Life in the Emerald City

Saturday we woke up to a wonderful breakfast at the B & B…rosemary eggs and harvest potatoes…yum!  We decided to check out the bay area, scoping out the outskirts of town along the way!

First stop: Morro Bay!

Skyline-view of Morro Bay: pacific ocean on the left, bay waters on the right

We drove through an enchanted forest of eucalyptus trees on our way to the ocean!

The waves crashing between the rocks…so. pretty.

Morro Rock…not quite sure where it came from or why it’s cool, but hey…I don’t argue with the landmarks!

Sean just had to get some clam chowder on his taste buds, so we went to lunch at a little hole-in-the-wall in Pismo Beach.  We were told they had the best clam chowder in all the land.  They. Lied.  It was the best clam chowder in all the WORLD!  I was jealous. Seriously!

After lunch we checked out the Avila Barn in Avila Beach.  Cutest little farm ever!  They had pumpkin patches, an apple orchard, a homemade ice cream and fudge shop, and a little market with all the fresh fruits and veggies you could imagine.

They had wine grapes on the vine (truthfully they looked like they were almost raisins, but you know.)  I found this view of a classic-shaped grape vine…classic!

We took a fun ride on a tractor-pull out to the apple orchard where you pick up to 2 pounds of fresh apples right. off. the. tree!  They were the best tasting apples…ever!

Can you see a pattern here?  Saturday night we went to dinner at the apple farm, enjoying comfort food in a quaint setting.  We split a yummy cheeseburger and an apple pie (of course).

Sunday we woke up to a power outage at the B & B, so we got to sleep in a bit.  Yay rest!  Then we had a late breakfast of Sante Fe eggs…very good!  As we left the ranch, we noticed a commotion going on at the wine vineyard along the main road.  Turns out they were celebrating the harvest with a wine tasting party.  Of course we joined in…and enjoyed ourselves!  After a reasonable period of rest, we drove home!  We got to drive through a bunch of canyon, over a river or two…and back to concrete city.  It was really nice to enjoy the countryside!

Since Sunday was our actual anniversary, my dad mailed us our cake from the wedding…to keep up with traditions and all.  Unfortunately, since we live on a sailboat with a very small freezer, we didn’t take our cake home.  Actually my mom took it home, then shipped it in my brother’s suitcase the next time he visited my dad, who kept it in his freezer until he mailed it to us in San Luis Obispo.  Isn’t family great??  The cake didn’t look as glamorous as it did at the reception, but it tasted great.  We both had a bite, crossed-arm style, and even smudged some on each other’s cheeks.  According to the wedding fairies that means we’ll be together FOREVER!

Albert was super excited to see us come home, and we brought him a special ‘Albert-sized’  apple…which he devoured!

The weekend was really very special…a relaxing trip for us to enjoy each other.  Can’t wait for another great year babe!  Love you!

In case you didn’t know, Sean and I celebrated our very 1st anniversary back on November 8th!  (we were having some internet issues, coupled with being out of town, so this post has been delayed)

Because we had such a fabulous trip with so many sights and experiences to share, I will be spreading out our trip over a few posts, so you don’t miss anything!

Day 1 (Friday):

Sean took the day off, so we could drop off the pups early and get a head start on our trip!  We decided to drive most of the trip up the Pacific Coast Highway, which can take a bit longer than the freeway, so we wanted to be sure we had lots of time!  Keep in mind, early for us is roughly 11am!  He he…

Anyway, we headed up the coast toward Santa Barbara, which is one of the most expensive places to live in the country.  I really have no idea why, but it is, so go with it.  We decided to stop for lunch at the pier, so we could enjoy the beach too!  We chose The Barbecue Company because who doesn’t love a good pulled pork sandwich and some oven-baked cheesy corn souffle??  I can’t remember what Sean had, b/c I was so in love with mine, but he said it was good!

Back on the road (me behind the wheel), we had just two more hours before we reached our weekend sanctuary; I must say it is one of the most beautiful two hour drives in the world.  Picture this:  rolling hills and farmland on my right, random sightings of cows, sheep, lamas, horses, etc…  Then to the left, pristine views of the pacific ocean, rocky ledges and sun-kissed waves…oh. my. Gorgeous!  I was happy to drive, except Sean is not the best at taking pictures from the passenger seat…he mostly just naps…boo!

Finally, we arrive in SAN LUIS OBISPO!  SLO (as the locals refer to it) is one of the most beautiful towns along the central Californian coast.  I visited last fall on my own to check out Cal Poly (basically the mecca of agricultural universities in California) and their Agricultural Masters Programs.  I have since gone in a different direction (big surprise, eh?), but the area is so wonderful I just had to bring Sean up to experience it.

So, we drive through downtown SLO, gawking at the cobblestone and brick buildings.  We arrived about 3pm, just as the afternoon sun was breaking through all the trees and pulling out all the wonderful fall colors that make up the town.  So beautiful!  We headed towards the outskirts of town and start to see the cute hobby farms, vineyards, and wineries that dot the area.  The bed and breakfast we chose was situated in a farming neighborhood: basically a neighborhood of 10-20 acre properties used as farms or vineyards.  It was stunning.  The sun was reflecting off the hills in the background and the vines were all sparkle-y in cranberry reds, burnt oranges, golden yellows, and minty greens.  STU-UH-NNING!

The Bridge Creek Inn B&B was being watched by Mary & John, friends of the owners.  After a quick stop to say hello to some cows across the street, we ventured across the bridge, past the eucalyptus trees, and up to the quirky-shaped, dark-colored house.  Designed by an artist back in the 70′s, it presented multiple floors, separating the living floors from the sleeping floors.  We were greeted and checked in by John, while Mary prepared an appetizing bean dip for the cocktail hour, accompanied by a locally produced white wine.  We had a lovely conversation with them, then unpacked and settled in.  Since we were the only guests, we had the whole house all to ourselves!  Whoo hoo!

After a rest, we hopped into our private hot tub for a relaxing hour.  Then, took a spin in the sauna in our bathroom.  It was a dry sauna and Sean and I both decided we did not prefer it…too hot!  We both grabbed a shower and got ready to go out for a bite.  The great thing about being back in a college town is being able to find a meal late at night.  We left the inn about 9pm and headed back into town.

We split a gyro pizza at this cute little Greek cafe, then headed down the street to a self-serve soft-serve shop!  Very. Cool.  Go pick your cup size, then choose from 6-8 different soft-serve flavors that your control the amount going into your cup.  You then get in the toppings line and choose as many toppings in whatever quantity you want and add them to your cup.  You then have your cup weighed and pay $.30 per oz.  I got a small cup with like 6 different toppings and it costs less then $2…awesome!  Of course Sean went all out with a large and every topping available, but it was still under $5, so still better than Coldstone.  We spent the rest of our time at Borders looking through all the lovely books on sale!  Sean got a new read, and I picked up a new cookbook about decorating cakes with fondant…I can’t wait to make some cakes!

We went back to the inn, marveling at the darkness of the night, all the stars we could see, and the beauty of the moon lighting up the rolling hills.  What a sight…it was a beautiful way to end the night!

Stay tuned for Saturday’s events!