Now That's What I Call Music Volume 3

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Happy Birthday

It is Dom's birthday today and as a special treat the group got together and agreed not to get lost, fall off, break down, catch fire or get arrested.  He was very grateful.

Ocean Drive

Because of a landslip south of Big Sur we are on an inland detour for the next couple of days and this means missing out on the fabulous '17 mile drive' from Monterrey, past Pebble Beach golf course to Carmel (where Clint Eastwood was once mayor).  A few of our larger-testicalled riders went and did it today as an extra outing after reaching our hotel in Marina.  Dom took pity on them and bused them back from Carmel but it was a good effort.  Naturally they were all plucky Brits.


Strawberry Fields Forever 

We have been cycling though agricultural land.  This is mass-scale farming of fruit and salad crops and pretty unattractive.  The major crop is strawberries and the fields are full of immigrant workers doing back-breaking work.  Here and there are the mandatory portaloos for the workers and these tantalise the olfactory senses from some distance, in much the same way as 10 day old roadkill skunk.

Wherever I Lay My Hat

Merica has a homelessness problem.  Every day, especially near the bigger towns, we see people living on the streets or out of cars.  Some are clearly addicts or have an alcohol problem (no judgements from me on that score), and others are mentally ill but plenty are probably just broke.  The weird thing is that they exist alongside wealthy people who seem to just tune them out.  There are no obvious signs that the police try to move them on, people just step round (or over) them as if they weren't there.  Odd!

It's My Party

Our hotel is close to the ocean but a long way from restaurants.   Birthday Boy had a pizza for lunch so is celebrating tonight alone in his room (he has his own room again tonight as a birthday treat).  I am a compasionate man so I have given him custody of the wine box.  I have gone to Dennys (like a Little Chef but not as classy) to grab a takeaway burger.  Could life BE any more glamorous?

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