard. This put me closer to the beach. Traffic did increase in Malibu, but it was worth it to see the houses. I know that I passed the homes of some movie stars, but there was no way to really know. I read that most of them have elaborate security systems, gates, huge fences all insuring their privacy. I, of course, don't blame them. It would have been nice to know which ones I was passing though.
South of Malibu things got even busier as I came into Santa Monica Pier area. After passing LAX, I pulled off into a shopping center and went into something called H Mart. I didn't know before entering, but it is a Korean market. It was very different. There is a restaurant-type area right inside the door, then some areas that have clothing or make-up in separate shop areas. After that is the regular grocery store area. All the aisles have English and Korean labels. I bought a water and some soy crackers for lunch and headed back out.
Next came all the beaches and an even bigger increase in traffic which was still doable. The problem was that I could not use my GPS. It would never give me an option of traveling on the PCH to my destination. I started having trouble tracking myself and watching the traffic. I had wanted to go through Laguna Beach on the PCH, but it became too nerve-wracking to know if I was still on the correct road. I finally gave in and followed the GPS to Interstate 5. When I made it to the interstate, I had about 25 miles left to go to get to Oceanside, but the ETA was 1 hour and 45 minutes! I plugged it in 3 times before I finally admitted to myself that it must somehow be correct. I found out why in about 5 miles -- traffic came to a near standstill for almost 20 miles! It was unbelievably exhausting. When I finally pulled in to my hotel in Oceanside I was beyond tired.
I knew a walk would help, so I went to the beach which was PACKED. I got a few pictures, went to In and Out for dinner, and then some rest. Tomorrow I will go the rest of the way to San Diego. There's a beach that is supposed to have really good shelling that I want to try out. I am going to get on the road very early and hopefully avoid the major traffic. Apparently there is a surfing competition going on which explains the traffic right now.
There are not as many pictures today, for obvious reasons. I hope to have more tomorrow. Thanks for all the prayers that got me here!
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