California Coast…A Spur-of-the-moment drive

Nothing more fun than a drive up the California Coast with the top down!  This past summer, my friend, Val, texts me out of the blue on a Sunday morning saying she saw an article about a really cute coastal town up near San Luis Obispo called Los Osos and did I want to take a drive up Highway 101.  Well, coincidentally, my brother-in-law’s sister, Beth and family live in Los Osos and I’ve been meaning to visit for years.  So…just one of those serendipity  things that was meant to be.  I make sure they’ll be in town and Beth graciously tells us to come up & stay with them….which we do, 3 days later, top down on the convertible.  I love spur-of-the-moment trips!

We leisurely drive up the coast, stopping for some amazing cinnamon rolls at Old West in Pismo Beach, a little town just south of Los Osos.  We roll into Los Osos mid day and Beth meets us at their amazing home, that her husband Bob built…with a gorgeous view of the nature preserve across the street.  We go for a lovely walk around the neighborhood, check out the preserve and just relax until it’s time for dinner.  Now, some people would just drive over to the local restaurant for dinner…not Beth & Bob.  The four of us got on some Stand Up Paddles and take a gorgeous paddle up the little inlet, pull up to a dock and have dinner overlooking the water.  Now that’s the way to go!  …but then we have to paddle back to the car…in the dark!  Lucky for us, Beth and Bob know this waterway like the back of their hand, so Val & I stick closely to the two of them and make it safely back to the car.  What a fun dinner adventure!

The next day is all about walking around Los Osos, checking out the shops in nearby Morro Bay and gathering drift wood on the beach.  In the evening we head into San Luis Obispo for their incredible farmer’s market.  The sights and sounds of a farmer’s market and a community coming together is such a step back in time, enjoyed by young and old.  This farmer’s market is an exceptional one that takes place every Thursday evening year-round and includes everything from the farmer’s offerings to local artist’s booths.  If you’re going up to SLO, try to plan your trip to include a Thursday evening.

On the way home we made a little video, singing with the top down…but I couldn’t figure out how to upload it here or onto youtube, so you’ll have to look at my FB page to see it….hope this link works…   (Thanks to my friends Christine & Ginger for the fun video idea!)

Can’t wait for the next spur-of-the-moment road trip… sooo much fun!

A lovely New Year’s thought from cestchristine  …..”May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t forget to make some art–write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.” -Neil Gaiman

  You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!