Cambria/Cayucos

At Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

I'm such a sucker.  I'll use any excuse I can come up with to hop in my car and take off down the road.  Last week I had two good excuses (or reasons):  I had been so anxious about finding employment, I'd been sporting a nasty headache 24/7 for more days than I could remember - plus the fact that I thought I HAD a new job, but it wasn't official yet.  Time to hit the road!

I was in the mood for something easy to get to, not too long a drive, and not too expensive.  Something relaxing where I didn't have to worry about dressing up when I went out....so I decided on the mid-California coastal area - and I had a hell of a good time with some new discoveries. 

CAMBRIA

Cool TV -not one of those 12-inchers

I decided to try the Creekside Inn again in Cambria; I'd had a not-very-good-experience the first time (the room was very unpleasant - see earlier post), but I wanted to save some money, and their room price was reasonable.  After calling them to make sure they had good wifi - which is important to me, as I'm a single traveler and I rely on my computer for evening entertainment - I paid ~$80/night for a double room (the only one they had left).  It turned out to be quite nice, although it was a pet-friendly room and in some places it showed.

[To the owners of Creekside Inn:  paint Room 12, please!]

 I really liked the balcony and sat there while using my laptop. Nice view, very peaceful.

The bathroom was clean

 

The Inn had a Continental breakfast on weekend mornings.  I stopped by the office to see what was there - the pastries looked just ok....and the coffee was weak.  Uck.  Being a caffeine fiend, I took one look at their Java and headed to the bakery down the street for a latte - needed my morning fix.

Food:

I ate at the same place all 3 nights I was there:  Indigo Moon.  Holy Jesus, their food was good enough to make a grown man cry.  Cashew-encrusted halibut...pappardelle (wide egg noodles) with peas, olives, and chicken in a fragrant tomato sauce....fettucine with a light wine and lemon sauce, prawns, and artichokes.  Ahhhh.....  After I discovered it, I just kept going.  I liked the interior vibes and decor, and the servers were friendly without being in-your-face.  It was just a couple-block drive from the hotel.

Traveler Tip:

In Cambria at the northwest side of town, there is a Shell gas station that carries EVERYTHING. I've bought headphones and hot dogs there, and their bathroom is immaculate.  They always have boxes of low-priced sweatshirts sitting outside and their coffee is great.  Highly recommended.

Hearst Castle:
I had decided early on not to go on any of the Hearst Castle tours.  I've done all ad nauseam.  However, I did want to stop by their Visitor Center to take a look at their ceramic tiles, which I can't find anywhere else; they are always outstanding.  I have two of them hanging in my house...

 

..but nothing really turned me on this time.  This was nice, but I wasn't going to spend $64 on it

If you go on any tours:
I made the mistake of going on two tours one afternoon and evening, with only a few minutes in between.  I was STARVING after I finished the second tour (all that climbing and walking), and all the eating areas in the main building were closed when we returned - couldn't figure that out!  So if you do two tours in a row, make sure you buy something like a bag of nuts or crackers to munch on till you can get to a restaurant. 

Be sure to catch the short movie that's included in the price with Tour 1.  It's worth it.  And - I highly recommend the Hearst Castle chili and hot dogs.

You can tour the small museum - it's easy to miss - that's tucked away at the back of the visitor's center while you're waiting for your tour.  Oh, and on your way out to the bus, you'll be asked to pause and pose to have your picture taken - another way for the place to make some money off of you.  You can decline it if you want to (which I always do).

Olallieberry Inn:

 For my last night, I decided I had to celebrate getting a job after 4 long months of fending off the wolf at the door, so I made a reservation at the Olallieberry Inn. I'd heard such wonderful things about it, and it was the only bed; breakfast in the town of Cambria proper.  Coincidentally, the Inn had a garage sale that morning, which I happily inspected.

Afternoon wine & snacks

Lovely flowers on the rear deck

The Inn truly is a wonderful place to stay - their breakfasts are outstanding (pastries are made from scratch) and BIG - no chintzy portions there.  My breakfast consisted of: homemade olallieberry (natch) Danish, yogurt, fresh fruit, the Inn's trademark granola (very good, and I'm not a fan of granola), 2 kinds of salsa, their Bisquick-type egg puff, homemade ranch beans, and tortillas.  URP!!

My room, the Harmony

The rear deck

There were two things I would have liked while I was there:  a TV in the room (because I travel alone, I rely on a TV and my laptop to keep me occupied in the evenings), and there was no common-area sitting room downstairs, which I thought was a bit odd.  There was an "office", a small room at the front of the house that was used for checking-in, but it was closed to visitors at other times.  There were a few straight-backed chairs situated near the breakfast area, but that was it. Because the deck is the only place to gather, what do they do if it's raining? 

               HARMONY

No, it's not what I whistled while I was driving...it's a town...a very small town.   You know that adage, "You blink your eyes as you drive thru and it's gone"?

To find it, go south on Hwy 1 from Cambria to Morro Bay.  Two miles out of Cambria, you'll see a small green sign:  Harmony.  Make a left.  The town consists of the post office (left) and a couple of stores and that's it. 

I spent a few minutes looking around at the Harmony Glass Works.  They had some great stuff.

Food:

None 

                                                
CAYUCOS

The small town of Cayucos, an area I hadn't yet explored, was next on the list.  What a nice surprise that was!  It reminded me of Santa Monica, my home town, in the 1950's.  The weather was lovely - a gorgeous, warm, sunny day, and the town was deserted.  The main street consisted of three or four long blocks of businesses and restaurants, with a very wide street in between.

Yeech, it's probably crazy busy and packed in the summer!

The town is situated at the water's edge and the pier is just a few yards away from the main street.  While driving through the residential areas, I noticed how small and quaint each house was.  Very cute.

I spent a lot of time wandering the antique stores on the main drag and bought a wonderful antique light-weight cast iron frying pan.  Although I collect chamber pots, I didn't notice anything intriguing.  

Food

I had lunch at Duckie's on the first day, right off the pier. Fried oysters and garlic fries. Yum!  Six plump perfectly fried oysters with fries that were covered in parmesan cheese and garlic.  Actually they could have done without half the cheese and used more garlic, but it was good.  They have eating areas at the windows, bar-style, and the windows are open on sunny days.  Very pleasant.

One place you cannot miss in Cayucos, if you're hungry:  Ruddell's Smokehouse.  It's fantastic.  I found it thru the reviews in Yelp, and they were right-on - the tacos were superb.  I love cooked oysters of any type, so I ordered a smoked oyster taco and the albacore tuna taco.  The oyster taco was my favorite - note that all tacos come with about a pound of salad on them, consisting of lettuce, veggies and chopped apple.  The smoked tuna was a bit sweet for my taste, but it was very good.

A tuna taco

The smokehouse is a very small, nondescript hut near the pier with outdoor seating only (can be cold on cloudy days).  The owner's wife does all the cooking and for some reason she takes a LONG TIME to put out orders....I've heard of wait times as long as 90 minutes, so to preserve your sanity, get there before the noon rush.