Jacqueline’s Jaunts

Today is break camp day & driving home. The morning went smooth, pack-up was easy & byes said to J&K before leaving. Quick Burrito for breakfast & we're off.  Barry mapped a Chevron Station in Paso Robles right next to Firestone Brewery, so we thought it would be perfect. We didn't need a pump out since we used the Bananaboys the day before! They are mobile and came to us. Talk about convenient. The cost was $50.00 for full service at the campsite. The guy was great, and Barry had a good conversation about Pismo seasonal issues due to the weather and how he is surviving. Great service.  We pulled into the Chevron-easy access, filled up the RV & were careful to not pull too close to the pumps due to the RV tail swing. Finally, ready to leave, I was outside on the walkie watching progress & all looked good.  Suddenly, Barry is 3/4 out of the driveway & the RV STOPPED DEAD! Damn it...driveshaft, transmission? No...the crown of the road is so high,...

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 photo...

         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...

Today was another property search day with K & J, Santa Maria, Nipomo, and Orcutt. We drove through a few gated communities but nothing with room for RV and boat storage. We did see a few lovely older homes with large lots, but the houses need a lot of work.  We ate in Orcutt at Blast 825 Brewery, Brussels sprouts, super tater-tots, steak bites, and onion rings. Don't worry; we did order a basket of fries. We love this place. Great looking brewery. Unfortunately, there were only a few homes to see in this area after lunch.  Long-Billed Curlew We were home by 4 PM. We decided to walk the campground to stretch our legs. Then we had a last-minute decision and walked to the beach. It was cool and windy, but a great time to be on the beach. Only a few people and lots of birds. Just to hear the ocean and birds was worth dealing with the cool air.  Most of the clam shells were complete Long-Billed Curlew While we went on our walk. Jan put the lasagne in the oven and prepared...

Today was a day of looking for neighborhoods, and homes K & J may want to move to. We went along for the ride to check out the cities and towns around Pismo Beach. We left around 10:30 AM and stopped at Starbucks in Grover Beach on the way to Arroyo Grande. Ken stopped at a real estate office, and Jan went inside to see if she could get any information about neighborhoods and home prices in the area. She did get quite a bit of information from one of the agents. They exchanged contact information, and we were on our way. Jan and the agent texted most of the day. He was immensely accommodating all day.  The first place the agent said to drive through was the neighborhood behind the real estate office. The homes were older homes and well-kept. All the houses had such character; you could tell they were well-maintained. Barry and I loved the area. K & J want a place with some property so they can store their motorhome and pontoon boat on their property, so this neighborhood wo...

Today the four of us headed for REI in SLO. Their sale ended today, and K & J wanted to take advantage of their coupon. We already did, but we can always find something at REI. Ken needed new tennis, and Jan wanted inserts for her hiking boots....getting ready for our Utah trip! All of us bought what we needed and more. LOL! Next on the agenda was to go visit K & J's friend's (from the other night) new house they are still moving into. It's a new subdivision in SLO. Beautiful homes and a lot of building still happening. They were on the waiting list for this subdivision. Great dog, Finley. He is two years old and loves Barry. Great view from their upstairs balcony. They still had a lot to unpack, so we only stayed about an hour.  By this time, of course, we were hungry. We decided to go to Central Coast Brewery. We passed it earlier today. Great looking brewery outside and inside. In the outdoor seating area was a vast carved-out redwood log made into a fire pit; se...

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 ...