Pismo Trip

March 21-26, 2018

March 21: We know there will be rain for 1 or 2 days at Pismo but we are heading out just the same. Julie is going over with us. Deb, Sam, Spencer, and Soren will come over tomorrow. I think Matt and Sierra are coming tomorrow as well. Jeff, Miranda, Steven, and Saira will join us on Friday.

It rained most of the drive over, pretty hard at some points but we made it just fine. We arrived to North Beach Pismo about 1:15p and they advised  us to go ahead and find a site, then come back and we could register at 2p for our spots. We found a couple sites that looked like they would work. There is a lot of wet ground, ducks are swimming in ponds in some of the sites. On our way back toward the ranger station one of the ranger trucks came along and stopped us to say they were closing the campground! We were shocked. They said it was a mandatory closure. They said we could stay in some parking lot but of course there would be no way to set up a tent for Julie. We quickly headed to Oceano Campground only to find out that it was full. Next stop was the little county campground. There appeared to be open spaces but we called the number to check for sure. Yes, there are spots for tonight so we drove back to Pismo Coastal Dunes and paid for the one night. It is full hook ups and runs $53, which is a lot more than the state sites but we have little choice.

The rain is going strong again. We managed, with a lot of help from Julie, to unload the multiple things in the trailer and put them on the table, covered with a tarp. Then we set up the canopy so we could put her tent underneath. Then off to Old Juan's Cantina for dinner. We checked on Pismo North Beach again, the flooding has increased. It was absolutely pouring down rain when we got back to our camp. John dug a small trench around the one side of Jul's tent. It worked well, drained the large puddle forming, and she stayed dry all night. After that we all played cards, then John read and Julie and I continued to play cards. Finally we were all off to bed. We left the trailer unlocked so Jul could use our restroom in the night. It all worked out well though the rain continued pretty steady and hard all night. 

March 22: At least Jul was dry all night. Another visit to North Beach Pismo and we confirmed we would not be able to camp there. It is badly flooded and no hope of the flood water draining quickly. John took Jul to McDonald's for breakfast. We tried to secure 2 campsites for the long weekend there at the county campground but they will be full on the weekend. We began packing up, thankful it is not raining, but what a wet mess everything under the tarp turned out to be. Julie was a great help. I had to drape a dry tarp over our beds and the floor to put everything for transport. I caught my foot in the strap of my laptop case and took a fall. My knee is pretty so but I am not hurt. Finally the packing up was done and we headed to San Simeon State Park where there are openings and we can secure sites for the weekend. Since it is Matt's birthday we had told them all we would have dinner at Splash Café to celebrate. I called the café and was able to secure takeout for 9 for dinner tonight. I was very happy about that. Matt and sierra arrived then Deb, Sam, and the boys. The rain is gone and they were all able to set up without the rain factor. Matt and Sierra enjoyed the hammock we gave him for is birthday, they set it up in a couple different places to find a good fit. After the Splash chowder, a Hostess Cupcake was served with a candle to Matt (they all like Twinkies better!)

March 23: This morning we took a drive up to see the Elephant Seals. It isn't far from the campground and always interesting to see. I would love to come Dec-Feb when the males are here and birthing also takes place. On the way back from that we stopped at another little "scenic view" point and found some very interesting information about this area the last couple hundred years. I didn't know there were Chinese families that lived here and exported a favorite seaweed (sea lettuce) to China starting150 years ago! This practice lasted about 100 years, ending in 1970, it is now illegal to collect seaweed of any sort. This sea lettuce was dried and sent up to San Francisco from Avila, Cayucos, and San Simeon and then shipped to China. There were rocks with plaques depicting a variety of information about the area. Native American tribes and villages in this area were obliterated by the Spanish beginning in the 1700's as they were forced to move from the area to the missions, forced to speak Spanish and by 1810, there were no tribes or villages left. Their language was lost and it is speculation as to what their dialect was. I found the story of a letter postmarked July 1854, that traveled from San Francisco to Nicaragua, then across land to the Caribbean Sea, then traveled to NY, and on to England, arriving in France in August 1854 - all that for 27 cents! One day we might want to visit the Piedras Blancas Light Station build in 1875 to commemorate the loss of ships here in 1869. We were told it is an interesting visit. Not long after we were back to camp Steven and Saira arrived, followed by Jeff and Miranda. Now our group is complete!

March 24: Since Jeff only caught one fish, we had to go into Cambria for some shopping, we needed a few other things as well. Before going shopping we stopped for wine/beer tasting at Fermentations. That was a nice little stop. The rest of the day we relaxed around camp and enjoyed family time.

March 25: Today Steven and Saira along with Matt and Sierra will head home. Julie will go with Steven and Saira because she has work tomorrow. Soren will go with Sierra and Matt since he has school also. Once they were on their way it was pretty quiet. We took everyone else out for an early dinner at  El Chorlito Mexican Restaurant. This way, no one will have to cook tonight. We did get a little bit hungry later and roasted some hotdogs over the fire, those were delicious.

March 26: We thought about staying a few more days but John really isn't feeling well and we decided we would just come home. It seemed to take forever to get packed up. We stopped with Deb, Sam, and Spencer to eat at In N Out in Kettleman City. By the time we got home and started to unpack, John began to have chest pain. I called 911 and to the hospital he went in the ambulance. I closed up everything on the trailer and took it along with me to Kaiser Hospital. I really can't put it back in storage by myself. Sam did that for me the next evening. We are thankful to be home even though John is in the hospital. 

Pismo, We're Coming!

Tomorrow we will head to Pismo North Beach Campground. We are taking the chance that we will get a couple spots together for our family for a long weekend. Julianne will go with us. Deb, Sam, Spencer, Soren, Sierra, and Matt will join us Thursday. Steven and Saira will arrive Friday, as will Jeff and Miranda. We will celebrate Matt's birthday at Splash Cafe on Thursday but I am feeling pretty certain we will make another trip back with the others for another clam chowder or steamers "fix"! It's supposed to be raining when we get there, no problem! In fact, maybe that is a good thing so there will be some prime spaces available for us!

Millerton Lake Getaway

January 12-15, 2018: It was just 3 nights but it was nice to get away and see trees, water, and the great outdoors. Since it is only 45 minutes away, it is a quick drive up and back. Deb and Sam stayed the same amount of time we did. Sierra and Matt came up Friday night and left Sunday afternoon. Jeff and Miranda came up Saturday morning and went home Sunday afternoon. Spencer came with Deb and Sam and went home Sunday with Jeff and Miranda. It was the first time Sierra and Matt used the new tent we gave them for Christmas. They had a good time and successfully set up and took down the tent. They also hiked a little on the Pincushion Trail. One night when we were sleeping a gaze of raccoons passed through the campsites. They dumped over Deb and Sam's trash can but went on their way when Sam shined the lights on them. Jeff, Miranda, and Spencer went fishing from the shore with no luck. We enjoyed time around the campfire, Yahtzee, Rummikub, and of course delicious food. We we camped with hookups because Deb and Sam wanted to use their electric heater. Because of the electricity Deb made a wonderful breakfast casserole in the crock pot. It was simple and turned out really great. Sam did tritip on the grill along with fresh veggies consisting of squash, onion, eggplant, mushrooms. I made a couple of boxes of Rice-a-Roni, which was really pretty good as we haven't had that in a long time. We had sweet peppers to add to the veggies but we had more than enough without using those too. Since we didn't stay long and didn't pack much, it was a relatively cleanup when arriving home. We used the dump station in the park, which is much nicer than the one we have at Derrel's for no charge. 

Our Campsites

Morro Strand State Beach - 6 Nights

November 8: Today we moved to Morro Strand. We did some housekeeping and then used the new shower facility at North Beach before leaving. It is nice because each shower and toilet are private, no men or women, just one person per room. So "politically correct" for CA and the various gender issues. For me, it makes me feel safer anyway. I have never felt threatened in a campground but who knows these days. It's about a 30 minute drive north to Morro Bay/Morro Strand. Before arriving we stopped at Chapala this little Mexican restaurant where we purchased take-out food in the past. It is anything but fancy but the food is authentic and good. I think you will only find locals here on most day. After our fill up we headed to the campground and our space was open. We were in and set up before 1p in campsite #5. We have had various weather today. Mist - clouds - hot sun - then cool, layers of clothing are definitely needed! Tonight my charging cord stopped working for my laptop. I am so disappointed, my album work is done. Maybe I can find a cord in town or order one on Amazon to be delivered here. Darn. 

Mexican Food For Lunch

Arriving at Morro Strand State  Beach

Our Camp

November 9: Just to prove my theory that the weather changes quickly here - it rained last night. Too bad we left our chairs out! We tried to find a solution for my PC but at least we know it is the power cord. I ordered a new one from Amazon. I hope it is actually delivered tomorrow as promised. After checking on that we went  to the grocery store, returned our items to camp and went for lunch at Schooner's in Cayucos. Delicious as always. Back to camp, it is so warm I switched to the Hawaii dress I brought with me. Shortly thereafter, we had rain! If you don't like  the weather, just wait, it will change! Deb and Sam arrived in the dark, it wasn't too bad for them to set up, they are efficient! We were all tired after that and we went to the House of JuJu for dinner. It has more seafood than the Clovis location and loaded potatoes - WOW, not sure if Clovis has that or not?

November 10: Today was the day for other De La Peña arrivals. I think 25 more showed up, but I lost count. Everyone seemed to be getting along and except for one unruly child it was a great group. Anyway, we took Deb & Sam up to Pismo to see the various camp sites by Avila Beach and a short  visit to Avila Valley Barn to get our pie/crisp fix for this trip. We also could not resist stopping at Splash Cafe for more chowder! Our little group of 6 went out to dinner at The Dutchman's Seafood House. 

John's Crab Cakes (he had garlic fries too)

 My Steamers - Delicious!

November 11: Steven and Saira arrived at 8am! He said they would but I figured it would be later. By the time I was dressed  their tent was all set up and they were enjoying coffee by the fire! 

Tonight was the shrimp boil. We got expensive crabs from Giovanni's as well. Not sure why we do that because we have so much food leftover! In the evening we had the grilled oysters - the best ever! I made garlic butter for them with a little green onion chopped up too. The smaller oysters had a better flavor - We all agreed on that. 

November 12: The extended DLP family left this morning. Deb and Sam didn't fix breakfast but we took everyone to Chapala for an early lunch. Another favorite is the ceviche in the form of a tostada - SO GOOD! It is Saira's BD. BUT we will take the two of them to a nice place next weekend in town. After lunch Steven and Saira headed home. He has to work tomorrow. 

November 13: Deb and Sam packed up and left today. We went to lunch at Schooner's and spent the rest of the day relaxing. We did a few things to prep for departure tomorrow, but  not much. 

November 14: All packed up and departed the campsite at 9:30a. My power cord never came - so disappointed. I took it up with Amazon and it will all work out. We got home at 12:30 even after a stop for lunch. We cleaned the trailer really well and had it all done, back in storage, and the gas tank full again by 4:30p - Exhausted but THANKFUL for another trip. 

North Beach Pismo State Beach - 3 Nights

November 5: Happy to be here at Pismo Beach. NB18 is our campsite for 3 days. Our drive over was uneventful. We had In N' Out for lunch. It was sunny and cool when we arrived. After the sun went down it was chilly but actually seemed warmer in the night, even though our heater clicked on at one point. We ate leftovers, played cards, and I fell asleep watching NCIS DVDs. John turned everything out and was sound asleep when I next woke at 2:30a.

Just Backed in 3p

November 6: What a lovely morning. It says it is says it is only 60 degrees but with the bright sun shining on us it almost feels hot! No sweatshirt needed when I took Tony for his morning walk over the dunes, that's for sure. It is SO beautiful here. After we were back from the walk I set up my "work station" as I plan to do a good bit of digital scrapbooking while here for three day. We gave our first Casita tour before 10a. For lunch we went to one of our favorite places, Old Juan's Cantina in Oceano. It was delicious as always. We ate so much it feels like we need a nap now!  

Our Morning View

November 7: Today was another lovely day. After we were up and around we decided to walk over to the Monarch Butterfly Grove. You can access this grove from the campground, though most people park on Hwy 1 and enter that way. The parking is premium so it is nice to just walk into the back section from the campground. After all the years we have come over here, we have never gone to see this. Maybe we never came to Pismo from Nov-Feb, but I think we have. Anyway, we are seeing it now. Once was just a path and a brochure has been expanded to an entrance with a lovely sign, a gift shop, tons of brochures and various reading materials, informational signs, and a fenced walkway with at least 6 telescopes trained on the pretty little insects. Volunteers man the telescopes, answer questions, and give little lectures a few times a day. 

By now we worked up an appetite so we drove into town to go to Splash Cafe. To our astonishment, there was no line! For a split second I was concerned they were closed or worse yet, went out of business. Nope, we hit it just right I guess. We had a delicious bread bowl of chowder with seafood topping (crab and shrimp). To walk off that lunch we headed to the pier only to find it was closed for repairs. It was a minor disappointment but we are happy to see the city of Pismo Beach takes pride in their pier and they are making these upgrades to be sure it is nice for future generations. 

The rest of our day was spent playing cards, reading, and relaxing. I have gotten a LOT done on my albums. As of today I am caught up on the 2017 Eash Family album!

Heading to the Coast Soon

Reservations are made and we are ready for some R&R! We have been working on our new place daily. It is a big job to get things in place just the way we want them. 

Part of this camping trip was put in place some time back. We will be staying at Morro Strand State Beach with the family in attendance for part of the time. However, we are going early to spend three extra days at North Beach Pismo. We are looking forward to some great walks on the beach!

Outta The Heat

It has been triple digits at home for days. We decided to head up to the mountains, specifically Kings Canyon's Azalea Campground, to escape the heat. It is now one of the few campgrounds that are first come-first served. It is difficult to find out if Sunset is open because the website just says "Next availability in August" right now. We were relieved that there were at least a few campsites to choose from in Azalea. It is surprising how full it is even mid week. I guess because this and the small Crystal Creek are the only first come-first served in this area. Anyway, we got a beautiful campsite number 72. It might be one of the best campsites here! How did we miss this before? It is very spacious. I think it's about 75 degrees with a slight breeze. Very, very nice... Where else could you stay in a place like this for $63 a week? Of course that's the perk, one of the few, of being a senior!

We saw some beautiful pink sunsets, ate some tasty meals, took nice walks in the cool air, I worked on my digital scrap-booking, read books, played cards, watched videos before bed, and just generally enjoyed the cooler days and cool evenings. 

We also drove down the hill one day, looked at a house that our Real Estate Agent Tamera says was perfect for us, and put in an offer! We loved the house and especially the small yard. It had all the things we had on our "need AND want list." 3 Bedrooms, 2 baths, open concept kitchen-dining-living room, inside laundry, fireplace, lots of storage, 2 car garage, and amazingly it even has a doggie door for Tony! We got back up here about 3:30-4p and by 5p we got a call from Tamera that we got the house!!! Let the packing begin (again)!

About that new "Instant" Sun Shelter we bought... The struggle: It was anything but "instant" - First off, it seems to weigh more than the 35 lbs stated in the description. Second, it says it requires 2 people to put it up (I didn't notice that when buying it!). Third, it did not go up like an "Instant" tent that is so simple to put up and take down. Without the help of our neighbors we might still be struggling. It would seem that it really needs 4 people to stretch it out before the task of raising it up because right when you start pulling 2 sides to stretch it out, the other two sides go in. Once we got the four corners stretched out getting the corners up was another story. The bottom part worked well enough but the top part took some muscle to push up and click into place. Perhaps putting the upper portion in place first would be a better idea IF we use it again. Of course to use it again we must be able to get it down! Maybe our neighbors will still be here? Now for the good part: It is sturdy and we did not need to use the tie downs. It is providing sun but even better we are not getting bonked in the head with the large and multiple pine cones falling from the trees. The size fits nicely up against our awning for the trailer. I hope it will loosen up with use and we can have this as part of our equipment.