itinerary: revise Morro Bay drive stops

days/2026-09-30.md

@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@
 
 If arrival at Red Rock slips past **5:30 PM**, skip the trail and use only roadside viewpoints. Do not add Seven Magic Mountains; it would send the route back across the south side of Las Vegas.
 
+## Actual
+
+- Peggy Sue's 50's Diner was skipped; it remained unvisited after the drive to Las Vegas.
+
 ## Addresses
 
 | Place | Address | Map |

days/2026-10-03.md

@@ -8,39 +8,43 @@
 
 - Check out of Horseshoe and depart around **9:00 AM**
 - KT & VT fly LAS → Sofia at 2:23 PM PDT; arrive 2026-10-04 at 6:40 PM EEST, with 2 stops ([flights](../bookings/transport/flights-kt-vt.md))
-- MS/LK drive to Morro Bay: about **417 miles / 8 hours** baseline before stops and traffic
+- Direct Las Vegas → Morro Bay: about **417 miles / 8 hours** baseline before stops and traffic
+- The recommended coastal route below is about **446 miles / 9 hours** of baseline driving
 - All luggage remains in the car. Conceal bags before departure, keep valuables with MS/LK and avoid opening the trunk at stops
 - Caltrans reported no restrictions on I-15, SR-58, SR-46 or SR-41 at **6:46 AM**; navigation and roadside signs control if conditions change
 
-## Recommended working route
+## Recommended route — save the scenery for the coast
 
 - **9:00 AM** Depart Horseshoe
-- **Around 11:00 AM** Quick fuel/restroom stop near Barstow; Peggy Sue's and Calico were already visited on Sep 30
+- **Around 11:35 AM–12:20 PM** **Peggy Sue's 50's Diner**, Yermo — the roadside diner was skipped on Sep 30, so it remains a new stop; lunch, shake or pie and the movie-memorabilia interior
-- **1:30–2:15 PM** Lunch at **Kohnen's Country Bakery**, Tehachapi — German breads, sandwiches, soups and pastries; open 6:00 AM–6:00 PM today
+- **12:20–5:10 PM** Continue toward Paso Robles with one brief fuel/restroom stop near Bakersfield
-- **2:30–2:45 PM** **Tehachapi Loop Overlook** — brief railway-engineering viewpoint; if no train appears within about 10 minutes, continue
+- **Around 5:10–5:25 PM** Optional **Brown Butter Cookie Company**, Paso Robles — sea-salt cookies; open until 7:00 PM today. Skip if behind schedule
-- **Around 4:40 PM** **Blackwell's Corner** — quick fuel, drinks and road snacks
+- **5:25–6:15 PM** Follow SR-46 west through the Paso Robles vineyards toward Cambria; use only legal signed pullouts
-- **Around 5:20 PM** **James Dean Memorial Junction**, Cholame — 10-minute roadside stop
+- **6:15–6:30 PM** **Moonstone Beach**, Cambria — brief car-adjacent ocean view only; sunset is around **6:44 PM**. Do not take the boardwalk while all trip luggage remains in the rental car
-- Continue by SR-46, US-101 and SR-41 to Morro Bay
+- **6:30–7:10 PM** Highway 1 south through Cayucos to Morro Bay
-- **Around 6:50–7:15 PM** Check in at Rockview Inn; dinner and a short Embarcadero/Morro Rock walk if energy remains
+- **Around 7:10 PM** Check in and unload at Rockview Inn; then have dinner and walk the Embarcadero/Morro Rock area without luggage in the car
 
-## Alternatives — choose instead of adding everything
+If Paso Robles is reached after **5:45 PM**, skip the cookie and coastal detour: take US-101 south to Atascadero and SR-41 west directly to Morro Bay.
 
-- **Seven Magic Mountains:** open with no reservation, near I-15 south of Las Vegas. Allow roughly 45–60 minutes including the detour and visit; use it only if an earlier Morro Bay arrival is not important
+## Genuine alternatives — choose one, not all
-- **Wool Growers, Bakersfield:** more distinctive sit-down Basque lunch; Saturday lunch is 1:00–3:30 PM. Reserve a table and skip Tehachapi Loop to protect the arrival time
-- **Murray Family Farms Big Red Barn:** farm-store fruit, pie and snacks beside SR-58; the store is open 8:00 AM–10:00 PM today. Use the store only—the October farm park would consume too much time
-- **Scenic coastal finish:** after Cholame/Paso Robles, remain on SR-46 west to Highway 1, use only legal signed ocean-view pullouts, then drive south through Cayucos to Morro Bay. This adds about 45 minutes of driving. To reach the coast near the **6:44 PM sunset**, skip Tehachapi Loop and Blackwell's Corner and leave Kohnen's by about 2:15 PM
 
-Forecast checked this morning: Tehachapi around **84°F / 29°C**, Bakersfield around **99°F / 37°C**, and Morro Bay around **65°F / 18°C** near arrival. Keep a layer accessible for the coast.
+- **Seven Magic Mountains:** colorful desert artwork near I-15 south of Las Vegas; open with no reservation. Adds roughly **50–60 minutes** including the detour and visit
+- **Red Rock Canyon State Park, California:** vivid desert cliffs and buttes 25 miles northeast of Mojave. A 30–45 minute roadside/viewpoint visit makes the day roughly **1½ hours longer** than the direct drive; better than the minor inland roadside stops, but it repeats the trip's desert scenery
+- **Wool Growers, Bakersfield:** traditional Basque lunch, more distinctive food than a bakery. Saturday lunch is **1:00–3:30 PM**; reserve and use it **instead of** Peggy Sue's
+- **Murray Family Farms Big Red Barn:** convenient fruit, pie and snacks beside SR-58. Use only the farm store; the October farm park would take too long in today's heat
+
+The Tehachapi railway overlook, Blackwell's Corner and the James Dean marker are no longer recommended stops. Forecast checked this morning: Bakersfield around **99°F / 37°C** and Morro Bay around **65°F / 18°C** near arrival. Keep a layer accessible for the coast.
 
 ## Addresses
 
 | Place | Address | Map |
 |---|---|---|
 | Horseshoe Las Vegas | 3645 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109 · +1 877-603-4390 | [36.11348, -115.16906](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=36.11348,-115.16906) |
-| Kohnen's Country Bakery | 125 W Tehachapi Blvd #D, Tehachapi, CA 93561 | [search](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Kohnen%27s+Country+Bakery+Tehachapi) |
+| Peggy Sue's 50's Diner | 35654 Yermo Rd, Yermo, CA 92398 | [search](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Peggy+Sue%27s+50%27s+Diner+Yermo) |
-| Tehachapi Loop Overlook | Woodford–Tehachapi Road, Keene, CA | [35.19506, -118.53485](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=35.19506,-118.53485) |
+| Brown Butter Cookie Company — Paso Robles | 801 12th St, Paso Robles, CA 93446 | [search](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Brown+Butter+Cookie+Company+Paso+Robles) |
-| Blackwell's Corner | SR-46 at SR-33, Lost Hills, CA | [35.61489, -119.86777](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=35.61489,-119.86777) |
+| Moonstone Beach | Moonstone Beach Dr, Cambria, CA 93428 | [35.57382, -121.11287](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=35.57382,-121.11287) |
-| James Dean Memorial Junction | 19215 CA-46, Cholame, CA | [35.72334, -120.29697](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=35.72334,-120.29697) |
+| Seven Magic Mountains | S Las Vegas Blvd, Sloan, NV | [35.83831, -115.27095](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=35.83831,-115.27095) |
+| Red Rock Canyon State Park | CA-14, Cantil, CA 93519 | [search](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Red+Rock+Canyon+State+Park+California) |
 | Wool Growers | 620 E 19th St, Bakersfield, CA 93305 | [search](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Wool+Growers+Restaurant+Bakersfield) |
 | Murray Family Farms Big Red Barn | 6700 General Beale Rd, Bakersfield, CA 93307 | [search](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Murray+Family+Farms+Big+Red+Barn) |
 | Rockview Inn and Suites — Morro Bay | 1080 Market Ave, Morro Bay, CA 93442 | [search](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Rockview+Inn+and+Suites+1080+Market+Ave+Morro+Bay+CA+93442) |