Sometimes
indelible memories are created on butt-numbing road trips. Our
reluctance to reward ourselves with a little eye-candy scenery
often questions our love affair with the automobile. Blithely,
we take for granted that California’s Central Coast is
a fine place to visit, but do we ever go and explore? What can
we learn there?
Driving for four hours, an easy 405
to the 101 North, admittedly through congested Los Angeles,
the journey gets easier as urban sprawl turns into mere pockets
of housing and fewer strip malls. Suddenly the road bursts out
to the coast and the highway parallels the sparkling ocean offering
a more palatable vista and growing sense of escape.
Skipping the popular resort town of
Santa Barbara, yet sending appreciative thanks to the late Julia
Child, a hundred miles north is where historical small towns
languish, beaches quietly erode and new chefs cover prime restaurant
locations. Cruising past cookie-cutter condos we also see horse-property
ranchettes and the modern mini-palaces of the nouveau riche.
Desperately hoping that nobody else moves there they have carved
out a place near the sea or secured a dazzling view of the ocean.
Property values seem to be the topic
of conversation among tourists hoping to find bargain prices
there. Most are disappointed but point out they would get more
for their money as these properties have larger lots. Seeking
out tiny towns ripe for development and instant return on investments
they find they are few and far between, judging by the proliferation
of construction sites.
One of the perfect little towns in the
area is Avila Beach. Compared to a phoenix rising from the ashes,
this place is experiencing a metamorphosis after a major oil
clean-up process. Old picture-postcards show huge oil storage
tanks blighting the hillside, removed by 2000 after the beach
was polluted by oil leaks. Unocal was forced to ensure that
the problem was corrected and today the popular pristine beach
is well attended and the bay safe for swimmers and marine life
alike.
Boasting
a pedestrian-friendly promenade, many weekend activities such
as Art Shows and a Farmer’s Market are held adjacent to
the children’s park, complete with swings and slides.
Local bands play for tips while onlookers sing along with the
popular and well-remembered songs, seated on boulder-scape seats
gently littered with sculpted starfish that at first glance
seem real, bringing closer inspection by kids and grownups alike.
The perpetually sunny afternoons are often in contrast with
the foggy mornings shrouding the pier and sending long wisps
of mist over the 18-hole golf course and up to the mineral spring’s
spa.
A short driving distance away in the
same bay, past RV and camping sites, Port San Luis’ pier
is a wonder of entertainment at any time of day. Just strolling
and watching the anglers casting and cleaning their Perch or
Smelt can while away a morning, but the real excitement begins
when the fishing boats unload their catch. You can join the
pelicans and watch baskets of Rex Sole swing over to the weighing
station, dump fish on the conveyor belt and into large containers
where they are covered with fresh ice. Then take a walk over
to the fisheries and inspect the crabs, healthy sized Ling Cod
and perhaps a 100-lb Alaskan Halibut available for purchase.
Barks from noisy sea lions “aargh-aarghing”
draw a crowd every day. Sometimes huddled on a barge but mostly
sprawled on the pier shelf, their antics and interactions elicit
smiles from everyone. It is a wonder how their enormous weight
can be supported by seemingly thin flippers when they haul themselves,
sleek and glistening, from the water to their naptime place
of choice.
Nearby Morro Bay offers splendid photographic
opportunities with Morro Rock – a mere 575 feet –
towering over the bay. Also known as the “Gibralter of
the Pacific” it was at one time an island but quarrying
led to its present shape and provided a breakwater to the shore.
It is possible to drive out to the rock and spend a little time
watching the surfers and trying to spot an endangered peregrine
falcon in their protected habitat. Morro Bay is a National Bird
Sanctuary and Estuary so keep those binoculars handy.
Local fishing villages have many seafood
restaurants and you can be sure that the freshest fish and locally
grown vegetables are served there. Save part of your appetite
for the Thursday Farmer’s Market in San Luis Obispo where
humongous turkey legs are sold for $4 and the waiting lines
are longer than the Panama Canal. Enjoy the shoppers and vendors
and perhaps join an informal Mardi Gras parade.
Agri-tourism
has increased in popularity and the area surrounding CalPoly
up to Paso Robles, past the Old Mission at San Miguel, is littered
with fertile fields and structured vineyards on the undulating
hills. Visitors bent on developing their wine palate, spend
days doing a little “tasting”. Events in underground
candle-lit caves are held monthly at Eberle Winery "http://www.eberlewinery.com
and in many of the tasting room areas a picnic spot with marvelous
views is available. Also, back in Avila Beach, the up-and-coming
Alapay Cellars "http://www.alapaycellars.com/
suppliers to Radisson Seven Seas Cruises, are proud to offer
an alternative to a Chardonnay. Their floral-nosed Santa Barbara
County Voignier is ‘hot’ at the moment.
“It’s wine tasting without
the attitude,” say owners Scott and Rebecca Remmenga.
Zigzagging around, a visit without appreciating
Montana de Oro would be tantamount to sacrilege. The State Park’s
entrance is canopied by thousands of fragrant eucalyptus trees,
injudiciously planted by a rancher who thought they’d
be good for lumber back in the late 1800s. Today they welcome
the visitor, shading the 5-mile drive to the unspoiled cove
where artists capture the beauty of the beach and craggy rocks.
Pity the poor camper who has to endure this wilderness…
Back into civilization, Pismo Beach
has outlet stores for those who need a shopping fix. People
watchers have miles of clean beach to check out surfers and
people such as themselves who truly enjoy this corner of Paradise.
Once famous for the abundance of clams, regulations now limit
the hours, require a fishing license and will only allow 10
to be dug up per person. Still, it is no hardship to walk to
Brad’s for the best bowl of clam chowder ($6.50) in the
world. You can have it in a bread bowl if you like.
And finally…the rough planks of
the pier take you out over the water to mingle with the screaming
gulls while you drink in the impossible grandeur of the sweeping
bay. As the sun sets, a mature woman stands motionless with
upturned face and allows the golden rays to bathe her as she
meditates. She is at peace.
Isn’t it time for you to learn
and discover middle California? Hands-on homework is optional
on the 101. b
