(upbeat music) - California's Central Coast, a favorite go-to destination for a lot of us Valley people.

(upbeat music) But there's a lot more to do here than just jumping in the car and heading over to Pismo Beach.

(upbeat music) Wow!

- Hi.

- From one of the top farmers markets in the state, and this is loaded with way more than just veggies, to the history of a bizarre and kinda gross, San Luis Obispo landmark that's been sticking around for decades.

Breaking the law, breaking the law.

And if a trip for you to SLO doesn't include a stop at this famous pizza joint, or if you've never checked into one of the most amazing, cool, weird, off-the-wall rooms at the world-famous Madonna Inn, then friends, are you even coasting?

I almost feel like "The Shining", but like happier.

Folks that live on the coast, they have their own way of looking at things.

Own way of like living.

And for this guy, that means having sea lions for neighbors.

Yes, exactly.

- King of the world!

- King of the world, ain't.

- There's a vibe here that's easy to pick up, and so hard to let go of when it's time to head back home.

(upbeat music) (waves rolling) That's why I'm gonna show you the Central Coast my way, showing you some of the places I love about one of the Valley's top weekend getaway destination.

That will get you going.

(water splashing) All coming up next on "Hitting The Road" (upbeat music stops) (upbeat music) Central California definitely has its own vibe.

From the laid back latitudes of the Central Coast to the scenic wonders of the Sierra, and all the amazing people, cultures, and food found in the great cities and towns of the San Joaquin Valley.

I'm on a mission to explore the festivals, the hidden gems, the history, and the stories that make up this great place I love to call home.

(upbeat music) I'm Roy Sizemore, and we're <i>Hitting the Road</i> (upbeat music stops) (upbeat music) Now if you live in the Central Valley, a weekend trip or holiday vacay to the coast, pretty much the norm.

But this is a big, giant, beautiful place with lots going on.

Now I know those of us from the Valley, think of the beaches and towns here, kinda our little weekend playground.

But a place like San Luis Obispo, this place is home to thousands of hardworking people.

And when they get ready to unwind, and maybe pick up some fresh produce, something really nice to nosh on, they all come to one street in SLO that brings this entire community together.

When you think farmers market, you're probably thinking, "Oh, let's get a bag of onions and some weird smelling soap."

But not in San Luis Obispo.

So many different booths, all up and down, there's food, there's fresh stuff, yes, there is farmers market stuff.

There's a million different cool shops.

There's cool vintage clothing stores, there's cool just hats.

You're looking for just hats, they got it.

Now I wish you all could smell what I got going on here.

The barbecue, the big corn.

You got the giant turkey legs, you know I love the giant turkey legs.

I feel like a king when I eat it.

(growls) It is not your typical farmers market.

SLO does it a little different and everyone comes out for it.

I am here with Whitney and you are the pro?

What do you do?

- (chuckles) I'm the program director for Downtown SLO, a nonprofit organization.

And I run this fabulous farmers market.

- It is huge.

- It is, yes.

We have five blocks on average.

We have around 110 vendors every Thursday.

We don't operate on Thanksgiving.

But other than that, it is a year-round business, every Thursday night.

- How many people do you think are here tonight?

- Oh gosh.

On average, I mean on a very busy night, we'll have well over 10,000 people.

- Where are they all coming from?

- There's a lot of people from Iceland, Africa.

- They're in Iceland, they're in a death metal band.

They're like, "We should go to SLO for farmers market."

- Thursday night sounds like a cool thing in San Luis Bispo.

- "Put your makeup on, let's go!"

- They book the flight and they're here, it's magical.

(upbeat heavy metal music) (mid-tempo music) - One of the grossest traditions in San Luis Obispo, and you have to do it every time you come, is to come to Bubblegum Alley.

It's so gross.

But literally, every time you come to town, you gotta go and you gotta chew a piece a gum, and you gotta stick it to the wall.

So here we go.

Now, depending on who you talk to, the history of Bubblegum Alley goes like way back.

Some people say it started right at the end of World War II.

Others say this was like a 50-school rivalry thing, between the high school and Cal Poly.

Now some of the merchants here as you could guess, weren't too happy about it so they told the city, "Hey, this is nasty.

Y'all need to clean it up," which they did, twice in the '70s.

Full cleaning.

(chimes) Then they asked to do it again in 1996 and the city said "No."

So since then, more and more gum's been added.

And honestly, if you go to SLO, this is like one of those must-do things.

You gotta stop by Bubblegum Alley and you gotta leave a little piece of you, up on the wall.

Breaking the law, breaking the law.

(Roy imitates blowing a trumpet) (upbeat music) This is the biggest farmers market I've ever been to.

It's so big.

Five full blocks, over 100 vendors.

- Come here, try this.

- Alright.

- Try that.

Cinnamon toffee almond butter.

- I'm allergic!

- Oh.

- I'm just kidding, I'm kidding.

- Anyway, says on the label you can't sue me.

(Roy laughs) - The air, man, is just filled with the smells of local foods being grilled up on open flames.

You got your famous Santa Maria tri-tips, roasted corn, the big turkey legs, broths, oh man, it's so good.

You never know what's gonna be around the next corner.

(upbeat music stops) (upbeat music) Wow!

- Hi.

Hi.

- Wow!

- Hi.

- Oh my God, my back hurts just sitting after watching that.

(girls laughing) What is your name?

- My name is Lily.

- Lily.

How, what?

- Wow.

- What?

- How long does it take to, I don't even know what to ask you.

- Defying the laws of gravity and physics, as Liz would say.

It's all metaphysics, it's all just momentum, gravity.

- The key is strawberry quick, I think.

But (laughs) what is your workout like to even begin to attempt something like this, for reals?

- Like, - Just this?

- Yeah, you just do it all day.

- You just do it all day.

- It's really humbling at first, but yeah, you just do it.

- You start off, how low are you to the ground 'cause I mean, - Slow and low.

- Very low.

- Okay.

- Here she goes.

- She start a couple like inches off the ground.

- She's gonna show you how it's done.

This is, this is.

- Wow!

All right.

- The is our world.

- Let's see what I can do.

- Let's see.

- Woo.

Here we go.

Thank you.

thank you very much.

- (hands clapping) Flawless.

Perfectly.

- Yeah.

(chuckles).

- Flawless.

(upbeat music) - Now, if non down on a big old hog shake or some corn on a stick isn't your thing, then you gotta head over to a San Luis Obispo classic for pizza, Woodstock's Pizza, in the heart of SLO Town.

Now it's been here since 1980.

I first had it in '97 and I've been coming back ever since.

(fast upbeat music) Chuck Woodstock created this legendary pizza in 1977, when he opened his very first restaurant up in Oregon.

In 1980, Chuck teamed up with Mike Chew, to open another location in San Luis Obispo, but keeping the same goal.

Wanted to have a student-friendly college pizza joint, but sticking true to a Chuck's grandma's recipes or sauce.

And this is my favorite part about the Woodstock's pizza, the famous fold over crust with the sauce inside, so good.

Sadly, Chuck and Chew as they were called, passed away in a private plane crash in 1985, but the family kept the dream and the pizza alive.

I'm gonna have to get some people to help me eat this.

(laughs) (upbeat music) Now if you're driving down Highway 101, all right, going through San Luis, headed to the beach, there's no way you can miss the quirky big old pink palace that is the Madonna Inn.

So Alex Madonna was this big time developer, cattleman, here in California.

Now he and his wife Phyllis, definitely had their own way of doing things.

And the Madonna Inn is basically one giant, living, breathing shrine to that spirit.

(upbeat music) - All right.

- (chuckles) Okay.

Whoa!

All right, show me this furniture.

Like show me around here.

This is pretty ornate.

- I mean, Madonna Inn, we're very well known for our extreme different themes.

But so all this furniture is all custom made, down to the little rivets on the furniture.

So everything is handpicked to match the room and the theme.

And if you look around, the wallpaper is very unique, and you can actually touch it, it's fuzzy.

Actually this particular wallpaper came from Germany so, - You can touch the furry wall.

- Yes.

- Like for real.

(host laughs) - This is like...

I just love this.

This is great.

(upbeat light music) (door creaks) Bigger!

The beams, it's funny 'cause I get to feel like I'm in a cabin, but then everything else, I'm in a period piece on PBS.

- Yes.

- Like - I'm waiting for the Queen to come in.

"Oh, scandal."

This is awesome.

(upbeat music) This is amazing.

I'm done.

Goodnight.

- All right.

- Okay.

So this is the North Yosemite?

- Yes.

So this actually, is real rock.

I mean a lot of people are like, "Oh, nowadays you see all this artificial stuff," but no, this is real rock.

- No that's legit.

It's a lot prettier actually when you do it like that too.

It's like when you try to fake nature, it just never really works.

- So if you walk in.

- (laughs) Ooh!

- So you don't get - What!

- to feel like you're, you know.

- What!

See this is like something I would do if I won the lotto.

I wouldn't tell anyone, but there'd be signs.

I'd have a waterfall in my bathroom.

I'd have a rock shower.

- Yes, well you're not gonna see this anywhere else.

- No, you're not.

- Yeah.

- The theme rooms at the Madonna Inn, are known literally around the world for their eclectic rooms.

Each one is different, and to say unique is definitely an understatement.

If some of these look familiar, by the way, there've been a lot of music videos shot here over the years and they've been in a lot of TV shows, including "The Bachelor," but I won't hold that against them.

(upbeat music stops) ♪ Hold me closer, Tony Danza ♪ Thank you.

Thank you very much.

I almost feel like "The Shining" but happier.

Like, if "The Shining" was a Disney movie, 'cause it's all pink.

Oh, you gon' be dying.

Gotta go to the bathroom.

And I just feel we've been doing a lot of bathroom shots.

But it's like, no, no, no.

Like in the restaurant area, you gotta go to the bathroom.

It's amazing.

The bathroom's like, "No, you gotta go."

I do have to go.

And I guess if I have to go, this is the place to go.

So let's go.

- (chuckles) Oh my God!

Dude, it's a waterfall.

- Just like in the great outdoors.

(water splashing) That'll get you going.

(upbeat music) Now you don't even need to book a room here, to get a real sense for the uniquely original taste and styles of the Madonna Inn.

Matter of fact, this is a top spot to break up the drive, and get some chow for the weary road trippers.

And they will be tripping in a whole different way when you check this out.

(upbeat music stops) (upbeat music) One of the things I love about the Central Coast is how diverse the destinations are here.

I mean, you go from a huge farmers market to sticking bubble gum on a wall to sleeping in an hotel where your walls are made of boulders, to a quiet seaside town just a few minutes up the road that's held onto its rich nautical history, the town of Morro Bay.

You can totally notice the downshift and the energy here from the bright lights and city vibe of San Luis Obispo to a small authentic harbor town.

It's kind of repelled against the whole coastal sprawl.

(upbeat music) Here in Morro Bay, it's all about a way of life that's directly tied to the open sea.

(upbeat music stops) So as we're here, cameraman John says, "Oh hey, I think that's my friend's boat out in the water.

You guys wanna go check out a guy that lives on a boat in the middle of the harbor?"

I'm like, "Yeah!"

(upbeat music) This is a very small boat.

- Don't worry, I'm a really good driver.

(Roy chuckles) I'm used to a bass boat but you know, I can get used to the dingy, I'm down.

All right, thank you for having me on, man.

We're here with Reid, who lives on a sailboat.

That's like a dream of many people.

A nightmare probably for a lot of people.

I have like a million questions, man.

- Well, you got it.

I've got a million answers.

So just about everything you look at, I've had my hands on, as far as fixing or cleaning or scrubbing over the years.

One of my proudest things on this boat is the deck.

This is a teak deck originally from Taiwan.

I thought it was worth saving all the wood, even though it was grimy and popping up.

So I pulled it all off and re-epoxied it down so that I could keep this and keep the character of this old vessel.

- That sounds like a lot of work.

- Yeah, yeah.

It was.

(Roy laughs) It was.

And out here, this is usually people's most favorite spot.

This is where you can Titanic.

- Yes, exactly.

- King of the world.

- King of the world, ain't.

- Yes, of course.

So how long in your life have you spent actually living on the water, like a lot of time living on the water?

- Just close to a decade.

- Wow.

- Yeah.

- Well, I know a lot of people doing the van thing, but like when the van dies you just park it and then get a plane ticket or bus ticket home.

Like, this is a big commitment.

- Yeah, you're locked in.

- You're a special kind of guy, dude.

Not everyone could just pick up and, I mean, storms, pirates.

- I've yet to face a pirate.

- Okay.

- Storms, for sure.

You know they definitely teach you some lessons.

I had to learn the lesson the hard way, and I definitely got real close to that line where you're not too safe and you might not come home.

All right, hop on into the captain's chair.

- Awesome.

Now this is legit.

This is like the beginning of "Gilligan's Island," this whole thing right here.

- If you're cruising, you gotta be cruising in comfort, I think.

- This is like a dream, like you're living what men dream of.

"Like yeah, I'm gonna go out and sail these winds."

So many people, like, "God I wish I could do something like that."

- Well, see my answer to that is you can.

I'm just like every other person.

I have to eat and breathe and sleep and you know, it's doable.

- But you do it on your terms, on your boat.

And whenever you wanna move on, you just weigh anchor and hit the road.

- Yeah, for the most part.

Check the weather first.

- (laughs) Well, yeah.

- That's the lesson I learned the hard way.

(upbeat music) - When it comes to tricky harbors to navigate, Morro Bay is no joke.

It's actually considered one of the most treacherous ports to get a boat in and out of.

Big, open swell, a tight jetty to break up the waves all anchored off the 576 foot Morrow Rock.

But while a life at sea is a big deal here, the entire town has become a top tourist destination for us here in the Valley.

And a big draw, for those of us who like to party, are the festivals here.

Like their locally famous Margarita and Avocado Festival, where avocados are king.

Avocado growing in the region really has taken off the last 20 years.

As well as avocados, thank you, avocado toast.

The festival here is a way to celebrate the importance of the avocado farmers from the Central Coast.

And I think they added the margaritas to the party because margaritas, duh.

Avocado dress, avocado shirt, avocado freaks.

- Avocado earrings.

- Avocado earrings!

Boom!

Avocado purse, avocado earrings, avocado key chain, avocado socks.

I see avocado margarita, do you actually make avocado margaritas?

- I do not make avocado margaritas, but I use avocado in my dishes.

- Okay, what's your favorite dish?

- Mine.

- Yeah, well of course, what, (vendor laughs) - I think you need to eat this in front of the camera.

- I do?

Okay.

I guess I know what I'm doing.

You hold that.

- I got it.

I got you.

- I'll hold this.

- Get everything in one.

- I got this.

- That's what I'm doing.

- You gotta take like the Food Network bite.

- (Roy and vendor laugh) - I gotta Ramsey this?

- Yes.

- Is that what's going on?

All right y'all.

- Yes!.

- There we go.

- That's it.

(soft guitar music) That's the bite.

(upbeat music) - A little further up the coast from Morro Bay is another one of my favorite stops.

I actually have driven past this so many times for years.

You really need to take the time, pull over and check out the beach town of Cayucos, you will not be disappointed.

In 1867, Captain James Cass spotted the stretch of the Central Coast and thought to himself, "Sweet beach."

Okay, he probably didn't say that but he did like it a lot.

As a matter of fact, he liked it so much he settled and built an over 900-foot pier, so cargo ships could come in and out.

Okay, that was a long time ago so obviously pier is deteriorating, but they built a brand new pier in 2015, and it's a great place to come.

You can come to the beach, you could watch the surfers, and you don't even need a license to fish from the pier.

(upbeat music stops) So, are you big sea fisherman?

- Just kind of started getting used to it.

- What's your favorite fish?

Have you caught anything big out here, have you caught?

- I've actually never caught anything out here.

(Roy laughs) My brother is mostly the fisherman, yeah.

- You just come out here to chill then?

- Kind of, yeah.

It's kind of peaceful.

It's quiet, it's nice.

- What a better way to spend a day.

If you like to fish, fish on the ocean.

But beware of seals stealing your fish.

'Cause that will totally happen.

You guys doing any good today?

- No, fishing's good.

Catching sucks.

(Roy laughs) - Have you caught anything today?

- No.

- No?

- This is the first time I've been out on this pier.

I just drove down from Nampa, Idaho.

- Oh, wow.

Just to go here?

Or just vacation?

- I'm going to Morrow Bay.

There's a high school football team reunion.

- Oh, cool.

- You know what I'm talking about?

- I know what a high school is, I know what a reunion is, I know what football is, so I think I'm on the same page.

- (indistinct) football.

- But you get a little fishing in first?

- Yeah.

(upbeat music) - All right, if you come during the right time of the year, the whales will come, I'm talking maybe like 300 feet out, and you'll see the spouts, you'll see 'em all migrate, it's one of the coolest sights you'll ever see.

You can bring your own lunch, you can bring some chairs, you can bring some fishing rods and go on the other pier.

And you know, who says you gotta go out and spend a lot of money?

And look around you.

Look at all this.

And it's so close.

Really something you gotta do.

(upbeat music) Today we're asking, if you come to Cayucos, what's the one thing you have to do?

- When I come here, I just have to enjoy the weather.

- All right.

What about you?

- I would say walk on the pier.

- If you're in Cayucos, and it's your first time, what's the one thing you gotta do?

- Go fishing, or I always go to the antique mall a cross the street.

- All right.

- Same with me.

I always love coming here and going fishing.

- Going fishing.

See I'm loving these guys.

What about you?

- Getting chowder at Duckie's.

- Chowder at Duckie's.

We haven't done that.

That might be the thing, watch out.

I say hit your head on a planter.

That's what I like to do.

First time in Cayucos, hey.

What's the one thing that's like, oh, if you go to Cayucos, you can't not do this.

What's the one thing you gotta do?

- You gotta stop at Brown Butter Cookie.

- Oh, okay.

Is that it?

- No, you gotta come to Cayucos Coffee.

- Okay.

You gotta go to Cay-- - First.

- And get your coffee.

- And then dunk-- - Some cookie.

- And then dunk the cookie.

- Yeah.

- And who have we got here?

- This is Eddie.

- What's up Eddie?

- This is Shep.

- What's up?

Oh my goodness.

(upbeat music) The little town of Cayucos is loaded with a lot of cool hidden gems and when you come here, of course there's the gorgeous beach, but there's also some really great hiking trails.

Antique stores, that's a big thing in Cayucos.

I always find something really cool, something really funky in the antique stores.

(upbeat music) - What is this?

It says, "Movie filmed here in 1959."

Was this an actual prop?

- Kind of I think a replica of the monster in the movie.

It was filmed there.

- Okay.

Do you know of the story on the movie and all that?

- I don't know almost any of the story about the movie.

We hear from people who remember when it was being filmed or remember seeing it at some point.

I think one time I did a Google search and it was like a kind of B-movie sort of thing, right?

- This looks like something "Mystery Science Theater" would do.

- Very much so, yeah.

- Yes.

(suspenseful horror music) (woman screams) - And by the way, what's your name?

- Caitlin.

- Caitlin, Roy.

- Nice to meet to meet you.

- Awesome.

- I love this store.

What should we look for today?

What's the cool stuff?

- So the upstairs floor used to be a dance hall, and that's probably where some of our coolest stuff is now.

- Okay.

Where do you get all this stuff?

- Each section is a different vendor.

- Okay.

- And so they kind of find their stuff, however.

You know, they find garage sales, Facebook marketplace, eBay, any number of places.

- Right.

- And then they bring it in and curate it.

- All right, well, she said upstairs is where all the cool stuff is.

We will be in a minute cause I'll be there.

(chuckles) (upbeat music) That looks really (indistinct).

A kid definitely fell off that.

At least broke an arm, bro.

(upbeat music) If you're really into acorns, have I got the dish set for you?

Look at that.

"Honey, bring out the acorns.

We have company coming over."

They got healing crystals, other hippie tchotchkes, and oh, yeah, (indistinct).

(hands clapping) Why not?

I don't know if I wanna touch this, dude.

To be honest, but there you go.

- Woo-woo.

(Roy howls) (upbeat music stops) (upbeat music) There's a really great artist collective featuring many different styles, genres, mediums, from some of the best artists on the Central Coast.

And I usually pick up a hat.

- The collective's all about supporting local artists who represent some of the authentic qualities of the Central Coast.

- Everyone here is local?

- Yeah.

- It's all local?

- Yeah.

- It's cool to see things like this.

You see coast, everyone talks about wine, this and that, but I love to see a thriving art scene.

I think that's awesome.

- Cool, man.

I appreciate that.

- There's one place I always stop off at.

If I'm even driving anywhere near Cayucos, I make my way over to the Brown Butter Cookie Company.

So good.

How good?

Okay, when they started, they just made one type of cookie.

Just one.

What is your most popular cookie?

- [Attendant] Oh, that would be our original brown butter sea salt cookie.

That is the one that started the company.

- Did you start it with just one cookie?

- [Attendant] We did, yeah.

- I mean you gotta really know that your cookie is the stuff if you're like, "We're gonna open a cookie store."

"Oh, what are you gonna make?"

"One cookie."

- [Attendant] One cookie.

- "We do one flavor.

That's it.

If you're nice, you might get milk."

- [Attendant] Exactly.

And you have to have milk with cookies.

(upbeat music) - They've since, you know, added more cookies and I'm actually giving them the official Roy's recommendation.

(upbeat music stops) (upbeat music) Going to all the cool stuff to do on the coast and all the cool places and places we've been going is great.

But you know, the real reason why you go to the coast is to go to the coast.

Is to get away from it all.

This is one of my favorite spots.

I used to take my kid here years ago.

And if you come in the mornings, especially weekdays, like there's nobody here.

Like right now, actually we're all alone.

It's just me and you and the beach.

(upbeat music) (waves rolling) When you think about it, we are so lucky to have a special place like the Central Coast so close to the Valley.

Hop in the car, head out for the weekend, and you are transformed into a place that has its own totally cool vibe, cool feel, very laid back.

The people here are great, the food always amazing, and the settings go a long way to kind of recharging your batteries, you know.

I love how you could switch things up over here too.

If you're feeling beachy, you wanna hit that clam chowder, boom, done.

But mixing it up and trying things like the farmers market or walking the streets and pier of Cayucos are easy to do.

It's free and will give you a whole new experience of a place we've all been coming to for years.

And isn't that what coming to places like this is all about?

So yeah, we did a lot of cool, fun stuff, doing a lot of cool shoots and no one believed me.

They didn't believe me at all.

I said actually I have a little guest that's gonna be on the show that's a little surprise.

Actually gonna be shooting with The Rock.

Boom!

"Hitting the Road with Roy Sizemore" is made possible by Measure P, expanding access to arts and culture, and of course, by viewers like you.

Your support fuels the adventures and incredible connections that make the Central Valley special.

Every journey we take, every story we share is thanks to you.

Become a member today to help keep the good times rolling.

Visit our website to learn more.

Thank you.

Hey guys, Roy Sizemore here.

I just wanted to personally thank each and everyone of you for watching, it's been a great first season.

I want to thank my whole team, everybody thats been involved with the show, everybody that let us come film, we've already learned a lot about the valley that I had no idea about.

And we're just getting started.

but thank you so much and also the response we've been getting it's been great.

You know who knew cheese could be so exciting by the way, we went everywhere, I did not know we had dinosaurs in our own backyard Finally got to see Forestiere Gardens Underground Gardens and I suggest that if you're in the valley, and you don't do that, you're really missing out that was amazing.

We've just-- like I've said-- we're just getting started.

If you have any places, anything great you can hit us up on the socials you can send us an email, go to our website valleypbs.org.

and let us know other great places in the Valley that we need to go or we need to shoot it.

that we need to go film it, we need to share it with the rest of the valley.

really, really would appreciate that.

And of course, become a member today go to valleypbs.org.

But anyway just Hitting the Road has been so much fun to do and it's been great working with the crew and everybody here.

But we really do need your support now more than ever.

So please, go to the website and sign up, become a member today and thank you, so much for watching.

appreciate it.

Once again it's Roy Sizemore and I'm Hitting the Road.

(upbeat music) - California's Central Coast, a favorite go-to destination for a lot of us Valley people.

(upbeat music) But there's a lot more to do here than just jumping in the car and heading over to Pismo Beach.

(upbeat music) Wow!

- Hi.

- From one of the top farmers markets in the state, and this is loaded with way more than just veggies, to the history of a bizarre and kinda gross, San Luis Obispo landmark that's been sticking around for decades.

Breaking the law, breaking the law.

And if a trip for you to SLO doesn't include a stop at this famous pizza joint, or if you've never checked into one of the most amazing, cool, weird, off-the-wall rooms at the world-famous Madonna Inn, then friends, are you even coasting?

I almost feel like "The Shining", but like happier.

Folks that live on the coast, they have their own way of looking at things.

Own way of like living.

And for this guy, that means having sea lions for neighbors.

Yes, exactly.

- King of the world!

- King of the world, ain't.

- There's a vibe here that's easy to pick up, and so hard to let go of when it's time to head back home.

(upbeat music) (waves rolling) That's why I'm gonna show you the Central Coast my way, showing you some of the places I love about one of the Valley's top weekend getaway destination.

That will get you going.

(water splashing) All coming up next on "Hitting The Road" (upbeat music stops) (upbeat music) Central California definitely has its own vibe.

From the laid back latitudes of the Central Coast to the scenic wonders of the Sierra, and all the amazing people, cultures, and food found in the great cities and towns of the San Joaquin Valley.

I'm on a mission to explore the festivals, the hidden gems, the history, and the stories that make up this great place I love to call home.

(upbeat music) I'm Roy Sizemore, and we're <i>Hitting the Road</i> (upbeat music stops) "Hitting the Road with Roy Sizemore" is made possible by Measure P, expanding access to arts and culture, and of course, by viewers like you.

Your support fuels the adventures and incredible connections that make the Central Valley special.

Every journey we take, every story we share is thanks to you.

Become a member today to help keep the good times rolling.

Visit our website to learn more.

Thank you.

(upbeat music) Now if you live in the Central Valley, a weekend trip or holiday vacay to the coast, pretty much the norm.

But this is a big, giant, beautiful place with lots going on.

Now I know those of us from the Valley, think of the beaches and towns here, kinda our little weekend playground.

But a place like San Luis Obispo, this place is home to thousands of hardworking people.

And when they get ready to unwind, and maybe pick up some fresh produce, something really nice to nosh on, they all come to one street in SLO that brings this entire community together.

When you think farmers market, you're probably thinking, "Oh, let's get a bag of onions and some weird smelling soap."

But not in San Luis Obispo.

So many different booths, all up and down, there's food, there's fresh stuff, yes, there is farmers market stuff.

There's a million different cool shops.

There's cool vintage clothing stores, there's cool just hats.

You're looking for just hats, they got it.

Now I wish you all could smell what I got going on here.

The barbecue, the big corn.

You got the giant turkey legs, you know I love the giant turkey legs.

I feel like a king when I eat it.

(growls) It is not your typical farmers market.

SLO does it a little different and everyone comes out for it.

I am here with Whitney and you are the pro?

What do you do?

- (chuckles) I'm the program director for Downtown SLO, a nonprofit organization.

And I run this fabulous farmers market.

- It is huge.

- It is, yes.

We have five blocks on average.

We have around 110 vendors every Thursday.

We don't operate on Thanksgiving.

But other than that, it is a year-round business, every Thursday night.

- How many people do you think are here tonight?

- Oh gosh.

On average, I mean on a very busy night, we'll have well over 10,000 people.

- Where are they all coming from?

- There's a lot of people from Iceland, Africa.

- They're in Iceland, they're in a death metal band.

They're like, "We should go to SLO for farmers market."

- Thursday night sounds like a cool thing in San Luis Bispo.

- "Put your makeup on, let's go!"

- They book the flight and they're here, it's magical.

(upbeat heavy metal music) (mid-tempo music) - One of the grossest traditions in San Luis Obispo, and you have to do it every time you come, is to come to Bubblegum Alley.

It's so gross.

But literally, every time you come to town, you gotta go and you gotta chew a piece a gum, and you gotta stick it to the wall.

So here we go.

Now, depending on who you talk to, the history of Bubblegum Alley goes like way back.

Some people say it started right at the end of World War II.

Others say this was like a 50-school rivalry thing, between the high school and Cal Poly.

Now some of the merchants here as you could guess, weren't too happy about it so they told the city, "Hey, this is nasty.

Y'all need to clean it up," which they did, twice in the '70s.

Full cleaning.

(chimes) Then they asked to do it again in 1996 and the city said "No."

So since then, more and more gum's been added.

And honestly, if you go to SLO, this is like one of those must-do things.

You gotta stop by Bubblegum Alley and you gotta leave a little piece of you, up on the wall.

Breaking the law, breaking the law.

(Roy imitates blowing a trumpet) (upbeat music) This is the biggest farmers market I've ever been to.

It's so big.

Five full blocks, over 100 vendors.

- Come here, try this.

- Alright.

- Try that.

Cinnamon toffee almond butter.

- I'm allergic!

- Oh.

- I'm just kidding, I'm kidding.

- Anyway, says on the label you can't sue me.

(Roy laughs) - The air, man, is just filled with the smells of local foods being grilled up on open flames.

You got your famous Santa Maria tri-tips, roasted corn, the big turkey legs, broths, oh man, it's so good.

You never know what's gonna be around the next corner.

(upbeat music stops) (upbeat music) Wow!

- Hi.

Hi.

- Wow!

- Hi.

- Oh my God, my back hurts just sitting after watching that.

(girls laughing) What is your name?

- My name is Lily.

- Lily.

How, what?

- Wow.

- What?

- How long does it take to, I don't even know what to ask you.

- Defying the laws of gravity and physics, as Liz would say.

It's all metaphysics, it's all just momentum, gravity.

- The key is strawberry quick, I think.

But (laughs) what is your workout like to even begin to attempt something like this, for reals?

- Like, - Just this?

- Yeah, you just do it all day.

- You just do it all day.

- It's really humbling at first, but yeah, you just do it.

- You start off, how low are you to the ground 'cause I mean, - Slow and low.

- Very low.

- Okay.

- Here she goes.

- She start a couple like inches off the ground.

- She's gonna show you how it's done.

This is, this is.

- Wow!

All right.

- The is our world.

- Let's see what I can do.

- Let's see.

- Woo.

Here we go.

Thank you.

thank you very much.

- (hands clapping) Flawless.

Perfectly.

- Yeah.

(chuckles).

- Flawless.

(upbeat music) - Now, if non down on a big old hog shake or some corn on a stick isn't your thing, then you gotta head over to a San Luis Obispo classic for pizza, Woodstock's Pizza, in the heart of SLO Town.

Now it's been here since 1980.

I first had it in '97 and I've been coming back ever since.

(fast upbeat music) Chuck Woodstock created this legendary pizza in 1977, when he opened his very first restaurant up in Oregon.

In 1980, Chuck teamed up with Mike Chew, to open another location in San Luis Obispo, but keeping the same goal.

Wanted to have a student-friendly college pizza joint, but sticking true to a Chuck's grandma's recipes or sauce.

And this is my favorite part about the Woodstock's pizza, the famous fold over crust with the sauce inside, so good.

Sadly, Chuck and Chew as they were called, passed away in a private plane crash in 1985, but the family kept the dream and the pizza alive.

I'm gonna have to get some people to help me eat this.

(laughs) (upbeat music) Now if you're driving down Highway 101, all right, going through San Luis, headed to the beach, there's no way you can miss the quirky big old pink palace that is the Madonna Inn.

So Alex Madonna was this big time developer, cattleman, here in California.

Now he and his wife Phyllis, definitely had their own way of doing things.

And the Madonna Inn is basically one giant, living, breathing shrine to that spirit.

(upbeat music) - All right.

- (chuckles) Okay.

Whoa!

All right, show me this furniture.

Like show me around here.

This is pretty ornate.

- I mean, Madonna Inn, we're very well known for our extreme different themes.

But so all this furniture is all custom made, down to the little rivets on the furniture.

So everything is handpicked to match the room and the theme.

And if you look around, the wallpaper is very unique, and you can actually touch it, it's fuzzy.

Actually this particular wallpaper came from Germany so, - You can touch the furry wall.

- Yes.

- Like for real.

(host laughs) - This is like...

I just love this.

This is great.

(upbeat light music) (door creaks) Bigger!

The beams, it's funny 'cause I get to feel like I'm in a cabin, but then everything else, I'm in a period piece on PBS.

- Yes.

- Like - I'm waiting for the Queen to come in.

"Oh, scandal."

This is awesome.

(upbeat music) This is amazing.

I'm done.

Goodnight.

- All right.

- Okay.

So this is the North Yosemite?

- Yes.

So this actually, is real rock.

I mean a lot of people are like, "Oh, nowadays you see all this artificial stuff," but no, this is real rock.

- No that's legit.

It's a lot prettier actually when you do it like that too.

It's like when you try to fake nature, it just never really works.

- So if you walk in.

- (laughs) Ooh!

- So you don't get - What!

- to feel like you're, you know.

- What!

See this is like something I would do if I won the lotto.

I wouldn't tell anyone, but there'd be signs.

I'd have a waterfall in my bathroom.

I'd have a rock shower.

- Yes, well you're not gonna see this anywhere else.

- No, you're not.

- Yeah.

- The theme rooms at the Madonna Inn, are known literally around the world for their eclectic rooms.

Each one is different, and to say unique is definitely an understatement.

If some of these look familiar, by the way, there've been a lot of music videos shot here over the years and they've been in a lot of TV shows, including "The Bachelor," but I won't hold that against them.

(upbeat music stops) ♪ Hold me closer, Tony Danza ♪ Thank you.

Thank you very much.

I almost feel like "The Shining" but happier.

Like, if "The Shining" was a Disney movie, 'cause it's all pink.

Oh, you gon' be dying.

Gotta go to the bathroom.

And I just feel we've been doing a lot of bathroom shots.

But it's like, no, no, no.

Like in the restaurant area, you gotta go to the bathroom.

It's amazing.

The bathroom's like, "No, you gotta go."

I do have to go.

And I guess if I have to go, this is the place to go.

So let's go.

- (chuckles) Oh my God!

Dude, it's a waterfall.

- Just like in the great outdoors.

(water splashing) That'll get you going.

(upbeat music) Now you don't even need to book a room here, to get a real sense for the uniquely original taste and styles of the Madonna Inn.

Matter of fact, this is a top spot to break up the drive, and get some chow for the weary road trippers.

And they will be tripping in a whole different way when you check this out.

(upbeat music stops) (upbeat music) One of the things I love about the Central Coast is how diverse the destinations are here.

I mean, you go from a huge farmers market to sticking bubble gum on a wall to sleeping in an hotel where your walls are made of boulders, to a quiet seaside town just a few minutes up the road that's held onto its rich nautical history, the town of Morro Bay.

You can totally notice the downshift and the energy here from the bright lights and city vibe of San Luis Obispo to a small authentic harbor town.

It's kind of repelled against the whole coastal sprawl.

(upbeat music) Here in Morro Bay, it's all about a way of life that's directly tied to the open sea.

(upbeat music stops) So as we're here, cameraman John says, "Oh hey, I think that's my friend's boat out in the water.

You guys wanna go check out a guy that lives on a boat in the middle of the harbor?"

I'm like, "Yeah!"

(upbeat music) This is a very small boat.

- Don't worry, I'm a really good driver.

(Roy chuckles) I'm used to a bass boat but you know, I can get used to the dingy, I'm down.

All right, thank you for having me on, man.

We're here with Reid, who lives on a sailboat.

That's like a dream of many people.

A nightmare probably for a lot of people.

I have like a million questions, man.

- Well, you got it.

I've got a million answers.

So just about everything you look at, I've had my hands on, as far as fixing or cleaning or scrubbing over the years.

One of my proudest things on this boat is the deck.

This is a teak deck originally from Taiwan.

I thought it was worth saving all the wood, even though it was grimy and popping up.

So I pulled it all off and re-epoxied it down so that I could keep this and keep the character of this old vessel.

- That sounds like a lot of work.

- Yeah, yeah.

It was.

(Roy laughs) It was.

And out here, this is usually people's most favorite spot.

This is where you can Titanic.

- Yes, exactly.

- King of the world.

- King of the world, ain't.

- Yes, of course.

So how long in your life have you spent actually living on the water, like a lot of time living on the water?

- Just close to a decade.

- Wow.

- Yeah.

- Well, I know a lot of people doing the van thing, but like when the van dies you just park it and then get a plane ticket or bus ticket home.

Like, this is a big commitment.

- Yeah, you're locked in.

- You're a special kind of guy, dude.

Not everyone could just pick up and, I mean, storms, pirates.

- I've yet to face a pirate.

- Okay.

- Storms, for sure.

You know they definitely teach you some lessons.

I had to learn the lesson the hard way, and I definitely got real close to that line where you're not too safe and you might not come home.

All right, hop on into the captain's chair.

- Awesome.

Now this is legit.

This is like the beginning of "Gilligan's Island," this whole thing right here.

- If you're cruising, you gotta be cruising in comfort, I think.

- This is like a dream, like you're living what men dream of.

"Like yeah, I'm gonna go out and sail these winds."

So many people, like, "God I wish I could do something like that."

- Well, see my answer to that is you can.

I'm just like every other person.

I have to eat and breathe and sleep and you know, it's doable.

- But you do it on your terms, on your boat.

And whenever you wanna move on, you just weigh anchor and hit the road.

- Yeah, for the most part.

Check the weather first.

- (laughs) Well, yeah.

- That's the lesson I learned the hard way.

(upbeat music) - When it comes to tricky harbors to navigate, Morro Bay is no joke.

It's actually considered one of the most treacherous ports to get a boat in and out of.

Big, open swell, a tight jetty to break up the waves all anchored off the 576 foot Morrow Rock.

But while a life at sea is a big deal here, the entire town has become a top tourist destination for us here in the Valley.

And a big draw, for those of us who like to party, are the festivals here.

Like their locally famous Margarita and Avocado Festival, where avocados are king.

Avocado growing in the region really has taken off the last 20 years.

As well as avocados, thank you, avocado toast.

The festival here is a way to celebrate the importance of the avocado farmers from the Central Coast.

And I think they added the margaritas to the party because margaritas, duh.

Avocado dress, avocado shirt, avocado freaks.

- Avocado earrings.

- Avocado earrings!

Boom!

Avocado purse, avocado earrings, avocado key chain, avocado socks.

I see avocado margarita, do you actually make avocado margaritas?

- I do not make avocado margaritas, but I use avocado in my dishes.

- Okay, what's your favorite dish?

- Mine.

- Yeah, well of course, what, (vendor laughs) - I think you need to eat this in front of the camera.

- I do?

Okay.

I guess I know what I'm doing.

You hold that.

- I got it.

I got you.

- I'll hold this.

- Get everything in one.

- I got this.

- That's what I'm doing.

- You gotta take like the Food Network bite.

- (Roy and vendor laugh) - I gotta Ramsey this?

- Yes.

- Is that what's going on?

All right y'all.

- Yes!.

- There we go.

- That's it.

(soft guitar music) That's the bite.

(upbeat music) - A little further up the coast from Morro Bay is another one of my favorite stops.

I actually have driven past this so many times for years.

You really need to take the time, pull over and check out the beach town of Cayucos, you will not be disappointed.

In 1867, Captain James Cass spotted the stretch of the Central Coast and thought to himself, "Sweet beach."

Okay, he probably didn't say that but he did like it a lot.

As a matter of fact, he liked it so much he settled and built an over 900-foot pier, so cargo ships could come in and out.

Okay, that was a long time ago so obviously pier is deteriorating, but they built a brand new pier in 2015, and it's a great place to come.

You can come to the beach, you could watch the surfers, and you don't even need a license to fish from the pier.

(upbeat music stops) So, are you big sea fisherman?

- Just kind of started getting used to it.

- What's your favorite fish?

Have you caught anything big out here, have you caught?

- I've actually never caught anything out here.

(Roy laughs) My brother is mostly the fisherman, yeah.

- You just come out here to chill then?

- Kind of, yeah.

It's kind of peaceful.

It's quiet, it's nice.

- What a better way to spend a day.

If you like to fish, fish on the ocean.

But beware of seals stealing your fish.

'Cause that will totally happen.

You guys doing any good today?

- No, fishing's good.

Catching sucks.

(Roy laughs) - Have you caught anything today?

- No.

- No?

- This is the first time I've been out on this pier.

I just drove down from Nampa, Idaho.

- Oh, wow.

Just to go here?

Or just vacation?

- I'm going to Morrow Bay.

There's a high school football team reunion.

- Oh, cool.

- You know what I'm talking about?

- I know what a high school is, I know what a reunion is, I know what football is, so I think I'm on the same page.

- (indistinct) football.

- But you get a little fishing in first?

- Yeah.

(upbeat music) - All right, if you come during the right time of the year, the whales will come, I'm talking maybe like 300 feet out, and you'll see the spouts, you'll see 'em all migrate, it's one of the coolest sights you'll ever see.

You can bring your own lunch, you can bring some chairs, you can bring some fishing rods and go on the other pier.

And you know, who says you gotta go out and spend a lot of money?

And look around you.

Look at all this.

And it's so close.

Really something you gotta do.

(upbeat music) Today we're asking, if you come to Cayucos, what's the one thing you have to do?

- When I come here, I just have to enjoy the weather.

- All right.

What about you?

- I would say walk on the pier.

- If you're in Cayucos, and it's your first time, what's the one thing you gotta do?

- Go fishing, or I always go to the antique mall a cross the street.

- All right.

- Same with me.

I always love coming here and going fishing.

- Going fishing.

See I'm loving these guys.

What about you?

- Getting chowder at Duckie's.

- Chowder at Duckie's.

We haven't done that.

That might be the thing, watch out.

I say hit your head on a planter.

That's what I like to do.

First time in Cayucos, hey.

What's the one thing that's like, oh, if you go to Cayucos, you can't not do this.

What's the one thing you gotta do?

- You gotta stop at Brown Butter Cookie.

- Oh, okay.

Is that it?

- No, you gotta come to Cayucos Coffee.

- Okay.

You gotta go to Cay-- - First.

- And get your coffee.

- And then dunk-- - Some cookie.

- And then dunk the cookie.

- Yeah.

- And who have we got here?

- This is Eddie.

- What's up Eddie?

- This is Shep.

- What's up?

Oh my goodness.

(upbeat music) The little town of Cayucos is loaded with a lot of cool hidden gems and when you come here, of course there's the gorgeous beach, but there's also some really great hiking trails.

Antique stores, that's a big thing in Cayucos.

I always find something really cool, something really funky in the antique stores.

(upbeat music) - What is this?

It says, "Movie filmed here in 1959."

Was this an actual prop?

- Kind of I think a replica of the monster in the movie.

It was filmed there.

- Okay.

Do you know of the story on the movie and all that?

- I don't know almost any of the story about the movie.

We hear from people who remember when it was being filmed or remember seeing it at some point.

I think one time I did a Google search and it was like a kind of B-movie sort of thing, right?

- This looks like something "Mystery Science Theater" would do.

- Very much so, yeah.

- Yes.

(suspenseful horror music) (woman screams) - And by the way, what's your name?

- Caitlin.

- Caitlin, Roy.

- Nice to meet to meet you.

- Awesome.

- I love this store.

What should we look for today?

What's the cool stuff?

- So the upstairs floor used to be a dance hall, and that's probably where some of our coolest stuff is now.

- Okay.

Where do you get all this stuff?

- Each section is a different vendor.

- Okay.

- And so they kind of find their stuff, however.

You know, they find garage sales, Facebook marketplace, eBay, any number of places.

- Right.

- And then they bring it in and curate it.

- All right, well, she said upstairs is where all the cool stuff is.

We will be in a minute cause I'll be there.

(chuckles) (upbeat music) That looks really (indistinct).

A kid definitely fell off that.

At least broke an arm, bro.

(upbeat music) If you're really into acorns, have I got the dish set for you?

Look at that.

"Honey, bring out the acorns.

We have company coming over."

They got healing crystals, other hippie tchotchkes, and oh, yeah, (indistinct).

(hands clapping) Why not?

I don't know if I wanna touch this, dude.

To be honest, but there you go.

- Woo-woo.

(Roy howls) (upbeat music stops) (upbeat music) There's a really great artist collective featuring many different styles, genres, mediums, from some of the best artists on the Central Coast.

And I usually pick up a hat.

- The collective's all about supporting local artists who represent some of the authentic qualities of the Central Coast.

- Everyone here is local?

- Yeah.

- It's all local?

- Yeah.

- It's cool to see things like this.

You see coast, everyone talks about wine, this and that, but I love to see a thriving art scene.

I think that's awesome.

- Cool, man.

I appreciate that.

- There's one place I always stop off at.

If I'm even driving anywhere near Cayucos, I make my way over to the Brown Butter Cookie Company.

So good.

How good?

Okay, when they started, they just made one type of cookie.

Just one.

What is your most popular cookie?

- [Attendant] Oh, that would be our original brown butter sea salt cookie.

That is the one that started the company.

- Did you start it with just one cookie?

- [Attendant] We did, yeah.

- I mean you gotta really know that your cookie is the stuff if you're like, "We're gonna open a cookie store."

"Oh, what are you gonna make?"

"One cookie."

- [Attendant] One cookie.

- "We do one flavor.

That's it.

If you're nice, you might get milk."

- [Attendant] Exactly.

And you have to have milk with cookies.

(upbeat music) - They've since, you know, added more cookies and I'm actually giving them the official Roy's recommendation.

(upbeat music stops) (upbeat music) Going to all the cool stuff to do on the coast and all the cool places and places we've been going is great.

But you know, the real reason why you go to the coast is to go to the coast.

Is to get away from it all.

This is one of my favorite spots.

I used to take my kid here years ago.

And if you come in the mornings, especially weekdays, like there's nobody here.

Like right now, actually we're all alone.

It's just me and you and the beach.

(upbeat music) (waves rolling) When you think about it, we are so lucky to have a special place like the Central Coast so close to the Valley.

Hop in the car, head out for the weekend, and you are transformed into a place that has its own totally cool vibe, cool feel, very laid back.

The people here are great, the food always amazing, and the settings go a long way to kind of recharging your batteries, you know.

I love how you could switch things up over here too.

If you're feeling beachy, you wanna hit that clam chowder, boom, done.

But mixing it up and trying things like the farmers market or walking the streets and pier of Cayucos are easy to do.

It's free and will give you a whole new experience of a place we've all been coming to for years.

And isn't that what coming to places like this is all about?

So yeah, we did a lot of cool, fun stuff, doing a lot of cool shoots and no one believed me.

They didn't believe me at all.

I said actually I have a little guest that's gonna be on the show that's a little surprise.

Actually gonna be shooting with The Rock.

Boom!

Hey guys, Roy Sizemore here.

I just wanted to personally thank each and everyone of you for watching, it's been a great first season.

I want to thank my whole team, everybody thats been involved with the show, everybody that let us come film, we've already learned a lot about the valley that I had no idea about.

And we're just getting started.

but thank you so much and also the response we've been getting it's been great.

You know who knew cheese could be so exciting by the way, we went everywhere, I did not know we had dinosaurs in our own backyard Finally got to see Forestiere Gardens Underground Gardens and I suggest that if you're in the valley, and you don't do that, you're really missing out that was amazing.

We've just-- like I've said-- we're just getting started.

If you have any places, anything great you can hit us up on the socials you can send us an email, go to our website valleypbs.org.

and let us know other great places in the Valley that we need to go or we need to shoot it.

that we need to go film it, we need to share it with the rest of the valley.

really, really would appreciate that.

And of course, become a member today go to valleypbs.org.

But anyway just Hitting the Road has been so much fun to do and it's been great working with the crew and everybody here.

But we really do need your support now more than ever.

So please, go to the website and sign up, become a member today and thank you, so much for watching.

appreciate it.

Once again it's Roy Sizemore and I'm Hitting the Road.

"Hitting the Road with Roy Sizemore" is made possible by Measure P, expanding access to arts and culture, and of course, by viewers like you.

Your support fuels the adventures and incredible connections that make the Central Valley special.

Every journey we take, every story we share is thanks to you.

Become a member today to help keep the good times rolling.

Visit our website to learn more.

Thank you.