July 4th was in Cayucos. They hold a very creative sand sculpture contest on the beach, and a fun and quirky small town parade that was very entertaining. We had a great view of the fireworks off the pier from our first RV space. Of course I had to support the Cayucos Rotary Club buying raffle tickets for their fundraiser of giving away a small utility/golf cart. After the 4th, we were able to move into the premium space that has an unobstructed view of the ocean and a large grass area. It’s hard to get a reservation for it, and we were blessed to get the timing right for most of our stay there. We were able to regularly see whales breaching
Good friends were visiting the area too, so hanging out with them is always a blast, and getting more tips about delicious places to try.
Avila Beach was next and very good. We’re just learning it. The park is fairly new and the plants haven’t matured much, but they have some very nice amenities. It definitely has a different vibe than Cayucos. Not worse, just more So. Cal. feel than Cayucos. We’ll certainly try it again.
We had our anniversary dinner at Blue Moon Over Avila. It’s a cute French style restaurant with wonderful food, boardwalk seating, and wonderful live music.
Small world encounter. One of the RVs next to us were a retired couple from Carlsbad (San Diego area) who had owned a company that among other products, sold a variety of mugs and steins to public safety related organizations (the mugs with ornate badges that were ubiquitous in the LE/Fire communities for many years). Kari and they knew each other. And, they had also sold a lot of mugs to both Delaware North and Aramark through my former coworker working as a buyer (K. Wright).
Avila Beach trivia: There are no gas stations in Avila. Thanks to friends for recommending Avila Valley Barn just off US-101. It’s a must stop for lunch, produce, and sweets. The best/closest grocery shopping is California Fresh Market in Pismo Beach. A superb store.
Parfait loved “the long walks on the beach” and doing zoomies in both locations. She got (had) to wear her Independence Day outfit on the 4th.
During our time on the coast we got to see two SpaceX rocket launches from Vandenburg. The space nerd in me was thrilled.
Back into the Clovis heat a couple days ago. Getting home took a bit longer. The Cotton Fire had Hwy 41 closed for a couple days between Cholame and Hwy 33. We were prepared for it. The first alternate route had a new fire start just as we approached it, the Bay Fire. I didn’t see any resources on site except Air Attack above sizing it up. It was along a two lane road that fortunately we were able to avoid turning onto with our trailer in tow. As a result, we did a long scenic tour through the center of the valley.
Regardless of what you think about the project (not looking for opinions), we saw huge swaths of the High Speed Rail project. It’s amazing to see the land prepared for the rails and the large number of bridges they have constructed or currently under construction. It’s easy to say nothing is being done on it. Evidence to the contrary is overwhelming. Yeah, the project should have been completed by now.
I hit my third month anniversary with the new knee and it held up pretty well. All my physical therapy was geared with this trip as my goal. Yet I found myself overdoing things and then needing some downtime at our campsite. Abuse one day, rest the next seemed to work. Overall, it feels stronger though.
Happy trails!
