A MIDSUMMER DAY'S TRAVEL UP CALIFORNIA'S CENTRAL COAST








There are days in one's life that you'd rather that bedtime came about 12 hours earlier than normal, and then there are days that you wish would never end. Yesterday was the latter for this traveler! A Type A personality, I am not. The day just past would have driven my Type A friends nuts, quite probably. Starting a day with little or no plans other than where I thought I wanted to spend the night (the locale anyway, no reservations nailed down) was exhilerating for me. 


The campground that was home for a night was high on a mesa, overlooking the ocean (no ocean siteline for me though - bummer..) and located a short jaunt north of Santa Barbara. {...allow me to digress... Santa Barbara is a spectacularly beautiful place - the mountains that surround the city and the beach areas make for a setting that would satisfy the most discriminating of landscape pleasure-seekers. Oh, and the wine-tasting event I stumbled across in the quaint village wine shop located downhill from Westmount College was a serendipitous 1/2 hour for me. I left the little 'party' a bit smarter about a handful of French (not particularly inexpensive) champagnes. Mr. French-man knew 'his stuff'... I knew I liked 'his stuff'...) Back to the campground mesa - a place that offered cleanliness with a capital 'C', as well as a wonderful trail downhill through the avocado trees to a cafe hut (where I took my morning tea) and on to a beach that is part of the California State Park system. This beach, loaded with boulders and black musssel-covered rocks, offered a quieter seaside moment than most I'd visited. Watching a grandpa and his grandchildren frolicking in the waves was pure delight. The hike up to Pedro provided the day's aerobic challenge - I survived and was soon rolling down the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) with my oldies, but goodies making music in my ears! 


Solvang, CA does not have very big lettering on any map - it's quite small. It is, however, a major tourist attraction, not that I knew that before I arrived. Although it had crossed my online search, it had not peaked my interest too much. I was so close to the town as I rolled down Hwy 101, that I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to have a short 'look-see' at the town. Well, I do believe that I would like to return to Solvang for a couple-day-stay in my future! What a cute and bustling Swedish village! All the retail stores and most houses (that I saw anyway) look like they were moved over on 'the big boat'- (Swedish architecture and ambience galore). A large windmill anchors the downtown strip and bright red banners adorn the street lights, an exciting explosion of color. Knowing that I had other places I wanted to see on this day, I curtailed my shopping yearnings after one adorable home and garden shop and one purchase, heading back to Mr. P for the next ribbon of highway.

The St. Ynez mountains are different than any I have ever seen. Situated north of Solvang and south of Paso Robles, these rounded top vistas sport vast areas of goldenrod colored grassy expanses with rounded trees splattered across the terrain with sporatic frequency. Tuscany, from the pictures I have seen, has little over these rolling hills and mountains. On occasion, cattle and horses dot the distant hillsides, but the other presence that delights are the many vineyards and field after field of grapes growing on their stilts of wire fencing, many fields showing off signage of the grape varietal growing there. It was a feast for the eyes. Gradually the mountains shrink as I head further north through this central coastal area. By the time I reach Pismo Beach, the gentle roll of the landscape gives way to the beautiful ocean blue. 


Beaches have personalities! If you sit still for a half hour in the midst of the sandy stretches of California beaches you realize this fact. Some beaches scream of 'Surf-City USA', some of family fun time, some of yoga-posing six-pack 'abs', show off the bod, guru's and still others attrack the wide-brimmed hat grandmas/grandpas in their lawn chairs, books propped on there laps. Of course, this is a bit over-generalized, but there is a flavor to every beach vista that captures one's attention. Pismo Beach was teaming with the party-time crowd in it's beachside retail area. Of course, a Friday night is prime time for such 20-something adventure-seekers. Maneuvering Pedro through the pedestrian crowded streets was a real 'trip', I must say! Although I'd set my sites early in the day to stay in this locale, I quickly ruled it out for this saucy grandma. I punched my new destination on my trusty Garmin and head out for Avila Beach, a half hour up the road.


Such good luck was mine - a fun and family-oriented festival on the beachfront was gearing up as I arrived in the early evening hours at Avila Beach. Good fortune, being mine once more, I pull into a parking space just 1 block from the 'action', as a nice gent pulled away from the curb in his Explorer. This Scottish jig-dancing crowd followed the lead of the kilt-cladd part-rock band crew as they energized the families and grandfolk crowd to explosions of clapping, laughing and munching their way through tacos and gyros and ice cream cones. All the foodie tents, flower stands and fresh fruit stands lent the market festival atmosphere the best of a Friday nite fiesta for all. One last purchse of a chocolate truffle to tuck away for my treat with the best red wine I can find in the next day or two, and I am off to find a place to park Mr. P for a night's sleep. Avila Beach is not the place for that, so off to Paso Robles I journey.
 

A quick check with Garmin and I discover that Walmart is only 26 miles up the road. The county fair is in progress in this Central Coast Wine Country city (a discovery in my Google searches) and as I drive into the Walmart lot, it feels like a local campout is in progress!! I feel right at home! I have never seen so many RV's and vans in one Walmart before! As I find a niche for Mr. P I think of all the interesting spots I saw on this special day. An evening's conversation with a friend over a cup of tea would coax out a boat load of other pleasure moments - the 60's feel of Ventura, the ostrich farm, the alpaca farm, the yellow VW with yellow daisies in a vase on her dash, the cute downtown of San Luis Obispo, the sculptures all over the campus at Westmont College, the nice lady I visited with in Solvang.... the list is long











I flip on my TV to watch the Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics, settle in for the late evening and smile at the grace-happenings of my day-gone-by.


Thank You God for this day, for adventures and nostalgia and learning moments and ... peace.

Tomorrow..... oh yes.... my reservation is at noon to visit the Hearst Mansion at yet another coastal spot. I'm told this should be nothing short of amazing, and yet to be experienced. Oh yes, I wonder where I will spend my evening tomorrow night??


Into the Wind..... Naturegirl.