Pismo Beach, CA 12.7.11

After being on call all weekend, I've been waiting for wednesday afternoon for some time off. It was time to hit the beach. Despite being in the 60s, Pismo Beach is still a great place to explore and watch the beautiful ocean. Pismo Beach's Main Pier is off the Price St. Exit off of the 101. Turn west onto Pomeroy until you hit the ocean.

Clam Strips and Fries

I started my afternoon eating lunch at Pierside Cocktails, which has a view of the pier (no surprise there) I ordered clam strips and fries, something I've never tried. Knowing that Clamming is an activity you can do in Pismo beach, I decided to give the clamp strips a try. Tastes very similar to calamari, but a more hearty flavor. A plus is that you can bring your dog on the patio, and a cute little terrier came up to me for a cuddle. Makes me miss my Gidget.

Afterwards, I walked the pier and explored the farmer's market they have on Wednesdays from 2-5pm. From the pier, I see two surfers floating in the ocean waiting for a good wave. I also saw some guy with a metal detector. I assume he is looking for buried treasure.

View of Pomeroy St.- The Main street that leads to the main beach and Pier

I love the central CA beaches because of the drastic change in environment in such a short distance. One minute I'm staring at the waves, then I turn around to see rolling hillsides filled with crops. The only beaches in LA that have a similar environment is Malibu.

I wanted to go hiking next and planned to go the Pismo Beach Campgrounds, North Beach. According to the website, they have hiking trails. Unfortunately, the Nature Center was closed, so I had no guidance or maps on hiking trails. After walking around, I did find a trail that lead to the beach. Not knowing how far the trail was, I decided to turn around as it got closer to sunset. I love the campground because it also has the dichotomy of feeling of being in a forest while beach access less than a mile away.

Other sites noted in the trip: 

ATV on the beach

Dinner off PCH

My kind of dinner...

 
















Until the Next Adventure, cutiee23

Links:
Pismo Beach Visitor Guide

Jocko's Steakhouse in Nipomo, CA (12.4.11)

Its not a surprise that a place filled with cows grazing the fields are rich in steakhouses. Central Ca is no different. Following the recommendation of my preceptor, I decided to stop by Jacko's in Nipomo. I ordered the steak sandwich. I was told portions where big, but I could not imagine how huge they really are. I ordered a steak sandwich, which is really a cut of steak easily over 12 oz, with salad, 2 pieces of bread, and fries. My entree is enough for 2 people. I could only finish half. (I heard a regular steak portion can serve 3 people) Not being a connoisseur of steak, I don't know exactly how they seasoned their meat. I could only tell it had salt and pepper and it was well balanced. I personally would have wanted more of a "kick", maybe some garlic. I always ask for A1 steak sauce, but here the waiter said you don't need it. He was right. The steak was juicy and cooked exactly how I like it, medium. I would highly recommend this restaurant to those passing by. Locals already flock here.

Only half of my lunch entree

If you are thinking of stopping by, be ready to wait or call ahead for a reservation. I was told that its better to come for early dinner during weekdays. Even so, wait time can go up to 1-2 hrs during weekdays and 3-4 hrs during weekends for dinner. Luckily, I went for LINNER (combo of lunch and dinner) at 4pm. I still had to wait 30 minutes.







Jocko's Steakhouse:

125 N Thompson Ave
Nipomo, CA 93444

(805) 929-3565

Jocko's Yelp Review 
Buy their seasoning and merchandise here 

Rancho Guadalupe Dunes Preserve County Park (Guadalupe, CA) 11.30.11

Where is Guadalupe?

Wanting to get out of the house for a bit and being ubber broke, I decided to go for a hike. Not only is it free, but I can work off some of the lbs I'm trying to lose. I drove 20 minutes from Santa Maria passing by various farms on Main Street westward to the Dunes Visitor Center, which apparently is closed on Wednesday. Note to self: call places before you go, especially in small towns like Guadalupe. A big city girl like me doesn't think of things like that. At least they had maps telling me where the Dunes are.




The Dunes cover roughly 18 miles of Central CA coast line from Point Sal Beach to Nipomo. They boast a wide ecological diverse environment and compromise of various parks including Pismo State Beach, Pismo Dunes Natural Preserve, Oso Flaco Lake Natural Area, Rancho Guadalupe Dunes Preserve  County Park, Paradise Beach County Park, and Point Sal State Beach.  

After driving on a dirt road, reading a sign  warning me of mountain lions, and watching bulls graze off in the distance, I finally arrived at the Rancho Guadalupe Dunes Preserve County Park.

 
 The trail leading to the beach is .75 miles and consists of slightly hilly sand dunes. This park has the highest sand dunes on the west coast up to 550 ft high. There is no way in hell I'll be climbing up those.

Looks like a desert, but we're at the beach

The trail only marked with orange wooden sticks

 As I slowly make my way up the trail, I see a dark blue lake to the left full of ducks and birds flying.

Lake

 

At the end of the trail is the pacific ocean with the beach empty untainted by tourists. I love the serenity of being lost in my thoughts as I stare at the waves crashing on the sand.

 

Caught red handed trying to steal my food

I miss the beach, and I can't wait to go to Pismo and the Oso Flaco Lake Park soon.

Until the next adventure, cutiee23

Links
Dunes Visitor Center; 1055 Guadalupe St. Guadalupe, CA 93434
Guadalupe Nipomo Dunes Center

Driving up the Central Coast 11.27.11

Thanksgiving is over, so back to work. That means sitting in traffic along with other people who are doing the same thing. Driving up from LA on the North 101 freeway though can be an adventure. This freeway follows the Pacific Coast Hwy and essentially the Pacific Ocean. Not a bad view to see for 3 hours.

It was stop and go traffic around the border of the Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. Not only did it have a great view of cliffs and the ocean, it was sunset. Great place to stop and enjoy the view.

Below are pictures from Rincon Parkway, located off exit 78, Seacliff. Just make a right and drive down until you see the ocean.

Its November and you still see people at the beach wadding in the water and in the tidepool. There were 2 guys paddle surfing and dogs running off leash. This location offers overnight RV parking and a great way to comfortably camp at the beach. That will be on my to do list.

 

Other beaches than can be viewed directly off the 101:
El Capitan State Beach
Refugio State Beach
Gaviota State Beach

Until the Next Adventure, cutiee23

Links:
Ventura County Beaches
Santa Barbara County Beaches