La Mesa, California

Home Sweet Home

We had another great trip.
Saw lots of beautiful sights and met lots of friendly people.

We were gone 52 nights,
Took 2,597 pictures,

Drove 1,694 Motorhome miles
 2,375 Jeep miles.

Came home with a new passion vine and 4 new tye dyed t-shirts. 2 for Cindy, 1 for Dave and a special 1 as a Father's day gift for Dave's dad who makes guitars.

A BIG Thanks to our neighbor Gregg for looking after things at home making it much easier for us while we are gone.



Santa Maria, California

 Our all time favorite place to eat Santa Maria style tri-tip.

No traditional Santa Maria Style Barbecue meal is complete without pinquito beans. But what are pinquito beans, and where did they come from?  Pinquitos are small pink beans that are native to the Santa Maria Valley. No one is quite sure about the origins of the pinquito bean, but after all these years it remains a commercial crop exclusive to the Central Coast.
We got some to take home.

Santa Maria produces 10 million boxes of strawberries annually.  In the spring and summertime, the sweet fragrance of strawberries perfume the air all around Santa Maria.

On our way to the trail head we spot this beagle running loose in the middle of a 4 way intersection with 2 lanes in each direction.  I jump out and start calling to her.  Like most lost dogs she is scared and won't initially come to me.  With persistence I finally get her to come to me.  Of course she has no tags on her collar. We find a small piece of rope to tie to her collar, call animal control and wait.

The sun was shining when we left the Jeep.

 Point Sal ridgeline at Point Sal State Beach

 Newton Short built this swinging bridge without sides to connect his properties approximately 1875.  Sides were added after 1902.  The bridge was given to the city in 1911. 

 The lake has been called Oso Flaco, meaning “skinny bear,” ever since 1769 when Gaspar de Portola’s expedition passed through

 The Oso Flaco Lake boardwalk takes you across the lake.  After crossing the lake, the boardwalk continues over the dunes to a viewing platform and access to the beach.

Small world
When in Santa Maria we always stay at the Elks Lodge.  After dinner at Shaw's Dave sends a message to a friend in Apple Valley rubbing it in that we just had dinner at Shaw's.  Barry tells us he is headed to the Elks in Santa Maria in a couple of days.  We were able to return to Shaw's with them for another excellent dinner. 
The same day Bob and Carol square dancers we know from Riverside pulled in at the Elks and park right next to us.

Avila Beach, California

One of our top 10 favorite spots

Lots of wildlife in this area.  We saw seals, otters, sea lions, humpback whales and lots of different birds.

Built in 1873 by John Harford

Humpback whales are in town.  Busy eating and putting on a show.
Humpbacks feed only in summer and are popular with whale watchers for their breaching and slapping the water with their tail and pectorals. 

After trying our hand kayaking we decided to attempt paddleboarding.

No boat ramp.  Boats are hoisted in and out of the water.

San Luis Obispo's Thursdays Farmers Market with live music, food vendors and lots of local produce.

Avila's Friday night Farmers Market with live music, food vendors and some local produce.

We hiked the Pecho Coast Trail to the Point San Luis Lighthouse.  The hike is docent-led and is 3.75 miles round trip and moderately strenuous with uneven terrain, steep cliffs and grades, and narrow trails.

Built in 1890 after a series of shipping accidents.

  

We woke up to a rainy day and decided to take a drive.

Morro Bay before lunch.

Lolo's came highly recommended.

Morro Bay after lunch.
The sun came out and it turned out to be a beautiful day.

We found a great place to take a hike.

The park's name in english, "Mountain of Gold," comes from the golden wildflowers that bloom in spring. This park features rugged cliffs, secluded sandy beaches, coastal plains, streams, canyons, and hills, including 1,347-foot Valencia Peak.

We saw two different Seagull nests.

Black Oystercatchers