trying out SLO

I was feeling very positive about taking highway 58 across the state from Bakersfield to San Luis Obispo because my birth year is 1958. It was a most challenging drive. I can only liken in to downhill snow skiing, except that the back and forth turns happened going up AND going down. Rich and I were both green by the time we reached Santa Margarita, where we would south toward our destination. We decided to celebrate our survival by eating a huge breakfast at Tina's Place on the main drag of this wanna-be-western town. Skim milk? You have GOT to be kidding!
While we ate, we looked at the 1-12-12 edition of the San Luis Opispo (SLO) paper, which Rich has been getting on-line for months. Today's headline: Plastic bags banned in SLO county! There was a picture on the front page of 2 people testifying before the county commission with a year's worth of plastic bags attached to their bodies like feathers! This must be THE place!
The short drive into SLO was gorgeous, with spectacular mountain and ocean views. We checked in to the Sands Motel, a locally owned business, and happily unpacked our hastily and poorly packed car. What a lot of junk we had in there! At least now it is organized junk.
Rich was itching to begin his search for an everyday golf course, and I headed out to explore the town and rent a bike. It is a small, darling, lively town. We ended the day by riding the trolley to downtown for the regular Thursday night Farmers Market. It was nice, but this is NOT Paris. Too many Americans who think the farmer's market is for entertainment instead of food shopping!
This morning, we made a trip along the coast to check out the more southern beach towns in the county, and visited a couple of courses. Nice courses, but too "golf-community-ish" for Rich's taste. In the afternoon he tried again (with similar results) while I biked around town. By the end of the day we had agreed: this is a good place but probably not the one for us.
We had dinner by the creek that runs through the town. There is a great story about the CalPoly students convincing the city to preserve the creek, making it, along with the San Luis mission, a destination. Boy, were they right! It is lovely, and very well designed!
On tomorrow's agenda: another day here or head up to the Monteray Bay area. We will sleep on it, tummies full of fish and local berries!