2023-03-31 Friday Pismo Beach Oceano Campground

Diner History

Our last full day. For breakfast, we went to this diner made from two trains, The Rock & Roll Diner. It was only about 5 minutes from camp. The food was just OK. My French toast had a weird taste, something other than what I liked. Everyone said their meal was just OK. I don't think we will be back. Sad because the decor is fun. 

              

After breakfast, K & J decided to visit Pismo State Beach, Monarch Grove. I wanted to fly my kite later, plus I had a class I needed to attend at 4:30 PM, so we decided to stay in camp. The great thing about being retired is we can change our minds. We decided to drive to the neighborhood above the freeway to see the views, and we were not disappointed. The sky was this beautiful color of marine blue, and the weather was so clear you could see all the way to the horizon. From there, we drove by a triple-wide manufactured home that looked beautiful inside, per the real estate photos. Nice 55+ park but too close to a major shopping center. 

We headed back to our RV for lunch. Next off to the beach to fly my kite. We should have paid more attention to signs on the beach, and we parked in an area where we were not supposed to fly kites. One of the rangers stopped to let us know, but he said since it was off-season, we could stay. He also gave us the low down on where to fly our kite. Nice guy. We flew my kite for about an hour. I decided I wanted a giant kite, and we took off to the kite store downtown. 

             

No problem finding parking close to the store. We went in, and I decided I wanted one that was hanging from the ceiling. AND, of course, it was the last one which meant the owner had to take it down for me. He seemed to be happy to do so. I didn't like the black plastic tails, and I bought new nylon tails to switch out. The kite was very colorful and needed colorful tails. It also required heavier-weight string and a holder. Now back to the beach to fly my new giant kite!

We entered through the Grover Beach entrance and drove to the right. We missed a sign that said "No Vehicle Parking," and a very nice woman came up to let us know. As we got into the Wrangler, a ranger stopped to let us know. OK... we got the hint; read the signs. We moved south a little bit, parked, and got ready to fly. 

My new kite went up with no problem. Seeing the long 20-foot red and blue tails drifting in the wind was fun. So calming and relaxing to watch. The sky was clear and beautiful, with so many contrails today. Nothing like being retired, flying a kite, and drinking a beer on the beach. We watched kite surfers and marveled at how fun it looked.

New Bigger Kite

The Reynolds texted, "Where are you?" I let them know and told them to bring their kite and a few beers and join us. Ken and Barry flew Ken's kite. Ken has a slingshot kite like the kite surfers use, so it pulls with a lot of wind. Looks too challenging to me. I just want to float with mine and veg out. Great few hours on the beach. We headed back to our RV because I had my class at 4:30. I was so close to not attending...but I knew I would regret it later. Our last day on the beach was such a beautiful day.

The Boys Flying Ken's Kite

Attended my class, got our salad ready for dinner, and headed over to Jan and Ken's for leftover lasagne. Barry was finishing up something and would be over in a few minutes. I had a ceramic bowl with salad and wine in my left hand and can't remember what was in my right. As I went up the stairs into their RV, I lost my balance and started falling backward. My left leg missed the steps behind me, hit the ground about 3 feet below, and tumbled back. I hit a concrete picnic table on my right backside and ribs. The salad went flying, but I did not break anything in my hands. I hit hard, and it knocked the breath out of me. Ken was at the top of the stairs and tried to grab me but couldn't. I can still see the look in his eyes as I fell away from him. By the time Barry joined us, I was sitting on the ground with Caesar salad all over me. He was immediately concerned, and I knew tomorrow would be painful.

I got up, and everyone helped me clean off the salad. Nothing like a little Caesar dressing perfume. I was a little sore but manageable. We had dinner, did the dishes, yakked for a bit, and went home. We both needed to get ready to leave tomorrow.

We picked up a few things, packed away loose items, and went to bed. Up early tomorrow to finish and get on the road. I remember laying in bed thinking about flying my kite and that I would most likely hurt like hell tomorrow. But a great day!

Copyright © 2023 by Jacqueline Threet Henderson, Jacqueline's Jaunts. Photos may not be used without permission. All rights reserved.