Saturday, October 22, 2011

My Summer - Part One with Chorizo at the Coast

Now that fall is here and things have calmed down a little bit on the weekends I have time to post some pictures of a couple of fun trips I took this summer.

In August I took a weekend trip with my favorite daughter, April and my favorite grand-puppy, Chorizo. Yes...she named her puppy Chorizo which is the name of a much loved Mexican Sausage usually fried up with Huevos (Eggs) or Papas (Potatoes). I guess it's a fitting name as Chorizo is pretty spicy!

Chorizo loves car rides! What dog doesn't right? But don't worry, we don't let her drive! (Be sure to click on any of the following photos to enlarge.)



First we went to Elephant Seal Beach. We've gone there before and I posted about it on March 28, 2010 and you can view that post HERE which has more details of where and what Elephant Seal Beach is. I will tell you that it is located at Piedras Blancas in the southern range of Big Sur, near San Simeon and I love it there! Where else can you go to see nature in all it's glory for free? Here's some pictures you can enjoy for free as well!


A view of the coastline. The weather was beautiful and as is usual for that area, it would alternate between being overcast and being sunny.




Here's a picture of the Elephant Seals basking in the sun. Ahhhh, this is the life! Except for all that sand and having to haul your body around on those little flippers.






From there we headed to Avila Beach to a little fruit stand that April wanted to show me. She knows where all the best spots are! I loved this place. It was very busy, lots of people but you were free to roam around and see the animals and people watch. I'd love to go again!

This fruit stand is known as the Avila Valley Barn and you can go HERE to read more about the history of the fruit stand, get directions, and view tons more pictures. They're working on an online store where you can order custom mixed Cake and Pancakes mixes and their Jam, Jellies, Preserves and Honey! Here's a view of where we parked. Is this a beautiful parking lot or what? These are Zinnias. I've grown Zinnia's before but they never grew like these! Mine were short, scrawny little plants, these are gorgeous!



This is the view heading into the stand itself where they sell fresh flowers. Isn't this a beautiful display?


Here's a closeup of those beautiful red flowers. I want to say they're daisies, but I'm not sure. Doesn't it look like I photo-shopped this picture to get those beautiful colors? Nope, that's just Mother Nature's doing! I love the aluminum buckets they use to display them.


And a closeup of those tulips! I wish I had bought some now that I'm looking at them!


That night we had dinner at the Great American Fish Company in Morro Bay. I didn't take any pictures because the flash in my camera is "no bueno" at night and that's when you need the flash right? But here's a picture from their website and you can click HERE to read more about them and see their menu. April and I both had the Bacon wrapped Filet Mignon and it was so juicy and tender you could cut it with your fork! We also had an excellent bottle of Champagne from a local winery, Tobin James Cellars. I say we...but I mean me. April sipped at her glass and I drank the rest of it. Yum...it was wonderful!


The next day we headed to the Nipomo Swap Meet. It had been years since we had been there and it has changed so much! When we used to go it was filled with vendors selling Arts and Crafts and second hand and antique merchandise. Now it's just like a giant parking lot filled with 99cent stores. Now I love 99cent stores, but that wasn't what I wanted to see, so that was a bit of a let down.

We headed back to find someplace to have a nice lunch. Someplace that would allow us to have Chorizo with us. So that meant outdoor dining and April knew just the place. I tell you this girl of mine knows all the best places and a weekend with her is filled with fun and adventure! We went to Zorros Cafe and Cantina in Shell Beach where we enjoyed Mimosa's made with the same Champagne we had the night before. They had the best Chips and Salsa and if you ever get to that area you need to go try it! Doesn't Chorizo look like such a proper and well-behaved little puppy just sitting there. She's adorable!


After a wonderful lunch April figured she still hadn't tired me out enough (trust me, she had) and she insisted we drive out to Montana de Oro. Montana de Oro translates to Mountain of Gold and is named that due to the golden wildflowers that bloom in Spring. We love it there, it's so beautiful and peaceful and pretty secluded so you don't have a ton of people there.

Chorizo loves wading in the water. Here she is with my daughter April enjoying herself.


And just in case the waves carry her away and she doesn't know how to swim (I tell April all dogs know how to swim) April insists on her wearing a little doggie life jacket. Isn't she cute!


And as we ride off into the sunset back to our little casas (homes), we say "Adios Montana de Oro...until next time."


17 comments:

  1. Great trip! I loved the Big Sur from my old days, 38 years ago, of stomping around your tierre.

    Love the new look, the mast head photo is beautiful. Nice post!

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  2. What a great holiday! I love Morro Bay and the whole surrounding area.

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  3. What a wonderful weekend trip! I would love to see the elephant seals for myself on this beach. Eating at that restaurant on the water had to have been pure pleasure. Looks like a great time!

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  4. It sounds like you had a wonderful visit. Your photos of the trip are really grand. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  5. Sextant - Thanks, it was time for a new look for fall and I think the colors of the flowers are perfect.

    I'm sure it's still pretty much the same on the coastline from when you were here. For some reason it doesn't change much. Do you remember Cayucos? That was a huge hub for hippies in the 70's!

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  6. Pondside - Morro Bay is so great. I love the big rock and I forgot to mention that we also went to the Morro Bay Aquarium! Chorizo was not at all impressed with the barking they were making when they begged for food.

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  7. Paula - Elephant Seal Beach is wonderful and the great thing about it is that it's constantly changing. Well not the beach, but what the seals are up to. There's mating season and then giving birth season. I'd love to be there during birthing season, that must be wonderful to see all those baby seals!

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  8. Mary - Thanks so much. I wish I had a better camera but my little Kodak does a pretty good job outdoors. Someday I would love to take a photography class and learn all about using lenses and filters and things.

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  9. Seeing those seals would have made the trip worth it for me. But then those flowers are so gorgeous and then the water. The trip just kept getting better and better, didn't it?

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  10. Alicia,

    I never heard of Cayucas. Being in the Air Force, I wasn't exactly hippy material. Also if I remember correctly Morro Bay wasn't exactly in my neighborhood, 4 hour drive from where I was stationed. Looking at the map you are located halfway between Victorville and Morro Bay. But also looking at the map, I must have been in Cayucas as often as I was in Morro Bay. I always followed Hwy 1 along the coast up to Monterey. No recollection of Cayucas.

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  11. Rebecca - Thanks! We kinda love her to bits :-D

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  12. Grammy Goodwill - I know, it was one more great thing after another! And the most fun was spending time with my daughter and that cute little puppy!

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  13. SExtant - Yes, Cayucos is right on Hwy 1. I'm sure you went by it many times. It still has a lot of cute little surf shops and incense stores. They had great surfing there, not that I've ever surfed being an Arizona girl, but I know my ex spent a ton of time there as a kids surfing. It's beautiful!

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  14. Those flowers are gorgeous! I can't believe Chorizo has a doggy life jacket, I didn't even know they made those LOL

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  15. Great pictures Alicia. Chorizo looks cute with his life saving vest. I didn't know they existed, but I guess there is a lot I don't know. But yeah, this summer was great and I went to Morro Bay too. Next Summer we'll stay the weekend and hopefully see the seals.

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  16. My favorite place! I posted a lot about these areas & elephant beach. I love Cambria, just beautiful and not too touristy!
    BTW, that is the most adorable little dog. That face is soooo sweet.

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