Jacqueline’s Jaunts: Oceano Campground

Showing posts with label Oceano Campground. Show all posts

Sunday, April 2, 2023

2023-03-30 Thursday Pismo Beach Oceano Campground

We decided to visit the Pismo State Beach Monarch Grove, and the Reynolds went to Morro Bay. The grove is only about 5 minutes from our campsite. Monarch Butterflies hang (no pun intended) in this area from October to February. We saw a few small ones at the tops of trees, but they were too far away for a photo.

Our walk from Monarch Grove to
the dunes and back

We followed a fast-flowing creek from the grove to the dunes and the ocean. We are still amazed at how much the storms have damaged the beach. Nevertheless, it was a nice, quiet walk while listening to the ocean. Pismo is still a beautiful beach; hopefully, we will visit again.

Next, we decided to drive through some of the neighborhoods around Pismo. We went on the other side of the freeway and drove up into the hills—huge expensive homes with fantastic views. On the way back, we drove through older neighborhoods on the other side of Amtrak's train tracks: some nicely redone homes and some not. Finally, we took W Grand Ave. down to the beach so we could drive the beach, then up Pier Avenue, and back to camp—nothing like driving on the beach.

Oceano Campground to Monarch Grove
and back via the beach

The tide was way out today, and we watched a few kite surfers. The weather was beautiful and very clear.

We had leftover Pizza as a snack and hung out at camp. Barry pulled out the awning so it could dry. The weather report says no rain for the next week, so much for our timing. We ate early; dinner was steak and broccoli for Osos and a halibut fillet for me. After dinner, we climbed into J & K’s jeep and were off to downtown SLO.

We hooked up with Reynold’s friends again, Chris and Liza, at the Farmers Market in downtown SLO. The market is every Thursday except for the rain. We have never experienced a Farmer's Market this large. It went on forever. What a great event. All kinds of vendors, fresh produce, kettle corn, corn on the cob, caramel corn, candles, cookies, edible cookie dough, oils, soaps, peanut butter, and more. All the vegetable colors were so bright. Just unbelievable.

One of the best was F. McLintock Saloon & Dining. They had large BBQs grills outside with beef, chicken, kabobs, and veggies. Just the smell alone enveloped your entire body. The other best food stand was another brewery (I forgot the name) with half-cut cheese wheels under ceramic heat lamps. It melted the top layer of cheese and then was scraped onto a meat sandwich or baked potato. What an incredible idea. We should have eaten dinner here. I was so fascinated that I posted a short video below. We will be back from the end of June to the middle of July and not planning on eating on Thursday nights. Instead, we will head to the Farmers Market in SLO.

Cheese under a ceramic lamp. Doesn't it look amazing!

F. McLintock boys horsing around.

We were home by 8:00 PM and picked up a little since we were leaving in a few days. Tomorrow I will get to fly my new kite. I can’t wait. I am hoping for kite-flying dreams.

On a non-trip related item, we received a text today from Elton, our nephew, with his graduation information from UC Hastings Law school. I'm so upset because we thought his graduation was in June, so we planned our Utah trip in May. I even tried to see if there was an airport nearby so I could fly to San Francisco to attend. We are so proud of him and can't believe it has already been 3 years since he started.

Elton Scott Rushing - Love this kid!

Goofy kid!

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Walk to the dunes from
the Monarch Grove

Some kind of ground cover
on the dunes

Fresh water flowing
into the ocean

Cool business logo. If you blow this
up each Octopus arm has a tool.

SLO Farmer's Market and according
to Liza, this is a small crowd.

I want these doors in my house.

Tuesday, March 28, 2023

2023-03-26 Sunday Pismo Beach Oceano Campground

Steps Today - 4,508

Not many steps today. We mainly drove.

We drove to the fish market in the town of Grover Beach. Only about a mile from here, if that. We purchased huge Prawns for dinner tonight and a piece of halibut for me. Later in the week, the other three are doing steaks. I'm not a beef eater, so we bought a halibut steak for me and frozen scallops. Then, we returned to camp to put the fish in the fridge.

Then we decided to head to The Barn in Avila Beach. It's by the Avila KOA we stayed at last year. It's a huge fruit and veggie stand with fresh corn you can buy and eat, a stand that cooks fried chicken, lots of goats and chickens, and a separate building you can buy ice cream, salt water, taffy, and other candy. You can purchase Romaine lettuce from The Barn and feed the goats. They only want you to provide the goats Romaine, for some reason. There are other animals too.

The whole reason for going was because Jan wanted a cobbler. When we arrived, the cobblers were sold out, and the power was out. Jan was so disappointed. Some areas were closed off to keep the refrigerators as cold as possible until they could figure out the problem. We still found plenty to purchase and take back with us.

From here, we decided to head down to the beach and have a beer and fries at Mr. Rick's. We've been there before and enjoy sitting outside under the umbrellas. Amazingly enough, we were able to find a parking spot. The weather was beautiful, and being on the beach was always excellent. We walked up a small hill to the area where all the restaurants and shops were. There was a group of about 20–30 people dancing the Salsa. They all looked like they were having so much fun. They danced all kinds of dances: line dancing, break dancing, and so much fun to watch. Oh, to be able to move like that again.

Unfortunately, the pier was closed due to storm damage. You could see all the wood placed on the pier to replace the damage. Sad, since we wanted to walk to the end of the pier.

We ordered our beers and some munchies and found a table outside. Enjoyed the gorgeous weather and listening to the music from the dancing area. We shared the table with a couple, and Jan talked with them about jobs in the area, housing, and businesses. They live locally and love the area. So much fun to meet new people that are enjoying life and love sharing their experiences.

We finished our munchies, and Jan and I headed to the shop next door. Then down to another shop where a style of pants is sold that Jan and I love. She could find her size in new colors, but I was not so lucky. She had a few things to try on, and I headed to the hat store a few doors down. I love hats and this store. The prices are very reasonable, and I found one I loved and purchased. Found the rest of the gang in front of one of the many ice cream stores. I was surprised they did not have an ice cream cone in their hand.

We headed back to camp for dinner. Can't believe we are actually eating at camp. Barry was making his famous Bacon Wrapped Shrimp with real maple syrup basting. Jan and Ken came over for cocktails with guacamole and chips while Barry cooked the shrimp on the BBQ. We also had a caesar salad. Everything was so yummy!!!!! This is one of my favorite dishes Barry cooks. I'm fortunate to be married to a man who loves cooking.

After a bit, Jan and Ken left; we cleaned up the kitchen, Barry went to bed, and I was up until 2:00 PM. Go figure.

All images are owned by the author.

Sunday, March 26, 2023

2023-03-25 Saturday Pismo Beach Oceano Campground

My Man!

Steps today - 14,442

Saturday, and so much for sleeping in. The Reynolds daughter Brook, son-in-law Aaron, granddaughter Kensley, and grandson Arik arrived this morning. Soon we heard Kensley and Arik at our door to say hello. They seemed excited to see us, and they gave big hugs to both of us. Then, they told us about school, and everything they have been doing, as much as an 8 and 10-year-old can say to you. Then back over to abuela and papa's RV.

Soon after, we were off to Pismo Beach. We drove to the left, went as far as we could, then turned around and headed toward the far-end gate. The part of the beach you can drive on was so short compared to before, but it was due to the recent storms. The Reynolds were ahead of us, and as we passed the first gate, a guy flagged us down. His truck was stuck, and he needed a tow to get out of the hole he was in. Barry said sure, and I texted the others to let them know what was happening. They pulled off of the beach highway and waited for us.

Barry got out his brand-new tow rope and hooked the guy up. He told the guy to put his truck in reverse, but he did not understand that and had it in neutral. I had to say to him a few times, "no, you have to be in reverse." But, once he did that, pulling him out was no problem. Below is a video I took of the process.

Done with that, we headed up the beach to find the Reynolds. Kensley and Jan were in the middle of the sand highway, crazily waving us down. They were obviously having too much fun. We headed to the gate and off to downtown.

Kensley and Jan

Downtown was bustling, and we drove around looking for parking. We ended up parking apart from each other. I wanted to go to the kite store, so Barry and I headed that way. The rest of the party headed toward the beach. I picked out a kite with the help of the store owner. I also bought a mini Easter flag. It matches the pillows I have for the front porch. I saw it on display outside the store when we drove through town on Thursday on our way to the campground.

We hooked up with the group on the Pismo pier and decided to walk to the end. We watched the surfers try to navigate the waves, but they could have done better. Many people fish off the pier, which does not require a license. I am trying to remember that from last time. We did not see anyone hauling in any fish. The weather was excellent, with a slight breeze, but I did not mind. I run hot most of the time now.

There is a massive shark in a playground off the side of the pier, and we watched the kids play on it for a bit. Arik acted like the shark was eating him and being swallowed; he can be very entertaining.

We decided we wanted to have some drinks and munchies, so we ended up at Wooly's Beach Bar and Grill right on the beach. Busy place, but we did not wait too long for our food. We each had drinks, and the food consisted of tacos, onion rings, deep-fried calamari, and fries. The kids had kid burgers. This is the second day we have had fried food, which is abnormal. Oh boy! So much for keeping our weight in check before our Utah trip in May. Aaaagggg!

After Jan, Brook and I walked up to a shop we liked. Jan and I bought a pair of flip-flops, and Brook bought a few cute clothes. After I purchased my fit flops and told Jan the guys texted they were at Harry's Night Club and Beach Bar, I decided to meet up with Barry and Ken. Brook was still trying on clothes. The bouncers were carding everyone. Once they checked my ID, they put a wristband on me and stamped the inside of my wrist. A band played, and I found the guys sitting at the bar. I ordered a Midori Sour after I saw the bartender make one. It was the best Midori Sour I have had. This place was hopping, and a lot of regulars frequented here.

We kept waiting for Jan and Brook to show up. Ken finally texted them, and they walked right by the Harry's. We found them up the street on the corner waiting for us. Sometimes coordinating this group is challenging, but we always have a great time.

We headed back to camp. Kensley and Arik wanted to go to the beach, and even though it was about an hour before sundown, they put on their swimsuits. Ken and Jan, Us, and their grandkids headed to the beach. It was chilly, but the kids stripped to their swimsuits and played on the beach. We sat on the beach, waited for the sunset, took photos, and enjoyed watching the kids play. Sunset was around 7:15 PM. I could not believe how the kids played in the chilly wind. All of us were getting chilly, but the kids were running around like it was 80 degrees. Finally, we saw the sunset and headed back. Arik was whining about how he could not feel his feet or hands and had frostbite, LOL! Poor guy, he was freezing.

My boots and a jeep very
similar to ours

Mine and Jan's twin boots in the sand

Once we got back and warmed up, Barry built a fire, and he and I made s'mores. The kids were wiped out and already asleep. We enjoyed the fire for a bit, and then we hit the hay. Hectic day, and we were also wiped out.

All photos are owned by the author, with the exception of "My Man" by Jan Reynolds. Thank you, Jan, for sharing this photo.

Friday, June 3, 2022

05-31-22 Tuesday Pismo State Beach, Oceano Campground

05-31-22 Tuesday

Pismo State Beach, Oceano Campground

Jeeps in Parking Lot: 5

Drive Time: 0

Miles: 0

Arrived: 0

We had cereal for breakfast this morning. Jan brought over watermelon after so I’m going to have some as a snack later. I love really cold watermelon. Barry is not a melon person so I get to eat it all myself....YUMMY!.

Barry had to install the AC cover on top of the coach this morning. Last week when he was bringing it home from the service place in San Jose it blew off. Thank goodness it didn’t hit anyone. While he did the installation, I drove down to the beach to get our day pass. It’s like driving from our house to Safeway. If I didn’t have to show our vehicle and license plate, I would have walked. It was a quick trip. I could see some of the flags on the beach and it was crazy windy.

Barry had the installation almost done when I returned. We decided to walk around the pond and do a little exploring. There is a concrete path and some wooden walkways. Nice trail that leads around to the tent campground area. These have grassy sites and the campground seemed full. Lots of families. We weren't sure how far the went so we turned back and headed toward camp.

At 11:30am Ken would be able to take a break from work, he’s not retired yet. We drove down to the beach and drove as far south as we could then turned around and headed the other direction. We stopped at a store that is right on the beach because Ken wanted to check it out. It was like a semi-truck trailer sitting in the sand with all kinds of stuff inside, t-shirts, sweatshirts, buckets for the kids, knives, stickers, flags, a few toiletries, and who knows what else. Ken ended up buying a flag holder to put on his jeep for his flag. A few sand rails were out but not many. Also, very few cars driving the beach highway. Might be due to the winds.

We drove as far as we could and drove out a different gate heading into town. We parked in town and decided to eat lunch at a place called Cool Cat Café. We ate al fresco, and it was so nice to be by the beach. Jan and I had a Ripcurl Rita, made with tequila, triple sec, pineapple juice, blue curacao, homemade sweet and sour. It hit the spot. Now Barry has to learn to make it. I bought a hooded sweatshirt because I forgot to bring one. One should always bring a hooded sweatshirt when travelling.

The four of us walked down the street and hit a few shops. Jan shopped hard to find a pair of sweatpants but no luck. She forgot a pair. Ken had to get back to work so they took off.

We stayed to find a place to buy some fresh fish for tomorrow’s dinner. We tried a few places in town but no luck. We searched on our phones and found a fish market in Grove Beach. Great market but they were out of black cod.... DARN! We bought a small ahi tuna steak and 4 large shrimps for tomorrow night. Barry will grill the shrimp for appetizers. Can’t wait. If you follow my blog, you know how much I love my husband’s cooking! We also found a place to get propane, so we plan on stopping there on our way to Avila Beach on Friday. We headed back to camp.

We planned to go out for Mexican food tonight, so we drove down the street to Old Juan’s Cantina. The wind was still howling, and we didn’t want to walk back in the cold and wind. We ordered guacamole and a round of margi’s, THE BIG SIZE. Very tasty but they could have added more tequila. Barry had a small taco salad, Ken a ceviche and Jan and I split taquitos. Food was yummy. We ordered another round of drinks. Jan wanted Churros for dessert but the rest of us could not conceive if eating anything else. She whined about it for some time, even when we returned to camp...LOL! I’m sure she is determined to have one before our trip is over.

Back at camp the guys built a fire and we made s’mores. We were all full from dinner so not sure how in the world we could eat them. Jan stilled complained about not having a churro which made us all laugh some more.

Again, a nice way to end the day with a fire. Sweet dreams all.

Thursday, June 2, 2022

May 2022 Pismo Beach Trip

05-30-22 Monday Memorial Day

Pismo State Beach, Oceano Campground

Jeeps in Parking Lot: 3

Drive Time: 4 hours

Miles: 232 miles

Arrived: 3:00pm

We headed out this morning about 9:30am to Pismo Beach. Hooking up with our friends Jan and Ken. We've had this trip planned for a year. Traffic was light. We stopped at this place in Gilroy, The Garlic Farm, to top off our propane tank. We couldn’t find it so drove around a bit and finely did. It was so crowded we just decided to get back on the freeway. Nice drive the rest of the way.

We pulled into our spot, talked to Jan and Ken, then finished setting up camp. Ken and Barry drove next door to buy firewood. The next thing we see is Barry pushing a wheelbarrow of wood to our campsite. Not something Jan and I expected to see. The guy at the store just told them to bring it on over and return the wheelbarrow. Ken came driving up in the jeep, and he took the wheelbarrow back. I was so shocked by the him pushing a wheelbarrow I didn't get a photo!

It was windy when we arrived but we didn't let that bother us. We have looked forward to this trip for a year.

I called Aunt Reba because I thought they were in the same campground we are but they are in the campground next door. It’s actually a bunch of tiny homes. They belong to an organization, can’t remember the name, and it only costs them $50 a week. They drove over instead of walking because the winds were so bad. We visited for about an hour and a half. It was good to see them and their dog Tina. They are returning home tomorrow.

Barry and Ken cooked dinner, salmon, and a salad. Barry’s salmon was yummy. He never disappoints me. I love his salmon. After dinner we made s’mores and hung out by the fire. It was windy and chilly but sitting by a fire is always wonderful.

One thing I noticed today was any flag flown was flying at half-mast. It was awesome to see. Memorial Day is a day to remember our fallen that have fought so hard for all of us. I hope everyone realizes that.

Good night all.

Jacqueline’s Jaunts