A CALIFORNIA KIND OF WEDDING Part I

Wedding time.  We headed west to California this past week.  It was such a great time that I am fast forwarding a bit through several other trips to share about our California trip.  Jamie, Miles and I pulled the Grumpencamper into the Austin airport to hop on a plane.

Since we made it to Austin a day early we needed to find a place to park the camper for the night and while we were gone.  Jamie pulled us into a spot near Zilker Park.  I was very nervous as soon as I saw several signs warning of break ins in that area that I said there was no way I would sleep that night.  So Jamie got on the phone with the Airport to ask if they had oversize parking.  I must say the Austin airport had the best customer service we have experienced in a really long time.  They were so helpful and nice.  Turns out they do have oversize parking so we pulled the camper into the long term lot and set up camp for the night.  Yes that was a little weird but we felt very safe.  We were only charged for one spot and our total bill for 3 days was only 20.00.  Such a great deal!!!!

Amazing!!!

We flew into San Francisco and headed south to Cayucos for Jamie's cousin's wedding.  The familes and close friends of the bride and groom were spending 4 nights at the beach the week before the wedding.  Jamie was only able to stay 2 nights and had to miss the wedding because of work.  However Miles and I decided to stay on through the wedding and are so glad that we did.  Every morning you could look out the back window (if it wasn't too foggy) and see the dolphins playing in the water or catch the surfers enjoying the morning waves.   

Cayucos is a small beach town.  It is pretty much the same distance from L.A. and San Fran.  Its a great place to go if you are looking for a beach rental.  There are a lot to choose from at reasonable prices.  Our house was rented through www.cayucosvacationrentals.com.    The beach was a little chilly 60's during the day and just plain cold at night.  The crisp air was a nice change from Nashville's triple digit temps.  I really enjoyed breaking out my fall like clothing.  A major bonus is that on California beaches unlike Florida beaches you can have bonfires on the beach.

One of the things I loved most about this location were the quaint little towns that Cayucos was surrounded by.  We spent one afternoon in Morro Bay.  What a neat little town.  Right at the center Morro Bay is a huge rock that you can't miss from the 101.  We chose to eat lunch at Giovanni's Fish Market and & Galley. 

I had fresh clam chowder and a fish taco.  Yum!!!  Right before they hand over the chowder they put a nice spoonful of butter right on top.  You order at the window and pick a bench to sit at out back right on the bay. After lunch we walked around the shops there near the bay.  The shops were great not all jam packed with tourist junk.

As we headed out of Morro Bay we popped in a little fabric store called the Cotton Ball.  Mom and Pop fabric stores are becoming a hobby of mine.  I like to research them in each little town.  This was so cute and they had the Dr. Suess fabric I had been looking for for Miles.

The next day we decided to tour Hearst Castle.  I was a little unsure of what I agreed to but ended up having an amazing time. 

The Hearst Castle began construction in the 1920's.  For 20.00 you can tour the entertainment rooms of the main residence along with both the indoor and out pools.  After the tour you can spend as much time as you would like on the outside grounds.  There are 2 other additional tours that you can take to tour the 3 cottages (one had 18 bedrooms, yes a cottage), the kitchen and bedrooms in the main quarters.  All the tours include a 45 minute movie.  The history was incredible I felt like I had stepped right into the Great Gatsby.  Hearst entertained people like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Clark Gable.  I highly recommend this tourist attraction.  Make sure you bring some water and your walking shoes.  You want to be comfortable because you aren't really allowed to sit down many places.  Most everything is made of marble and it is a NO, NO to touch!

Jamie's Aunts, Uncle, Mom, Miles and Me in front of the castle

Outdoor Pool where Hearst and his guest would lounge

After our day at Hearst Castle we stop in the little town of Cambria, CA for lunch.  We had lunch at a little family dinner.  This little town has some cute shops and several of the Paso Robles area wineries have tasting rooms here.

On Friday morning we headed inland to Paso Robles, CA...