Day 88 / Tag 88 June 8 Pismo Beach to L.A. Strictly Highway One now

GPS and Google Maps neglect Highway 1, they always propose 101 as a route.

On top, Highway One at some points melts into the 101, later appears again on the map, this is going to get tricky, outsmart the two Gs, Google and Garmin. ;-)

Out of Pismo I pass a Rock'nRoll Diner, but I had so much coffe at the Dolphin Cove, I don't go in,

I have an apointment with a former colleague from Hamburg, Mikaela, in Santa Monica at 6 pm.
Plenty of time, so I take it easy on the road.
Highway One sure takes you to Small Town America, and the more you go south, the more you see
mexican influence. (Sidekick: All of this used to be Mexico not so long ago...)

 passing Vandenberg Airforce Base

 and south

close to the sea the road winds through a mountain ridge

 and back by the sea

Getting closer to cities

 passing the Los Angeles County line

Stop in Malibu for icecream and new navigation

And into Los Angeles
 I pick up Mikaela at her work, we have dinner together at a small cafe (thank you for that again, Mikaela), chat about old times, my trip, her life in L.A. and so on.
She lives in L.A., working as a New Media Editor, newsletter writer and pet sitter.
After dinner (I had a ground turkey burger, in an otherwise very vegetarian and vegan place) I bring her back to her workplace, where she has parked her car, and she leaves.
Good bye, Mikaela!
Don't ask me, why we didn't take at least one foto of our meeting...

I look for a place to stay, find an affordable motel (in Santa Monica, that is $100) in a quiet neighborhood, Cloverfield / 23rd street. It turns out to be cheap by all means...

Didn't dare to get out the camera, just think a lot of U-Haul trucks on the parking lot, guys looking like ex-convicts at the reception not even asking for ID papers, truck drivers smoking while eating the just delivered Domino's Pizza in their room, disoriented drunk woman talking to herself and then to me that healthcare is fucked up and there's too many cops at the homeless shelter over at mumble, mumble street and the cop says you have two options either leave or go to jail and I say bye bye, plus a mexican couple walking around in underwear. Star-spangled banner underwear...

🎶🎸🎹 Play The Doors "L.A. Woman" now...

I get a Corona from the store on the next corner and let them all be. Gotta love surprises, try something new and unknown every now and then, you never know, what's in the bag for you ;-)



Good night L.A., city of lights,

See you under water