Pismo Beach, A Wah-Hoo Weekend
Yippee Ki Yay and Away We Go! – February 10, 2012
For my 50th birthday I chose to go see one of my favorite cowboy singing groups, Riders In The Sky, who were scheduled to perform in Arroyo Grande and picked Pismo Coast RV Resort as our destination. We have been planning on visiting Morro Bay and the surrounding area for some time, and now we would get that chance! So, with everything packed into the RV for a long weekend, we’re off go into the wild blue yonder, with the clear blue skies above us and most people at work this Friday morning. Traveling I-280, south, we’re soon to San Jose and catch the 101, south.
About 2 hours into our roadtrip, we’re in the Salinas valley and we make our way to the to our first stop, lunch at the Wild Horse Café just off highway 101 in King City. Of course no trip would be complete without a little unexpected adventure. Ours came with a loud bang but without a rock or even a slight roll. After our last trip we instinctively knew what it was…a blow-out. We also knew it had to be one of the back tires. We pulled over in what passes for a shoulder around here and took a look at the damage. At first we couldn’t tell which tire it was as all the tires still had tread on them. Only one failed the manual jiggle test, the inside back passenger side, my side. And just like the last one, there was still substantial tread on the tire. What is up with these tires?
Thank goodness for emergency roadside assistance. Katherine found us a tire shop in King city that had motorhome tires available and it was only a couple of miles from the café on First Street. So now we had to decide how best to install the new tire. A new tire on the inside dooly doesn’t make sense when we had a used one installed on the front from our last blow-out. It made more sense to install two new tires on the front and move the one of the front tires to the back. Sounds good until you find out that each 19 1/2 inch tire costs an arm and a leg. So here I am in what passes as a waiting room at the tire shop documenting the first leg of our journey on our way to Pismo Beach. Check-in at the RV resort isn’t until 4 pm and we were looking for a side trip anyway. The Wild Horse café was a nice side trip and the lunch was good, but who would have thought we’d be spending the afternoon in beautiful downtown King City. Not a bad town by any means, everyone we’ve met here, from the owner and mechanics to a local rancher, to the soldier wearing camo from Fort Hunter Liggett, has been very polite and hospitable. A very nice town indeed and one we will try to stop at, for a meal, fuel or repairs, whenever we’re in the area, for sure.
With the motorhome now fitted with two new front tires, we’re off to Pismo Beach, still 90 miles away and it’s after 4 pm. Along the way we pass a rest area just outside of Camp Roberts which looks like a nice place to stop and make lunch on some future adventure, but today, I’ll just take note of this rest stop and continue down the road listening to my favorite cowboy singing group, Riders In The Sky. “I got a hundred and sixty acres in the valley, a hundred and sixty million stars above..…I wouldn’t trade it for a world of gold, it’s my home sweet home.,” always gets this city boy’s country heart. A little further we pass what looks like a military training event at Camp Roberts in a field next to the freeway. We honk and wave and they all wave back. I got a big ole lump in my throat and quietly said a prayer for all of our men and women in uniform. If I could have a birthday wish this day, it would be that they would always come home safe.
It gets dark purt near quick as we pass through Paso Robles and start to ascend through the coast mountain range outside of San Luis Obispo where the fog is thick and traffic has increased for the evening commute. We arrive at the Pismo Coast Village RV Resort, check-in, and set up the motorhome which is as close to the beach as one can get. Being so close to the ocean we get a hankerin’ for seafood and drive to Brad’s Restaurant in the heart of the Pismo Beach tourist district, which in the evenings is lit up with various colors of neon signs, Brad’s being in the shape of a fish. The weather is mild enough to eat al fresco with patio heaters at full throttle, so much so that we’re almost sweating. Part way through my shrimp dinner, it starts to drizzle a little and then, a little more. We order a mud pie to go and head back to the warmth and dryness of our motorhome to relax and be lulled to sleep by the rhythmic sounds of the Pacific Ocean.
Point San Luis and Morro Bay – February 11, 2012
Today we have all day before dinner and tonight’s show, so we decide to leisurely tour the highlights of the small beachside communities of Pismo Beach, Shell Beach, Avila Beach and Port San Luis and then Morro Bay. All had nice little restaurants and tourist shops that beckoned the casual visitor. I had planned on taking Diablo Canyon Road around Point San Luis, through Montana de Oro state park, only to find that it’s restricted. I believe that’s where the nuclear power plant is located, so no wonder. We make our way to Los Osos and enter the state park from the north. Montana de Oro is a diverse place from rocky coast to wooded canyons and grassy hills, too big for an intensive visit today. The view from Pecho Valley Road on the outskirts of Los Osos is beautiful with the Morro Dunes and Morro Rock in the distance. To get there we drive through Los Osos and Morro Bay state park to Embarcadero Street which follows the shore in the town of Morro Bay. Here we decide to get out of the car and play tourist and look for a place that had pie. Pie makes a good day better is Lou’s motto. We walk along the boardwalk and peek into some shops and take in the maritime atmosphere. On our way back we do a drive by through Grover Beach to find AJ Spurs, a western-style steakhouse with all kinds of taxidermy in the lobby including a full size bison, and to find the Concert hall in Arroyo Grande.
For dinner I have a filet mignon with a side of sautéed peppers and mushrooms and Lou has a rib-eye steak. A salad and a skillet of fried potato slices accompanies are meal. We were one of the first to arrive and by the time we were done, the place was packed with people waiting in the lobby and out the front. The establishment also has a saloon and offers nightly entertainment. If we had time, it seems like a great place to hang out for a while. Tonight, the main reason for our visit, is to see my favorite cowboy country singing quartet, two time Grammy Award winners, Riders in the Sky, who have been going strong for 30 years now and weave comedy into their performances. Ranger Doug and Too Slim have a weekly radio program, Ranger Doug’s Classic Cowboy Corral on Sirius XM. Woody Paul, “King of the Cowboy Fiddlers,” has, this year, been inducted into the National Fiddlers Hall of Fame. Joey, “The Cowpolka King” plays the accordion and completes the quartet. Riders in the Sky are popularly known for their musical performances in Toy Story, and Monster, Inc. Their performance tonight did not disappoint, singing many of my favorite songs, including Wah-Hoo, and kept everyone entertained with their comedic wit and good ole western songs. I can’t wait to see them again! It was a wonderful Wah-Hoo birthday weekend here in Pismo Beach, one I will always remember.

























