Artichoke anyone?

After our incredible drive on Highway 1, we needed a place to stay for the night, so after it got dark, we just drove off the highway and ended in a place called Castroville, (yes, the land where every little village has a -ville ending..). close to Monterey. It was a COMPLETE dump. BUT! Holymoly, what a great place! We stopped at the first Motel we could see, and it was called Artichoke Inn. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I was hit by a very strong smell of vegetables. Anyway, we got cheap rooms (they were aweful) and decided to go for a little walk to find a pub to have a beer. Everything was closed at 9 pm, but Gwydion saw that a TV was on from what looked like it might be something. We looked at eachother, not very sure if we should go in, but we did. It was crowded with people that looked like bikers. We sat down and got 2 beers, and started to talk to the guy behind the bar. Soon after another guy joined in, and he had the most amazing stories and gave us a few tips on what to do in the area. A few beers later, he went over to a box in the corner and came back with lettuce..yes, lettuce. We met a few other locals and had a blast. It was a bit surreal. One thing is clear though, dont mess with the artichokes. If you do, I'm sure you get the entire Hells Angels on your neck.