Cambria Trip Run Down

Thank goodness for Travel Zoo… Ryan and I got away to Cambria for $259 (two nights at the Cambria Pines Lodge which also included dinner and wine at their restaurant).  For those of you that don’t know, the central coast of California holds a special place in Ryan’s heart.  His family vacations always included Cambria and Morro Bay much like mine always included Yosemite.  Before we started dating I had never been to the central coast. Now we both share a passion for this beautifully rustic and laid back place.

We left bright and early Saturday morning so that we could be sure to make it to Morro Bay by lunchtime.  Morro Bay also means a great deal to my friend and former roommate Belinda.  Her family loved to camp in this small rustic fishing town.  Just a few days before we left for our trip her father passed away. Although I was not at the funeral, I heard that there was an entire portion of the slide show that included many family memories in Morro Bay.  

Our favorite quick place to eat while we are here is Giovanni’s.  They have the best fish and chips in the entire world and luckily we arrived just before the lunch rush because there was a line when we left.  After lunch we hit the cute little shops and The Garden Gallery (Ryan’s favorite).

Giovanni's!

The View from the Patio

Rockin out with my otter friend

After lunch we headed out to Morro Rock. Every time we park our car at the base of the rock we can see a handful of otters.  This time we saw a mama otter (or dad otter) with a baby on her tummy.  So precious to my heart. Then, of course, we checked out the surf and Ryan drooled but seeing as the water temp is much cooler than in So Cal and the surf wasn’t that great he resisted the temptation.

Once we got to Cambria we checked into our hotel which was lovely but we were put in the old section of the hotel where the walls were thin and a wedding party invaded.  They gave us a nicer room the second night so I really can't complain. Dinner at the hotel was nice (we had a view of a wedding) but nothing to write home about.

The Gardens at Cambria Pines Lodge

Sunday morning we drove through Moonstone Beach and then headed up to see the Elephant Seals just past Hearst Castle.  It’s a pretty spectacular sight that always amazes me.  In an effort to get closer and to see more of the coastline Ryan and I found a trail off the beaten path and decided to explore.  This was a bad idea.  Once we got back to the hotel we realized we had ticks on us.  So gnarly.

I call this "The Trail of Ticks" 

We had lunch at Las Cambritas which was especially rad since they had live music which included covers of Fleetwood Mac, Eric Clapton and other KOST 103.5 favorites.

After lunch we continued to walk around town and once we were sure that we were free from all ticks, we decided to do go to Robin’s Restaurant for their live music in the garden that started at 5:00pm.  What a GORGEOUS place with an AWESOME loose leaf tea selection (and beer selection… Stone!).  We both got a bowl of lentil soup and took in the beauty that is the central coast and commented on how luckily we are to live in such a beautiful state.

We then headed to dinner at the Indigo Moon.  We kept it light because the soup was so filling.  Ryan got the Ahi and I, of course, ordered the cheese plate.  Ryan got the Syrah and I got the Zin.  Once again, a beautiful restaurant with garden views.

All in all, despite the ticks, it was a lovely vacation and I look forward to doing it again as soon as we possibly can.