Central Coast Escape: 07/15-7/17

This past weekend we took our second mini getaway of the summer in honor of mama's birthday! Mama turned the big 36 and as always, dada and baby made it super special. We started or drive up the coast on Hwy 1 past Malibu and Ventura, Oxnard etc. It's such a gorgeous drive as there is nothing more amazing than a gorgeous view of the coast. Our first stop was in sunny Santa Barbara where we enjoyed a yummy Mexican lunch and stroll around town to stretch our legs. Next we drove over to Pismo Beach and played at the Dino Cave Park which overlooked the ocean. It was surprisingly chilly and a welcome change from the blistery heat back home. Glad we brought pants and sweaters just in case! Then we continued our journey and finally arrived at our beach front home for the night at the Sea Otter Inn on the lovely Moonstone Beach in Cambria. It is really hard to describe the unique beauty of this area. Central Coast is truly breathtaking. Nothing like SoCal and different in its beauty. We dropped our luggage and enjoyed a warm cup of coffee and cookies and headed straight to the wooden boardwalk to walk along the beach. It was very chilly but that didn't stop us from dipping our feet in the sand and water and sitting on a large piece of driftwood as we soaked in the beauty in awe. Then we headed to dinner at a local pub in Cambria before heading back and calling it a night. The next morning our hotel delivered a lovely basket full of breakfast goodies which we took outside to eat as we watched morning waves crash onto the beach. We were cold but it was something that had to be done. After breakfast we checked out and headed to Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery. How amazing was this site! Its always a treat to stop by and see where the seals and sea lions come and live for the season. Ellie got a kick out of that since she has been asking to see them for a while. Next we drove through the gorgeous countryside and headed to Paso Robles for some wine tasting and sun basking. We arrived at Eberle Winery and were treated to a tour of their underground wine caves. Ellie was chosen as the assistant tour guide and took her job very seriously. It was adorable. Then we tasted wine, relaxed in the gorgeous deck overlooking the vineyard while listening to live music. It was a lovely way to spend my birthday :). Next we drove down to Lompoc to relax before exploring Solvang the next day. My parents drove up the next day and had breakfast with us at our hotel. We stopped at a bizarre place called Ostrichland. It was a little odd we had to pay $6 a person plus food to feed these huge ostriches. We were all actually terrified and didn't enjoy it very much but at least we can say we did it. Haha! Then we strolled around Solvang and enjoyed a scrumptious lunch at Succulent. Then we all headed home and wrapped up a lovely weekend getaway. So thankful!