These are photos from a trip Beth and I made up the California Coast just after Labor Day Weekend.
SOLVANG – First stop on the trip. We got a room that allowed dogs, drank wine, and headed off to Brothers Restaurant. This place has amazing food and is going to be a stop on future trips. It’s in LOS OLIVOS, about 15 mins outside of Solvang. 
The Wandering Dog, an great place to go if you are a dog person or have dogs. They allowed Charlie to chill inside the wine bar while we ate about $100 in nuts, cheese, fruit, and some tasty olives. We bought two jars to take home but they never made it.
Solvang at night. Unfortunately I didn’t have my tripod and we were taking Charlie out for a late night walk so I had to make due with a lamp post. Was a full moon out too.
SANTA YNEZ - Up at the crack of dawn we headed out to watch the sun come up over the farms and vineyards. 
LOS ALAMOS - This place is barely on the map but makes for a cool drive out to the coast. We stopped to get some hand sanitizer and found out Mr Johnsons car broke down on the road in front of the store. I have no idea who Mr Johnson was but his car was cool so I took a picture. And they had no idea what hand sanitizer was, told me I should buy some soap. 
GUADALUPE beach. It’s not an easy beach to find and there isn’t much to do there, but it’s cool to look at for about 5 mins. 
AVILA – state beach We stopped in to get some fish tacos and a few beers before making our way up to Morro Bay for the night.
Yes these 3 birds were really sitting like this on the pier. They had a tin can on the dock with a sign asking for spare change .
Slumber party on the docs..
MORRO BAY -
Charlie keeping a keen eye on the birds dive bombing for fish.
Pt Piedras Blancas - In the morning on our way up to Big Sur we stopped just south of Pt Piedras Blancas, near the Elephant Seal beach and did a little hike out on the cliffs, no dogs allowed.
Pt Sur – Somewhere north of Pt Sur we stopped on the side of the road and headed down a small unmarked path to a beach. This beach was unbelievable and if the water wasn’t 50 degrees you would have thought you were in Hawaii.
Just one of TOO MANY “Private Property” signs along the coast. El Sur seems to be pretty huge and the public isn’t welcome.
Big Sur - After camping one night in Big Sur we had enough of the bugs so we packed up and headed south. This is a shot of the Big Sur river in the morning before we headed out.
Leaving Big Sur and heading south early in the morning we encountered thick fog for the first time this trip. Good thing we stopped on the way up to get pictures while it was sunny.
Plaskett Creek – After stopping at every possible turnout on the way south we finally made it to Plaskett Creek Campground. Our first choice was Kirk Creek campground, where every spot is right on the cliffs over the ocean, but it was full and we didn’t have reservations.
This is the meadow across from the campground, on the way down to Sand Dollar beach.
A view of the fog that came and wend throughout the day from down on Sand dollar beach. 
In the morning we left Plaskett camp and headed down into Pismo beach. First stop was just north of San Simeon where we found all the “locals” Wind surfing. Not sure where they all live but it’s a heck of a long drive.
What Wind surfing may look like once Global Warming is complete. 
Randolph Hearst State Beach – another day of fog and clouds. We saw a Sea Otter hanging out near the shore eating but he didn’t wait around long enough for me to get my camera out. 
Cambria – Well this part of the trip was an adventure. So we’re in Cambria looking for a hotel room for the night, after a few failed attempts Beth was occupied on the cell phone ( with no service btw) trying to find another hotel. I saw a sign that said “Turn left for Linn’s delicious Pie”.. and since Beth seemed to be busy, I did.. and the road went on, and on, and on. 1 hour later in the middle of nowhere we found Linn’s.. it does exist and it’s a great drive for some pie.
Pismo Beach – we finally found a hotel right on the beach that allowed dogs. The hotel is Sand Castle Inn, and if you ever need a nice hotel room that allows dogs, this is it. Below is a shot from our balcony.
by Dave
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