Re-visiting Cambria

For the second year in a row, Dennis and I joined with 20 new and old friends in an excursion to Cambria to spend 4 days enjoying the pleasures of the Central Coast of California.  This adventure started when many of us would hear from John and Lynn Taber about the wonderful times they would have whenever they visited the area.  Finally, in 2012, John and Lynn coordinated a trip to Cambria.  It was such a success that a follow up trip in 2013 was a certainty!! 

 

The administrative details of the 2013 trip were handled by two ready volunteers in Marilou and Mary. The Burton Inn once again became our home away from home.   It has delightful large suites, a wine/appetizer happy hour, and a healthy+delicious breakfast buffet.  Cambria is fortunate to have many excellent restaurants that were willing to tackle the logistics of 22 people arriving for lunch or dinner.  One member of the group offered to provide some of her music and vocals during the happy hour on the last night. 

With the other details out of the way, this left John and Lynn free to plan some hiking and outings for the 4 days.  Being outdoors to hike and walk is a big part of their life together ever since they met a few years ago while undertaking some vigorous hiking in New Zealand.  Cambria just happens to be “their place” where they made their long term commitment to each other.  So, our group is the lucky beneficiaries of their hours spend exploring the area’s trails and parks.

On the way to the Inn, a walk in the El Chorro Regional Park started the trip.  A hike the next morning along the Moonstone Beach up to San Simeon State Park provided some wonderful opportunities to hunt for moonstones on the beach while enjoying the scenery.

 

In the afternoon, we made the 1 mile uphill hike to a 12-acre Historical Cemetery to wander about and learn more about the history of the early settlers in Cambria starting in 1870.  Luckily the walk back to the Inn was downhill and set us all thinking about the happy hour and dinner plans.

 

In 2012, we hiked at the Fiscalini Ranch and barely covered a small fraction of this 430 acre preserve with its many trails.  So a repeat trip to the area was scheduled with plans to cover other trails.  The morning brought with it some fog as we started out to explore new areas with the sun coming out as we moved up the trails.  On our return to the starting point, the map and smart phone apps were checked to see how far we had gone and what we could cover in another visit.

Plenty of time was set aside after that walk for the group’s members to do some retail therapy in the yarn, cooking, art, and antique shops in the two sections of East (old town) and West Cambria.  Others headed to see the Hearst Castle up the main Coast Highway #1 or to check on the elephant seals near the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse.

At the final happy hour gathering with only one walk left in the morning, a big round of applause was given to all the planners of the trip for this year.  And once again, the success of Trip #2 had everyone ready to sign up for Trip #3 in 2014.