San Luis Obispo is a small city of about forty-seven thousand people, halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, and for riders on the coast it is a natural place to rest. It lies in a valley of the Santa Lucia foothills, a short way inland from the Pacific, with hills of oak and grass rising on all sides. Franciscan friar Junipero Serra founded Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa here in 1772, and the mission church still stands on the central plaza, next to a creek that runs through the downtown.
The city has a relaxed, university-town feel, partly because of Cal Poly, the large state university campus on its northern edge. Higuera Street is the heart of the town, with cafes, bookshops and restaurants, and on Thursday evenings it closes to traffic for a farmers' market that brings in food stalls and a barbecue haze. A local speciality is tri-tip, a cut of beef grilled over oak, which you will find at barbecue stands and restaurants across the Central Coast. Bubblegum Alley, a narrow passage plastered with chewed gum, is a weird and slightly gross local landmark.
The riding around the city is some of the best in California. Highway 1 leaves town towards Morro Bay, where a huge volcanic rock rises out of the harbour, and continues north along the coast to Cambria, Hearst Castle and the cliffs of Big Sur. Inland, Highway 46 and the roads through the hills offer curves and quiet. The weather on the coast is often cool and foggy in summer, while the inland valleys are hot, so carry layers and expect to adjust during the day.
Fuel, food and lodging are all easy here, with plenty of petrol stations along the main roads and motels at all price levels. The Madonna Inn, a famously over-the-top hotel with themed rooms, is a local institution, and even if you do not stay it is worth a look at the pink dining room. Spring is lovely, when the hills are bright green and the poppies bloom, and autumn is clear and warm.