We now return you to Smoke, Oak, and the Open Road, already in progress.
It’s Day Two of our heroes’ bold California adventure—and let’s face it, Day One was more than a bit rocky.
We awoke early—partly due to still being on East Coast time, but mostly because the room was a dump. We cleaned up, packed, and loaded the car in record time.
The plan was set for a full day in San Diego.
The only hitch? Finding a room.
There weren’t any.
At least not for under $400 a night.
After some diligent searching, we landed a room in Palm Springs—
but more on that later.
My only contribution to today’s plan?
Breakfast.
I found a great little spot across the street from the water—Hazelwoods On The Bay.
I fired up Android Auto, set the stops (Hazelwoods and the zoo), and hit the gas—leaving the dump behind in the rearview mirror.
We sped down I-5 South, covering the same ground as yesterday, but at a much higher rate of speed. The hillside homes were still there, precariously perched like architectural daredevils—but now they blurred past in a rush of motion and relief.
A broad smile spread across our faces as the San Diego city limit sign flashed into view.
Moments later, we exited the freeway, wound our way through early morning traffic to the harbor, and found a parking spot nearby. We disembarked and made our way into Hazelwoods.
Fingers crossed that my only decision of the day was a good one.
We stepped up to the counter, and it was immediately clear—
my food-picking streak remained unbroken.
Country fried steak and eggs for me.
Bacon, egg, and cheese bagel for the wife.
As soon as we finished ordering, the reason for the hotel shortage walked through the door.
Three of them, to be exact—
two men and a woman, all dressed head-to-toe as anime characters.
That’s when it hit me:
Either we’d wandered into a lost Big Bang Theory episode,
or we were smack in the middle of Comic-Con.
With full bellies and a (finally) clear reason for the lack of rooms, we climbed back into the car and pointed the hood toward the San Diego Zoo.
Were things finally looking up for our plucky heroes?
Tune in next time for more of our (mis)adventures.