On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
UncleEbeneezer
For our Anniversary last year we decided to take our first real vacation since Covid, spending a weekend in Pismo Beach CA. We wanted something reasonably priced but with an ocean view so we chose the Koa Tiki Inn. We know several Los Angeles friends whose families have been going there for decades so we decided to trust their suggestion. The drive up was fairly easy but we did see a lot of Recall Newsom signs (oof, how’d that work out?)
Here is the great view from our room. Every room at the Koa Tiki has an ocean view. And the pool was nice with two hot tubs that if you timed it right you could sometimes get all to yourselves with amazing views of the sea. We even saw a whale breaching off in the distance at one point, right from the comfort of the hot tub!
That said, we also had to share the hot tub with an old man who wanted to talk about the terrible withdrawal from Afghanistan and Antifa and how crime was out of control…sigh, you can’t go anywhere without these old, white, MAGA fuckers…
Pismo Beach itself was OKAY, but not really our thing. It was VERY crowded on the weekends with tons of people not wearing masks. So we spent most of the time at our hotel. Towards the end of the weekend we decided to drive to Shell Beach just 5 minutes up the road and found this wonderful Eldwayen Park with incredible views of the ocean.
View from the cliffs at Eldwayen Park as sunset approaches.
Right near the park is the Chapman Estate, an English Tudor mansion overlooking the sea that has a windmill. You can read about it here.
Here the sky is getting shimmery due to the ocean air. It was rather surreal.
Chapman Estate has lots of seagulls, pelicans and other ocean birds that hang out on the rocks. We sat and watched them for awhile.
Here comes the sun(set), watch your step…
Down, down, down she goes…
Kelly loves a good sunset!
After a somewhat disappointing seafood meal at the Pismo Beach pier for our Anniversary we decided to keep it simple on our last night and just walk across the street from our hotel and try out Oasis, a Moroccan restaurant that was highly recommended. Holy shit, this was legit one of the best meals we ever had! This was our first time trying Moroccan and we walked away as BIG FANS! This is the beef potato Tagine and was truly one of the most delicious dishes I have ever had. I still dream about this!
WaterGirl
On the Road didn’t publish at 5 am, the usual scheduled time, an I didn’t notice it until now because I had a car appointment this morning and headed right out.
Happy Anniversary Uncle Eb!
CaseyL
What a great find Eldwayen Park was! Glad you were able to find a beach park that wasn’t overcrowded and had lots of great things to see.
I’ve had Moroccan food, but never a tangine. May have to try one next time I’m at a suitable restaurant.
Thanks for sharing the trip with us!
opiejeanne
Wonderful photos, Uncle Ebeneezer. Was the water too cold to go wading in the ocean? I think it’s warmest in November, so probably pretty cold still.
Sister Golden Bear
Pismo Beach is more or less due west from Bakersfield and a lot of people go to Pismo to escape the summer heat, so I’m not surprised few people were wearing masks.
I had the same thing when I went to Huntington Lake (which is just east of Fresno) in late summer 2021. At least in the mountains I could go hiking during the day by myself, and either get take-out or eat outside right before closing when there weren’t many people around.
Elma
The day doesn’t actually begin until I have had my second cup of coffee and my vicarious travels thanks to OTR. No wonder today just doesn’t seem right.
Ohio Mom
That’s always the case with our trips, half of the stuff on our must-do and must-see lists ends up disappointing and the unexpected detours often provide the most memorable moments.
As for loud-mouth Right-wingers, steeling myself for my cousin’s husband at the upcoming Labor Day get-together. Not being able to read the room and see that your brilliant insights (that is, echoed Fox talking points) are not appreciated is the flip side of believing that garbage to begin with.
Almost Retired
Wonderful area! My youngest son went to college in San Luis Obispo, so we were up in that area all the time. Sometimes, we even saw our son! Spectacular drive from LA, too, once you get past Ventura.
Dangerman
Shell Beach is awesome, Eldwayen is the perfect BBQ location, and the Chapman House is just insane. There is a pool there that has a bath/changing room that has an amazing view over the water … and it’s the bathroom. SB was home for a while and went to several events at the Estate (Mozart Festival stuff mainly as I recall).
A couple recommendations close to the Chapman House would be Zorro’s (best salsa around; always a line, however, at least in the before times) and there was a fabulous breakfast spot right next door to the Post Office (don’t recall the name and it may have closed).
One more cool thing about Eldwayen. There is a telescope there great for whale watching and looking out towards a Lighthouse at Point San Luis. I “hear” the tours there are pretty cool.
Elizabelle
I love California. Yes, remember seeing Pismo Beach on the way to SLO. The Koa Tiki and Eldwayen Park go on the “must visit” list next time out there.
Happy anniversary week!
Just Some Fuckhead
Try “sounds like you got it all figured out” next time with a Magat.
Alison Rose 💙🌻💛
I used to hang out in SLO a lot, many (many) years ago, and I loved Pismo Beach. It’s definitely crowded and touristy, but I was young enough then that I didn’t mind that :) I loved the SLO life, that was for sure!
Dangerman
@Dangerman: Had to look it up. Seaside Cafe and Bakery is closed. Covid may have finished it off.
A couple more places for food delights – Fat Cats in Avila and there is a deli next to the Shell Station in Shell Beach that makes fresh Mozzarella daily (or did at the time). Heavenly.
The Moar You Know
@Ohio Mom: they have nothing else. Ask them. No interests, no hobbies, no activities. That’s all the tools in their social toolbox, whatever Fox gave ’em. It’s sad. I’d feel sorry for them if they weren’t simultaneously so boring and yet so destructive.
These are the same people that used to yammer on about sports before Kap came along and destroyed football with his unapologetic blackness.
Matt McIrvin
@Sister Golden Bear: I think most Americans even who are somewhat careful have basically decided that masks are unneeded outdoors. It’s not technically true–the CDC made a recommendation back in the days of the Alpha variant that people have clung to as the virus gets far more transmissible–but it’s close enough to true in a sunny, well-ventilated situation.
Jager
@Alison Rose 💙🌻💛:
We have friends up the road in Cambria, we’ve been through Pismo a bunch. There is a newer dog-friendly hotel on the north end of town, be damned if I can remember the name of the place. My kids live in Santa Cruz, so we always take the “long way” north, 101-to 1 all the way through Big Sur, Carmel, and Monterrey. Never tire of it.
Alison Rose 💙🌻💛
@Dangerman: Ooh I remember Fat Cats! Those giant onion rings…
Alison Rose 💙🌻💛
@Jager: I lived in Santa Cruz in my mid-20s and loved it there. Kinda wish I’d stayed…
dopealope
@Dangerman: DiPalo & Sons is the name of the deli. The Mozzarella was made by a local retired pediatrician, Dr. Tedone, and father of the owner. He passed away a few years back in his 90s.
The place has a very good wine and liquor selection also.
UncleEbeneezer
@WaterGirl: Thank you!!
UncleEbeneezer
@opiejeanne: We didn’t swim more because the weather was gloomy/chilly, which we didn’t mind after a really hot Summer, but when we dipped our feet in it was plenty warm for swimming.
UncleEbeneezer
@Sister Golden Bear: That makes sense and is what I figured. It’s just crazy how quickly Santa Barbara turns into MAGA-land once we got north of El Capitan State Beach. As hikers/campers people often say “You gotta get up to the Kern River/Lake Isabella?” and I’m always like “DO WE, though??” Lol…
pluky
Y’all are clearly nicer folks than me. If I’d been trying to have a nice soak while someone kept blathering on like you describe, let’s just say the water temperature might have risen to uncomfortably warm.
UncleEbeneezer
@Matt McIrvin: These pics were from August of 2021 so we were still in the middle of the Delta variant wave, which made the lack of masks even more unbelievable (and off-putting) to us.
UncleEbeneezer
@Ohio Mom: This is usually the case with us too. Aside from major stuff like Angkor Wat or Half-Dome, the Must-See™ stuff usually fails to live up to the hype and the random drives down a country road etc., often lead to some of the most memorable gems.
In fact, the day we got married in Bridgeport CA, before heading back to Mammoth (where we were staying) we asked the county clerk if there was anyplace we could go and grab some lunch and a beer and he suggested we drive up to Twin Lakes resort. The road up there goes through huge pastures of horses and cows and eventually ends at a ridiculously picturesque lake in the foothills of the E. Sierra. It’s been one of our favorite drives/destinations up there, ever since.
UncleEbeneezer
@pluky: When the guy said something about Black Lives Matter I asked him if he has ever actually spoken to anyone in the organization. Because I have! I’ve even attended marches/events myself and the people/organization are NOTHING LIKE the bullshit stereotype he was spouting. He just sputtered and tried to pivot to Afghanistan naturally. Sad…
UncleEbeneezer
@The Moar You Know: Yup. And my Father-In-Law is the same way, only replace Fox with Maddow and BernieBro talking points. A depressingly large % of Americans live entirely within popular talking points with no critical thinking applied.
J R in WV
@UncleEbeneezer:
The Afghanistan withdrawal was agreed to in formal negotiations with Afghani representatives by the TRUMP administration, signed treaty and all. In fact, Biden took some time longer than was specified in the withdrawal agreement in order to make it a littl smoother and safer.
So blaming it on Biden is stupid, ignorant of the facts, and ignores that it was not a winnable conflict in any shape or form. Glad it is over, wish our Afghan helpers could all have been withdrawn, but it was over all a well done maneuver. Thanks, Joe!!
lurker
have been in that area for a bit of most summers for years, mainly in avila beach (up the road from pismo). Great little part of the central coast. Every so often, we talk to someone more familiar with the area, and they open our eyes to things like Oso Flaco Lake, Johnson Ranch Open Space (hiking) or the Elfin Forest near Morro Bay.
The overall area is a favorite of travelers particularly from the southern end of the Central Valley (Madera, Fresno, Bakersfield, etc. – home of the Devin Nunes family and our good buddy Kevin McCarthy). Basically, you can get there easily from the valley without having to deal with LA traffic. It is also about 3-4 hours from the SF Bay Area and about two hours or so northwest (upstate) of Santa Barbara. So you get an interesting mix in the tourist spots.
Great pix!