January 29 – February 4, 2024
Week two of our Cayucos stay started with an Amtrak trip from San Luis Obispo (SLO) to Los Angeles Union Station. Jean was returning to the eastern US tundra via the Southwest Chief. My brother and his husband decided to escort her down the coast for the enjoyment of the ride and to show her around the mean streets of LA. I stayed behind to sleep in and take walks. I walked along the beach and Estero Bay. I even caught sight of a great heron. I then had a leisurely dinner at Duckies.
On Tuesday the 30th it was back to normal. Larry and Bob had returned yesterday evening from their train trip. The weather was threatening so we hung at the condo and took walks between the rain spurts.
We decided to venture out on Wednesday. We drove inland towards SLO to the Irish Hills. You would have thought you were in Ireland (I’ve never been so take that with a spoonful of Irish curry). The hills were green and rolling. The trails wound through oak forests. I did do some research – there are oaks in Ireland, just not Coast Live oaks. There were many wildflowers just beginning to pop up; Indian paintbrush, buckbrush, ceanothus and more. The green Morros spookily rose from the valley floor. We hiked the Froom Creek and Canyon View trails and looped back to the car.
The next day, the 1st of February, was a day of rest (we seem to need these more frequently). We walked the Cayucos beach under the darkening sky and rough sea.
We had a little more energy on Friday so drove to Montaña de Oro to walk the bluff trail. If you’re ever in the San Luis Obispo area, please, please make a stop at this state park. It’s a little out of the way, but you will not be disappointed. You can always stop for lunch at High Street Deli or Beerwood in Baywood/Los Osos or make the drive to Morro Bay or Cayucos.
Our energy held strong and seeing as the weather forecast seemed dire, we headed north to San Simeon Creek Trail. It’s a very interesting trail that passes through diverse habitats; a wetlands/marsh, a Monterey pine forest and a riparian woodland. We walked through a thistle strand, over the marshy area on a walkway and up to the pine forest. Our plan was to walk the entire 5 mile loop but were thwarted by a broken bridge. The guys boasted in their manhood saying they would climb across with no problem. I was the wise one and directed us to turn around. We returned to the parking lot and then walked to the lagoon created by the creek flowing into the ocean. In prior hikes we’ve seen pelicans and ducks. This time nothing but gulls. I was mildly disappointed as we headed back to the car and the condo.
Sunday, the last day of my week 2 posting, the storm struck. The winds blew and the rain poured. We were trapped in the condo overlooking it all. We lost electricity for over 12 hours. We scrounged the cupboards for food that didn’t need to be cooked. We barely survived. My brother and I took a walk into town during a lull. The wind was so strong I had to hang onto the bridge rail as we crossed the creek to keep from being blown off. It was a dark and stormy night and I was glad when I was awakened by the condo walkway lights shining through the window.
So week 2 ended in stormy Cayucos.
Los Angeles Excursions 