By Debbie Stock and Craig
MacDonald
Cowabunga, Dude! You
won’t have a “cow” trying to find fun things to do in the Central Coast gateway
to Hearst Castle and Big Sur. Home to happy cows, the smiling animals that graze at Arroya
Laguna Beach north of Cambria look in awe at adventuresome wind and kite
surfers who find the location ideal for extreme
water sports. If that’s not enough to spellbound grazers and gazers,
drive a few miles north on Highway 1 to Piedras
Blancas Beach to watch a colony of elephant seals.
From May to
September, these large characters that weigh up to 5,000 pounds delight
spectators as they lay alongside each other, shedding their old skin and
growing a new layer. Between December and early February, elephant seals
give birth and nurse their young pups on the very same beach. “What’s so
unusual is that these creatures usually choose remote islands for such
activities,” explains Sharkey Warrick, a volunteer with Friends of the
Elephant Seal. “Starting in 1990, they began showing up here and their
numbers quickly grew from two dozen to over 14,000 today. It’s a rare
opportunity for tourists to view the wild
animals at a safe distance, preserving their habitat and keeping humans out of
harm's way.” (For the latest info,
checkout www.elephantseal.org.)
If towngazing’s your thing, there’s not
a better
village to visit than Cambria—“Where the Pines Meet the Sea.”
Located off Highway 1, north of Morro Bay, this delightful community is chock-full of
spectacular places to eat, shop and stay. And it has some of the nicest folks
you'll ever find. One of the best places to start your
journey is the Cambria Chamber of Commerce (527 Main St.) where Mary Ann Carson
and her
knowledgeable staff will set you off in whatever direction of activities you
choose.
If you’re hungry and
feel like grazing, one of our favorite eateries is “The Tea Cozy” in a
cute 1890 cottage at 4286 Bridge St. Friendly & sincere Barry and Lee Anne Went offer
traditional British lunches, tea and hospitality that makes every guest feel
extra special. Lee Anne’s Guinness Pie is to die for. The numerous
tasty teas, desserts and
British ambience at this charming Tea Room north of Main Street is a must stop.
(www.teacozy.com) Nearby at 1940 Main St. is another terrific place to eat. Dena
Walston’s Indigo Moon’s delicious Duck Confit, bacon & slaw sandwich served on
hot ciabatta is bound to delight your palate, especially when accompanied by
some of her exquisite local wines, like San Simeon Paso Robles Petite Sirah 2002.
This talented and amiable chef has made her luncheon restaurant a tradition,
next door to her daughter Jade’s own acclaimed dinner house, “Chenoa.”
When
you’re not sightseeing, eating or shopping in Cambria’s quaint stores, like Seekers amazing
art glass shop or sampling wine from Santa Barbara County north through
Monterey County at Fermentations, you can select from a number of sensational places to spend the
night, like Cambria Landing Inn, 6530 Moonstone Beach Drive. This oceanfront inn
has breathtaking views, some units with jacuzzis & fireplaces and a scrumptious restaurant. Across the street is a
great boardwalk for walking and jogging along the beautiful ocean.
Whether you make Cambria
your base for exploration or Highway 101's famed San Luis Obispo, where the
legendary Apple Farm Inn & Restaurant are highly recommended, there’s
a fantastic new experience
in store for you—Ag Adventures (www.agadventures.org.) You can now tour small
farms and ranches, meet the families that create some of the best food around
and even pick your own fruits and vegetables.
Some of our favorites
are: Blue Sky Gardens, U-Pik Blackberry and Pumpkin Farm at 19505 Walnut Ave.,
Atascadero. John and Colleen Childers produce some of the finest olallie, boysen
and logan berries, pumpkins along with prize-winning dairy goats. (805-438-5801;
www.blueskygardens.sanietyonline.com); Olea Farm Olives, 2985 Templeton
Road, Templeton (805-610-2258;
www.oleafarm.com) where Clotilde & Yves Julien produce a variety of olive
oils from their 1,000 trees; Jack Creek Farms, just west of Vineyard Drive on
Highway 46W, (www.jackcreekfarms.com)
the home of Tim & Joy Barlogio, fifth-generation farmers on the same land!
(They
produce over 60 varieties of pumpkins, winter squash, gourds, honey… Their
daughters, Becky and Mandy, are culinary school grads who have turned down chef
jobs at luxury hotels to remain on the farm and continue as sixth generation
farmers), and Green Acres Lavender Farm, 8865 San Gabriel Road, Atascadero,
(805-466-0837 for appts., www.greenacreslavenderfarm.com). The hospitable husband
& wife team of Janice Silva and Bob Bostwick
enlighten you on the process of producing lavender and healthy lavender oils.
“Lavender is a sensational skin soother, insect repellant, sinus relief natural
solution, herb for cooking, room decoration and so much more,” said Janice, who led an excellent recent Ag
Tour through the Central Coast. You can see Bob’s low pressure, steam
distillation process in a copper distiller to produce 100% pure, organic
lavender oil.
Exploring the Central
Coast farms and ranches will be something you’ll remember all your life!
Naturally, you’ll probably visit some of the area’s main attractions—the
award-winning wineries throughout San Luis Obispo County. There’s nothing like this magical place that offers so much to
to do for
people, elephant seals and even the cows. Cowabunga!
