Day 16

<p>The important thing this morning was that Clare was feeling better - meaning we would continue on with the drive. We had managed to air and dry out the tent in the room while Clare had been recuperating, and got it packed up and in the car before going for breakfast. We were checked out of the room by 11am, and headed down to the nearby Walmart to resolve our cooking stove problem. The rain had started again by this point but hopefully as we went South throughout the day the weather would improve. We managed to find a new stove having figured the us/Canada valve system was different. We also managed to buy a box of firewood, which would mean we could still have a campfire again even if the wood nearby was wet. </p>
<p>Soon we were back on the road, heading south again! We pulled into a few laybys as we went, giving me a chance to check out the view. The road was winding round the rugged coast line, making it tough to look out at everything. At one of these laybys we spotted a walking path down to the shoreline, giving us a range of views of a natural blowhole in the rock. It also gave us a chance to stretch our legs and enjoy the fresh air. The blowhole was great to watch, but we then carried on further down the beach. The tide wasn't too high, giving me plenty of beach to explore while Clare stuck more to the dry path. As I got more adventurous, I handed off the car keys and camera to Clare - allowing me to get right up to some of the rock cuttings where the waves came crashing up. As we got further along, we arrived at some tide pools and hoped to see some wildlife here. Unfortunately, we were limited to what looked like a duck, who seemed to be having great fun sitting in a rock pool until a wave came crashing up, causing him to duck under the surface until the choppy water calmed back down, only to have to repeat and dive again when the next large wave came in. The poor thing only lasted so long, until successive waves washed him into another pool. Eventually, we spotted him out at sea, bobbing around and ducking under waves. The rocks gave an indication to the geographic history of the area, as we should see strips of colour through the rock which I've seen before on volcanic rock.

We headed up to the visitor centre, to make use of the facilities before we headed further on. Inside we got talking to the volunteers, who gave us loads of suggestions of things to see on the way. There was no way we'd be in California tonight, it was already 2 pm.

Back on the road the rain picked up again - and the next point of interest popped up. The Sea Lion Cave is the 2nd largest cave in the world and the last known shore habitat for these sea lions. The autumn its normally a good time to see the sea lions here, as they shelter from the storms. Today, there was only a single sea lion in the cave, so we got a discount on entry. The real reason of stopping here was because Clare just wanted to go down to see the cave. We hadn't been able to explore the ones at Ainsworth as they were closed so this would need to impress. Luckily they lived up to expectation! The cave was huge, and the information given on the cave explains how it was formed from 2 intersecting faults in the lava flow which then eroded with water. It was great fun exploring the cave and we did get to see some sea lions swimming around outside the cave from a distance.

Back in the car, we had to start reconsidering where we'd be staying tonight. We'd been hoping to camp near some state park areas we'd been recommended earlier in the day. The rain changed this plan, we didn't want to camp in the rain again so would need to find a motel in the closest town - Charlestown.

Coming off highway 101, the sun made its first appearance in what seemed like forever. Perhaps it was this distraction that led us to get so lost, but we eventually found our way back to the route we were supposed to be on.

Along the road to Charlestown, we cave across a beautiful bay, catching the last light of the evening. The guide book had no mention of this place, but after sorting and enjoying for a while we carried on. We spotted a campsite, then a name jumped of a signpost at us. Somehow we had completely missed Charlestown (no chance of finding a bad for the night then!) and were now at the state paths we had been recommended. Getting close to closing time, there was no one here but us and the sound of marine life nearby. One of the things to look at up here was a reef which was hone to seals of different varieties, sea lions, birds and occasionally even whales. As the sun was going down they were all screaming out loudly drowning out the sound of the sea.

Sightseeing over, just before the sun had finished setting, we decided to push on for the mighty until e could find somewhere to stay. The next town along seemed like a good option and we needed to fill up with petrol anyway. All the way along we've been recording our expenses, especially fuel expenses. This would be the first time we filled up since having crossed the border and we were interested to see what the difference was, you couldn't tell by just looking as they advertise fuel prices strangely here. $40 filled our tank, which had brought us nearly 400 miles across the country. For a similar tank back in Canada... It would have been twice as much! Fuel was ridiculously cheap here  and the Americans have the audacity to complain about how expensive it is. Even when I first started driving nearly 10 years ago, fuel wasn't this cheap in the UK.

We checked out a few alternatives, but ended up settling in a old town motel for a good price. Tomorrow we'd complete the second half of todays drive, planning on stopping got a few impressive trees on the way. For now, some good Canadian wine and a Chinese takeaway finished the day of nicely!