Mom and dad have been in town for a few weeks now, long enough to help Donna get through one of her chemo treatments and prepare for another round of chemo this coming Thursday. We decided to get out of town for a night, somewhere relatively close so that we didn’t wear down Donna too much. Pismo Beach seemed to fit the bill.
Half way to Pismo we stopped for a bathroom break – which also gave me time to respond to a number of work emails. Dad picked up a Frappe from McDonalds, a portion of which he opted to wear for the rest of the day. Dissatisfied with his choice to do so, mom opted to remove what she could from his shirt.
The first item of business was lunch. We had heard of the Splash Cafe a number of times but never actually eaten there. When we first arrived, the line didn’t look too bad so we decided to give it a try. It’s nothing fancy but the food is amazing. It was so good we decided to return there for lunch the next day. On the menu for lunch:
• Dad – fish and shrimp basket
• Mom – fish and shrimp basket
• Donna – clam chowder in a bread bowl
• Me – shrimp and scallops basket
After consuming more than our share of calories (but boy was it worth it) we headed out for a stroll on the pier. The Friday crowd was minimal and the weather was perfect, hovering around 70-75 degrees for the day.
After our stroll down the pier we stopped for a small bit of shopping. Donna spotted a hat she liked. Since she didn’t purchase it, Dad decided to get it for himself.
The next item of business was getting checked into the hotel – Pismo Lighthouse Suites. We splurged a bit and got two ocean-front rooms. Each room was comprised of a bedroom, two bathrooms, a balcony overlooking the ocean and a living room. Mom and Donna sat down for a little rest and conversation while Dad checked the place out and I played around with a bubble mirror in the room.
From there we were off to Avila Beach, just north of Pismo. The pier there always seems to draw the sea lions, though we heard sharks have come to the area and thinned out the herd. The result – only one sea lion napping under the pier.
By time we were wrapping up on the Avila Beach pier, the sun was getting low and there wasn’t much time left in the day. I noticed the “Avila Sea Caves” on Google maps so we decided to check it out. It seemed to be a popular spot with the locals – tons of cars at the trailhead but no official markings of any kind. A short walk down the trail lead us to the cave and it was the perfect time of day for checking it out.
After a short ‘tour’ of the cave it was time to head back to our rooms. Donna was running low on energy after a very active day and the rest of us weren’t far behind her. It was a great place for watching the sunset. Donna hit the bed for a short nap, I headed to the patio and mom and dad headed to their room. The sunset was beautiful, as it always seems to be in Pismo.
Day one concluded at the Ventana Grill, where we had a great dinner. Donna opted for a chicken burrito, I had grilled shrimp and scallops, mom tried out the BBQ ribs and corn-on-the-cobb and dad experimented a little with a steak, served fajita style – for lack of a better description. There was just a pinch of daylight left which made for a great view as we first sat down. Within moments of getting back to our rooms after dinner, the lights really went out on me. Donna asked if I was ready to go to sleep and while I insisted 8pm was too early to go to bed, the snoring soon ensued.
Day two began with breakfast at the hotel, followed by a walk on the beach. It was a great, relaxing way to kick off the day after sleeping in.
By then it was time to check out of our rooms. We packed up and headed to one of our coastal areas in Pismo Beach.
Convinced there was something in Pismo we hadn’t yet seen, I took to Google to find more attractions. I’m glad I did as the search led us to the Butterfly Grove. They estimated 28,000 butterflies were there at the time of our visit.
With a two-hour drive ahead of us, the Butterfly Grove concluded our touring and we headed back to Camarillo so we could get Buddy picked up from the Barkley in time.