A leisurely drive North

Monday 3 September 2012 – A leisurely drive North

Day 144 and 14 days to go

Wanting to beat the crowds to Santa Barbara Pier this morning we were up at 8am, albeit reluctantly on my part. With breakfast, showers and the unhitching complete we made our way out of the park. I left some money in the rental enveloped and shoved it through the hole into the rent office and then we drove the short distance to the beachfront.

It was so much quieter this morning than yesterday afternoon when we first rocked into town. We were able to get a parking spot along the road and then walk along the footpath to the Santa Barbara Stearns Wharf. This jetty was engulfed in fire in 1998 where the middle section was left in ruin. By 200 it had been restored and was ready for tourists again.

It was quite overcast this morning, unlike yesterday when the blue sky enveloped the coast and the sun was beating down. Today it had a real ghostly eeriness to it. Despite this, it was still warm enough to be in t-shirts and shorts as we walked along the wooden jetty taking in the view of the water that didn’t appear particularly inviting. The water was quite murky despite the fact it was calm.

We wandered past the many shops and fishermen trying their luck. There were more of them at the end of the pier. One even managed to bring in a large starfish. There were also plenty of baby pelicans looking for a feed. They were very cute and not fussed by all the human attention. 

Once we finished looking around at the end we returned along the pier stopping close to the end where the local homeless had set up coin tossing games in an attempt to earn the tourist’s loose change. We had a bit of fun attempting to get our pennies in the cups to no avail.

We returned to the car, set the GPS to our campground and then made the drive north. We were intending to take the coastal route, but having the GPS set to fastest route it took us North East on the Chumash Highway. Winding our way up and over the coastal hills we had views over farming lands and a large lake that we were soon to pass, Lake Cachuma. This appeared to be a large recreational reserve and there were plenty of RV’s camping near it’s edge.

We continued on through Los Olivos passing through a grape growing district with a number of wineries visible from the road. Here we rejoined HWY101 that we had left in Santa Barbara to cut over the hills. The next major town was Santa Maria and we were now only 30 min from our campground. With Paul and I hungry we were in search mode for food.

Sailing further down the road and only 10min away from our destination we cut off the HWY when we spied another In-N-Out burger joint at Arroyo Grande. Pulling up in the car park it was a quick walk into the restaurant to order up and then devour the delicious burgers. Wiping the sauce from our chins and fingers and with a satisfied belly we then made the final 10min journey to the ground. Unfortunately it was this final few k’s that we encountered the mysterious traffic that banks up causing the vehicles to crawl and then it just disappears. Frustrating!

We pulled into the Pismo Beach camp and were given a spot quickly now that the holidaymakers are all heading back to the mundane. The receptionist said we wouldn’t have got a spot yesterday, as they were fully booked.  I kind of figured that would have been the case.

All paid up we drove into our spot, set up the van and then grabbed our things as we were going to walk to Avila Beach about 5km’s away and accessible by a walking trail. Here it was blue skies and sunny, though the drive up on the 101 was sea fog bound and was rolling in over the top of the hills.

As we entered the trail we were confronted with the warning that Mountain Lions abound in the area, though the last spotting was in July. We still had our eyes peeled, but there were so many people using the trail it was unlikely we would see anything.

The walk wound through residential areas, along a river, through apple orchards and finally a golf course before finally ending up at Avila Beach front. Here the crowds flocked to the water with their family for sun. water and BBQing. One group had even bought their hooded BBQ to the beach, now that is hard core BBQing.

We walked the beachfront and then out on to the jetty for a better view of the town that was lined with pastel painted, cedar wood businesses. We also had a better view of the rolling sea fog. To the north it was sitting out off the coast but tot the south you could see it rolling in like a wave over the coastal strip and up into the hills. It was very strange.

Once back at the beach we stopped at Mr Rick’s bar for refreshments and a rest. They had a three-piece band entertaining the crowd, they were really rocking. We then continued along the strip as long as the shops continued before turning back. I went down to the water’s edge to paddle my feet in the Pacific Ocean. It was quite brisk, especially seeing the sand was so hot. Satisfied with my paddle I returned to Paul and we began the hike back to the campground. This time we stopped halfway for drinks at the shop before continuing on. An hour later we were sitting in the van with a well earned drink.

We had the Ipod going while I worked on the Blog and loaded photos and Paul read his bike mag.  It was wonderful to have the time to just relax.

We soon got the cards out and began playing while I continued to load photos. The game went on for ages finally finishing at 8pm with us both starving.

We packed up and got dinner cooking, eating shortly afterwards. Realising it was now after 11am at home we rang home catching Tina and Jaden for a brief chat. It is hard to believe we will be able to talk to them face to face in two short weeks.

We then got our bathers on and braved the cool weather to head out to the spa that we could see steaming. It was so warm and inviting when we dropped into it for a relaxing soak. Ahhh. It was a lovely way to finish off the night. Returning to the van and heading for bed.

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