Pismo State Beach, 69 mile jump
A car hauler pulled in next to us before 5AM; its exhaust was noticeable as it idled for quite some time. That was a good incentive to get going. The frost on the windshield was 1/8” thick; the temp was 32F.
In Paso Robles we found a McDonalds for a breakfast sandwich and hot decaf. Concerned about tread wear on the back two tires of the trailer, we had time to kill and made some inquiries into tire shops and trailer repair garages. We were referred by a tire guy to a trailer guy. Thinking it would make sense to fix the cause of the poor wear we drove to the trailer garage. I thought his voice mail greeting said, “Open at 9 on Saturdays”. When he hadn’t showed up by 9:15, I called again; he said, “…most Saturdays”. The question is: if these tires lasted 10,000 miles and will cost $200 to replace, is it necessary to buy and install a new axle as well? We found the axles run about $200, but what about install? Guess we’ll find out next week.
We couldn’t check into the campground this early, so we decided to check out the San Luis Obispo (SLO) historic downtown. I have a fondness for the old missions, usually the flora in their courtyards are 250 year old specimens of outrageous proportions. And, they often have small museums showing the tools and machinery of the late 1700s. That appeared to be a good way to spend the morning and it was! There was a baptism of two babies in progress when we stepped into the church, so we sat in the back and listened as the priest concluded the rites. Both Penny and I felt the interior space to be warm and inviting; it was no frills, probably not much different than originally. But, it felt safe and secure. The courtyard garden did have a few old specimens, but not like I’d seen elsewhere. Their museum was quite interesting, however.
Leaving the mission, we saw the SLO Art Gallery and toured that as well. It was free! The art was interesting, all local talent. There were three presenting artists and a craft room where others demonstrated their talents. That was a fun hour of browsing!
From there to our destination was less than ten miles. We found a “Whole Foods” market just off of our route, then found Pismo State Beach (PSB) campground. It is nestled in a eucalyptus grove buffered from the sea breezes by two sand dunes. We were pleased with our site, no view of the water, but the wind break is a plus. We walked over the dunes to have a look at the beach. Wow! It is about 100 yards to the water from the dunes and it goes for miles in both directions. Cars, SUVs, campers, dune buggies, cop cars, bikers, and pedestrians were going to and fro. It’s a regular thoroughfare! And, the scenery was eye popping!
The forecast called for sunshine the next 10 days, highs in the mid to upper 60s, lows in the 40s. There are hiking and biking trails here. A large lagoon having all kinds of waterfowl is just 100’ from our site. I have already snapped a photo of a red tailed hawk in flight directly above me. We have reservations here through the 26th, then we move to a county park a block away for 7 more days. That gets us into the New Year. We are thankful to have found this place and to be able to stay put through the holidays.
