Pismo Vechicle Recreation Area and more, 6/14 &15.

On Sunday, we drove towards Santa Barbara to Santa Inez to see Joel's sister and brother-in-law, Joanne and chuck.  They have a beautiful home out in the country and Chuck has a shop.  Needless to say Joel and Chuck talked shop, wood, tools and all.  Joann quilts and has a studio but doesn't have much time for than any more.  We had a wonderful brunch at the Vineyard sitting out on the patio and then went on in to Santa Barbara to see Joann's new kitchen cabinet shop. Joel looked at hardware for the  drawers and cabinets in the Beaver.  We then headed back to Oceano.

 The Oceano /Five Cities Elks Club is within walking distance Pismo Dunes Vehicle Recreational Area via a back walking trail.  Several mornings I walked towards the beach and it was really pleasant.  However, by mid-morning the area was a buzz with quads and dune buggies.  For  a $5.00 day use fee you can drive on the beach and eventually to the Dunes. Part of the recreation area to the south is roped off for the Snowy Plover nesting area and other parts are roped off for camping only. To the north, camping is not allowed.  The weather was really windy and we were treated to a show of kit boarding.  The photos is very hazy because it was very, very windy. 

While driving the length of beach we noticed a little white passenger car following us. I mentioned to Joel the little car looked really low to the ground and could get stuck.  When I looked back a few moments later, sure enough it was stuck.  Fortunately, we had a tow strap with us and with the help of another beach goer we were able to pull the car out.  The car was a little Mustang convertable, a rental, and definitely not suitable for driving on the beach.  The couple in the car were from Ireland and were touring the California Coast from San Diego to San Francisco.  They were thankful they didn't have to call the rental company and get a tow, and even more so, as the tide was starting to come in!. 

This is what happens when you forget to wear a hat on a windy day at the beach!

We played tourist and drove the scenic drive out to the point which offered some interesting rock formations. One formation was very close to the walking trail and included two seagulls and their chicks.  I couldn't see a nest, but at least no four legged predators could reach them. It's a long way down to the ground and those chicks better learn to fly quickly.  Not much room on the top of rock formation.

 Note the two sea gulls on the rock in the lower left of the photo.

 Look closely and you can see the two chicks between their parents.

Tomorrow we say goodbye to  the beach and head inland again towards Hollister to the San Benito Thousand Trails for a week or so depending on temperatures.  We hope to visit the Pinnacles National Park and just hang for a few days.