MLK weekend trip to Pismo Beach

The weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we decided to take a last-minute overnight trip to Pismo Beach to escape the rain in the bay. I found a deal to stay at the Best Western on Groupon, which was good, except that I learned after I bought it that their pool and hot tub were closed for maintenance for the week. Boo! Fortunately, we were able to use the pool and hot tub at the Lighthouse Suites next door.

I stocked up on Disney movies from the library and we drove down Saturday morning, stopping in King City at the Cork & Plough for lunch. It was a nice easy drive, just over 3 hours down the 101, and Valerie napped for the first half and then watched Sleeping Beauty. I was really impressed when we drove over a hill and Pismo Beach came into view, with mountains rising to the left and the little town sweeping down to the ocean on the right. It was beautiful and shining in the sun.

dignified as always, having lunch at the Cork & Plough

Our first stop was at the Monarch Butterfly Grove, at the southern tip of Pismo Beach. We made it just in time, around 3:30, before they closed at 4. Monarch season runs from November through February and the day we were there, they counted 28,000 monarchs, most of which were high up in the tall trees. They had telescopes set up for viewing the butterflies in the treetops. Everybody was trying to get pictures of the butterflies, which was hard to do from such a distance, but I got a couple shots.

my best butterfly shot

the view through the telescope - those "leaves" are all butterflies!

 The butterflies were cool to see, and half an hour was plenty of time! We headed to the hotel to check in and take in the ocean views before the sunset, which was absolutely stunning.

view at the Best Western

downtown Pismo Beach, near the pier

Pismo Beach Pier

 We relaxed in the hotel for a bit, and then drove downtown to walk around the beach area near the pier. It was chilly enough that I needed a coat, but one of the most gloriously colorful sunset skies I've ever seen. It quickly got dark and we went for drinks at Wooly's on the beach. My drink was called something like a pink bikini and it tasted delightfully like a sweet tart. Valerie got a hot dog and ate only the bun. And then we browsed in the shops along the strip and stopped in Pismo Yogurt, one of those ubiquitous self-serve yogurt places, to share a treat. Although I'm always a chocolate lover, the fresh raspberries were the best topping we got. So yummy.

We had an 8 pm dinner reservation at Ventana Grill next to the hotel, which was the only reservation they had. We came prepared with Snow White and the Sword in the Stone for Valerie to watch on the portable DVD player while we ate our dinner, which was excellent. I devoured my vegetable enchiladas and they brought homemade tortillas with cinnamon butter instead of bread before the meal, which I thought was unique. The Packers - Cardinals game was on so Rich got up to watch that while we waited for our food.

By the time we got back to the hotel around 10 pm, we were all turning into pumpkins and crashed. I did the smartest thing I've ever done, which was bring ear plugs for sleeping. Between nighttime Valerie noises and people going to breakfast in the morning, they saved my sleep. I'm a super light sleeper and have learned I need to always bring ear plugs with me when I travel.

Sunday morning we enjoyed the hotel breakfast, which included this crazy pancake machine I've never seen before. You just push a button, and it drops two fresh pancakes onto your plate. Fancy! Valerie was in her happy place with pancakes and sausage for breakfast.

We changed into our suits and hit up the pool and hot tub next door... well, Valerie and Rich got in the pool; I dipped my feet in and quickly returned to the hot tub.

When we were good and pruney, we dried off, packed up and checked out and headed back to the pier for lunch at the Cool Cat Cafe, a 50s style diner with burgers and milkshakes. The best part was definitely the B52, a milkshake with Bailey's and Kahlua, as well as rainbows and sunshine and happiness. Valerie was getting whiny and restless and threw a tantrum over chocolate milk. She had been pretty good up til that point so we were due for some crappy behavior.

We went for one more walk along the beach and then stopped at Dinosaur Caves park to run around and play with bubbles before we started the drive back home. The sun peeked out briefly and reminded us that this really is a beautiful area. We can't wait to come back and do the beach properly in the summer!

It was a great overnight trip and fun family time. The biggest victory? No accidents the whole time! Valerie had success going on the potty all weekend and we had our first taste of potty trained traveling, with bathroom stops in restaurants and shops, exceeding all my expectations. Now I hope someday we will have a family trip with no tantrums or whining.... that will REALLY be amazing!