Paso Robles & Morro Bay, CA
We spent our Spring Break renting an AirBnB near the California coast with Aunt Shirley! And Uncle Duane and Beth joined us too! We were very fortunate that although our first day in Ventura was cold and rainy, we were able to join days full of sunshine to rest of the week. And the heavy rains in the weeks prior resulted in fluorescent green hills and beautiful wildflowers!
Overlook on CA-46. Morro Rock is the background.
In order to break up the long drive, and get to the beach as soon as possible, we stayed at a hotel in Ventura. These kids, for whatever reason, love hotels! Apparently the fact that we rarely stay in them has made them extra special. Despite the constant rain, we were not deterred from tide pools or running from the waves. Ella especially, was so excited at each rock or seashell she found.
I always wanted to bring Topo to the ocean. We’ve been a number of times with the kids, but we’ve never brought Topo. She was thrilled to be running through the sand, chasing birds and feeling free! Although she didn’t care too much about the waves and water, it was great to give her this experience.
Our first full day, we explored Morro Bay and enjoyed seeing sea otters by the docks. We all got fresh fish and chips and sampled local wine for our lunch stop. The AirBnB was in a beautiful location, a bike ride from nearby wineries, but it was a little less maintained than we were hoping.
Our second full day, Duane and Beth were just north of us so they drove down in their class C motorhome and stayed in the driveway. We spent the morning in downtown Paso Robles where the kids got to play at a playground and we drank local beer. The crew went to the ONLY winery we visited (Peachy Canyon) while I took the kids back to nap before our big night out. (Yes, you read that right, I went to Paso Robles and didn’t even go to a winery or vineyard. I guess that just means we will have to go back).
We spent the evening at Sensorio, a giant filled with over 100,000 solar powered lights. It was Sensorio that Shirley had showed us pictures of on her phone years ago. When I saw it, I said that I wanted to go there…so it was that conversation that initiated this trip.
Because it was raining the morning at the tide pools in Ventura, we wanted to make sure we got in another tide pool visit. We stopped at the beautiful Los Osos area just south of Morro Bay. There were plenty of creatures to find and a waterfall to enjoy. We explored downtown Cayucos for lunch (and ice cream of course) before heading back to house.
One of the most impressive parts of the trip was the drive back along CA-46. Because of the heavy rains, the fields were covered in yellow and orange wildflowers! I was bummed we didn’t get any pictures because it sure was a sight to see! I guess, we have another reason to go back…wineries and wildflowers.