Avila sunsets and rocket launches! (189)

At the beginning of September, we spent a week at Avila Beach with our good friends Phil and Debbie. It was their first time in the area, so we got to revisit all our favorite places. We had a great time and capped off the week with a SpaceX rocket launch!

Staying at Flying Flags Avila Beach, perched on a hill overlooking the ocean, makes for a great week. Every site has an ocean view, and they provide a large gas fire pit for your use. We spent almost every evening there.

To the left is Avila Beach and the entire Pismo coast.

To the right is San Luis Bay and the Harford Pier. Just around the breakwater is the San Luis Lighthouse.

The pier has a good lunch spot, Merseas, and you can eat to the sound of the sea lions camped on a barge just off the pier. The fog in the background rolled in and out on most days. Avila seemed to have less fog than Pismo.

From the pier you will also see some sea otters and pelicans, both fishing for the abundant anchovies in the water. The pelicans glide over the water, kind of hover, then dive bill first into the water.

I had to laugh at this photo, because I’m thinking pelicans rarely use a boat to fish! 🙂

Walking back down the pier there is Fat Cats, a great little restaurant for breakfast or lunch. I had breakfast here with a friend I used to work with, who now lives locally. It was great to catch up with John!

Back at the RV site, Phil and I got a few projects done on our rigs. He did most of the work, but I supervised. 🙂

From our site, we took a couple bike rides along the Bob Jones Trail and as far as Pismo. Much of it is in a bike lane or on a bike trail. Its also a great way to get to Avila Beach without having to find parking.

When Phil and I rode to Pismo, our reward at the end was at Old West Cinnamon Roll, for a fresh baked cinnamon roll with cream cheese icing!

While we biked, Debbie and Deb visited the Avila Valley Barn, a local favorite for local fruit and veggies, picking up a pie or bakery treat, or stopping for BBQ lunch and ice cream on the way to Avila Beach.

Pismo Beach has changed a lot over the years, but walking on the beach and pier is still our favorite.

You can watch the surfers from the pier, and/or walk on the beach for miles. A little further to the south you can even drive your car on the beach (at least for now).

Just north of Pismo is Shell Beach. We enjoy eating at Zorro’s Cafe, then walking down the street to the ocean. A good way to walk off dinner and take in the beautiful coast.

We also visited the Point San Luis Lighthouse. It’s just north of Avila Beach, but the road is private. To visit, you need tickets for a bus ride to the light house. It’s a very steep and windy road, but worth the trip.

You are transported back to the late 1800’s, when a light keeper lived here with his family. It is fun to imagine what life was like for the family, where supplies arrived by boat, when a walk to school meant walking miles over a hilly trail, when rainwater collected in a cistern was your only source of fresh water, and when your only lighting at night was from kerosene lanterns. It was a very different, hard, but good time.

The tour includes a trip up to the lighthouse room, though the steps are very steep, especially coming down them.

The actual light has been modernized, but the original fresnel lens is located in the museum.

Our trips usually incudes a visit to San Luis Obispo.

We particularly like the try-tip sandwiches at Firestone Grill, and a stroll through the downtown past the mission.

From there, a drive to the coast is a fun trip. The famous Morro Rock is just the first of the nine sisters, a series of volcanic mountains that stretch all the way back to San Luis Obispo. We have hiked the one near the Madonna Inn, and its a great walk to the top.

Up the coast to Moonstone Beach is a favorite lunch stop of ours, Moonstone Grill. Great fish tacos and a view of the beach!

After lunch, a walk along the boardwalk is a must. It can get a little windy, but the views are great.

On the way back, consider a stop at the Madonna Inn for coffee and a slice of cake. When we found out we had both honeymooned here decades ago, we knew we wanted to visit again.

The restaurant is just as gaudy as before, but I remember enjoying a great steak here.

At the cafe, they have an amazing assortment of cakes to choose from. It’s a bit pricey but worth the nostalgia for us.

The finale of the trip, I think, was watching a SpaceX rocket launch from our RV Site. My friend John suggested I check the launch schedule while we were here, and we were in luck!

The rocket was scheduled to take off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, just across the water from us, so we had a perfect viewpoint.

Even better, SpaceX posts live video of its launches, so we could monitor the launch on my iPad as we warmed our toes by the fire.

The bright dot in the sky is the Falcon 9 launched with 20 StarLink satellites on board. Another perfect launch!

Here’s a link to the three minute video I took of the launch, and also a link to the SpaceX Video, including the safe return of the booster. Amazing!

All too soon our time at Avila with our friends came to an end. We really enjoyed the time we spent together!

Here’s a map of the places we visited in this post.

There’s so many more things we could have done, we’ll have plenty to choose from next time. If interested, here’s a few ideas from past trips to the area.

https://mobilemosers.com/category/locations/pismo-area-spotlight/

Take care and happy travels!

Al & Deb