Pismo Beach (and Avila and SLO) RV Trip (46)

For this months trip, we drove south from the San Francisco Bay Area to Pismo Beach for a long 4-day weekend. Because of the large sites and a grassy meadow, our favorite place to stay is the North Beach Campground at Pismo Beach State Park.  It is also next to the beach, the butterfly grove, and is a short walk into town and to the pier. Notice in the photo below the fog lingering in the bay, but the North Beach Campground is clear.

As we drove into our site, a snowy egret was there to greet us, possibly snacking in the stream that runs to the ocean. Since our site nestled up to the butterfly grove, we also had a constant stream on monarch butterflies visiting our site the entire trip.

After settling in, we drove to the part of the beach you can drive on. There is something fun about driving right up to the water, and it’s the ONLY California Beach you can drive on from here to Mexico!

Here’s a short video my wife took of the beach, and also a clam hoping to dig it’s way off of the menu and into the sand.

That evening, we saw “Under the Boardwalk” at the Great American Melodrama in Oceano.

We try to visit there on every RV trip, and are always glad when we do. It’s good family friendly entertainment.

We spent the next day in San Louis Obispo for a hike to the top of Cerro San Luis Obispo, also known as Madonna Mountain,

a 1,292 peak that gives you spectacular views of San Louis Obispo.

It is part of the “nine sisters” chain of mountains that extend all the way to the ocean.

After working up a great appetite, we had lunch at the Firestone Grill for their Santa Maria style trip-tip, a must stop for us. 🙂

We spent the next day at Avila Beach, stopping on the way at the Avila Valley Barn for some apple turnovers.

Avila Beach is a great place to spend some time and relax on the beach.

It’s a little bit of Southern California on the Central Coast. 🙂

Just north of Avila Beach are some great tide pools.

Before the ride home, it’s always great to stop by Old West Cinnamon Rolls for some freshly baked rolls with cream cheese frosting. No worries, I’m sure they have no fat or calories…and besides, you are on vacation! 🙂

We had a great trip and are already looking forward to our next RV trip in the Gold Country of the Sierra Foothills.