Central California Coasting
Success! Two consecutive nights in the RTT (rooftop tent)!
Cam and I spent a long weekend exploring the central California coast - two nights camping and one night in an Airbnb. Compromises (not full camping, not full glamor).
THE CAMPING
We stayed at Hearst San Simeon State Park, which has a scenic rating of 9/10 in California Camping. While I can’t personally endorse the scenery from our campsite, you can’t beat the scenery in the surrounding areas right outside the campgrounds!
From our site, there were other occupied campsites in view, which made it feel less remote than our previous trip, which actually helped me (an indoor person) feel safe! We arrived after dark and got to propping up the RTT, setting up our privacy tent (small stall with our bucket toilet), starting a fire, and cooking dinner. It was lovely seeing the other campfires all around - flames of various sizes seemingly strewn about the landscape, along the hills and curves of the road that winds through the campground.
There is something about eating by the fire without the constant pinging of devices (thank you, low reception area) that makes for good reflective conversation and intentional presence. Is that why people camp? We’ll give camping 1 point for this.
Winding down… we were reading in the tent when we heard a soft *thunk*. I hesitantly unzipped the tent to be met with just a shield of darkness. I stuck one hand out of the tent, holding the lantern, while I was furiously squinting and blinking. When my eyes finally adjusted, I saw our privacy tent had blown over flat and the dreaded bucket toilet had fallen sideways. Our toilet at home would never fall over sideways. Strike one, camping; you’re at net zero now.
Waking up the next morning to the sunlight was pretty serene. We took a moment to enjoy the soft breeze through the tent and the hushed sounds of other campers getting ready for the day. We’ll give camping 1 point for the pleasant wake-up. As we started packing up, I SAW A TICK CRAWLING AROUND IN THE TENT. Oh, to be one with nature! That’s strike two, so you’re at zero again, camping.
On the second night, we got back to the campsite late, did some reading, and went to sleep. We had secured the privacy tent better and were on tick alert. It was a lot more chill and it was all enjoyable without any incidents. 1 point for camping, which puts it 1 point ahead before the next trip…
DAY 1 - PASO ROBLES
About 40 minutes away from the campground was Paso Robles, our first stop. With more than 200 wineries to choose from, we visited Vina Robles. I got the Classic tasting and Cam got the Red, accompanied by a cheese charcuterie board and french onion soup, rounded off with probably the best creme brulee I’ve ever had. Not pictured is the frog that was croaking in the bushes next to our table. It never showed its face, but it made sure we knew it was with us the whole time. No sarcasm - I love frogs, so I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Our next stop was about 15 minutes away at Kiler Ridge Olive Oil Farm. The 2-hour milling & production tour has got to be one of the most informative and passionate tours in this industry. Did you know that there’s basically no rules about what can be labeled “extra virgin olive oil” in the USA? The owner and tour guide Greg takes so much pride in his process and product, and it really shows. They also have an orchard tour, which may have to be on the books for our next visit to this area. After the tour, we had an olive oil tasting. I have been on brewery, winery, and coffee tours before and I have never been this excited to taste the product. After sipping 6 lil spoonfuls of oil, we left with 2 bottles of what will be the nicest things in our kitchen cabinet.
With the sun starting to set, we rushed ourselves over to the Bruce Munro: Light at Sensorio exhibit. We made our way through the whimsical Field of Light when there was still some daylight, which I recommend. As the sky got darker, the lights looked fuller and seemed to make the whole experience more dynamic.
light field @ sensorio
That evening, we opted to eat out instead of cooking at the campsite, and I was BLOWN AWAY by the ramen at Momotaro Ramen at Paso Market Walk. Got the Momotaro Ramen (obviously), which is the Tonkatsu broth, got chili oil on the side (no added cost) and spicy miso bomb (extra cost). We ate outside next to a heat lamp. It rained and I didn’t care.
DAY 2 - ELEPHANT SEAL ROOKERY, SAN LUIS OBISPO, PISMO BEACH, LOS OSOS
How I could sleep knowing that the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal rookery was first on our agenda for the day, I do not know. January through March are the birthing & breeding months, which meant there was a ton of action on the beach! We saw a couple of males fighting, several calves nursing, and lots of seals flipping sand. We learned that it's unclear exactly why they flip sand, but they can be seen doing it in stressful conditions.
mr in the middle flipping sand
I could’ve watched the seals all day, but we had other places to visit! We strolled down the downtown corridor of San Luis Obispo (SLO) and visited the historic Mission museum.
While in SLO, we visited Poly Canyon for the “architecture graveyard”, which is really the “Experimental Practices Laboratory” for Cal Poly Architecture & Environmental Design students to create and test full scale models. With all due respect to those that created structures in this place, the structures themselves didn’t leave me wildly impressed. But of all the places we visited during this trip, it was the place that left me the most inspired. There is an Aristotle quote at the entrance -
“For the things we have to learn before we can do them we learn by doing them.”
Having a place like this in design school, or any school for that matter, would be invaluable. To truly practice learning through experimentation is to trust the process and be less concerned with perfecting a final product that is sellable or classically impressive to others. I’ll be reflecting on this for a while.
After our hike through Poly Canyon, we went to get cinnamon rolls at Old West Cinnamon Rolls in Pismo Beach. While we were in line, we were sucked into the neighboring Central Coast Meat Market, thanks to their sign that was advertising frito boats for $6. What a steal! The cinnamon roll line didn’t get any shorter while we chowed down our frito boats, but it moved quickly. Walked our decadent cinny rolls to the beach and ate them on a bench.
We watched the sun set on the day at Bluff Trail. This is hard to capture in words or pictures. This is a must-see trail. Imagine being surrounded by low green and shrubbery and right on the edge of the land. I'm obsessed with the California coast. This is a top 5 place to see it.
bluff trail is a must-see!
THE AIRBNB: CUTEST BOHO A-FRAME
This adorable A-Frame in Baywood-Los Osos needs to be mentioned. It’s behind another house, but aside from driving in and the initial entry, you would never know it. The structure is cool, the inside is cute, and this place has its own soap and stickers. I mean, come on.
DAY 3 - MORRO BAY
This was the day we drove home, so sadly it wasn’t a full day in Morro Bay. Got our food and coffee fix at The Rock Espresso Bar and walked the Embarcadero shops. Who kept Morro Bay a secret from me? This place is a gem full of vintage stores and ocean views. We met a 9-year-old corgi named Ally Banana, so it goes without saying that my day was made. Also, A. Banana made me really ready to see Burt & Bandit, our corgis waiting for us at home.
THE CONCLUSION
I think I could spend a week in Morro Bay. We need to come back to the central coast. It’s underrated! There is so much more to see and take in.
